The King's Inamorata (A Queen's Tale #1)

An Educated Woman

The Middle of Summer

Sometime in the middle of the night, they'd reached the city of Calais. It was one of the grandest, most beautiful cities in the entire world. It was famous for its glittering gold palace that sat on the very top of a mountain, on the edge of a cliff. The entire city was built around it. There were buildings as tall as seven stories high, cobblestone roads, and ornately decorated townspeople. It was a splendor to behold, a place many only dreamed of.

And Lukas called it home.

Vivia was fast asleep beside him. Her head was resting on his shoulder and a few miles back he'd wrapped a blanket around her. Even though it was the dead of summer, the night air could still give someone a chill. He moved to tuck a curl behind her ear and he reached over to pull back the curtain on her side. The light from the city poured into their carriage and he was surprised it didn't make her stir. He gently kissed her forehead.

"Vivia," he whispered. "Vivia, look."

Wearily she blinked a few times as he shift but before she could fall back asleep, he moved so that his back was against the wall and she was resting against his chest, facing the window. "Look outside," he told her.

Gradually, her eyes opened and she was awake long enough to smile. "This is Calais?"

"This is our home now. Do you see the fleck of gold in the distance?" she nodded but weakly. "That's the palace."

"It's all so...." her eyelids fell shut. "Pretty."

Yes, he thought as he looked at her. Very pretty.

                                                                                         ***

When Vivia woke she had no recollection of the night before. For a moment, she thought she was in bed with Luc and reached out for him but he wasn't there. She assumed he'd gotten up at some point in the night and fell back asleep. If not for the sunlight streaming through an open window, she'd have stayed in bed for ages.

Immediately, she remembered she wasn't home but she didn't remember how she got into this bed in the first place. The pillow she rested her head on was so thick and plush that when she sat up, there wasn't even a dent. She was buried in luscious layers of soft blankets and a veil concealed her. She'd never seen a bed with a veil before.

Beyond that veil, she saw only the faintest outline of the room she was in. She saw more windows, what looked like chairs, a small table, a large rug, and an archway that either led to another room or a wide hallway.

A knock came at her door. She was too startled to answer. What was this strange place she'd woken up in? A few moments later she heard the door open and humming followed. The gentle click of a woman's heels against a wooden floor grew closer. She turned in bed and saw a shadow pass in her peripheral.

"Hello?" she said.

The shadow jumped and walked over to the front of the bed. She let out a deep bellowing chuckle. "Oh, my Lady, you gave me quite the scare! I thought you were fast asleep. His Highness said you'd be in bed all morning so I didn't want to wake you."

"His...what?"

"Should I prepare a bath for you?" she asked. "What do you like to bathe with? Roses, lavender, lilies, lilacs, or perhaps chamomile? Should I burn some sage and fetch a few oils for you?"

She swallowed. "Well, I...no?"

The woman paused a moment. "My Lady, may I pull back the veil?"

It was the first time Vivia took into account what she was wearing. Her leather stay and white dress were gone, replaced by the most luxurious white nightgown she'd ever seen. It was long with angel sleeves and delicate lace on the hem. She pulled the blanket up to her chest. "You may."