To Betray a King: A Frog Prince Retelling by Annette K. Larsen

Author:Annette K. Larsen [Larsen, Annette K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hidden Falls Publishing
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

9

I awoke the next morning from a night of restless sleep. The bed had been comfortable, the room lovely, but guilt and fear were vicious bedfellows. I’d wasted the entire day yesterday. Not only had I not given the elixir to William, but I had yet to figure out how I would do it at all. Sneaking it into his dinner wine didn’t appear to be an option. This was taking too much time. I had used up my three days, which meant that by the time I returned, Jeshua would have started adding his awful weights to my family. I had to act today. Who knew how much longer the Baylors would allow me to stay. They may very well expect me to depart this very morning. Granted, Kinley was kind enough that if I were to ask, she would probably allow me to stay, but each day I gave them more reason to be suspicious. Each day, my family’s circumstances grew more grim.

I couldn’t wait anymore. I had to use what tools I had available to me.

And that meant using Bram.

So I went to the garden to wait for him. I’d seen him leave for a ride on his horse earlier, so I hoped to waylay him on his way back to the house.

I brought my shawl out with me and sat on a bench, but the morning was oddly chilly, so I ended up walking around in an attempt to keep myself warm. I pulled the chain of my necklace from underneath my clothing and ran it through my fingers over and over, trying to draw strength and courage from the family heirloom.

The moment I spotted Bram riding into view, I tucked the necklace away and watched from the gardens as he dismounted in front of the stables and then turned toward the house, removing his gloves as he did so.

“Courage, Faelyn,” I whispered to myself and then cleared my throat and called out, “Mr. Mantock.” I couldn’t bring myself to call him Bram, not when I was about to betray his trust.

Bram looked up, and a smile instantly graced his mouth.

“Fae,” he said, drawing closer. “What are you doing here?”

Acting out of desperation, that’s what. “Waiting for you,” I admitted.

He offered me his arm. “You needn’t have waited in the cold. Let’s go inside.”

I wanted to protest. There were more ears to overhear inside, but it was chilly and I couldn’t think of a good excuse to keep him out here. So instead, I took his arm and let him lead me into the house, his hand resting atop mine where it lay on his forearm.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked as we climbed the steps.

“Well enough. And yourself?” Just making those mundane inquiries was difficult when my mind swirled with what I had to do. My hand pressed against the side of my skirt, feeling the glass vial that rested in my pocket.

“Falling asleep was a challenge for me,” he admitted. “But once asleep, I slept soundly.

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