Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 286: Violet: No Way Back
3 October, 1348. Bentworth Manor, Earldom of Rhie, Islia
It was mid-afternoon and Violet found herself rushing through the unfamiliar corridors of a large, handsome manor house.
The royal family and courtiers had arrived at the Earl and Countess of Rhie’s imposing home just in time for the midday meal. King Edward had confirmed they’d only spend a single night there, before departing the following morning and continuing the journey south.
The previous night, the court had camped out near the bend of a tranquil river. It had been a beautiful starry night and sea of tents had looked very pretty, but the lack of sturdy walls would’ve made sneaking around to meet the prince without getting caught, far too risky. Leo and Violet had agreed to wait until they reached Bentworth Manor.
The prince had been right when he’d told her that the manor was large enough to allow her to move through it undetected, so long as she was careful.
That meant Violet had one chance, one night, to bed down with the man before the court was on the move again to lord knew where.
Earlier that day, Alexei had snuck a folded parchment into her hand while Violet had accompanied Queen Celia in the manicured gardens. He had drawn instructions on the parchment on how to find Prince Leo’s allocated bedchamber within the manor house.
Still, she’d managed to end up lost. Violet looked over and over at the parchment in her grasp, on which the young page had scribbled a series of arrows. The arrows were supposed to point her from the central dining hall to Leo’s room.
Of course, Alexei could barely write and Violet could barely read, much less use a crude map to guide her directions.
"What a pathetic duo the lad and I make." she hissed in frustration under her breath. Their combined incompetence was almost comical.
After several wrong turns and whispered curses, Violet managed to find her way back to her starting point in the house’s dining hall. Checking once more that no one was following her, she took a deep breath to clear her muddled mind. Then Violet started again, slowly moving again in the direction of Alexei’s messy arrows.
As she turned the same corner yet again, Violet found herself in a small, pretty courtyard for the fourth time. When she crossed the courtyard and entered the long gallery displaying huge shields along one wall, Violet suddenly noticed a small archway in the courtyard’s opposite corner. She glanced at the parchment again and her heart leaped with excitement and relief.
Scampering quietly to the arch in her silk slippers, Violet looked through and saw another long corridor leading to a sharp bend. Suddenly, Alexei’s directions made sense.
Finally, luck goes my way, she thought. Lifting the hem of her gown slightly, Violet almost began to run. She turned the corner at the end of the corridor and promptly collided with someone at speed.
"Oh! I beg your pardon." Violet gasped as she quickly stepped back, the breath knocked out of her. She could only pray she’d crashed into one of the manor’s servants, not one of the queen’s ladies or a gossipy courtier.
The person she’d collided with was shorter than her, which she found strange. Violet found herself locking eyes with a thick set, dark haired youth. His round face looked familiar but she couldn’t place him.
Next to him stood Prince William, looking at her with pert curiosity. Violet knew it would be impolite to grimace at the sight of Leo’s annoying young cousin, so she turned away from him and looked at the other boy again.
When he continued staring at her with his weasel like eyes, she suddenly realised why he was so familiar. He was one of the boys caught alongside Princes Tom and William, eavesdropping on Leo and his drunk friends gambling a few months ago. Leo had chastised this boy particularly harshly before sending him on his way.
"My young lord." Violet muttered to William. To the stocky youth, she simply said, "Excuse me, I’m in a hurry."
The boy made no attempt to step out of her way. Instead, he smirked and his eyes drifted down to her chest, before resting on her face again.
Violet gave him her most disdainful scowl for the way he leered at her. What kind of child stares at a lady that way? He couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve summers old! But then, she thought as she looked at his coarse, homely features, that face of his won’t do him any favours with the fairer sex when he’s older.
"Are you lost?" the lad asked her.
"No, I’m not." Violet lied. "I’m just running late, so if you please-"
"I can escort you anywhere you need to go, my lady. I know this estate like the back of my hand."
Violet stared back at him. First he blocks her path to stare at her bodice, then he interrupts her? The impertinent boy needed to go, and go quickly before she lost her patience.
"My father is the Earl of Rhie." the boy continued, his voice sharp and boastful. "This is my childhood home. One of them, anyway."
"And?"
The boy narrowed his small eyes at her rude tone. "Father owns vast tracts of land in these parts of the country and I’m his eldest son. This will all be mine one day, so a mere lady-in-waiting should mind her manners and think twice about how she speaks to me."
"Is that so?"
The boy nodded smugly, clearly puffed up in his own pride. Violet looked at him, imagining he was probably quite the bully amongst the noble children. He was also tall, not much shorter than her. If it weren’t for the child William also standing nearby, Violet would feel uncomfortable being alone with such a pompous little brute.
"Well, I’m the daughter of the Duke of Orravalo. And a duke trumps an earl." she replied crisply. "So step out of my way, foolish boy. I have important places to be."
Prince William burst out laughing as he watched Violet finally push past the earl’s son and keep moving down the corridor.
- - -
She had arrived. She was standing outside the door of the bedchamber assigned to Prince Leo for the night.
Violet’s legs trembled and she could feel her pulse racing so loudly that if anyone happened to be standing next to her, they’d also hear it. Before her courage faltered, she rapped lightly on the door and slipped inside.
It was a large, beautifully appointed bedchamber with a plush looking bed. Violet had never laid on a feather mattress before. She considered it an appropriate backdrop for offering up her virtue.
Prince Leo was standing with his broad back to her, looking out a large window. He didn’t turn to face her or even acknowledge her arrival.
Violet closed the door quietly and leaned back against it, not sure what she should do next. Should she say something? Had he even realised she’d entered the room?
There were a few more moments of terrifying silence before Leo finally turned slowly to face her. He smiled with satisfaction. "A very good afternoon, my Lady Violet."
She merely nodded, not wanting to stutter with nerves under his heated gaze.
The prince slowly closed the distance between them, his smile widening. "I’m pleased to see you here. You’re sensible enough to realise there’s no benefit to being a tease and not giving me what I want. I applaud your decision. Most ladies usually want to just waste my time."
Violet looked up at his sculpted features, his crop of thick golden hair. There was no backing out now. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
She was really going to do this.
One of Leo’s large hands reached out and plucked the circlet from her head, tossing it aside carelessly. Violet quickly pulled out the pins holding her veil to her braided hair, worried the prince would just tug the veil off and end up ripping the gauzy fabric.
"Wait! Before we start..." Violet took a couple of steps backwards. "There’s something I’d like to ask you, Your Grace."
Leo’s hand stopped in midair and he frowned. "Now? Surely it can wait until later?"
"No. It can’t."
"Let’s hear it then." he sighed with impatience.
"I’ve seen you during this past summer and you seem quite taken with Ilse. And yet, I’ve no doubt you’re still involved with other women. More than one woman, I’m willing to gamble on."
"And what of it?" His eyes went round, clearly not expecting her words.
"So does that mean that my sister is merely one of many to you? Because I promise you, that’s not what she thinks. Or hopes for." Violet peeped up at him through her lashes, hoping he’d say just that.
She needed to hear him say that Ilse was nothing but a short term distraction, no more special or unique than all the other women who’d crossed his path.
