The Ocean Girl by Jane Buehler

Author:Jane Buehler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy romance, mermaid romance, romantic fantasy, cozy fantasy romance, fairytale romance, fish out of water, fairy magic, mermaid tales, not violent, romantic folk tales, women’s fantasy fiction, fairytale kingdom
Publisher: Jane Buehler
Published: 2023-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Muri and Jack left the beach and walked through the gardens toward the castle. Away from the wind, the warm sun continued to beat down, now heating the stones beneath her feet and caressing the flowers. Among the dying tulips, new green buds emerged from the soil.

They passed the fountain where Muri had sat with Gray, but Jack kept walking. Muri stepped onto the grass. It was soft and moist, and she had the strangest desire to lie down and roll in it. Each time she took a step, her foot sank into the cool blades.

They crossed the wide green expanse as the castle loomed closer and closer overhead. When they were beneath the towers, they climbed wide steps onto a patio. The stone floor was hot from the sun, searing the soles of her feet as she hurried across. A door stood open and beside it, Hilda sat reading some papers in the sunshine with a hat shielding her face.

“Good morning,” Jack said, and Hilda’s head jerked up.

“Morning,” she said, putting aside the pamphlets. “I didn’t hear you approach.”

“Do you work here, Hilda?” Muri asked.

“Three days a week. Now, how can I help you—do you want the basic tour or the deluxe tower tour?”

Jack had said working as the castle tour guide was the exciting job in Woodglen. Somehow Muri hadn’t pictured the job being held by Hilda. She peeked in the open door beside Hilda, but relative to the sunny outdoors, it was too dark to see anything inside the castle.

“I was hoping to show Muri what we’ve been building upstairs.”

“Oh Jack, you go right on up. You know the way.”

“Thank you.” Jack reached for Muri’s hand, but the moment he touched her, he stiffened. He looked down at her, unsure. Muri took his hand, and his shoulders relaxed as he pressed back. He stepped into the open doorway.

“I’ll make sure no one else goes up,” Hilda said. “Not much business today. I might as well close early.” She smiled slyly and shooed them in the door.

Jack led Muri into a parlor ten times the size of the one in the grange home. Sunlight streamed in through tall windows. The wooden chairs had seats made of a shiny material and came in all colors like the flowers in the gardens. Wooden tables lined the walls along with glassed-in cases containing shelves covered with dainty dishes and vases and other objects. Muri couldn’t even imagine why anyone would need all this.

“They’ve mostly left the rooms as they were during the monarchy,” Jack said as they crossed the room. “Although, some of it was sold to fund different projects.”

“The castle had more than this?”

Jack shot her a knowing look. “Uh-huh.”

They exited the parlor into a darker hallway. Here, no windows opened to the outdoors, and the stone walls and floor radiated cold. Enough light filtered in from open doorways along the hallway to help them see. Jack took her to one end and through a door, down another hallway, up a few steps, and through more doorways.

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