Her own way

Chapter 23

The incident with the King of Rynemona had shaken Kate more than she would let on. Loud noises were making her jump and the amount of times she had shrieked when she had failed to notice someone was near. It caused concern all around. Miss Lina was reluctant to let the girl out of the kitchens in case she was spooked and ran away!

Josh understood where her fear came from. She had told him some of what happened to her but not all of it and it was clear to him that she was retreating back into herself, just like when he had first found her. Not wanting that to happen, Josh took it upon himself to watch over her, to see that she would do the tasks she was given and more importantly was kept away from his father. He still couldn't believe the kings actions. It wasn't exactly out of character for him to get rough with people but to be that way with a servant... the thought of it made Josh cringe. He knew Kate had seen the rougher side to life already and he wanted to protect her from it. He wasn't sure if she had heard him before she fell asleep that night but what he said was true. He loved her, and he wouldn't trade his feelings for anything. It was these feelings that gave him the determination to protect and cherish her as the beautiful young woman she is. Over the course of the week following the incident, Josh kept a very close eye on Kate, to the point that he was really starting to irritate her. She knew he meant well but putting his behaviour along with the looks of guilt and sympathy from other members of the kitchen staff made Kate want to just turn around and hit him. Yes she was jumpy, she couldn't help it! But she definitely didn't need to be treated like glass. Miss Lina managed to keep her mind occupied by pushing Kate to become more involved in actually cooking the different meals instead of preparing different elements.

Despite all of this, Kate was beginning to feel restless again just Luke she had after her adoptive father had passed away. She knew this situation was different to before but she was feeling trapped all the same. It took her a while but after just the one week of constant supervision, she decided enough was enough and gathered some courage to talk to Josh about it all.

"Josh, can I ask you something?" Kate asked one evening before Josh left her for the night.

"You just did," he chuckled. "Feel free to carry on though." He had a cheeky grin on his face that made Kate want to either slap him or kiss him.

"Ha ha. I'm being serious here."

"I know you are, and so am I." His reply infuriated Kate so much she stamped her foot on the ground. "Oooh is someone grouchy tonight?"

"I will be if you don't stop that!"

"Okay, serious face now," Josh attempted to control his smile but couldn't lose it completely."So, what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could," Kate paused to try and hold back her nervousness. A quick glance at his face helped to calm her and let her carry on. She took a deep breath before starting again. "I was wanting to go out to town tomorrow, buy some fresh food to go with dinner."

"Sure, we can do that. I'll not be able to go first thing but after noon we can go out."

"Um Josh, that's not what I meant. I want to go yes, but by myself." Kate  tried to tell him gently, she didn't want to cause problems but if she didn't get out of the castle on her own for even a short period of time then she feared she would go mad.

At her declaration Josh turned to look at her properly and on seeing the expression on her face he couldn't keep eye contact with her.

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"I know Josh, I completely understand. But I can only take so much." She reached out, taking hold of his hand and began tracing circles on the back. "I'm asking you to please understand and let me go." When she said that, Josh's eyes flew up to meet hers. She could see the panic and fear in them, and she realised what she had said. "Oh no, I'm not leaving you! I only want one day on my own."