Chapter Thirty-One
Compassion
Six weeks later…
I could hear the city of Bellebryn bustling with activity and see the white garlands of fresh blooms adorning the shops and houses. There were so many of them, the very air smelled like a blossom. All the lanterns had been changed, even the ones on the boats that rocked at anchor on the emerald green sea. They were all now white. The huge wrought iron, silver-crested gates to Tor’s castle were festooned with draping sheets of ivory held up at the sides in massive rosettes decorated with flowers. And in the fountain in the courtyard, blossoms drifted as the water drifted down twinkling like diamonds in the sun’s rays.
Today was a day of celebration.
But first, there was some unpleasant business to attend to and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
To say the least.
The fingers holding my hand squeezed.
“Tell me again about our parents in your world, Cora,” Rosa whispered from my side and I turned to my sister and smiled.
She asked me to do that a lot and I figured she did it because she thought it helped the ache in my heart.
And she was right.
“They’re funny and crazy and they would love you,” I told her what I always told her which also happened to be the truth. Rosa, I had discovered what I thought to be true when I first met her, was very lovable.
Her head tipped to the side and her pretty blue eyes lit. “Do you think our mother has talked our father into getting rid of his…” she hesitated then finished, “car?”
I shook my head, looked back to the amazing view and whispered, “Probably not.”
And this was probably true.
Rosa moved closer to me and I let her hand go so I could slide my arm around her waist. She reciprocated the gesture.
Aggie, on my shoulder, hopped gently and gave a soft, “Chirpy, chirp?” which meant, “All right, Cora?”
“I’m all right, Aggie,” I whispered.
Aggie gave my neck a soft peck and that made me smile a soft smile.
Rosa was doing well after the loving care Dash and her parents had showered on her once she’d been rescued from the clutches of Minerva. She hadn’t talked to me about it, rather she seemed intent on learning more about me. This was likely in an attempt to create a replacement for the sister who had betrayed her, a sister she loved, a sister she could never again trust.
I was letting her have that play because Rosa was delicate and she needed it but it wasn’t entirely altruistic.
I liked having a sister.
I let the happy vibe in the air fill me as I gave her a squeeze and let out a sigh at the same time I heard the beat of boots on the marble floors behind us.
I let Rosa go and turned to see Tor striding purposefully our way.
God, he was hot.
Tor stopped at us, swept me with his eyes then he looked at his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
“You’ll stay in these rooms, no matter what. Yes, Rosa?” he asked gently.
She nodded. “No matter what, Tor.”
He watched her a second then his eyes came to me. He reached in, took my hand and I sighed again.
“Come, my love,” he murmured, clearly looking forward to this as much I was. “Leave the bird,” he ordered and I nodded.
Rosa’s hand came up and Aggie hopped from me to her.
Without delay, Tor pulled me away from my sister.
Well, might as well get it over with.
As Tor pulled me along, I looked back at Rosa. “I’ll be back in time to help you get ready,” I promised.
“I’ll be here,” she replied on a smile that was half bright, half sad.
She knew where we were going.
Poor thing.
As I hustled after Tor, I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile then turned away to follow him through the bedroom and I saw Perdita rushing in carrying a ring of needlework.
“She doesn’t leave these rooms,” Tor ordered.
“Yes, your grace,” Perdita said on a quick curtsy.
I smiled at her and gave her a wink. Perdita smiled and winked back. She did not curtsy to me because I told her not to. I didn’t like people curtsying to me, it weirded me out and enough people curtsied to me everywhere in town, in the courtyard and around most of the castle, I didn’t need my closest servants curtsying to me (in other words, Perdita, all the girls in the kitchens and all the maids who cleaned the castle). So, I asked them to stop doing it.
Tor led me out of our rooms and when we were through the doors and walking down the wide hall, his head bent to me and he caught my eye.
His face was disapproving.
He’d seen me wink at Perdita and he noticed the absent curtsy.
I looked away, biting my lip.
Okay, so, I promised never to vex him and be the perfect princess. And I was breaking that promise.
Hmm.
I gave this a moment of reflection then I mentally shrugged.
Oh well, whatever. He’d get over it.
He always did.
“You understand what you have confessed, Cora?” Tor’s Dad, King Ludlum, was sitting in Tor’s uh… prince chair (or whatever you call it) in Tor’s throne room. It wasn’t exactly a throne, as such, but it was a freaking big chair, the seat and a big panel at the back covered in royal blue velvet, the intricately carved wood painted a gleaming black and it had a lot of silver accents on it that looked real.
I didn’t know what Tor’s Mom looked like. But, now knowing his Dad, I knew Tor took after him. And hopefully Tor would age like him. His Dad definitely still had it. He even looked not stupid wearing a big, gold crown with lots of brilliant sapphires on it and seriously, anyone who could pull that off definitely still had it.
Tor was standing to his father’s right side, Orlando to his father’s left. Dash was on his way to Bellebryn having spent the night in a village miles away.
They were taking no chances that day.
I was standing next to Tor. There were four sentries across the room, standing two and two on both sides of the door.
The Forrest and Dara Goode of this world were down the steps to the right, holding hands and looking like they were doing exactly what I was certain they were doing. Fretting.
Seeing Rosa’s parents didn’t hurt me like I thought it would. This was mainly because I knew them both now and I was getting to know them pretty well. They might look like my Mom and Dad but they were not one thing like them. Forrest of this world would be a staunch conservative Republican in mine and Dara wasn’t all that bright (albeit sweet and kind).
I knew they were worried about their daughter but they were already treating me like one, even though I could tell it startled them to look at me (still). Then again, I was now a dab hand at this business and they were not.
They’d get used to it.
The Cora Goode of this world was bowed in a curtsy before us. This was the first time I’d seen her, she had been sequestered the minute Tor returned to his world (the time he returned without me, of course) and she had not been allowed to talk to anyone but Orlando and members of his trusted guard.
