One Look

Chapter 44

"Why are we heading to the murky stables?" Elaine complained, as we walked along the path that led from the garden to the stables.

"I told you both that I wanted to check on the foal", I pointed out, as I turned around and looked from Elaine to Margaretta. "And you both insisted that you would join me".

Margaretta glared pointedly at me. "That is because you have become very used to walking around without us and seeing as there are now a lot more people living in this palace, we need to ensure that you act properly".

"If that's the case, please stop complaining", I huffed, and Elaine smirked but a frown quickly replaced it as she looked over my shoulder. I turned back around, and my eyes widened in surprise. There was Nathaniel and Ruth leading the horse 'Nattie', and her foal out of the stable.

"Shall we go back later?" Margaretta suggested tentatively. I breathed in a sharp breath and nodded my head.

"I suppose the stables are too murky for us ladies", I said quickly, as I tried my best to ignore the ache in my chest. "Let us cut across the lawn". Ignoring my ladies protests I began the descent across the lawn, and I prayed Nathaniel would not see this decidedly awkward moment.

"I do not know what he sees in her anyway", Elaine muttered from behind me. "She always wears those dull coloured dresses, and her hair is always in the same god awful, braided style".

"Hush Elaine", Margaretta scolded from behind me. "Though I do agree that she needs to do something with her hair".

I shook my head lightly at my ladies' behaviour. I knew what they said was untrue, but I was touched that they had tried nevertheless. It was obvious to everyone that Ruth's signature wrap-around braid was not awful, if anything it made her strikingly pretty face stand out even more.

As we walked, I could not ignore the ache of jealousy that had uncurled in my chest, I had thought Nathaniel had just shown me the foal. It had taken Nattie so long to accept me, and there had been Ruth leading Nattie out of the stables. He probably had told Ruth he had named the foal 'Ruthie'. I scolded myself for being petty, but I could not shake the feelings away. It was obvious to me that Nathaniel looked at Ruth as more than a friend, he always seemed to be with her these days. Yesterday I had bumped into the pair reading in the library. It was beyond awkward when Nathaniel paused the passage he had been reading aloud to Ruth when I had swung open the doors. I had smiled as I muttered a hello and rushed over to the closest bookshelf, grabbed a book, and hurried out of there as fast as I could. I probably had looked like a mini tornado.

"Excuse me", a nasally voice exclaimed as we continued our descent towards the palace. I looked up and a shiver ran down my spine, it was the duke of Kensington and his son Leonard. Leonard had been the one who had spoken, his eyes now trained on me. I tried not to grimace at the thought that I was related to him, related to this toad. I glanced at the duke, and with a jolt I realised that the certainty of my time in the palace would come to an end soon, and with that the potential to get more information from him. Though, the thought of even trying to speak to him alone filled me with dread. I much preferred living in my own little bubble and only worrying about what dress I was going to wear every day.

"Good afternoon". I curtsied towards Leonard and his father.

"It is a beautiful day today, were you out for a stroll?" the duke questioned, and I felt the hairs on my arms rise.

"Yes, do excuse us but we better hurry inside as I have a meeting with her majesty in the next quarter of an hour and do need to get ready for that", I apologised. They nodded their heads, before I hurried into the palace and took a deep breath.