Page 4 of Hooked

“Not long before you all left for Dalthia. Anyway, Johnny’s been anxious for Falstone to come back. And as you can see”—she nodded toward the yard—“he’s recruited several of his friends to join.”

“I know two of them work here, but is that other one from Bridgefield like Johnny?”

She nodded. “That’s the usual group. Though sometimes a couple of the village boys join in as well. The bloke who delivers the vegetables has a son who likes to come along now and again. They’re a right fun bunch to watch. Falstone’s doing a good thing here.”

“Yes,” I agreed, even as my mind tumbled. Did I know who Falstone was at all? No, I suppose I didn’t.

I pulled my gaze from the window and managed to pilfer a cup from the cupboard and put it in my basket before making my way back to Marilee’s room to arrange her flowers.

***

I was eating dinner down in the kitchens with several other servants—interrupted periodically by Emeline coming over to make me try a bite of a soup that she was working on—when Princess Marilee’s guards, Falstone and Marcus, walked in.

Marcus came immediately to sit at the table, but Falstone detoured to where Emeline was working and leaned down to inhale the fragrance of her bubbling soup. “Mm,” he said, sounding pleased. “Something new?”

She nodded, glancing up at him with the tiniest smile, the compliment bolstering her courage.

“Well done,” he said simply, then came back toward the table.

I was staring. I shouldn’t have stared, but I couldn’t help myself. Seeing him this morning with the young servant boys had piqued my curiosity. I’d known he was strong and protective from the way he took care of Marilee, but seeing the way he interacted with children, with shy and quiet Emeline…

He looked up and caught me staring at him.

And then his face lit up, like he was delighted to see me. It was the oddest thing. He had always been professional, almost stoic in our interactions. Why was he suddenly looking happy to see me, when he’d always looked past me before?

I dropped my eyes and fixed them on the plate before me, trying to gather my wits. The chair across from me scraped against the stone floor. Falstone had caught me staring, and now he was sitting across from me and my face was getting hot. I should leave. I’d eaten enough, hadn’t I? Yes, I was full.

Pushing to my feet, I gathered my dishes quickly while trying not to look as though I were in a hurry—which I absolutely was. I placed them in the sink and didn’t bother to respond to Emeline’s confused look as I fled.

I stood just outside the door in the dim, empty corridor for a moment, my eyes pinched shut and a hand at my stomach. The way his face had lit up had made my stomach drop in a way that was not entirely unpleasant. It was…what? Flattering? But at the same time, it made me want to close in on myself. I had no desire to lend him my trust, only to have him betray it.

2

“You promised this one would be about a prince,” Ansel reminded me.

“Yes, of course. One wielding a sword, was it?” I asked from where I stood in one of the stalls, stroking the horse’s head. I missed being around horses. I missed riding them. It was a privilege that had only been afforded me before I’d moved to Uncle Horace’s home—before I had lost everything.

“Mm-hmm,” Ansel affirmed from his position straddling the stall gate. It had made me nervous the first couple times I’d seen him perched up there, but I quickly realized that children who grow up in stables alongside their father know how to navigate them far better than I.

Lindy had climbed halfway up, her feet wedged between a couple slats so that she could rest her forearms atop the gate. “I don’t like swords.”

I smiled at her bold statement and started my tale. “In the enchanted kingdom of Lumptin, where the meadows stretch with heather and the hills never stop rolling, a prince disguised himself as a soldier.”

Ansel straightened up. “Was his name Falstone?”

“Of course not.” I tsked as I continued to stoke the horse’s neck. “He’s a prince in disguise, and his name is Walstone.”

Ansel cackled in delight. “And did he train young servants to be great warriors?”

“But of course he did. That was his greatest joy, to train up the bravest of young boys so that they too could protect the fair kingdom. And his favorite two students were Chansel”—I speared my gaze at Ansel—“and Blindy.” I gave Lindy a wink.

My story wandered on and on for some time as I allowed Ansel and Lindy to direct its path. I managed to put them into fits of giggles several times, and I even caught Pryce and a couple of the grooms with grins on their faces as I made the story more and more ridiculous.

“And now, my young ones,” I said, stepping out of the stall after I’d drawn the story to a close. “I must fly away and assist the fairy princess in dressing, for I am certain she has balls and parties to attend all the day long.” I did my best to float out of the stables while waving my hand daintily in farewell. Pryce snorted at my dramatic exit.

I chuckled to myself as I made my way back to the house. The nearest entrance was not through the kitchen, but I went that way anyway, glad when I found Emeline coming back from the garden with a basket of vegetables. “Hello, dear,” I said as I gave her a squeeze from the side. “How are things with Diana?”

“She’s nice.”