The Duchess by Hannah E Carey

Author:Hannah E Carey [Hannah E. Carey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Serenity Star Press LLC
Published: 2022-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter eight

Gilded Cage

It had been another long, hot day at the market but Idris found he hardly cared about the discomfort. For the past three days, the market had provided the opportunity to steal time with Faustina. She had visited regularly since their encounter on the beach. Cadoc and Murchadh were less than thrilled by her continual presence, but Idris and Faustina had been careful to not present anything untoward to one another and the two older men could hardly argue with the wants of a Kelnorian princess. Though Idris hadn’t had the chance to kiss her since the night on the beach, the memory of that particular encounter was emblazoned in his thoughts and if he were honest, if he got the opportunity to kiss Faustina again, he would take it.

Storm clouds were building on the horizon as he scanned the crowded street for any sign of her. It was late afternoon and he’d yet to see her today, though from their previous conversations he got the impression that it wasn’t always easy for her to get away from the palace. Cadoc and Murchadh had left him to man the stall alone for the afternoon while they met with a few traders down at the docks and Idris had relished their absence. If he did manage to see Faustina today, he wouldn’t have to deal with their constant disdain and reminders that he needed to stay out of trouble. As if I’m incapable of being discreet, he thought, re-arranging a few furs in the hopes that they would catch the attention of any passersby.

He wasn’t completely unaware of the strict laws surrounding the nobility and in particular women in Kelnore, but there was something about Faustina that made him willing to risk it. She was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. Underneath the veneer of a proper princess, there was another woman entirely. An intelligent, light-hearted one who was full of laughter and smiles that left him breathless. Being able to coax that side of her out of hiding made him long for the ability to whisk her away from her gilded prison. If she were given the chance to live in a world where she was able to be more than an object for powerful men, he had no doubt that she would blossom.

As if conjured up by his thoughts, he spied her threading her way through the crowd and making her way toward him. Her usual companions, a fellow noblewoman named Cassia and a guard named Elias, were at her side, as always. When they got within a few feet of the stall, Faustina’s two companions wandered off farther down the street and Idris couldn’t help but grin as Faustina closed the distance between them.

“Alone today?” she asked when she reached him, raising her brows.

“I know. Can you believe that they entrusted everything to me for a whole afternoon?”

She laughed, warmth filling him as he took in the brightness in her eyes. A rumble of

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