Page 31 of A Cake of Cherries and Charm

Waiting for the rest of the day was torture, but Rosie busied herself by venturing into the city for the first time and bringing her mother with her.

“Oh, I don’t know, Rosie,” her mother said as they waited for a carriage to be brought. “We don’t know our way around the city. What if we get lost?”

“How should we get lost?” Rosie laughed. “All I have to do is give the name of the seamstress to the carriage driver, and he’ll take us there. It’s not as though we’ll be directing the horses.”

“But the city is so big!” her mother whispered.

Rosie glanced at her mother, and her annoyance fled. Her mother had always seemed so strong when they were small and their father was alive. Every day, she’d directed their tasks, making sure through their preparations that the family would be fed, warm, and safe for the winter. Every night, she’d made them supper before reading to them from the Holy Book. When they were scared, she’d held them tightly, and when they fell, she’d carried them to her bed and cleaned their scrapes.

But now…

Now Rosie saw a slight, frightened woman with graying hair and wrinkles at the edges of her eyes that hadn’t been there before they’d moved to the castle. Her thin shoulders were hunched, and her gray eyes were wide. And the truth was suddenly, painfully clear. Rosie’s mother was a good woman. But she was not brave.

Which, Rosie decided stubbornly, was exactly why she couldn’t move back to the village. Her family needed her. She would guide her mother today. And she would get the flowers to protect Snow’s wedding tomorrow.

The carriage appeared then, and just as Rosie had predicted, they didn’t get lost. Instead, they were taken directly to the shop of the seamstress Natalie had brought to their rooms. And with the gold that had been provided by the crown for their needs, Rosie bought a smart garnet-red riding dress and brown leather gloves, and her mother even found a hat she liked. And by the time they made it back to the castle, they were both smiling, the fresh air having revived their spirits together.

The next morning, Rosie donned her new riding dress and gloves, then traipsed happily down to the stables. But what she found there made her gasp.

Not only was a contingent of four guards mounted and ready to go, but it seemed half the court was present as well, ordering their servants about as carriages and horses were prepared.

“Lady Rose.”

Rosie turned to find Jonathan, dressed in riding boots, chain mail, and a long cloak, hurrying toward her. His mouth was set in a grim line.

“What’s going on?” she asked, looking again in confusion at the chaos surrounding them.

“Apparently,” he said sharply, “someone overheard us talking yesterday and decided the venture was to be an outing for the young people.”

Rosie stared at him in horror as Lady Sandra approached them. She wasn’t wearing riding clothes today, but Miss Marianne, who trailed her, was.

“Your Highness,” the older woman gushed. “I’m so glad you chose today for such an adventure! The sun is out, the wind is low, and you will all have so much fun!”

Rosie’s vision suddenly seemed tinted red. “My Lady!” she said stiffly, barely keeping herself from shouting. “This isn’t an outing for fun! We’re trying to find flowers with which to protect the royal wedding from the troll’s threats!”

“I don’t see why picking flowers is something we can’t all enjoy,” said a silky voice. Miss Marianne came to stand between her mother and the prince. Her cherry-like lips formed a perfect little smile that managed to look sweet and smug at the same time.

“Exactly,” Lady Sandra said, nodding her head at Rosie. “You might as well all go out and find flowers! We all want the wedding free of trolls, do we not?”

Rosie glared at her. For all her pretensions, this stupid woman likely had no idea how to handle flowers. Rosie would have bet her entire wardrobe on it. Nor could she know how delicate one had to be when digging up flower plants so they could remain healthy until they were transplanted at their new home.

“Oh! Here are the picnic baskets!” Lady Sandra cooed as five servants entered the stable carrying large baskets that smelled of food.

“This isn’t a picnic!” Rosie protested. “It will take us hours longer if we have a picnic! The flowers are more likely to die! And from the looks of it, we’re not leaving the stable for another hour yet!”

“I promise,” Jonathan said, placing a calming hand on Rosie’s shoulder, “that we will get those flowers. In fact, I’m going to go double-check our supplies with the gardener right now.”

“The woods you’re suggesting we visit are over four hours away,” Miss Marianne said as the prince walked away, delicately adjusting her gloves. “Do you think it wise to go without bringing food? Or do you never think ahead at all?”

Rosie’s self-control snapped. “I think you’ve been scheming to find more time with the prince out of desperation.”

Miss Marianne’s hands froze briefly before she resumed fixing her gloves. “And what, pray tell, would I be desperate about?”

“Re-seasoning your personality, for one thing,” Rosie muttered.

“I’m sorry,” Miss Marianne said stiffly. “I didn’t catch that.”

Rosie smiled sweetly. “Only that it must be difficult to sour everything around you.”