Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3) (9 page)

“And our stomachs thank you for it,” Finn said and Linda laughed.

“Still a charmer,” Linda said.

“Well, have I charmed you enough for a pot of your world-famous tea and cake?”

“Oh, I think you’ve charmed me just enough. I’ll bring it out when you’ve finished with your meal.”

“Thank you, Linda,” he said.

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s my honor to serve you and the Princess.”

“Tea and cake? After all this?”

“You need to keep your strength up,” he said as he loaded his own plate to the brim. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us, and I’m afraid we’ll miss afternoon tea at the palace.”

“You do afternoon tea in Brazenbourg?”

“Not historically,” he said as he tore off a chunk of bread and offered it to her. She nodded her thanks and took it with one graceful hand, immediately dousing it in the stew. When she licked her fingers clean - a very un-Princess-like move - he had the urge to help her.
Focus
, he reminded himself.

“It was our mother,” Finn said as he tore off another chunk of bread and dipped it just as Arianna had done. “She was British and brought the custom with her. The people loved her and started the custom to make her feel at home here.”

“That was a very sweet thing to do.”

“That’s Brazenbourg. I think everyone got used to it, so they never stopped it, even after she died. She was like me, and often came out to visit people personally. They often served her tea because they knew she liked it.”

Linda came out and set another tray on the table, this time filled with a tea service and two large pieces of cake covered in powdered sugar and slivers of almond. “Linda served my mother tea many a time, didn’t you?” Finn asked.

“Oh my, yes. She was a lovely woman.”

“She was. Thank you, Linda.” Finn shook her hand, slipping her twice as much money as the bill while he did.

She held onto his hand and tried to give the money back. “None of that, if you please. It’s our honor today.”

“Please, Linda?” Finn knew her husband was having some health problems and could certainly use the extra money. “Make me look good in front of the Princess,” he whispered.

“Oh, all right,” she whispered back. “You let me know if you need anything else. It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

“Oh, the pleasure was all mine. The food was wonderful, and I can already tell that cake will melt in my mouth.”

Linda laughed and thanked her for the compliment before turning away.

“I’m going to gain five pounds a day at this rate,” Arianna said as she pushed away her now empty plate and reached for the cake.

Finn laughed. “You’re gorgeous, Princess. Trust me, a few more curves will only make you sexier in my book.”

“Finn,” she said in a warning tone.

He held his hands up in surrender. So, it seemed they were still avoiding the subject, at least for now. He poured Arianna some tea and then reached for his own cake.

“This tea’s sweet,” she said after taking a sip of creamy brew.

Finn nodded. “It’s how my mother drank it, and it’s the only way you’ll usually find it made from a street vendor like Linda. Milk and sugar pre-mixed with the tea, so you only need to pour it into a cup. Linda is actually one of the few who really does make it as my mother liked it.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious and goes very well with this almond cake. We’ve got a version of this in Valleria, only a little bit sweeter.”

Finn nodded. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. After we finish up here, we can walk a little further down before we turn back. Are you looking to do any shopping while you’re here?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it, but it might be good to pick up a few things for my sisters.”

“There are nine of you aren’t there?”

Arianna nodded as she took a sip of tea. “Nine siblings all together. Five boys, four girls. I’m right in the middle at number five. Of course, with Alex getting married, and Marcello as good as engaged, that means I’ve got two more sisters.”

“What’s it like in a family that large? Do you resent having so many siblings?” He wasn’t sure why he’d asked such a bold question. He only knew he resented having Henry as an older brother.

“No, of course I don’t resent it. The community that you feel with your fellow countrymen and women, that’s how it is with us; we’re our own little community, too.” She looked down and started playing with her cake instead of eating it.

“What’s wrong, Princess? I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“You didn’t. It’s just that, well, never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” he said and wished he could reach across the table and hold her hand. Unfortunately, too many eyes were watching them.

“I suppose I just feel as though I don’t always fit in with them, that’s all. But we all love each other very much,” she said quickly.

Finn was stunned. He felt as though he never fit in with Henry, who never even really liked him, as far as he could tell.

“It’s stupid. Forget I mentioned it.”

“I’m sorry, Arianna,” he said softly. “It’s not stupid at all. I’ve felt the same way about Henry, and I’m sorry to hear that you have, too.”

“It wasn’t always like that,” she said as she took another sip.

“What changed?”

“Everything,” she said and sighed.

The crash of a tray falling nearby reminded him where they were, and he decided to move the day along. If he lingered with the Princess too long, he may very well find himself falling in love with her. He’d already had to resist kissing her and touching her for the last two hours, and they had a long day ahead of them.

Arianna strolled easily beside Finn, who waved and greeted vendors as they passed. Word had spread that a Vallerian princess was with him, and many came up to bow or curtsy as a sign of respect. Arianna noticed that few greeted Finn the same way, but she could see it was not from a lack of respect; Finn seemed to prefer it that way.

From what he had told her, these people were more of a family to him than Henry was. Arianna was sure he was exaggerating. She may feel like she didn’t fit in with her siblings, but they were always there for each other. She shook her head, unable to believe that she had actually told Finn her fears about fitting in with her siblings. What was it about him that seemed to strike something in her? She didn’t trust easily, certainly not with her past, but she sensed something in him that she kept hidden in herself.

Sadness.

“Are you ready to head back, Princess?” he asked.

She didn’t seem to mind when he called her ‘Princess’, though she loved the way ‘Arianna’ slipped from his talented lips as well. “Yes. I just need to use a powder room if there’s one available.” One of the trickiest parts of being a princess was finding a delicate way to say ‘restroom’ or ‘bathroom’.

“Will you be all right without a guard?” he asked as they approached a public restroom. “I didn’t think to bring a female one today,” he said with furrowed brows.

She placed a hand on his warm, toned arm. “I’ll be just fine. No need to worry.” Finn nodded and she stepped inside.

She was just finishing up in the stall when she heard a pair of female voices giggling near the sinks.

“Prince Finn is so dreamy,” one girl tittered.

“I know,” the other one sighed. “If only he were looking for a bride.”

“What makes you think he’d go for you?”

“Why wouldn’t he? I’m gorgeous.”

In the stall, Arianna bit her lip to hold back the laughter. She’d only known Finn a short time and, though his reputation said otherwise, she had the feeling that good looks with substance behind them would not hold his interest long-term.

The first girl spoke again. “If you want to be a princess, you should go after Henry.”

The other girl scoffed. “Just how would I run into Henry? He never mingles with the crowds like Finn does. Besides, what makes you think Henry’s looking for a wife?”

“Well,” the first girl said conspiratorially. “A brother of friend of mine works in the palace. He said that they’ve heard rumours that Henry needs to marry soon to secure an heir.”

“Henry’s not as good looking as Finn.”

“No, but if you’re a princess, you could probably put up with it.”

“That’s true. And I could be closer to Finn.”

“I wouldn’t bet on Finn being there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I heard that as soon as Henry gets married, Finn is out. Henry doesn’t want him around, and he’ll stop at nothing to do it.”

“You are so dramatic. What makes you think he could get rid of Finn? Everybody loves him.”

“That’s true. I don’t know. The guy I know at the palace said Henry was planning to get rid of him. That’s all I heard.”

“Well, half of what you hear isn’t true anyway. Are you done primping yet? I want to see if Finn’s still outside.”

“Yes, come on, let’s go.”

Arianna waited until their chattering voices had faded away before she opened the stall door. As she washed her hands, she wondered. Was the gossip she’d just heard true? And, if it was, what should she do about it?

She was lost in thought when she stepped outside.

“Everything all right, Arianna?” he asked, his face a study in concern.

“Oh, yes. Just fine. Sorry if I took too long.”

“One thing my mother taught me was to never rush a woman. No, I was just worried that maybe some of the food disagreed with you.”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” she said. As she glanced around, she noticed a few of the vendors with concerned faces of their own. She put a bright smile on her face, to reassure them as well as Finn. “I’m perfectly fine.”

Deciding again to shuffle propriety aside for the moment - something she only seemed to do with him, she realized - she wound her arm through his for the walk back the car. He felt warm and solid next to her, like an anchor she could hold on to and have total faith that she would never drift away.

They remained in companionable silence for most of the walk, except for the few instances where Arianna stopped to purchase something or other. A pair of earrings here, a scarf there. She saw a beautiful vase and immediately thought of Nonna, her grandmother, and picked it up. Christmas would, after all, be here before she knew it.

Every time she made a purchase, one of the security agents took the bags and she linked arms with Finn again. She knew she shouldn’t, especially if she were even considering things with Henry. She sensed one man was her past and the other her future; was she making the right choice?

“Where are we going next?” she asked as she cuddled in the car; she hadn’t realized just how warm Finn’s body had been keeping her.

“We’ll leave the capital now,” he said as he pulled out, security following in a car close behind. “There are a few places farther north I’d like to take you.”

Arianna flicked on her seat warmer and rubbed her arms against the chill. Glancing at Finn, whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and whose jacket was still in the backseat, asked, “I can’t believe you aren’t cold yet.”

Finn chuckled. “I seemed to have been born with a fire in me. While others get cold, I never seem to. We Brazenbourgians are used to it. Doesn’t it get cold in Valleria?”

“Of course it does. It’s only October, though, so the chill hasn’t really set in yet.”

“Tell me about Valleria. What do you love most about it?”

“Tell me what you love about Brazenbourg first,” she said, deflecting the question. She loved her homeland, but she wanted to know more about Finn. She also wanted to gauge how Finn would react if she told him what the gossiping girls had said in the restroom.

A genuine smile of adoration swept across his face. “There are few things I
don’t
love about Brazenbourg. I love the people, the places, the food, as you just saw. I love the mountains and flatlands and farmlands. I love the lake and the rivers streaming from it, pumping life and livelihood into our districts.”

“Sounds like true love.”

“It is. My parents loved these lands,” he said as his hand swept through the air, gesturing to the fields outside. “Even my English mother. She loved my father, but she could have easily resented having to move to a new country to make their home here. She didn’t. She fell in love with this place, these people, and I suppose that trickled down to me. Nothing’s perfect in this world, not even our little country. I’m under no illusions about that. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t live for Brazenbourg, and die for it, if it comes to that.”

She could see Brazenbourg through his eyes. The love, the duty, the respect he had for it, and the truth of it all; that was what a true leader had. Hadn’t she seen the same thing in her father growing up, and now Alex? Considering her experience thus far, she could see why Brazenbourg was so easy to love.

“If you had to leave Brazenbourg, where would you go?” she asked.

He considered for a moment before answering. “I don’t know. If I had to leave, perhaps I would go to England. My mother’s family is still there, and I keep in touch with them.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter in the end, though, does it? My heart will always be here.”

Further conversation was cut short by their arrival at some ruins. Finn showed her around, telling her about the history behind the broken walls of stone. He held her hand through most of it, guiding her over fallen walls and overgrown brush. She had to admit, she didn’t mind the simple gesture.

She was more afraid that she liked it a little too much.

The rest of their day went similarly, Finn either stopping at various historic sites or pointing them out on their drive. The sky had turned a gloomy gray as the day had progressed so when she checked the time hours later, she was surprised.

“Should we head back soon? I don’t want us to be late for dinner.”

“Just one more stop, Princess, then we’ll go back.”

“The lake?” she asked as the large body of water came into view in the distance.

“Yes. It’s one of my favorite spots. I’d like to share it with you,” he said softly, he eyes straight ahead.

“I’d like that,” she said with a shy smile. “Why is it so special to you?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

A few minutes later, they followed a curve in the road and the lake came fully into view. She gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

“I know,” he said as he pulled the car into an unofficial parking lot on the side of the road. The gravel crunched underneath her boots as she stepped out of the car without waiting for Finn to open it for her. Finn met her at the front of the car and took her hand in his.

The water was a crisp, clear blue, and seemed to stretch towards the horizon. Nearby, there was a very small, white church with a dark red roof. The remains of a fading, white fence line dotted the landscape in various places, and a makeshift gravel path led through it to the church.

“What is this place?”

“The White Church at Brazenbourg Lake.” When she looked at him with questioning eyes, he just laughed. “I know. I know. We’re terrible at naming things. I’m sure the church had another name long ago, but it’s been lost now.”

He tugged her hand and they walked along the path. The brisk breeze off the lake was sharp and cool and Arianna shuddered as it swept over her. Finn simply let go of her hand to pull her tight against him, the heat of his body warming her up quickly, in more ways than one.

“My parents were married here,” he said as a bird called out in the distance.

“Really? A royal wedding? Here?”

“That wedding was just for them and their parents. It’s actually a not-so-secret tradition.”

“What do you mean?”

“All of the royals have been married here first. Someone long ago wanted a simply ceremony, with just friends and family, so they came here. As you see, it’s very much out of the way. These lands are actually now owned by the royal family, so it’s technically trespassing if you come here, not that we usually mind visitors.”

“Not on your wedding day, though.”

“No, definitely not on your wedding day. Anyway, my ancestor was married here first, then they had a more formal ceremony at the palace. Since then, it’s always been done that way.”

“And the people don’t mind? They don’t try to crash the party?”

Finn shook his head. “Tradition is important. My people wouldn’t do that, though the foreign press have been known to attempt sneaking in. I’m not sure how we’d handle it in today’s age with all the long-range cameras and the like; they didn’t have to worry about it at the last wedding when my parents were married.”

Finn used a key he had with him to unlock the church door and opened it for her. As she stepped inside, she felt as though she stepped into another, simpler world.

The scent of dark, rich wood aged by the sun mixed with the scent of the lake nearby. Though it was small - only four windows and four rows of pews on each side - it was lovely. A simple stage was setup at one end, and there was a small set of stairs near the door leading up one level to the church bell. There were a few doors leading away to smaller chambers, but it didn’t seem to be lacking in anything. She could easily see a young bride wanting to be married here in the cool and quiet. She could almost see herself there, too.