Ari laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sure they are. And I’m sorry for making this difficult on you.”
“I only want what is best for you,” her father said. “It’s what your mother would have wanted.”
And her mother would have done what was required without argument, but Ari couldn’t. She kissed his cheek. “I know. I just wish…” She just wished she could marry someone she liked. She looked around the room and found Finn sitting beside his brother. Then she noticed something and a scowl crossed her brow. “Where is Finn’s father?”
“Oh, child. Didn’t you know? He passed about a year ago.”
Ari’s mouth dropped, and she straightened. “No one told me.”
“He is missed. By all of us. He was the best blacksmith I’ve ever known. But Conrad and Finn are truly exceptional at the work.”
Her heart was heavy with conflicting emotions. Finn must have been devastated by his father’s passing and yet, he hadn’t told her. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to burden her, but she ached for the chance to console him. Across the room, Finn cast a glance at her. Their eyes locked. Her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to go to him and comfort him for his loss. She knew why he hadn’t told her. Because she would have returned home to console him despite her father’s orders. Conrad laughed happily at something the man across the table said.
“Ari?” her father called.
She snapped out of her reverie and looked at her father.
“Is there any one man here that has captured your interest?”
Ari’s gaze returned to Finn. There was one man she knew she could love, but her father would never approve. He would never accept Finn as a suitor. He wanted her to marry someone with a title, a man with lands. Yet she had a plan. “I know how I will pick my husband, Father.”
His eyebrows rose, and joy erupted on his wrinkled face. “How?”
Ari slowly rose, her back stiffening as the crowd quieted. She scanned the faces around her, feeling their expectant eyes upon her. Her grip on the table’s edge was so tight that her knuckles began to turn white—nevertheless she stayed still, not letting any emotion show. She was scared and yet determined. “I have an announcement to make.”
The room became so quiet that if a knife were dropped, it would echo. A dog lapped spilled ale from beneath one of the tables. Someone coughed from the back of the room.
“My father has requested that I choose a husband. I shall.” Again, her gaze moved over the room, and satisfaction churned inside her. “Those men interested in becoming my husband shall present an anonymous gift to me on the night of the Yule. I will pick the gift I enjoy the most, and that man shall be my husband. The contest will be open to all eligible men.”
Stunned silence filled the room before the sudden buzz of shocked voices rose.
Lord Walter’s eyes widened. His gaze burned into her, and disbelief parted his lips. “Ari!” her father inhaled. “You can’t do this!”
An older lord stood in disgust and marched toward the door at the rear of the room.
Ari retook her seat and turned to her father. “It’s perfect, Father. You know how much I like to receive gifts.”
“Is this because I didn’t give you one when you returned? I thought you were too old for that!”
“No. I’ll be able to choose someone who—”
A knight with a thicket of dark hair spoke from his seat at the table below them. “My lord, do you really mean to ask this of us?”
A second man with graying hair and a long face, seated at the table beside the knight’s, followed suit. “I expected to receive a large dowry, not have togivea gift.”
Ari looked up at her father nervously. She knew her demand was bold, and she had a feeling it would be met with anger by many of the lords and knights. Taking a deep breath, she quickly rose and made her way toward the kitchen, dodging Agatha as she exited the room. Her heart pounded in her chest, but there was still a sense of gratification and even glee when she shut the door behind her. She twirled about before the shelf the pots hung on. It was chaos! The voices of angry men could be heard coming from the Great Hall. She hoped many would leave. Truth be told, she hoped all of them would leave.
“That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, m’lady.” A deep voice echoed in the room.
Ari turned toward it.
A man stepped from the dark hallway where the storage rooms were. When the torchlight washed over his face, Ari recognized him. “Kage,” she greeted, clasping her hands in front of her.
“It’s Sir Kage now,” he corrected.
“Oh. Congratulations. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“NoteverythingI’ve wanted.” He stepped before her, his gaze piercing.
