GB10 Taken by the Prince by Christina Dodd

Author:Christina Dodd
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780451413048
Published: 2011-04-05T07:00:00+00:00

“I’ll take the opinions everyone has expressed this evening under advisement, and tomorrow make a decision about which of the women to put in command.”

Raul nodded to Hada, and then to Prospero. “But for now, Thompson is right, and I’m sorry I was obtuse.

Hada, if it pleases you, you may take over the running of the entire household.”

With typical reticence, she nodded and set to work at once directing the women in the dinner service.

Prospero leaned forward and spoke to Victoria.

“Hada loves to be outdoors.”

Victoria shifted her startled gaze to Hada. She was frail, short, and thin, and her limp was fearsome.

“Do you know why she works indoors rather than training the women in shooting?” he asked.

“No, we’ve never really spoken about our lives.” Because Victoria took care not to share memories or ambitions with the people she met in Moricadia.

It seemed Prospero wasn’t as oblivious as she’d imagined, for he said, “Because you don’t want to make friends here.”

“No. I don’t want friends here.” She refused to pretend otherwise, and met his gaze head-on.

He nodded knowingly. “When I met Hada, she was twelve years old. She was whole and beautiful, she ran wild, and she was the best shot in the country.”

Victoria drew back. She already knew she didn’t care to hear, because so clearly Prospero was determined to tell her.

But he leaned closer. “When she was fifteen, she was out hunting, looking for something to feed her family.

Now, you need to know— no Moricadian is allowed to take meat from anywhere in the country. The de Guignards say it belongs to them. Prince Sandre and his men caught her shooting a rabbit, a little rabbit”— with his hands, he showed her the size— “for even the rabbits are half-starved in this country. So the prince declared a hunt, and he and his men chased her through the woods.

They were on horseback. She was on foot. They toyed with her until she was exhausted, until she couldn’t run anymore, until she fell. Then they galloped over the top of her. One of the hooves crushed her hip, another her leg. They left her for dead and rode off, satisfied they had done justice.”

Horrified, Victoria stared at him, then at Hada.

Hada saw her reaction and started toward the head table, her gait lopsided and painful.

“She didn’t die, but she’ll never again be able to run, to shoot, to be the woman she should have been.” Prospero’s eyes shone with hate. “She bore me two children, but she can’t have more. With our last child, she almost died.”

Painful tears pressed at the back of Victoria’s eyes.

“Prospero. Enough.” Raul made a slashing sign across his throat.

Prospero paid no heed, but continued to speak to Victoria.“You come here and you want to change everything. When you’ve suffered the way we’ve all suffered, when you see your mother starve and your friends die, then you’ll understand why we are as we are. Then we’ll listen to you!”

Hada reached the table, leaned across, looked into her husband’s eyes.

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