23. 23
23
Hettie
B o said I look beautiful.
It’s been a long time since someone told me that, other than Tema. Timothy is a good man, but he’s not free with affection or compliments. But Bo, even with his reserve and quiet stoicism, never hesitated in telling me that I looked pretty, or catching me in a hug.
I’m not without affection, and it’s not that Timothy never touches me, but it’s one thing I missed about Bo.
One of many.
When Tema emerges, followed by a harried Abigail, it’s obvious what the problem was. Her dark red hair is a frizzled nest from Abigail’s failed attempts at making it look presentable for a royal dinner.
“You want to try?” Abigail asks. At least she managed to keep Tema from pulling the dress off. My daughter is at the stage where she hates wearing anything but her favourite pair of purple velour leggings when forced to dress up.
“You look pretty,” Bo says and Tema’s face lights up.
“We can go now,” she says to me. “Prince Daddy says I look pretty. ”
I look at Abigail and then at Bo. His expression is bemused and I can tell Tema has got him wrapped tight around her finger. I shrug. “Let’s go then.”
“Sorry about the hair,” Abigail says.
I laugh. “You do a better job than I do. At least you kept her away from the scissors.”
Tema leads the way to the staircase, dancing in front of Bo. It is going to take a while for me to find my way about this place.
And for the first time, I allow the little thought of maybe I should stay take root.
“Are you the oldest?” Tema demands of Bo as we start down the stairs. I’m torn between looking around at the variety of weapons in this place and their conversation.
“No, Kalle is, and then Odin.”
She peers up at him from beneath bangs that need a trim. “You mean there’s princes bigger than you?”
Bo chuckles and my heart gives a funny squeeze at the sound. “Just Kalle, but he can’t swing an ax like I can.”
“You have an ax?”
Bo nods. “Odin has a sword.”
Tema clutches her hands together. “Do you think he’ll let me play with it?”
“Absolutely not,” I cut in. “No weapons allowed.”
Bo glances over his shoulder at me. “He’s got training ones too. Camille got pretty good at sparring with him when she was here.”
“That’s Lady Camille; the one who runs a country?” Tema demands.
“She’s been using Google,” Abigail offers.
“That’s never a good thing,” I mutter .
“Tell me about Prince Gunnar, who used to race cars. Do you think he’ll teach me to drive fast like him?”
Tema has always wanted a brother, always been intrigued by big families. I’ve told her the bare minimum about mine, and luckily out of sight means out of mind for her because she’s never wanted to know more.
She wants to know everything about the royal family.
“Nope,” Bo announces. “I’ll teach you to drive.”
“Really?” And she takes his hand. The expression on Tema’s face as she looks up at him…
It kind of breaks my heart. It’s amazing to see the connection already forged between them, but the fact I denied them both any relationship weighs heavy.
Almost as heavy as the knowledge that, in a few moments, I’m going to be face-to-face with the princes that Tema is demanding to know so much about.
And I doubt they’ll be happy with me. King Magnus was kind and welcoming, but he’s had years of practice being polite and diplomatic with his enemies.
Does Laandia have enemies?
I can only imagine Kalle, Odin and Gunnar will see me as an enemy because of what I’ve done to Bo.
My chest tightens with every step. I got past the king unscathed, but these are Bo’s brothers, and I know how close they’ve always been.
Gunnar lost the love of his life because he helped me leave. He might have found happiness with someone else, but I’m sure he blames me for that.
They all must blame me .
This is going to be brutal.
“When can we start?” Tema demands.
Bo laughs aloud. It’s been so long since I’ve heard him laugh that I’ve forgotten the sound. It’s big and booming, kind of like a sudden fireworks display, and very infectious since it’s the total opposite of his personality. “When you’re sixteen,” he says, and Tema chortles along with him.
She keeps hold of his hand, walking carefully beside him rather than skipping down the stairs like she does at home. We reach the main floor, the double doors where we first came in.
I can picture the princes and Lyra running through the halls, sliding down the banister. Playing in the secret passages and down in the dungeon.
I imagined growing up in a castle—every kid in Battle Harbour did—but now there’s a chance that my daughter might have that opportunity.
The castle is grand and beautiful and incredibly intimidating, but there’s also kind of a homey feeling to it.
“Good evening.” Mrs. Theissen steps around the corner.
Except for her—homey houses don’t have housekeepers stepping out of the shadows.
“The others are in the small dining room,” she says to Bo. “Even His Majesty is already there.”
Does that mean we’re late? “Thanks, Mrs. Theissen,” Bo says.
She nods. “Is there anything you need in your rooms?” she asks me and Abigail.
“Everything is fine, thank—” I begin.
“Lego,” Tema decides. “Do you have any Lego around here?”
“Tema,” I hiss .
Mrs. Theissen nods with a hint of a smile. “There may still be some in storage. I’ll see what I can find for you.”
Tema mimics her movement. “That would be lovely, thank you,” she says in a grave voice.
I can only shake my head.
Bo leads us to the dining room and pauses for a moment, glancing down at me with an encouraging smile. Abigail knows how nervous I am, even without me saying a word, and gives my hand a squeeze before drifting behind me.
She’s always got my back. “ Small dining room?” she murmurs.
Bo clears his throat and steps through the doors. “Hey.”
Heads turn and my stomach actually clenches with fright.
The princes of Laandia—Kalle, Odin, and Gunnar—are big and broad and, quite frankly, beautiful. The pictures online don’t do them justice. It’s been years since I’ve seen them in person and they look the same, only different. Better, like they’ve grown into their height, their shoulders, and their smiles.
Only no one is smiling at me.
And why would they? I am Hettie Crow, daughter of a fisherman, part of the Crow family whose reputations are a part of the lore of the town, like how Leif Erickson helped fight off a German attack during World War II. This is the Laandian royal family, and I didn’t tell Bo that he had a child.
That might be actually treason. They have dungeons in the castle. Abigail needs to—
Bo touches the small of my back like he knows I’m about to bolt. His hand is strong and warm and sends a shiver through me that isn’t a bad one .
It’s the first time he’s touched me since that hug.
“There she is,” calls King Magnus from beside the massive fireplace, the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled up because of the heat of the fire. “C’mon over here, little one.”
And my daughter dances over to the king of Laandia, who crouches as he holds open his arms to her. She gives a high-pitched squeal of laughter as Magnus swoops her off her feet, carrying her over to Duncan Laz.
The king of Laandia just picked up my daughter.
His granddaughter.
“Looks like she made a friend,” Abigail murmurs.
Bo chuckles as he presses me forward. I take a step, feeling like I’m facing a firing squad.
The princes of Laandia never come across as very royal, but there’s no denying each of them has a presence. Kalle—oldest, biggest, and broadest—wears his confidence like a shroud. He still looks like the athlete he was, but there’s a maturity that he’s gained in the last eight years, like he’s grown up.
Or maybe it’s because of Edie.
Everyone in Battle Harbour knows Edie England, saw her friendship with Kalle as the first step to their inevitable love story. It’s nice to see them finally together, and the two of them standing there—like a perfect royal couple.
“Hettie.” Edie is the first to speak. Her smile is friendly like the king’s, but there’s a hint of grace to her steps as she comes toward me. I can totally imagine her as a queen someday. “It’s good to see you. ”
“Thank you for giving Mabel the job,” I tell her instead of the polite greeting I should have practiced. “She really likes working at the pub.”
“She’s doing us a favour,” Edie assures me, pressing my arm. “Plus, she’s a lot of fun once you get to know her.”
Odin is right behind her and I’m amazed when he stoops to brush an awkward kiss on my cheek. “It’s good to see you, Hettie,” he says, sounding like he actually means it.
“You, too,” I stammer. “Congratulations on your marriage.” My cheeks flush.
“We could say the same to you.” Gunnar shoulders aside his big brother. “I always knew Bo had his secrets, but this one is a biggie.”
And then he hugs me.
“I’m… sorry?” I manage, too astonished to return the hug.
“It should be Bo apologizing,” Kalle snorts, heading for the carafe of wine on the table. “Haven’t heard anything from him about why he kept this so quiet.”
They didn’t know. And they have no idea why Bo never told them.
I never really believed Bo didn’t tell his brothers about our wedding. I knew how close they were and while I thought he’d be able to keep it from his father, I expected Bo to confess to the princes.
I assumed he would, and when there was still no word over the years… well, I didn’t feel all that friendly toward the family. But if they didn’t know, if he really didn’t tell anyone …
Bo stands solid at my side as they greet Abigail, Kalle handing us glasses of wine filled almost to the brim. They are just as friendly to her and she responds with casual reverence.
“You didn’t tell them?” I ask Bo in a low voice.
“No,” he says out of the corner of his mouth.
“I thought you would have.”
“No.” His gaze meets mine, still a little wary. “I wanted to do it together, but after you left…” He shrugs.
There was no point, I finish silently.
Edie takes the lead, asking me questions that could be polite conversation if the situation were different.
They want to know everything about me, including why I left, and what’s going to happen now that I’m back.
I’d like to know that too.
Magnus joins us with Duncan, still carrying Tema. The two men both have hearts in their eyes when they look at Tema, who must already know the power she has over them. “These are your uncles,” Magnus tells her.
“Prince Kalle, Prince Odin, and Gunnar,” Tema recites like she’s learned their names in school.
“I’m a prince too,” Gunnar points out.
“Can you still be a prince if you race cars?” Tema asks him.
“You can be anything you want if you’re a prince,” he says with a grin.
Kalle snorts again. “She reminds me of Lyra,” he says to Bo.
“I see Mabel,” Edie corrects, smiling at Tema.
“I remind me of me,” Tema tells them.
“Tema,” I hiss. King Magnus chuckles .
“I don’t know these people so I have no idea if I’m like them or not,” Tema says without an ounce of apology in her voice.
“They’re your aunties,” Magnus says.
“Aunties,” Gunnar guffaws. I know what he means—Mabel would hate to be called auntie.
“You remember when Aunt Mabel came to visit. I mean,” I stammer, not knowing if I should admit that. “You were pretty young.”
“I still don’t know them,” Tema says.
“We’ll change that,” Bo promises. “You hungry?”