AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’re still betrothed,” I tell her truthfully. “But I do not love him.”
“Of course you don’t.” She waves her hand as though dismissing it. “The boy is an utter moron. Has less than half the sense his father had, and even he did not possess much.”
I smile. “Then you understand my predicament.”
“After seeing him?” She gestures to the door. “Absolutely. A woman like you needs a man like that. Someone who will stand beside and support, yet not silence you.”
She hits it so perfectly that I find myself staring at her. “You’re the only woman I’ve talked to who understands.”
“Because I, too, sought a man who would offer me the same. William’s father was my partner in all the ways that matter.”
“What happened to him? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Wandered off one morning and never returned. It’s been nearly a decade, and we’ve yet to find a trace of him.” She shakes her head. “Knowing him, he likely lost track of time.” Kira stands, but I see the drop in her shoulders that comes from heartbreak.
“I am truly sorry for your loss as well.”
“Thank you, dear. Now. Let’s get you settled in your room for the evening.” She crosses over to a far door and pulls it open to reveal a narrow hallway boasting four doors. “My room is at the end of the hall, William’s across from it. This is yours.” She opens the door to reveal a small room with a bed barely larger than the cot I’d had back at Bowman’s camp.
But warmth radiates all around, from the hand-quilted blanket to the drawings tacked to the walls. “This is lovely.”
“Thank you. It hasn’t been used in quite some time, but I think it’ll do nicely for the evening. I thought you would enjoy seeing your mount.”
I glance out the window, surprised to see Shadow standing in the barn, staring back at me. “Very much, thank you.”
“Great. I will let Fort know you are settled. Please wake me if you need anything, Your Highness.”
I reach over and take her wrinkled hands in mine. “Please just call me Carleah,” I tell her. “You have been so incredibly kind to both Fort and me. We are in your debt.”
Her cheeks flush. “Nonsense. But I will take that debt.” She winks then turns and leaves me alone in the room. After removing my belt, I hang my sword on the bedside table then remove my boots and pants. As soon as I stand in nothing but my tunic, I let my hair out of its bindings and turn my attention to the room.
A small chest of drawers stands tall on the wall opposite the bed. A wash bowl adorned with bright flowers sits on top, though it remains empty. The wall is decorated with portraits of stunning quality—flowers, landscapes, and animals that have been painted with painstaking detail.
It’s breathtaking, if I’m being honest, and painted by someone far more talented than any painter the castle ever had on staff.
Someone knocks, so I call out, “Come in.”
The door swings open, and Kira strolls in with a pitcher of steaming water. “I thought you could use some to wash up.” She pours it into the porcelain bowl then turns to leave.
“Who painted these?”
Pausing for a moment, she crosses toward me. “William did.” Surprise must color my face because she chuckles. “A bit shocking?”
“No, I suppose not.” I turn back to the pictures. “They’re so full of energy. Life. Each detail taken with painstaking care.”
“He used to do portraits,” she says as she crosses to the chest of drawers. Bending down, she sets the pitcher aside and opens the bottom to reveal a leather-bound folder. After she offers it to me, I carefully open it so I don’t spill the contents.
“Oh my—” I trail off as I take in the sight of a beautiful red-haired woman, her hair bound by a yellow ribbon. Her smile is wide, her green eyes so full of life that I expect her to offer me a greeting.
“That was his wife,” she tells me sadly. “After she passed, William stopped painting portraits and instead began painting flowers and trees. Things that will eventually die but break no hearts when they do. He put all of her portraits away and spends every free moment replacing each and every empty spot on our walls.”
“I think some hearts might break when flowers die,” I offer as my heart breaks once more for William.
She smiles and takes the folder back from me. “That’s what I tell him, too. Truthfully, I know it hurts him when the landscape changes with each season.”
“He is so talented.”
“Thank you.”
