Page 30 of A Cake of Cherries and Charm

Rosie blinked at her, not sure at all what the lady meant or what she was supposed to say. The fairy godmother had heard of her? Who would have told her? And why should anyone have been discussing her with such a great lady?

But the woman only looked up to where the king and queen now stood. “Don’t let this one slip away,” she said with a sly smile. Then she disappeared, only remnants of her glittering magic remaining where the lady had just stood.

Rosie quickly gave the necklace back to Frederick, who clasped it around her sister’s neck. But as she did, she realized that Jonathan had been standing a little way from his brother. His eyes, though, were on her.

Had he talked to the fairy godmother about her? And if so… why?

The crowd began to disperse and move in unison toward the dining hall doors, but Rosie turned and began walking quickly back toward her suite. The others could eat. She had work to do.

“Rosie,” Snow called after her. “Aren’t you going to have breakfast?”

“I’ll ask the servants to bring something up,” Rosie called over her shoulder.

Snow grabbed Rosie’s hand before she could go any farther. “What are you up to?” she asked, frowning.

But Rosie only gave her twin a sly smile. “I have an idea.”

Chapter

Fifteen

Rosie returned to her room to change into her new boots and a more practical dress. Then she went to the stables, brimming with hope and ideas. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed as soon as she requested to borrow a horse.

“I’m sorry, My Lady,” the head groom said, shaking his head. “It’s as much for your sake as for the horse’s that I’m saying no. I can’t let a woman who’s ridden a horse once galavant off into the woods on her own. ‘Twouldn’t be proper or safe.”

“Who wishes to galavant off into the woods alone?” asked a deep voice. Rosie turned to find Jonathan standing in the doorway.

“Lady Rose here wishes to borrow a horse, Your Highness,” the groom said with a bow. “But I told her it’s not safe, nor is it wise to let her go off on her own without an escort.”

Jonathan turned to Rosie. “What do you wish to do in the forest?”

“I… I had hoped to return to the forest near our old home.” She felt her face heat, and suddenly couldn’t meet his gaze. “Wild yellowbelles grow there. I want to gather some and return to the castle with them. To use in the cake and other decorations and such.”

As she said the words aloud, they did indeed sound foolish. The ride to the castle from her old village had taken hours. And here she was, wishing to go just as far on an animal she’d ridden once around the palace yard. If the prince had thought her intelligent before, surely he would know better now.

But when she finally dared a glance up at him, instead of looking disgusted or annoyed, he only looked thoughtful.

“The wedding is in nine days,” he finally said with a slow nod. “Which means I and a contingent of guards can escort you. But we should probably wait. If we go now, the flowers will die before the ceremony.”

“Unless,” Rosie interrupted, “we brought pots in which to transplant them to the gardens here. And I could hang and dry some as well, dusting their petals over Snow’s belongings and wedding preparations. The rest could be replanted and grown here. We could even use the flower petals to decorate.”

Jonathan studied her with that enigmatic expression of his, the one she wished more than ever that she could read.

“But you have so much to do,” she finally said, feeling a bit flustered by his silence. “In which case, I can try–”

“No.” He waved her off. “This is my brother’s wedding, and it’s being threatened by a troll. No, this takes precedence. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Rosie felt her heart burst into a sprint for more reasons than one. “So… so we can go?”

“We can go,” he said, his face breaking into one of his rare, gentle smiles.

“What a splendid idea!” exclaimed a woman’s voice. Rosie and Jonathan turned to see Lady Sandra standing beside a stall that held a tall, white horse. She was dressed for riding, but her focus was clearly on them.

Had she been there the entire time?

“I… beg your pardon?” Jonathan asked, looking as confused as Rosie felt.

But the woman was already gone, bustling inside, seeming to have forgotten her horse completely.