Chapter 16 #2
She cringed slightly. “I’m surprised, honestly, that many of them put up with me as long as they did, pesky little girl that I was.
But the baker had fifteen grandchildren, and he loved children.
And whenever I appeared, he would let me help him with his craft, explaining what he did as he did it.
I think I spent two entire summers with him before my father died.
And even after he died, Snow would sometimes do my chores for me so I could sneak away and help the baker for fun. ”
“And where did you get the idea for this cake?” he asked, indicating the partially-filled basket of cherries.
“Well, my mother helped with the suggestion, but in all honesty, I always wanted–” Rosie felt herself blush and turned quickly to look back at the cherry tree. “Well, I–”
“You’ve made me curious,” Jonathan said, giving her one of his rare smiles. “Now I must know.”
Rosie did her best to keep her lips pursed.
But another glance at his wide eyes made her chuckle.
“I suppose I always wanted a cherry cake at my wedding. Only, I always wanted pink frosting–dyed with the cherry juice, of course.” Then, before he could ask her any more questions, she popped a cherry in her mouth.
Its sweet, slightly tart flavor was delightful, and she chewed slowly, smiling as she did, wishing that the flavor–and this moment–could last.
“The cherry juice makes your lips a very pretty color.”
Rosie opened her eyes to find the prince staring at her with that same unreadable expression he so often wore. Then his eyes shifted down slightly, and her heart seemed to miss one of its beats.
Had he… had he been staring at her mouth?
He cleared his throat and looked quickly away before taking the basket from her hands.
“You’ve had your cake dreamed up for a while, it seems,” he said gruffly, gesturing that she ought to resume her picking.
“As I’m supposing you’ve had most of your wedding planned.
Would that include the groom? Did you have a plan for what he would look like? ”
She could tell from his tone that he was teasing, but his eyes were far too serious to make it a complete joke.
What was the man getting at?
Rosie forced a shrug and moved to the next tree, where she began plucking more fruits and dropping them into her basket with satisfying little plops.
“I’ve never been as romantic as my sister,” she admitted. “I suppose I always pictured more the kind of man I would marry than the exact man himself.”
“And that man would be?”
Goodness gracious. Why was the prince suddenly so curious?
“Someone strong and dependable,” she said slowly. “Loyal to a fault. Someone who would be devoted to me and our children.” As she said the word children her face heated. Why had she included that little detail?
But to her surprise, the prince laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to swoon even once over the man you would marry?”
Rosie gave him an impish smile. “I’m afraid I’ve always found swooning to be a great waste of time.”
This made him laugh even harder.
“Instead of swooning, I think I would know whether I loved someone by how much I wished to care for them. I’ve always shown my love that way–caring for others. And… I suppose… I would feel cared for that way, too.”
“That’s rather fascinating,” he said thoughtfully.
She looked at him. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Oh, it’s only that every woman I’ve ever met–though I’ll admit that my pond of female acquaintances is rather shallow… Well, most of them wish to be covered in diamonds and cosseted and praised to high heavens.”
“Without meaning to sound severe,” Rosie said carefully as she dropped more cherries into the basket that he was now holding. “I would say that your shallow pond of women is full of those who have never known want.”
He nodded. “Very true. Of course, my cousin is a bit like you, I think. Natalie has always been happiest when she’s busy. It’s one of the reasons she escaped the court the moment she could.” Then he studied her again with those piercing eyes. “Was your desire to care for others born of want, then?”
Rosie spoke slowly this time. “Not entirely. I’ve always liked helping my parents.
But ever since my father died, I’ve tried to fill his shoes as much as I could.
My mother was never strong, and after he died, she became even more frail than she had been before.
Snow is all that is good and gentle, but she was always afraid of making the wrong decisions, or being too stern, or telling others that they couldn’t have what they asked of her.
” She shook her head. “I imagine I’ve always wanted someone dependable because…
Well, because it would be nice to rest for once and let someone else take the lead for a change. ”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them.
Surely Jonathan didn’t want to hear her deepest hopes and desires.
He was busy helping his father run the palace, not to mention the kingdom.
Surely thousands of other citizens were in greater need than she.
Here she was, surrounded by luxury, and she was complaining to him about things he couldn’t fix. Not that she would wish him to try.
When she dared to glance back up at him, however, he was frowning at the trees, appearing lost in thought. They walked quietly that way for several minutes, the only sounds the gentle rustle of the breeze against the leaves and their footsteps brushing the tall grass beneath.
“I… I’m going to be leaving the palace after the wedding,” Rosie finally blurted. “I’ll return to my village, where I’ll live with friends.”
The prince turned quickly and blinked at her, his eyes widening. “Why?” he asked.
Rosie drew in a deep breath through her nose. “Snow is beginning a new life here. And it would be better for her and my mother if… if she wasn’t always trying to protect me.”
He gaped at her. “Protect you? Protect you from what?”
Rosie hesitated. What she needed to say was delicate. It could very well be dangerous if the wrong ears overheard. She glanced around. They truly seemed to be alone.