A Royal Marriage by Rachelle McCalla

Author:Rachelle McCalla [Rachelle McCalla]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Goodreads: 15801542
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Pty Ltd, Australia
Published: 2012-12-11T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

John held his falcon out toward the princess and tried frantically to think. She’d been ready to leave him alone in the tower. If he’d have kept silent for another few seconds, she’d have been gone. Why had he been foolish enough to invite her to stay?

Because he longed to be in her presence, that was why. Except for his reasoning faculties, which knew far better than to go anywhere near her, every facet of his being longed to be as close to her as possible.

It was as though his entire physical body had mutinied against his rational self.

It was high treason, when he got right down to it.

Perhaps he should find out why she’d climbed the tower and then quickly take his leave. At the very least, he could hope to retreat before she brought up their conversation from the night before. He rushed to fill the silence before she could fill it for him. “Are you enjoying your stay at Castlehead?”

“Very much so, thank you.”

“Is there anything you lack?”

She shrugged, then laughed. “My maid has gone missing.”

“Hilda?” John thought quickly, seeing an opportunity to retreat. “I shall ask my courtiers if anyone knows where she might be.” He raised his arm to place Fledge back on her perch.

“It’s not an urgent concern.” She raised one hand, and he paused. “Since you’re here, perhaps you could help me in another way.”

“I am at your service.”

“I climbed this tower in hopes of garnering enough of a view to understand the layout of this expansive castle of yours, as well as the surrounding landscape.”

“Your Highness has chosen an excellent vantage point from which to observe.” As John spoke, Fledge seemed to grow bored with him and hopped off his glove to join her new mate on the rafters. John didn’t take her abandonment personally. He was quite relieved to have found the bird had returned at all, even if she’d brought along a new mate.

Gisela crossed to the nearest of eight windows, which occupied the eight walls of the roughly octagonal tower. John crossed to stand beside her and pointed out the various sights. “There is the front gate with the drawbridge, beside the gate tower. Directly across the courtyard is the large roof that covers the great hall.”

“Oh. Then what is under that large peaked roof?” Gisela pointed.

“That’s the chapel. Did you worship there on Wednesday?”

“Yes. The service was lovely. But an attendant escorted me from the great hall. I had no idea how I arrived there or where we were in relation to the rest of the fortress.”

“We’ll have Sunday worship there tomorrow morning. The bells will ring, calling everyone to come to the service, and then they’ll toll three times more when the service begins.”

“I’m so glad you told me. Now I’ll be able to find it without an attendant. But where is my room from there?”

John crouched to meet her eye level and shuffled closer to her, his attention so focused on the architecture

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