Page 21 of The Midnight Blizzard
It was Prince Stephen. “Will you walk with me?” he asked politely, then inclined his head to each of the others seated around me. “Please excuse us, ladies.”
“Of course.” I delicately wiped my mouth with my napkin, then rose and took the arm he proffered. As we walked out of the dining hall, several of the women, Vanessa included, glared at me. Jack, on the other hand, was wholly engrossed in his notes, staring hard at the same spot on the page without his eyes moving at all. His smile from before had faded.
“One of my advisors recommended that I get to know you better,” Stephen said as we stepped into the empty hallway. “And I thought a walk would be a better environment for it as opposed to the feast where everyone is talking at once.”
“That’s a good plan. It looked like you had about ten women talking to you all at once during the meal.”
“Yes, it’s been a lot,” Stephen said, not quite sighing, but I heard the exhaustion in his voice.
“Women and their emotions can be a lot to handle,” I commented lightly. “How are you managing?”
Stephen looked sideways at me. “Well enough.”
“Did your advisors tell you to say that, or are you actually doing well?”
A little of Stephen’s formality dissolved. “It’s a lot of pressure to know that I’m expected to find a woman to marry in such a short period of time.”
“I would be concerned for you if you didn’t feel pressured in such a situation. A week isn’t much time to get to know someone.”
“I’m glad to hear someone say so. I think only you and one of my advisors has expressed such a view.”
“What areyouhoping for by the week’s end?”
“To find someone I’d like to form a relationship with, but I don’t know of anyone who would be ready for marriage to a stranger within seven days. Not intending any offense to you or any of the women here, of course.”
“Well then, let’s set aside any expectation that others may have for us and simply enjoy this time as two friends on a walk together. Tell me your favorite food and”—I thought for a moment—“a time you got into trouble when you were young.”
Stephen brightened. “I can see why Jack recommended you so highly.” He went on to tell me his favorite dish and about an experience he had in which he had practiced his jousting in an empty hallway with a spare broomstick and ended up smashing a tall vase. “My mother and nursemaids scolded me something fierce,” he said with a laugh. “Now tell me about your family.”
“My father passed away recently,” I told him, sobering. “And I’m not on good terms with my stepfamily right now, but Kody is always there for me. He’s my highest priority.”
The prince shot me a curious expression, one of surprise mingled with concern. “How old is Kody?”
“He’s five, but after having him in my life, I can’t picture a single day without him.”
Prince Stephen nodded slowly. “I’m sure he misses you when you’re away.”
My heart warmed. “Oh, he does. He has so much energy. I wish I had more time to play with him in the evenings, but I’m often so tired that I can’t do anything but play catch with him for a few minutes.”
“And yet, I’m sure he appreciates it every time. You’re the most important person in the world to him, after all.”
I smiled. Jack wasn’t the only one who understood the pivotal role dogs played in my life. “Kody lights up every time he sees me walk through the door,” I told him. “He runs to me and is so excited. He’s so intelligent too; I feel like I can tell him anything and he’d understand.”
“I’m sure you teach him as much as possible.” We were nearly back to the dining hall.
“He’s gotten very good at rolling over.”
Stephen laughed. “Young children are so funny with the habits they pick up. He’s lucky to have such an attentive mother; I can tell you love him very much.”
Oh.
Oh dear.
He thought I’d been speaking about a human. My thoughts raced back to everything I’d said so far. Kody could easily be interpreted to mean a human, and when I said that I cared for a five-year-old who I couldn’t picture life without…
“No! No, Your Highness. I didn’t mean?—”
The prince took my hand, and my mouth went dry. “I’m glad you have your son, Noelle. Everyone needs someone important in their life. I would love to meet him someday.”
