Maiden of the Forest

Chapter 26 - The Ezzell Estate

It was Sunday and Kit had slept in even though Henry and Lance had tried to get him up over an hour ago. Kit couldn't help it; he didn't often allow himself to sleep in and this was his day off. Peter had approached him last night to inform him that the Lady Tremaine, her daughters, and Eric, the former Grand Duke, had boarded a ship and were on their way out of the kingdom. Though he was sad to see Eric go, he was happy that no longer would the Tremaines be around to threaten Ella. That chapter was officially closed.

Sighing, Kit rolled onto his side. The glass slippers shimmered in the light coming from his closed windows and the Forget Me Not bouquet sat in its vase still in full bloom. A smile climbed Kit's face. In six days he'd return the shoes to Ella. In six days, he'd be whisking his bride-to-be away from the palace to the royal cottage by the seashore. The elation this brought was dampened when he realized that in order to make that come to pass he would be forced to recluse himself from Ella for several days in order to finish all the work he needed to do to free up that time. Disgruntled by that thought, Kit got out of bed, shoving his covers aside. Pulling on his robe, he almost made it to the rope by the door when someone knocked against the hard wood.

Curious, Kit made sure his robe properly covered his shoulders before opening the door. The sight that met his eyes caused his foul mood to dissipate immediately. "Good morning," Ella said cheerfully, holding out a tray of food. "Considering it is your day off, I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed. I haven't had the experience since my father was alive but I thought it a fun notion for today."

Kit grinned. "Would you like to join me?"

"If it isn't considered too improper," she replied with a smile.

"Allow me," he offered, taking the tray of food from her before heading back to the bed.

The aromas coming from the food made Kit's stomach grumble, causing Ella to laugh. Kit glanced at her, reveling again at how positively beautiful she was. He noted with silent amusement that she wore a simple dress, the upper part a combination of long blue sleeves under a black sleeveless top with a soft brown skirt hiding behind a long white apron. Her small feet were covered in simple black shoes but she removed them before joining him on the bed.

From her outfit, Kit held a suspicion which he openly voiced after he was settled next to her with the tray on his lap. "Did you haunt the kitchens again this morning?"

Ella's cheeks deepened as she nodded. "I was too excited to sleep in today."

Kit knew she'd been looking forward to the weekend since they had decided to go to her estate to ask the bluebirds if they wanted to move in to the royal greenhouse. Her happiness was over the simplest things and Kit once again recognized how special she was. Other women would celebrate over jewelry, fine clothes, and various riches but not Ella. She delighted in animals, nature, and the good fortune of others.

Leaning forward, Kit kissed her softly. "Thank you for spoiling me."

"You're welcome," she giggled.

Ella had made an interesting combination of eggs and ham cooking the two together instead of separating them like Kit usually saw. A side of sliced bread with apricot jam and a hot pot of tea finished the meal. Kit happily dug in to what she'd brought and was amazed by the taste of the flavors.

"Right," he muttered halfway through his eggs, "I'm making it a rule that you are definitely allowed to cook for me whenever you wish."

Ella laughed while nibbling on a piece of bread lightly coated in jam. "I'm glad you like it."

"I have half a mind to test your cooking skills with Maurice's," Kit chuckled as he happily ate.

"I'm not one for competitions but I thank you for the compliment. So, how long will it take before you are ready to leave?"