Page 76 of Turret
I whimpered in protest when he broke away, but thankfully he didn’t release his hold on me, keeping his arms securely around me as if protecting me from the outside world in order to allow us to more fully enjoy our own private one in this moment. His heart beat rapidly against mine and his heated, adoring hold made me feel alive and incredibly cherished.
It took him a moment to catch his breath in order to find his voice. “Your new guard is terrible. I expected to be locked away for daring to touch the princess in such a way.”
“We had a good talk on expectations while I was searching for you,” I said. “He knows that you’re the exception to royal protocol.”
He grinned and dipped down to steal another searing kiss before withdrawing to stare at me, his gaze so tender that part of me wondered if he really could see me. And perhaps he could, for sight was more than just seeing with one’s eyes. In the years we’d known one another, he’d already looked beyond how I’d appeared in order to see deeper to the princess within, even when I’d been blind to her myself.
Perhaps this was what true love was. And with such sight, I knew that we both saw enough to create the most beautiful of futures no matter what came…together.
Chapter 29
Purpose filled me as I minced rosemary, butterbur root, and ginger for a simple headache tonic for Briar, who’d been trapped in meetings with his advisors most of the day and often emerged from them weary.
Over the past several weeks I’d spent hours with the master herbalist learning the skills necessary for an apprentice. Hours melted away within this room, but unlike the years I’d spent trapped in bed, this wasn’t a prison. I found great satisfaction in my studies, familiarizing myself with the herbs, and using my new knowledge to help others. Though I was sometimes forced to spend time in bed on days my healing elixir wasn’t as effective, it wasn’t nearly as often as it used to be, and my time in the apothecary and with my family made it easier to endure.
My time home had been far happier than I ever could have imagined, made even more so because of my courtship with Quinn. I looked towards where he stood in front of the shelf laden with bottled herbs. He’d received his official release from his knighthood several weeks before and despite no longer serving as my guard had spent much of his time with me in my herbalist room. Though he clearly enjoyed my company, I knew he was searching for a new purpose that he could fulfill even without his sight.
Briar’s headache remedy was quickly forgotten as I watched Quinn lift several jars to his nose with a look of intense concentration. Curiosity furrowed my brow. “What are you doing?”
He grinned over his shoulder. “Studying. I’ve wanted to surprise you, so I normally do it when you’re absent, but I’m so close to reaching my goal that I couldn’t resist finishing now so that I might offer you my proposal.”
My heart lifted. “Your proposal?”
A blush enveloped his cheeks. “A different one.”
Disappointment pressed against me. “Oh.”
Though my expression was lost to him, he heard the melancholy in my voice. He bit his lip. “I’m hoping you’ll like this one nearly as well. But first a test: is there an ingredient you need to finish your tonic?”
His boyish enthusiasm—so different from his usual reserved manner—was the perfect balm for my disappointment. “I still need willow bark.”
He immediately moved to the shelf and ran his hand along the columns until the fourth row down, then moved three to the left, counting silently. He plucked a jar off the shelf and opened it to smell it before handing it over with a wide grin. Sure enough, it was willow bark.
I stared first at it, then at him, taking in his uncharacteristically smug look. “However did you know where it was?”
“Simple: I memorized its location.”
I continued to stare. “When have you been practicing such a thing?”
“With the master herbalist. I’ve been coming in every day after he finishes working with you; he’s been showing me where every herb is and teaching me their functions. I memorized both their location and how to recognize them by scent. I’m hoping it’s enough to qualify me to be your own assistant once you become the healer you desire.”
For a moment I couldn’t speak, at a loss for words. I shakily set the jar he’d handed me on the counter, certain my overwhelming emotions would cause me to drop it.
At my silence, apprehension replaced his earlier elation. “What’s wrong? Do you…not approve having me—”
“That’s not it.” I felt bad I’d give him the wrong impression; it would take quite a bit of time to get used to him no longer being able to easily discern my moods from my expressions. “I’movercome. To think you’d render so much work onmybehalf…” I couldn’t finish. Even without his sight, Quinn’s devotion was unwavering. How blessed I was to have this man in my life.
His expression softened as he reached for my hands, his brow furrowing when he felt them shaking. He tenderly enfolded them within his before taking in my expression with a look as if he could still really see me. “I want to giveeverythingto you. You are my life and purpose, Gemma.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “But…what am I to your knighthood, or your sight, or—” My words faltered at his gentle smile.
“There’s something I must tell you. Might we converse in the gardens when you’ve finished here?” He glanced unseeing around the room.
“I’m nearly done with Briar’s tonic.”
It was an effort not to allow my curiosity over what Quinn wished to discuss to cause my concentration to falter and rush Briar’s medicine. The process went more quickly with Quinn’s assistance in mincing the willow bark with careful yet thorough movements, ones too precise to have been been learned without considerable practice. My heart swelled further at the effort he’d rendered on my behalf as well as the thought that my future time spent as a healer would include many more moments of him remaining devotedly at my side.
When we finished, I handed Briar’s tonic to a servant and Quinn escorted me through the palace towards the gardens, finding the way easily, a benefit of years of familiarity working in the palace. As if sensing my astonishment, he cast me a shy smile.
