Page 21 of Haunted Hearts

Six

“Now,listen, I don’t want any trouble from you today when Lillith arrives,” Blaze warned his mother. He sat down on the edge of his bed to don his boots while his mother, once again, spread out those blasted cards on his table.

“Oh!” she gasped, looking down at a card with wide eyes.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Blaze stood up with his hand in the air. He continued to strap on his weapon belt.

“Blaze, you need to hear this. It has to do with the betrothal.”

“Nay. I told you, no more. Now put the cards away before I burn them.”

“It’s a warning. You need to know that –”

“Enough!” Blaze walked over, using his arm to swish all the cards to the floor. “Don’t think I am jesting, because I’m not. Your silly ways and beliefs caused a feud years ago, but I am finally about to end it. Don’t get in the way.”

His mother scoffed, put down the deck and kneeled down to get the cards off the floor.

There came a knock on the door and then a muffled voice from the other side. “My lord,” said his guard and good friend, Emery. “The Bonnel party has arrived and is waiting in the courtyard for you to greet them.”

“I’ll be right there,” Blaze called back, hunkering down, hurriedly helping his mother retrieve the cards. When he handed them back to her, he noticed the Lovers card on the top. That made him smile. He wanted to be lovers with Lillith. He was so happy that they were finally betrothed. Blaze’s life was about to change, and he was sure it would be for the better. “Hide these cards. I don’t want the Bonnels to see them. Do you understand?”

“I think you ought to listen to what I have to say.”

“Not now, Mother.” Blaze hurried over and opened the door. “Emery, it’s finally happening. I’m going to marry Lady Lillith,” he said, excited about the idea.

“It’s about time,” said Emery with a chuckle. “Let’s just hope after all this trouble, she’ll be just as excited to marry you.”

“She will,” he told her. “I’m sure of it. Now, go and find my steward and send him out to the courtyard. He’ll need to direct our guests to their rooms.”

“Aye,” said Emery, hurrying off to carry out his orders.

Blaze left the room, walking quickly out to the courtyard to meet his betrothed. He felt nervous in a way. After all, he hadn’t talked to Lillith at all for the last five years. That is, before yesterday when he kissed her. And then she slapped him, he subtly reminded himself. Still, it didn’t matter. All that mattered now was that they were betrothed, and she was here to stay.

This betrothal would change everything in his life. His old life would thankfully fade away and things would never be the same again.

“My lord, those people are the Bonnels, aren’t they? The ones with whom you’re in the middle of a feud?” Orvyn ran over, walking with him across the courtyard.

“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, yes, they are the Bonnels. However, since I’ve accepted the betrothal proposal and will be marrying Lady Bonnel, I am making a well-needed alliance. The feud has finally come to an end.”

“Well, that’s great, my lord,” said Orvyn. “Which one of the ladies are you marrying?”

“The beautiful one, of course.” Blaze smiled, his eyes focused on no one but Lillith. He hurried over to the wagon, and stretched out his arm. “Allow me to help you, my lady,” he said to Lillith, but her sister, Serena took his arm instead.

“Thank you, my lord. That is kind of you.” Serena acted as if she thought he’d been talking to her.

Once she was out of the wagon, he repeated the action for Lillith. “So good to see you again, Lillith,” he said with a smile, staring into her eyes. The odd part was, she wasn’t smiling back at him the way he thought she would be. Instead, she looked upset. “Is something the matter?”

“We need to talk, Blaze.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for talking after we’re married. I’m going to request that we don’t wait the full three weeks as expected and that we don’t bother posting the wedding banns at all. I want the wedding ceremony as soon as possible.”

Usually, it was proper that the wedding banns announcing the upcoming marriage to be posted on the church door as well as at the castle and in the town for weeks before the wedding took place. That would give plenty of time in case someone decided to come forward and object to it. Well, after the rumors spread about Blaze, he didn’t want to take a chance.

“I’ll require your assistance as well,” said another woman in the back of the cart whom Blaze recognized as the handmaid.