The Lady and the Prince

Elizabeth berated herself. Why couldn’t she tell Prince Nick to his face the things she said to herself, her maid, and her doll? Because she was a lady, that’s why. She had been raised to follow the maxim, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” But she really did need to speak up for herself and say something to the prince when he was being rude. He either didn’t know or didn’t care. If he didn’t know, she should tell him. If he didn’t care, she should make him care. She had managed two younger brothers after all.

She resolved to tell him the next time she saw him, which would be when he came to take her for the walk in the garden. So now she dreaded the walk because she didn’t really want to confront him. But they hadn’t set a time for it, and she doubted it would be in the morning considering his state when he left last night.

And if she wasn’t here when he came for her, perhaps he would learn that he didn’t own her, that she wasn’t always at his beck and call. She and Sylvie took a carriage into Londinum proper so she could buy a few necessities.

Elizabeth had found out that she didn’t need to carry much money. The palace treasury would pay the merchants if she just signed their bills. She had gotten a few coins, silver and a little gold, to pay for small things. She was saddled with four guards, but they had accompanied ladies shopping before, knew more about where she was going than she did, and waited patiently for her at each stop.

Nicky awoke late, but was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t horribly hung over; he just had a mild headache. He’d only been drunk once before, when he was eleven. He’d found a party, a group of House Guard officers celebrating one of them getting married the next day. He’d put on his uniform and joined them. Maybe they were all too inebriated to realize how young he was, or maybe they just thought it was funny getting him drunk without realizing who he was or not caring.

He had awoken on the floor under a table to a great commotion the next day. He hadn’t shown up for class; he wasn’t in his room, no one could find him, and the palace was being turned upside down looking for him. Richard had been furious.

That afternoon, his uniform cleaned and pressed, he had stood at attention next to the Warleader as he publicly stripped each of the officers from the party of rank. Richard had made him look at each man as the man lost a rank and the pay that went with it. The man who was supposed to be getting married missed his wedding and likely could no longer afford a wife. Nicky would far rather have been beaten than stand there, still feeling horribly hungover and hating that he had caused so much pain by his foolish, thoughtless action. He had vowed never to get drunk again, and now he’d broken that vow.

And the worst part was, he’d hurt someone again. He didn’t remember exactly what he had said, but he remembered the look on Elizabeth’s face—the anger, the hurt, and even her maid being upset with him. Richard wasn’t going to punish him this time; he had to do the right thing himself.

The prince wore his robe and slippers out into the sitting room. He half expected Winkershime to be mad at him too, but the valet had a breakfast of bland porridge and tea for him, with bread and jam if he wanted it. And Nicky recalled the drink Winkershime had given him last night. That was probably why he didn’t feel too bad this morning. His valet being nice to him made him feel worse; maybe that was why he was doing it.

Nicky’s headache subsided as he ate breakfast, and he felt reasonably good by the time he finished. Winkershime didn’t say anything to him, and he didn’t say anything to Winkershime beyond a simple “Thank you.”

His clothes for the day were laid out—another gray suit. He would be wearing gray or dark colors for the next month until the period of mourning was over. He didn’t mind; he preferred those colors anyway. Some of the younger men at court dressed in bright colors to draw attention to themselves, but as a prince he didn’t need to do that, he got plenty of attention.

When he was dressed, he decided to ask Winkershime’s advice about his schedule. “Winkershime, I’m thinking of dropping some of my classes so I have time to spend learning this spy business. I could do without Drusian, and Production Trade and Money. What do you think?”

Winkershime paused in his clearing away of the breakfast things. “I would agree with Drusian, Your Highness. You speak it very well. However, I would recommend keeping Production Trade and Money and dropping math or GPE, or even both.”

“I like math, but I wouldn’t mind dropping GPE. Why keep Production Trade and Money?”

“You require a cover position that will explain how you spend your time and allow you to carry a paper case without causing curiosity. The Head of Commerce position is open, and it would suit admirably.”

“Commerce is boring.”

“Precisely.”

“Oh, I see. But would I have time to do that too?”

“I expect so, Your Highness. You would have senior clerks to handle most of the work. You would only need to review their products and sign some papers, no more than an hour a day, likely less. And Commerce includes investigating and stopping smuggling, a good thing for you to know about as Spymaster as well.”

“Smugglers? And pirates?” Nick asked, perking up at the thought of something exciting.

Winkershime chuckled a little. “I’m very sorry, Prince Nicholas, but any pirates in Anglian waters were disposed of long ago. As Spymaster, you will get reports from the Admiralty. Of course that includes pirate activity.”

Nicky gave a little shrug. “I guess I knew that. All right, Commerce it is then, and I’ll drop Drusian and GPE and move math to the afternoon. When do I start?”

“As soon as the king signs your appointment, Your Highness. I will pass the word that you are ready and willing to take on the job.” Winkershime looked pleased, although he wasn’t precisely smiling as he trundled out the breakfast cart.

Nicky considered going down the hall and seeing Elizabeth to apologize, but decided to wait until he had set up her classes. That way he could offer a little more than just a verbal “I’m sorry.”

He suddenly remembered the book of magic. What had happened to it? The suit he had been wearing would have been taken to be cleaned. He quickly checked his dressing room and didn’t see it, but when he went into his bedroom, he found everything from his pockets including the book neatly piled on his bedside table. Thank you, Winkershime.

He needed to put it somewhere the maids wouldn’t find it when they cleaned. He couldn’t carry it around with him all the time, small as it was. He went to his shelves of books and pulled out a fat, faded blue volume. He opened it, and inside the interior of the book had been hollowed out. Edward had given it to him long ago, saying, “A boy needs a place to keep his treasures.” He remembered keeping unusual rocks, pretty feathers, and one time a rat’s skull in it, but it was empty now. The magic book just fit. He put the book back in its place on the shelf, smiling a little as he remembered how he had left the rat’s skull under his bed for the maids to find. They had given him odd looks for days after that.

He went and talked to his tutors. His Drusian tutor just shrugged; he had known his service to the prince was coming to an end. The GPE tutor, Lady Hornswaggle, wasn’t surprised to be dropped either, but she was gratified to be getting a brand-new student. Master Moselle was just as happy to teach Nicky math after lunch as before.

Master Connidian had a morning slot open and was pleased to have an adult female student. He had had very few, just the royal princesses. Teaching them was much different from the usual boys he had in class, and he liked the variety.

Finding a Frankish tutor was a bit of a challenge for the prince. Nearly everyone at court spoke it, some better than others, but few had the time or inclination to teach a beginner. He could do it himself, but he was going to be very busy, and he suspected that teaching Elizabeth himself might be a bad idea. Then he had an inspiration. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea either, but it might be.

He went to see Giselle. She was a Franckish princess, so she spoke it perfectly, of course. He wasn’t sure how the idea would be received. He might be about to have another woman angry at him.

Princess Giselle’s maid curtsied to him at the door and showed him in. Giselle, dressed in gray, greeted him warmly and they spoke in Franckish.

“Nicky, I am glad you have come to see me.”

“Giselle, I feel so bad about Richard. How is he?”

“The physicians say he will live, but they do not know if he will walk again.”

“If anyone can recover from that type of injury, it is Richard. Anything I can do, just let me know.”

“Thank you, dear boy. Would you like some tea?” It was a polite offer, and Nicky knew she wasn’t really interested in sipping tea with him.

“Another time, Giselle, please. I know this is a difficult time for you, but nevertheless, I have come to ask you a favor.”

“A favor? What could I possibly do for you?”

“My fiancée, Lady Elizabeth, needs to learn Franckish, and you speak it more beautifully than anyone I know.”

Giselle looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then replied, “You know we will not stay here for long. Richard will not want others to look at him with pity, so we will be retreating to our country estate as soon as he can be moved safely.”

“I understand, Giselle. But we both know you can’t leave for awhile yet. I had hoped you could help with Franckish until we go on Progress.”

“I have little to do with my time without your brother. I try to nurse him, but there are servants to fetch for him, and he hates for me to see him as he is. Perhaps it would be nice to have someone visit every day, and I could instill in her the beauty of my language. All right, Nicky, we can try it. But if we do not get along well, you will find someone else to teach her?”

“Of course, but I think you will like her. Would late morning be a good time?”

“Yes, that would do, and we could lunch together also. Not tomorrow, of course, but after that, she could come.”

“Thank you, Giselle, I’ll let her know. Now I want to see my brother.”

“He doesn’t want to see any…” but Nick had already pushed past her. He rapped on the bedroom door and went in. Holcomb, Richard’s valet, sat on a chair next to the bed reading aloud, but stopped when the young prince entered.

Nick approached the bed. Richard was pale, his face drawn, and he was frowning. Weakly, he said, “I left orders no one was to be admitted.” Nick gestured for Holcomb to leave, and then closed the door behind him leaving Giselle outside too.

“I know, but I don’t always do what you say, big brother. I need to talk to you. Winkershime says I’m supposed to be the new Spymaster, and I have no clue how to do that.”

Richard nodded a little. “Sorry, you know that this wasn’t my choice. But you can do the job. Listen to Winkershime, take his advice. I did.”

“But what if I make a mistake?”

“Not if, when. I made mistakes, everyone does. You just do your best, that’s all anyone can do. Believe in yourself, Nicky. You can do anything you set your mind to. Now go away. All this talking is making me tired.”

Nick went to the bed and took Richard’s hand. He clasped his brother’s back weakly. “Please get well, Richard. I need you, Anglia needs you, we all need you back in charge.”

“I’m doing my best, but the physicians say I probably won’t every walk again. I’m done for.”

“You’re not done for! You’re still alive, you’re still a prince, and don’t you dare give up. Only cowards give up, and my brother Richard is the bravest man in Anglia!” Nick said heatedly.

Richard smiled a little, though sadly. Nick had always hero-worshipped him, but he wasn’t that man anymore. Nick could see his words weren’t penetrating, so he tried again. “You think I can be Spymaster? Well, I think you are still Prince Richard, even if you do everything sitting down from now on. You keep telling me I’m smart and capable, so you should believe me when I say you’re still a great prince; just stop wallowing around in bed and start being useful again.”

Richard looked pained, and Nick decided he’d said enough. He left, feeling he had done everything he could for his big brother and a good deed for Giselle. He knew Giselle must be upset and at least a little lonely, and teaching Elizabeth would also engage her mind and give her company.

Nick went to give Elizabeth the news and his apology, but his knock went unanswered. He wondered briefly where she was, but there was no reason for her to stay in her suite all the time. Well, he would try again after lunch.

Lady Elizabeth and her maid stopped for lunch at a very elegant and expensive restaurant with excellent food. She sent food out to her guards and coachmen too. When she finished her meal and had signed the large bill, she went out to smiling, bowing guards. Her coachmen were very solicitous and made a special effort to avoid bumps in the road on the way home. Elizabeth considered it a good investment; word would get around, and she would get good service whenever she went anywhere.

The guards brought her boxes up to her suite for her. More would be delivered later, but she had been able to get two dresses and a riding outfit ready-made as well as various accessories. She and Sylvie were happily going over each purchase when there was a rap at the door.

Sylvie went and opened it and curtsied to Prince Nick. But before he could step in, she rose and said respectfully, “Your Highness, how good of you to call. I shall see if Lady Elizabeth is receiving.” Sylvie closed the door.

Lady Elizabeth couldn’t believe Sylvie had been that bold, but the maid was quite unfazed. The two of them took all the boxes and their contents to Elizabeth’s dressing room. When the sitting room was neat and tidy, Elizabeth arranged herself grandly in a chair, and Sylvie went to let in the prince.

Elizabeth had half expected him to be gone by then, but he was still standing awkwardly in the hall. Sylvie curtsied again and this time moved aside for him to enter.

Nick went over and bowed in front of Elizabeth. “Lady Elizabeth, I owe you an apology.”

“Do you? Whatever for, Prince Nicky?” she asked, purposely using the diminutive form of his name and enjoying making him squirm a little.

“I was drunk and boorish last night, and I apologize. That’s not my normal behavior, please believe that. Would you like to go for that walk in the gardens now?”

“I think we should talk first. Would you like to sit down?”

Nick sat. “I set up your classes starting day after tomorrow. You have Arms with Master Connidian first and then Genealogy Protocol and Etiquette with Lady Hornswaggle. I arranged for you to have Franckish with Giselle, I hope that’s all right. She really needs to have something to do and someone to talk to, and her Franckish is perfect. She’s not a teacher, but I think it would be good for her and you both.”

Elizabeth sighed. Great, just when she wanted to tell him how rude he had been, he did something sensitive and nice. She gave him a small smile and said, “That will be fine, Nick. Perhaps, we can spend some time together in the afternoons then.”

“Well, no, I’m afraid not. I’m going to be appointed to head Commerce, so I’ve moved my remaining classes to the afternoon, and I’ll be learning my new job in the mornings. But we could spend some evenings together.”

Great, give your fiancée a crumb here and there. But he was a prince, and he was starting to take on his duties. She couldn’t complain about him being responsible and doing his job. “That would be nice. But we have this afternoon, don’t we? Or are you required to be somewhere else?”

“No, today I’m all yours. Gardens now?”

“Yes, gardens now.”

Nick gave her his arm and steered her past numerous flower beds, with Sylvie following at a discreet distance. It was pleasant enough, but not what she really wanted to see.

“Could we see the kitchen gardens?” she finally asked.

“You want to look at beans and carrots and turnips?” Nick asked, surprised.

“Actually, yes, but also the herb gardens.”

“If you really want to, they’re a bit of a walk from here. Why are you so interested in vegetables and herbs?”

“Well, I used to have my own garden, and I grew vegetables and herbs. My mother taught me some herbal remedies, and I’m curious what’s available here.”

“We have a palace physician and two more on call from Londinum.”

“In the country during the winter, there are times when there is no way to summon help. Someone in the house had to treat illnesses and injuries. Every lady who lives in those conditions and can’t afford a physician on staff learns simple doctoring. I may not use it here, but no knowledge is a waste, and in an emergency, who knows?”

Elizabeth expected the prince to denigrate her knowledge, but instead he said, “I agree, it doesn’t hurt to know how to help someone, and it might come in handy some time. I guess you’ll have to be the teacher when it comes to plants. Frankly, beyond roses and beans I’m completely ignorant on the subject.”

Elizabeth teased, “Really? You don’t know what this stuff is we’re walking on, or what those very large plants over there are?”

Nick smiled. “Okay, I do know what grass and trees are, but don’t expect me to be able to tell one variety from another.”

The palace vegetable and herb gardens were extensive. Elizabeth happily showed Nick various vegetables, telling him how to determine when they were ready for picking. In the herbs, she pinched off tiny sprigs and crushed them, let him smell them, and told him what she knew about using them to treat various ailments. She knew most of the vegetables, but about half the herbs were unfamiliar to her.

Elizabeth was pleased that Nick seemed just as happy being her student as he did lecturing her, and so far their afternoon together had been pleasant. The servants working or picking in the gardens snuck them odd looks, but neither of them cared a bit.

When they had passed the last of the gardens, there was a small copse of trees, and they kept walking until they reached it. Elizabeth turned and held up a hand to Sylvie some yards behind them to tell her to stop there and then pulled Nick behind some tree trunks.

“You wanted to take a wild ride to get me alone away from our chaperone. Well, here we are without the ride. Now what?” she challenged.

“Uh, well, this is a little sudden,” Nick hedged. Apparently, she was expecting something, but he wasn’t sure what.

Elizabeth pulled him in close to her until they were nearly nose to nose. He really wasn’t that much shorter than she was, just a finger-width or two. She tilted her head and gave him a short soft kiss on the lips and then drew back before he could react. Would he think her a bold, brazen woman?

Nick was a little pink, but smiling broadly. “Let’s do that again,” he said, putting his arms out to enfold her, but she stepped back, turned away, and walked out from behind the trees with the prince following her, quite confused.

Elizabeth took his hand and led him back out where Sylvie was waiting, confusing him further. He didn’t mind holding hands, although according to his GPE class they should be wearing gloves for such an activity. Still, they were affianced, so holding hands in public should be acceptable. He had just never thought to try it before.

They walked back toward the palace hand in hand. Elizabeth was very pleased with herself. She had finally realized that at fifteen, Nick wasn’t ready to take the lead romantically no matter how cocky he might seem. Maybe that was a large part of why they had been having such difficulty getting along. Nick just didn’t quite know what to do with a fiancée.

Nick was pleasantly surprised by Elizabeth’s action. He’d had no idea that a little kiss behind some trees was how one could start a romance. His limited previous experience had been very different. When he had asked Richard to help him learn what he needed to know for his wedding night, that was exactly what he got.

One evening Richard had come to his door with two women and introduced them as Madame Elise and associate and left them with him. Madame Elise, a middle-aged woman, had given him a lecture on how to please his bride in bed. Then there was a demonstration with the young, lovely associate, whose name he had never learned. The participation segment, however, was short-lived. To his embarrassment, he wasn’t able to exactly follow instructions for as long as he was supposed to. Madame assured him it was quite normal in someone his age and asked him if he would like them to come again tomorrow night. He declined; he didn’t want to have to explain to Richard why he needed a second lesson. Besides, he’d learned quite a lot in just the one.

But romance was something much different. Maybe he could find a book in the library about it, or maybe Elizabeth would teach him what he needed to know. In any case, things with her had suddenly gotten much more pleasant, and he definitely preferred what was happening now to the more formal relationship they had been having before.

They walked and talked for some time. Nick encouraged Elizabeth to tell him about her life and family, and he just listened and nodded in the right places. The odd thing was, he found he was actually interested in her stories. If anyone else had gone on and on about herself, he would have been bored and escaped as soon as he could. But Elizabeth’s life had been so different from his that he really did find it fascinating.

They dined together, talking about inconsequential things and having just one glass of wine apiece. Then Nick had to excuse himself. He needed to find out from Winkershime about his appointment to Commerce, and he wanted time to start reading the little book on magic. He and Elizabeth parted as friends—or, perhaps, just a little bit more than friends.

Elizabeth, Sylvie, and a seamstress spent the evening making alterations to the clothes Elizabeth had bought so they would fit perfectly and matching them to shoes, hats, and parasols.

Winkershime told Nick that the king had signed his appointment and had a paper case full of information on commerce for him to read. There was introductory material, samples of all types of Commerce reports, information on goals and methods, lists of departments and sub-departments, locations of offices and authorized personnel for each, et cetera.

“However, Your Highness, aside from the internment tomorrow, you will have all day to absorb this, and, of course no one will expect you to know everything immediately.”

The statement itself made Nicky think that even if it was not exactly expected, it would still be a very good thing if he did know everything immediately. He took the case and went to his bedroom to read. He actually spent an hour looking at the material before he put it away and got out his magic book.

He was pleased to find that what had been incomprehensible babble to Elizabeth made sense to him. He discovered names for things that he had been only generally aware of. The spot that he could find with his mind and open and close to control the flow of magic into him was called the aperture. The magic flowed through his channels, which ran through his body like the vessels that carried his blood. The areas where he could store large amounts of magical energy were called reservoirs, and there were three of them—one each in his chest, belly, and groin.

He had ejectors at the end of his fingers, specialized ports in his channels where he could shape and expel various forms of energy. He could also dump energy into the ground from any part of his body that was touching—or nearly touching—the earth such as through his feet, even with shoes on. That was called grounding, which made perfect sense.

Later parts of the book had exercises for learning to move energy through his channels to and from the reservoirs, between reservoirs, and to his ejectors. There were sections on shaping the energy that he really looked forward to. Right now all he could do was throw out a thin line of energy and trip someone, or use a slightly different form to ignite the fire in his fireplace or make a light. Beyond that, he didn’t have much control over it, but he did know how to ground energy; he’d had to do that just to get rid of an excess at times without really understanding what he was doing. It worked on stone as well as earth. He’d done it in his room into the stone floor beneath the rugs.

Nicky went to bed late, but he carefully put away the magic book before he did. He had learned some exercises he could do to practice, just moving small amounts of energy around inside of him that would be completely unnoticeable to others so he could do it anytime.

The following day after breakfast, the Warwicks and their two hundred closest friends dressed in their formal mourning attire and went to the cathedral. The ceremony there was short. The casket was loaded on a black-draped wagon and trundled slowly through the streets. Albert’s warhorse that had never been ridden into battle was attached to the wagon and walked behind it with an empty saddle with Albert’s sword hanging down from the pommel. More than one hundred carriages followed, as well as representatives from all Anglia’s military units marching or riding in small formations.

People lined the streets to watch the slow procession and say a final good-bye to one of their royal family. It wound out past the palace to the royal cemetery, which was dominated by a huge crypt. Albert was interred in the space reserved for him. Nick found it a little creepy. There was a space with his name on it too and an empty one next to his for Elizabeth. When they married, her name would be inscribed on the space.

He and Elizabeth had shared a carriage, but hadn’t said much beyond the necessary pleasantries. After the internment, he told her he had been appointed Head of Commerce and needed to spend the rest of the day studying the materials he had been given.

Elizabeth was a little disappointed. After yesterday she had hoped they would be spending more time together, but Prince Nick now had an important position and she understood he wouldn’t have much time until their Progress. She was just going to have to find things to keep herself busy. The classes would help, and with Nick so busy, she could practice riding whenever she wanted to. In fact, she decided that would be how she spent her afternoon.

She sent word to Mac to have the horse he had offered and Benji ready an hour after lunch. When she had eaten, she read for a bit to let her food digest and then changed into her new riding outfit.

Down at the stable, the tall gelding turned out to be a rather pretty palomino. Mac handed her a carrot to give him, and the horse became very friendly. Benji was a tall, heavily built young man with freckles and curly red hair. He grinned at her cheekily, and Elizabeth liked him immediately. He was probably about her age, but he seemed younger somehow.

Benji showed her how to saddle her horse and put on the bridle and adjust the stirrups. His horse was as tall as hers, but heavier; the match in heights made it easy for them to talk as they rode at a walk. He called her “Ma’am” a great deal and gave her instructions she wasn’t sure how to follow, but she did her best. They went down a trail through the woods to a meadow where they practiced trotting; Elizabeth bounced, but Benji did not. After an hour her legs and hips were getting sore, so they went back to the barn. Benji showed her how to take care of her horse and put him away properly.

Elizabeth spent the next hour soaking in a tub and afterward read and wrote letters to Agatha and Christine. Hopefully, when she started classes she would be busier; she had never had enough time to sit down and read at home, and now she was getting tired of just sitting around reading in spite of having a huge selection of books to choose from.

The young prince spent the rest of the day in his sitting room with his Commerce papers spread out all around him, trying to see how everything related to everything else. Winkershime wasn’t any help, but he did tell Nick that his two head clerks would meet him in his office in the morning. Then he had to tell the prince where his office was, having neglected to do so before.

Both Nick and Elizabeth went to bed early. Tomorrow would be a big day for each of them. Elizabeth would start her life as a student and begin to really learn what being Nick’s wife and a princess were going to be like.

Nick had to learn about commerce and act as Head of Commerce, learn about spying and act nominally as Spymaster, continue his studies, spend time with his fiancée, and teach himself magic in his spare time. Just keep telling yourself that it’s a challenge, he thought, and not that you’re going to drop dead of exhaustion.