Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

“ U m . . . You need to go.” I looked around the room, searching for an excuse. “I have to . . . go shopping today.”

“Shopping?” Milo raised a single eyebrow, taunting me with his knowing gaze.

I shrugged. “A necessary evil. I don’t want to end up lying on a rug in the library at the next ball my uncle insists on throwing.”

My hands reached for his shoulders in an attempt to push him out of my room. Instead, they landed lower on his chest, leaving me to wonder again why a scientist had such solid muscles. My cheeks burned from embarrassment while warmth pooled somewhat lower. I clenched my thighs together. I was a grown woman. Lust should not overwhelm me because I touched a man’s chest.

“I didn’t mind the view.” He winked at me.

My entire face had to match my hair at this point. “You have to go. Now.” I pointed to the door.

He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll go . . .” He grabbed the door, pausing before he pulled it closed behind him. “This time.”

The door clicked shut as I threw the closest thing to me at the door. The pillow hit it and fell to the ground. I glared at the offending item as I heard Milo’s laughter echo in the hall.

Throwing myself onto my bed, I lay there for some time trying to decipher what had just happened, not to mention the revelations Milo mentioned. My father really had wanted me to take over for him so much that he had written it in his will, at least according to Milo. I knew he wanted me to have choices, but to take over for him was more than I expected, than any young woman would expect. It wasn’t the way things were done. And why would he sponsor Milo’s education? I had a feeling it had something to do with me. The things I said before I left probably influenced his decision. I had been quite adamant about what I wanted back then. I hadn’t thought my father had listened or cared. Turned out, he had done both.

I sat up. Ruminating over anything done or said this morning wasn’t going to solve any of the problems in front of me. Not unless I could find proof of my father’s wishes, and I wasn’t going to do that sitting here in my room. I stood and quickly changed into a deep blue version of the attire I wore at the nunnery. The pant legs were wide enough they might fool my uncle into thinking I wore a dress. Although, it seemed unlikely I would be so lucky: Uncle Jonathan noticed everything.

A soft tap on the door stopped me in my tracks. “Lady Rowan? Laird Lockersley sent me to get you.”

I opened the door to see one of the keep’s maids standing there. “Thank you. Winnie—I have that right, don’t I?”

She bobbed her head and smiled.

I smiled back. “What does Uncle Jonathan want?”

“He said you had a visitor,” she said with a curtsy.

My nose scrunched as I thought about who could be visiting me. “Do you know who it is?”

“I’m sorry, miss, he didn’t say. But he wanted you down, right quick.” She curtsied again. Her entire body looked tense, like she would dart away if only I would give her the permission to do so.

“Thank you. I’m sure my uncle has you very busy. Please, don’t let me keep you,” I said.

“It’s not that, miss. Remember, I’m supposed to be your lady’s maid, but you never call on me.” Winnie wrung her hands together.

The worry on her face was like a punch to my gut. “I’m so sorry, I’m used to it just being me and Jane. I’ll do my best to call you for you more often. You can stay in here, if you’re my lady’s maid, there’s no need for you to get caught up in other tasks.”

Winnie smiled before she bobbed up and down in a curtsy. “Thank you, miss.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.” I closed the door behind me, only to pound on Jane’s door incessantly.

“I’m coming,” she yelled through the door. Her clipped words belied her annoyance. “What is it?”

“So much. But right now I have a visitor and I want you to come with me.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her room, not letting go until we were in the great hall.

“You could have at least let me grab a hat,” she grumbled as we came to a halt.

In front of us stood my uncle, the sheriff, and Connor Blackwood. At least that answered who the guest was, just not why he was here .

“Ah, Rowan. It seems you have an admirer.” Uncle Jonathan turned towards me. His eyes took in my clothing, causing his nose to pinch in his distaste. “He’s even agreed to go into town and go shopping with you, as I told him you were desperately in need of new clothes after your education at the nunnery.”

I turned towards Connor. The prince was a handsome man, with golden hair and honey-colored eyes. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary.” I lowered my eyes.

Uncle Jonathan waived my words away. “Don’t pay her any heed. She’s too obliging.”

I heard Jane scoff and attempt to cover it with a cough. Her reaction made me want to laugh. I could feel the giggle trying to escape. So, in an effort to prevent that from happening, I bit my lip so hard it brought tears to my eyes. Connor’s eyes darted between the two of us like he knew something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. I almost felt sorry for the poor boy.

“Sheriff Montfort, you will go with them and ensure everyone is safe for today. Plus, you have a job you need to finish for me in town.” Uncle Jonathan’s words weren’t harsh, but his tone was sharp as daggers.

“Of course.” The sheriff bowed, his obsequence nauseating .

“We might as well go now, since we are all in attendance at the moment.” Lady Jane took charge, linking her arm with mine, letting the men follow in our wake as we left the keep.

Connor walked beside me, his hands clasped behind his back. I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say. This happened a few times before I decided to just walk in silence. If he seemed happy walking in silence, I didn’t need to try to fill it.

“Look at the fabrics in that store, Rowan. We have to go in.” Jane grabbed my arm and led me into the shop. I wanted to drag my feet because dress shopping was not my favorite, but her excitement was contagious. Instead I found myself running into the shop beside my friend.

A bell tinkled overhead as we entered the dimly lit shop. Fabric lined the walls in a vast array of colors, some vivid and bright, others not so much. I watched as Jane walked around the store, touching everything. After her first lap, she started grabbing rolls of fabric. It wasn’t long before my arms were filled with her picks. There were wools in every color she thought would look good on me, from green and blues to oranges and browns. I wasn’t sure I agreed with all her choices, but I let her have her way.

“Lady Rowan, let me take those from you.” Connor lifted the fabric out of my arms.

I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his help, but thought better of it in my attempt to play my part as a demure lady.

“Yes, I can assist you as well,” Jocelin said, manhandling a lavender wool Jane had just picked out.

At least he wasn’t touching the emerald silk she had slipped into the pile somehow. It was such an extravagance I never would have purchased it. But I rationalized the expense because it would help the shop owner.

I looked around the store. Where was the shopkeeper?

“Excuse me,” I called out.

Out of the middle of the rows of material, a head popped up. I squinted at the woman, swearing I recognized her from somewhere.

“Erin, is that you?” I asked, my hesitation at being wrong apparent.

Her eyes focused on me and widened, becoming as large as saucers. “Rowan. It can’t be.” She squealed as she launched herself over the fabric somehow and threw her arms around me .

I took a step back and looked at her, then around the room. “What are you doing here? Are you still singing?”

“Of course I’m singing. This is one of the few times I don’t have a lute in my hands.” She pointed to a table towards the back of the shop. Her lute lay there, waiting to be played. “My ma needed me to work the shop. Her health isn’t what it used to be. So now I spend my days here, and if I’m lucky, my nights at balls like your party. If not something like that, I’m at the pub, trying to earn some coin there. Not that anyone really has coin to spare around here.”

“I’m so happy to hear you’re singing. I didn’t know you were at my ball. I wish I had.”

She smiled. “You were too busy fending off handsome suitors like this gentleman here.” She pointed to Connor. “Nice of you to patron my shop.” Her black curls bounced around her heart-shaped face as she curtsied.

“I’m sorry, let me introduce you to everyone.” I gestured to Jane. “This is Lady Jane; we became friends during my time at the nunnery after the Incident. Next to her is Prince Connor, the lad you’ve been flirting with. And I’m sure you know Jocelin Montfort, the sheriff. This is Erin Dale. She used to make up ballads of my grand adventures when we were children. ”

Jane clapped her hands. “Now these I have to hear. I can only guess what she was like back then, based on the things we did at school.”

“Nothing that sounds as exciting as the Incident.” Erin looped her arm through Jane’s. “I want to hear all about it.”

“Excuse me, but we need to pay for all of this.” I waved my arm at the two men weighed down by fabric. “Also, Jane and I don’t speak of the Incident. It’s too painful of a memory.” Somehow, I managed not to smile. The Incident was my best and worst memory of school. I just didn’t want to talk about it now.

Jane winked. “We’ll talk later. Rowan doesn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her suitors.”

“That may be true, but we need to be on our way.” The sound of Montfort’s voice was muffled behind the wall of fabric Jane had stacked in his arms.

Connor came forward. “Let me get this for you.”

“My goodness, no. It’s too much. Can you not see how much fabric Jane has picked out for me?” I looked at all of it again, spotting a folded dark silver fabric that looked otherworldly. I could only imagine what it would look like on .

“Oh, I insist, it’s not a hardship. I promise there’s plenty to go around.” Connor pulled out a few coins from his purse.

That was the moment I realized Connor could be the solution I was looking for. He had the money to save Lockersley and the power to destroy my uncle. While I hoped to do it myself, right now I didn’t see how I would ever be enough to stop my uncle on my own. Milo and Tuck had tried to convince me otherwise by enlisting my help, but the town needed more than I could give them. They needed someone like Connor.

“You didn’t need to pay for that. I could have taken care of it on my own,” I stated. It annoyed me that he only pretended to ask me if he could pay. His mind had already been made up long before we were at this point.

“I believe aiding damsels is part of my duties as prince.” He winked. “It makes me happy, and it adds new coin into the market here. I want to help.”

I sighed. How could I be upset at someone who wanted to help, like me? I wished it wasn’t so obvious Lockersley needed the assistance. But there was nothing I could do about that right now.

“If that’s the case, I think we should stop at the milliner and the silversmith.” I smiled. It didn’t reach my eyes. But I was trying to feel grateful .

“But first, your fitting. Erin, can we see a pattern book? I don’t have time to sew all of this, but I want the silver. I have a design in mind that will be perfection on you, Rowan. Please don’t let anyone else take that,” Jane chimed in.

“Lady Rowan, your uncle wouldn’t approve of someone else paying for clothes. I’m under strict instructions to handle everything for him, of course.” Montfort stepped forward as if he was trying to take charge. If that was his goal, he was failing.

Connor clapped him on the back. “Be a good man and take everything to the carriage. There’s no use arguing over who’s paid for what, as long as Lady Rowan and Lady Jane are happy.”

There wasn’t much the sheriff could do at that point. He was even thwarted from collecting taxes. I couldn’t help but smile as the thought crossed my mind.