“You knew she wouldn’t be able to. It’s not like when we were children, and we could all eat in the kitchens with Agatha.”
“Ahh!” Conrad cried. “Agatha! I’d almost forgotten her.”
The night sky was a dense blanket of inky darkness, and the air was filled with the deafening chorus of crickets coming from the nearby fields.
Finn stared down at the dirt road as he took steps.
“Ari’s announcement was startling, wasn’t it?” Conrad asked.
Finn thought about it. He had just told her that he had made a gift for her. Was she hoping to pick his gift? He chuckled softly at the outrageous idea. He, the son of a blacksmith, a lord. A smile played on his lips.
“I was thinking of forging a gift for her,” Conrad mused.
Finn snapped his gaze to his brother in surprise.
“I could be lord of the castle, you know,” Conrad said. “I could rule the lands. I’d be a good lord!”
Finn scratched his neck doubtfully. “Perhaps. But you’re not ready to be married.” Conrad chased after every eligible woman he saw.
Conrad laughed at that. “True. What about you?”
Finn sobered immediately, feeling his heart sink as he thought of Ari and the sparkle in her eyes that he missed so much when she was away. The notion of her being married to someone else sent a chill down his spine. “I haven’t considered it.”
Conrad punched his arm lightly. “You’ve been considering it since she left two years ago! Slaving away on that horse every free moment you got.”
“It wasn’t meant for her,” Finn lied.
Conrad bridled. “Of course it was. I know how much she likes horses. Almost as much as she likes roses. Almost as much as she likes presents!”
Finn shook his head. “I wouldn’t have a chance.”
Conrad stepped in front of him, stopping his progress. “Of course you do. I think you’re her first choice. She likes you, Finn. Maybe even loves you. Why else would she have come to see you as soon as she got home? Why open the door for every man, even commoners, to become her husband? She is practically handing you the job!”
Hope blossomed in Finn’s chest. He struggled to contain the possibility that his brother could be right.
“But are you going to fight for her?”
Finn scowled. “Fight?”
“There are going to be others presenting her with amazing gifts.” Conrad poked Finn in the chest. “Yours must be the best.”
Finn nodded with a frown as doubt once again plagued him. How could his horse compete with the gifts the other lords would present her with?
“At least she’ll know this horse is from you.”
So, the decision would be up to her. He’d better get home and get to work on the gift. He had to make it spectacular. Beautiful. Wonderful. Just like Ari.
A shadow separated from the candlemaker’s cottage and stepped into the street behind the brothers, watching as they moved away from him. Kage’s eyes zeroed in on them with a hatred so deep that it seemed to absorb all light and reflect none.
Was it all a ploy by Lady Arianna to marry that wretch, Finn St. Lawrence? He almost gagged. Who would want a blacksmith when she could have a man like him? He had to think of a way to thwart Finn’s gift. A horse. What kind of horse could Finn give her? Kage could give her real animals, strong beasts you could ride.
It didn’t matter. He would never let Finn have her.
Chapter Four
“What were you thinking?”Walter paced in front of Ari before the blazing hearth in his solar. “Have you any idea how many eligible lords have departed because of your outrageous game?”
Ari folded her hands on her knees and looked down. “I couldn’t choose.”
