Broken Dove (Fantasyland 4)

“I have greenhouses at all my homes,” he’d said.

This comment made me look at him and ask, “How many homes do you have?”

“Four, in Lunwyn,” he told the landscape then looked down at me. “As well as apartments in Bellebryn, the house where you stayed in in Fleuridia, a townhome in Benies and then there’s my castle in Hawkvale.”

Uh.

Castle?

“You own a castle?” I asked, and for some reason, this question made his brows draw together.

“Yes, of course. Did you not stay in it as you journeyed through the Vale?”

“Uh…no,” I answered.

This made his mouth get tight and he looked back to the snowy plain as he murmured, “Curious, as it was on your way.”

He said “curious” but I was getting the feeling it wasn’t curious to him. It was, instead, annoying. I just didn’t know why.

I also didn’t know why the guys didn’t take me there, thus I definitely found it curious.

Though, since he found it annoying, I didn’t press about it.

Upon entering the city, Apollo had informed me of something else the boys had not. This was pointing out the large warehouse (from what I could tell, the largest of the lot) that was his.

“That looks like it could hold a lot jewels and furs,” I noted, staring at it as we slid down the snow encrusted lane that took us deeper into the city.

“I may not have mentioned that I also trade in lumber,” he replied on a murmur, a comment that made me again look at him.

“So in other words, you’re loaded.”

He looked from the lane to me. “Loaded?”

“Loaded,” I repeated. “As in, with wealth.”

He grinned and gave me yet another squeeze as he looked back at the lane and confirmed, “Indeed. I’m loaded.”

The dry self-effacing way he said this made me giggle which meant he gave me another squeeze.

I took in the hustle and bustle of the city (definitely more activity there than in the sleepy villages) as Apollo took us directly to Treeburn Lodge, where Derrik and the guys had taken me the last time I was here. It was by far the biggest, and most elegant (but still rustic) of all the hotels that I’d noticed in Vasterhague. I also knew it had bigger, way nicer rooms than the room we had last night.

It also had bigger, way more comfortable beds.

The minute that thought hit my head, I pushed it back. I needed to get through the next minute, then the next and not do it hyperventilating or, possibly, having a spontaneous orgasm.

When we checked in, Apollo asked for what Derrik asked for, their “suite.” This, since I’d stayed in it before, was a suite because it had a small sitting room, a large bedroom, a small bathing room and an even smaller room that held the dread chamber pot. But at least the latter gave the feel of a bathroom, which wasn’t much, but it was something.

He also asked that “Lady Madeleine” have wine to drink and water to refresh and “all our trunks” should be delivered with haste to our room.

I liked “Lady Madeleine,” it was pretty awesome. But it was a crapshoot if I liked that better than “Lady Ulfr.”

On this thought, I knew I was in trouble because it wasn’t just Apollo taking this fast, my brain was taking it Mach Three.

Apollo escorted me to our room, poured the wine for me when it came (but not a glass for himself), explained he’d be “preparing for dinner” somewhere else, and when the trunks were delivered, he also explained them.

“The garments you were met with in Lunwyn were for your journey through this land. But a wardrobe befitting a lady of my House was created for you, this including apparel for a variety of occasions as well as that to wear during travel and in different countries.” He indicated the trunks with a sweep of his hand. “As we’re going to Bellebryn, these additional trunks include wardrobes that are suitable there and in the Vale as well as more of a selection for you while you’re here.”

He came to me as I stared up at him and he lifted a hand to curl around my neck, dipping his face close.

“Tonight, I’ll take you to The Boar. Don’t be mistaken by the name. It started as a simple pub that served excellent fare. But over the years, its reputation has spread wide. It’s since grown and it is now a place where many travel long distances to get to. People hold weddings there. Special occasions are celebrated there.” He paused. “And you dress when you go there.”

I had an idea what this meant, it was nice of him to warn me and I was glad for two more trunks because, although my Lunwynian clothes were fab, they were not what you would wear when you needed to “dress.”

Apollo clarified what he meant even further by stating, “You don’t need to prepare as if you were going to a gale or a ball, but travel-wear is also not appropriate.”

I knew what a “gale” was, the boys had told me. It was, in essence, a ball, so that meant I didn’t know why he made the distinction.

I also didn’t ask.

I just nodded and mumbled, “Gotcha.”

He smiled, bent and touched his mouth to mine and only moved a hint away when he said, “I’ll give you time and then we’ll dine.”

I nodded again.

His hand at my neck gave me a squeeze and he took off.

And as I said, after he left, I looked down at my trunks, plural, marveling at another show of his generosity.

But mostly freaking out because, essentially, we were having our first bona fide date.

“Holy hell,” I murmured.

With nothing for it, I got down to it.

Setting my wineglass aside, I dropped to my knees and opened the first new trunk.

That one was filled with clothes for Bellebryn. I knew this because they were lighter-weight material and they were in the style of what women wore in the Vale.

I wanted to explore but I didn’t. I had a date to get ready for, and I had to admit, I was excited.

But I was also anxious. Near-to-panic anxious.

Therefore, I needed to take my mind off my panic and what better way to do that than get myself gussied up?

So I threw that trunk closed and opened the next one.

He was right. Quickly, but breathlessly pulling clothes from the trunk, I found its carefully packed contents not only included a variety of gowns that were much like what I was wearing, lovely, but warm and functional. It also included another cape. This one was with black dyed hide on the outside, thick long silvery fur with a smattering of black hairs on the inside. And last, it included four ball gowns—four—all four of them graceful, sophisticated, beautifully cut and stunning.