Page 60 of Veil of Winter

He got up and heard her say, “Thank you,” as he hurried away.

He asked around until one of the men pointed to a skinny young soldier who was constantly chewing on a straw and said, “He knows how to treat a sick horse.”

Gerard strode quickly to him and told him about the princess’s horse.

“I brought along some remedies that might help, depending on what’s wrong.” The young man clenched the straw between his teeth and pulled a pouch from his saddlebag. Then he followed Gerard to where the princess was stroking the horse’s neck. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“He was tired for the last hour or so, and when we stopped and I dismounted, he immediately lay down.”

The young man was already feeling the horse’s stomach, pressing here and there. Then he opened the horse’s mouth and looked inside.

“I think it might be a simple case of colic. He’s not eating his usual food and his insides don’t like it.” He reached into his bag and brought out a handful of something that looked like small green leaves mixed with hay. He held it up to the horse’s mouth. At first the animal just snorted at it, but as Princess Elyce coaxed him, talking soothingly, the horse began to take it from her hand.

When the horse had eaten it all, the young man poured water from his own water flask into the horse’s mouth.

“Will he be all right?”

“We will just have to wait and see.”

Gerard wished she would look at him the way she was looking at the horse, her eyes liquid and intense, her lips soft and parted.

Was he really jealous of a horse?

The man who had shared his remedy walked away. Princess Elyce looked up at Gerard.

“Thank you for your help. What happens now?”

“Well, if the horse is well enough to go on with us, we’ll take him, but you will need to get a new horse to ride either way.”

She chewed her lip.

“Don’t worry.”

Ysa came walking up to her just then and they began to talk, so Gerard went to get the princess a new horse.

There were only two spare mounts, and neither of them was particularly agreeable or gentle. He could not allow the princess to be thrown from her horse.

Gerard brought her his horse. “He is obedient and easy to manage.”

“But this is yours,” she said.

“I will take one of the extra horses. You must stay safe, and this is the safest horse.”

“Thank you. That is very kind of you.” She took the reins and let the horse smell her hand before she rubbed his cheek.

With three dozen men in addition to himself and Sir Oswalt and Ysabeau, someone was always nearby on this journey, but as he glanced around, he realized they were alone for the first time since they’d explored the castle garden. But she was not looking at him.

She probably realized he’d been avoiding her. Did she know it was because of his attraction to her? She must know how beautiful she was, with her sweet smile and kind eyes andhumble ways. Whoever heard of a humble princess? His first impression of her had been just the opposite, but now he knew differently.

Somehow she was even more beautiful today, with wisps of hair loose and tangled next to her cheeks, than she had been with her hair perfectly neat and tidy, half covered by pearls and a veil, especially while she had that look of care and concern over her horse. Even now, from the strange look about her mouth and chin, he was fairly sure that she was near tears.

“Are you all right, Princess Elyce? I’m sure this journey has been difficult.”

She raised her hand and took a quick swipe at her cheek.

His heart ached to see her cry. Was she angry that he had been ignoring her? A sharper pain went through his chest. He had not been a good friend to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping furiously now, her voice watery. “No one wants to see a princess crying.”