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Willa nodded proudly.
The king raised a bushy eyebrow. “Hunted in my private forest?”
Willa froze, then covered up with an innocent smile. “Oh no. Of course not. Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”
The king harrumphed, and the other two men broke into laughter.
“We’d better deliver those to the kitchen,” Willa said, scurrying away with John.
My father chuckled. “A good thing our king has a soft spot for capable ladies.”
The king harrumphed again. “I have no soft spots.”
I grinned. He did, but he hid them well. Not that I dared say as much.
Moments later, the king was swept away by a fresh group of admirers, but my father and Lord Winthrop lingered a little longer.
“So proud of you, dear girl.” My father hugged me, then whispered, “Your mother would be proud too.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but that was all right. It was nice to carry her memory with me on this special day.
My father cleared his throat and smacked Tuck’s shoulder. “And you had better live up to expectations.”
Tuck stuck on a polite, nervous smile. “I’ll do my best, sir.”
“A good place to start,” Lord Winthrop agreed cheerily.
Lady Winthrop joined us next. “There you are, darlings. About your wedding gift…”
“You’ve already done so much for us,” I protested.
“Nonsense, my dear girl. I have the perfect idea, especially now that you’ll be living in this drafty castle.”
“It’s not that drafty,” I protested, already feeling sentimental about the place.
I’d never aspired to be the leading lady in my own castle. But Nottingham called to me — plus, the job here gave me a real purpose.
“Oh, but it is,” Lady Winthrop insisted. “Not to worry, however. We have the perfect gift for you, and with any luck, it will be delivered by next winter. Tell them, dear.”
Lord Winthrop shook his head. “Your idea. You tell them.” Then he turned to us. “She’s the brains of the operation.”
Tuck grinned and pointed to me. “So is she.”
Lady Winthrop motioned to the wall. “We’re commissioning a set of tapestries for you. Decorative and functional, since they’ll cut down the draft. I was thinking of a unicorn and lion theme. You know, frolicking in fields of flowers…”
Tuck laughed, leaving me to reply with a broad grin. “I love it.”
We chatted for a few more minutes until Lady Winthrop excused herself and towed her husband and my father to the king’s table.
“Oh, they’re serving that soup I adore…”
Next, Tuck was all but tackled by young Tom a moment later.
“Tuck! Tuck!”
“Lord Nottingham,” someone corrected him, scandalized.
Tuck shook his head. “Tuck will do perfectly. How are you, Tom?”
