I had to close my eyes and will my magic down. I wanted to scoop him up, load him into the carriage with us, and smuggle him into the castle. I wanted him at the castle with us every day. I wanted a lot of things, and right now I could do none of them. I didn’t know how Krew had done this for the past seven years.
“Jorah,” Hattie greeted, hugging me hard. “We miss you, dear girl.”
“I miss you too,” I choked out.
“Come visit us,” she paused and gave me a wink, “just not too soon.”
I laughed. I was heartbroken my mother and these people who had become like a second family to me couldn’t have been there for our wedding.
It wasn’t fair. They should have been there.Warrickshould have been there.
“Flora,” I greeted. “Balls at the castle just aren’t the same without your skill.”
She swatted at me. “Oh, stop it.”
“Mother,” I grinned as I hugged her next. “I see the bakery is well on the way to being rebuilt.”
She turned me so we could look at it, leaning her head on mine. “What do you think?”
I gave her a tight smile and swallowed hard. “I think even if the king made it out of pure gold, nothing would ever top the old one.”
She nodded and sniffed. “I know.”
“Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help any of you,” I whispered.
She patted my hand and whispered, “Your prince has already been helping. He has been sending food to Hattie’s as well as extra for the families displaced.”
I hadn’t even known that. I vaguely remembered Krew barking orders the night of the fire, but I’d been in a bit of shock and hadn’t paid attention to every detail. Smiling, I sent down the bond,I am thinking of numerous things I’d like to do when we get home.
I felt his amusement.Looking forward to it.
Then Krew was there, a hand on my lower back. “Mrs. Demir.”
She beamed at him, bowing quickly before giving him a side hug.
I laughed. He had barely left the carriage for Isla’s family, and here my mother, Eleanor Demir of Nerede, had managed to sneak in a hug.
“Don’t say it,” I groaned, seeing the look on Krew’s face.
“I am fetching you as we are to head to the stables to swap out horses momentarily.”
I looked up at the fluffy clouds in the sky and sighed. “But we just got here.”
He smirked. “I know, but we will be back. Hopefully without a four-hour long parade to get here.”
Hattie smirked. “Not one for parades, Your Grace?”
He sent her a look. “I think you already know the answer to that, Hattie.”
Warrick and a few other children swarmed Krew. He put his hand over his chest like they were truly wounding him, and I tipped my head back to laugh. Our visit might have only been five minutes or less, but it had been worth every minute of this exhausting day.
* * *
“Please,”I begged the princes as we all got down from the carriages. “It’s walking distance, I promise. It’ll take us ten minutes there and ten minutes back.”
Krew rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Molly looked at Krew with wide eyes before popping me in the shoulder. “Well done. Now let’s go!”
