An Unexpected Romance

A Prince's Worry

Andrew's eyes never left Selina. She could feel them. She knew he must have many questions she still needs to answer. She just couldn't do it. How could she know she could trust him? What would he think of her? Why did she worry what he thought of her? These were questions she didn't want to know the answers to. Yet, she was dying to find out.

Sick of the Prince's eyes locked on her, Selina snapped, "The cow isn't going to milk itself." Selina turned around and met the Prince's eyes. Her anger was clear.

"I don't know how to milk a cow."

Selina sat on the stool next to Jessie. The sweet cow had been in the family for a few years. She started to milk the cow, trying to be careful to not let her anger out on the gentle animal, "You would know how to if you paid attention!"

Andrew had enough, "Look, I don't know what I said to anger you. However, what I do know is you cannot just shut me out. Marriage takes two."

Selina let go of the cow udders, and milking stopped and forgotten. She rose from the stool and stormed to the Prince. "I'm marrying you but no one said I had to be involved. You can trap me in that castle all you want. You can pay my sorry excuse of a father whatever price he's taking for me, but I will not let you tell me what I can and cannot do. I'll ignore you as much as I want to. I'm not obligated to tell you everything wrong with me. It's you that wants this marriage. Not me." Picking up the pale of milk, Selina rushed away. Stopping at the exit of the barn, she spoke over her shoulder, "I trust you know how to put away a cow. You're not completely useless."

Andrew watched as she walked off. Wishing he could just go after her and tell her everything she makes him feel. Tell her she's not the only one with problems.

*****
It took Andrew a while to put Jessie away. Finding the cow to be different to manage than a horse, he had trouble maneuvering the big animal back to where it belonged. Once he finally moved it, he decided that he had to find Selina.

Andrew made sure the door to the barn was closed behind him. Walking towards the house, he walked through the door. "Mr. Goodwin? Mr. Goodwin?" Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he actually called Selina's father by name. Everyone always referred to him as "Sir" or "Selina's father".  It was rare these days to call him Mr. Goodwin.

Andrew stepped back out of the house and found Selina's father walking on the path in the garden. He seemed to be managing the carrots and other vegetables in the family garden.

"Mr. Goodwin!" Andrew called as he walked towards the man in the garden.

Selina's father stopped what he was doing and looked at the Prince.

"You wouldn't know where Selina would be would you?" the Prince asked. 

"No. I never do," the old man went back to his garden. Paying no attention to the Prince.

"You never know where she is?" The Prince asked. Did this man have no concern for his daughter? Maybe that's why he didn't know where she was when she ran away. How was it, that Andrew, a man who just barely knew Selina, cared more for her well-being than he did? 

"In case you never noticed, Selina and I don't get along. If she wasn't going to marry you, I would have just let her run off. If she can't appreciate the care I give her then she can go elsewhere. It doesn't bother me none," Mr. Goodwin answered the Prince. Not a shrowd of hurt in him. Perhaps, a small frown at the end of his sentence. Just a small one.

"Well, I had better luck finding her last time without your help so  I guess I can do it again!" The Prince, with some anger building up in him at the insensitivity of Mr. Goodwin, stormed in a random direction. This time, without much intention of finding Selina. 

More so, to get away from the old man. The man's sour mood seemed to rub everyone the wrong way if he doesn't seem to contain it. Andrew began to realize exactly why he was to marry Selina, and why Selina ran away in the first place. 

With Andrew's experience with his own father, he was wondering why he didn't see the reaction Mr. Goodwin has towards his daughter from the beginning.