The Reluctant Princess - a Novella

Chapter 2 - Beyond the Door

Getting some rest in her own room proved to be impossible. An army of servants soon swarmed Elizabeth's new living quarters hauling in her belongings and the frenetic activity only made her precarious mental state worse. She allowed her maid Mildred to help her out of her travelling clothes and into a fresh gown, already dreading having to change once more before dinner. If she were at home, she lamented to Mildred, as her maid applied more powder was applied to the bridge of her nose, she would not have to follow such strict and ridiculous rules.

Her maid just rolled her eyes and continued primping dutifully, and Elizabeth felt like an idiot for complaining to her about her lavish life. Realistically, any young woman would give anything to be in her position, yet Elizabeth could not help but feel as though her happy, carefree life was about to come to an abrupt end.

When Mildred finally took her leave, Elizabeth stood in the middle of her huge ornate bedchamber, alone with her thoughts, until she noticed the door. She moved toward it and frowned, a thought crossing her mind and causing a queasy feeling to settle in her belly. In a few days, Henry would be free to waltz in here whenever he wished, and it was probably through this door that he would make his entrance.

She put her hand on the handle and held her breath as she pushed it down and the mechanism clicked softly. Surprised to have found it unlocked, she opened the door slowly and hesitantly peeked in. The room adjacent to hers was shrouded in darkness, unlike hers, and a shiver of trepidation snaked up her spine. She held her breath and advanced further inside. The midnight blue curtains were drawn, but she could make out the shape of the four-poster bed in the middle of the room, which was impossibly large, larger even than her own.

She took a few more steps, listening carefully and feeling a little guilty for snooping around. Then again, the door had been unlocked, hadn't it? That was as good a reason as any to explore. Her eyes began to get used to the darkness in the room and, when she noticed the lump under the covers, she froze and panicked for a moment, regretting her foolish decision immediately.

She took one step backwards, intending to retreat as quickly as possible, but a soft groan coming from under the covers caught her attention. It was a masculine, hoarse sound. The figure in the bed must belong to her betrothed. Perhaps he had fallen ill, she reasoned, and for a moment she felt guilty for having disparaged him earlier. Soon after, curiosity took over and she took several tiny steps forward, suddenly eager to take a peek. The last time she had laid eyes on him seemed like an eternity ago. She could not for the life of her recall the details of his face if she tried. She had, of course, received the miniature, but everyone knew the artist always sought to assuage their commissioner's vanity, to the detriment of realistic portrayal.

After several more steps, she reached the side of the bed and squinted, rising on her tiptoes to peer over the edge of the coverlet that covered half his face. His hair looked thick and dark and disheveled, and her cheeks flushed. Her mother would die of shame if she could see her now. It was grossly inappropriate to ogle a person as they slept, especially a prince, but her curiosity knew no bounds and she could not pry herself away just yet.

She bit her lip and carefully hooked a finger under the coverlet, lifting it a little to reveal the side of his face. Even in the darkness, she could see the shadow of a light stubble and the sharp line of his jaw. She let her eyes roam a little lower and skim over the curve of one rather large, smooth shoulder. This was the closest she had ever been to a naked man and she was quite aware of the many reasons why she should not be here, but she was rooted on the spot. Unable to resist, she pulled the covers further away from his sleeping form and her eyes widened when she deduced that he must be completely naked under there, seeing as he had not bothered with a shirt.