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I twirled around to face the insufferable man.
“Are you laughing?” I barked at him.
He shrugged. “Your father warned me that you are strong-willed, but by God, I don’t think I have ever met a woman like you. And I’m a carpenter, not a fishmonger.”
I crossed my arms, blowing away a curl that had fallen into my face. “Of course you haven’t met anybody like me before. You are a commoner. Fishmonger or carpenter is of no interest to me. I am of noble blood.” I scanned his simple black leather pants, shirt, and long wool coat and cape. It was the strangest thing, but I felt as if I had met this man before. I shook the thought off. Impossible. I had spent my days at the castle, never mixing with the ordinary folks.
“So let’s not mix the two,” he said bluntly.
“Certainly not! I will never marry—” Wait...“What?” I straightened my back. “Excuse me?”
A prideful grin formed on the man’s thin lips. “I have already told your honorable father”—he took a brief pause to bow in his direction—“that my answer is no.”
“What? No?” I was stunned, rooted to the ground. The man rose to his feet and calmly walked over to me, towering a foot higher than I was. I wanted to slap him, but I couldn’t seem to lift my arms. This was the most disgraceful day of my life. In shock, I just stood there when he grabbed my hand and turned it palm up to gently run his thumb over it. His touch felt warm, but his skin was rough like a farmer’s.
“Soft as silk,” he concluded. “You haven’t worked a day in your life, have you?”
Like a simple-headed goat, I shook my head.
“You are of no use to me.”
I caught his eyes glancing at my shoulder and realized that my nightgown had slipped, revealing my naked skin.
I jerked my hand out of his and pulled my gown back up. He turned to face my father.
“How...”—I took a step back—“dare...”—another step—“you!” My voice had never sounded so low, so dangerous. It was the voice of a witch, summoning the devil. I turned toward my father.“How can you just stand there and listen to this man insulting me?”
“My dear Sarolf,” my father said in a soft tone, completely ignoring me.
Sarolf? A Northern name? Things were getting worse and worse.
“Please, at least give it more thought. Stay for a little while, eat, bathe, and rest. Then come see me again.”
Sarolf bowed low in front of my father. “Your Highness, I ask for your forgiveness with all my heart and soul, but I’m a simple man. My decision is made. With your merciful permission, I would like to purchase some bread and cheese from the kitchen before my sister and I leave quietly.” He threw me a quick glance. “Without your daughter.”
My father’s pinched lips turned white, but then he nodded. Once more, Sarolf bowed, then he threw me one last look of pity and something I couldn’t quite make out and left.
I watched as he strode through the large doors, not even looking back once.
“Appalling,” I mumbled. My own father, the man who was supposed to protect me, had tried to push me off onto some commoner. And to make matters worse, the simple man had dared to turn me down. I looked at my trembling hands to make certain this wasn’t a nightmare. I should be happy I was still a free woman, but never in my whole life had I been so insulted. And my father let it all happen right in front of me. He must have clearly lost his mind. But how could I talk to him like this?
I carefully looked at my father, who, in the soft light of the fire and morning sun, looked almost frail. How should I approach him now? How did one speak to a person in such psychological distress?
Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands as if placating a frightened deer and stepped closer.
“Father, I—”
“Leave me,” he said firmly.
I took in another deep breath. “Let me apologize for yester—”
“I said leave me!” he yelled.
For a moment, I just stood there, lost. What was I supposed to do now? I knew my father, and now wasn’t the time to talk to him. But now was the time I needed to talk to him the most!
“Rest, we’ll talk later” was all I said before making my way back out of the library. I turned to look over my shoulder a few times, but my father didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at the floor.
I had barely made my way back into the mighty hallway when I saw Sarolf and his sister standing by the bench, talking. I tried to sneak by them but without success.
