Sorrows of Adoration by Kimberly Chapman

embarrassed,
certain that he would now tell me that under no circumstances was I
going to be allowed to marry his son.
    “I’m sorry if my visit
has upset you,” he said.
    “No, Your Majesty, it’s
my fault. What an awful mess I’ve made of things! I wouldn’t blame
you if you sent me away immediately for seeming to be such a raving
lunatic.” Behind my hands, tears began to fall.
    “I did not come to pass
judgment on you. I simply wished to meet the girl who has my son’s
heart so enthralled that he can speak of nothing else but how
magnificent you are.” He touched my arm softly, prompting me to
move my hands from my face. “What is it that makes you so
nervous?”
    I looked at him
incredulously. “I’m a peasant meeting a King. What isn’t there to
be nervous about? You’re going to tell me that I shall certainly
not be allowed to marry Kurit, aren’t you?”
    “That, my dear, is a
complicated issue, and one we shall all discuss together calmly and
rationally when you are well. Peasant or not, you’ve clearly
impressed my son, and I did not raise him to make foolish choices.
There will, however, be no more of his spending time in this room
alone with you. It is unseemly. I’ve arranged for a maidservant to
be assigned to you by tomorrow.” He picked up a clean handkerchief
from the dresser and handed it to me. “Now do please dry your tears
before Kurit gets back and thinks I’ve done something awful to
you.”
    No sooner had he spoken
the words than Kurit entered again with Tash behind him. The
physician gave me a reproachful look and asked the others to
leave.
    After ensuring I had
not torn the stitches, Tash gave me a lengthy lecture on my need to
remain in bed and adhere to his directives. As he left, he
readmitted Kurit.
    “I’m not supposed to
stay in here alone with you,” Kurit said. “Father says it would
reflect poorly upon you. So until you have a maidservant, I can’t
stay. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt.”
    “My shoulder is fine,
although I can’t explain what madness overtook my mind. Kurit, I
hope I haven’t ruined everything.”
    “What, with Father?” He
made a wry face and said, “He found you amusing. I told you, he’s a
good man. He seemed worried that he had upset you. Trust me, if he
had hated you or found you immediately unworthy, he’d have said so
when we spoke as Tash tended to you. He’s a man of few words, but
when he does speak he means what he says. Don’t worry about him.
He’s bound to adore you.” With that, Kurit kissed my cheek and left
the room.
    * * *
    That evening as I sat
up in the bed after eating a delicious dinner, a beautiful,
dark-haired young woman knocked and entered, carrying what appeared
to be several dresses over one arm.
    “Pardon me, Lady Aenna,
I hope that I have not disturbed you. I am Leiset,” she said,
curtseying delicately. “I have been assigned to serve as your
maidservant, if you should approve.”
    I felt the urge to
laugh at the thought of having a maidservant, but I didn’t wish to
offend her so I pressed my lips together tightly and said
nothing.
    She put the pile of
clothing over the back of the chair at the dresser. “I know you’re
too weak still to rise and try any of these on, but I wanted to
have something on hand for you when you are well enough. Of course,
you are to have a wardrobe of your own made for you eventually,
but, well, it has all been rather short notice, hasn’t it? I hope
you don’t find it presumptuous, but I took the liberty of selecting
some of the tailor’s general fare for the time being. His Highness
told me you are close to my height, but quite …” She seemed
unsure how to continue.
    “Larger?” I suggested,
noting that she was rather willowy.
    She smiled kindly and
said, “His word was curvaceous. So I selected several dresses that
I thought ought to fit well enough until you have your own made. If
you would like, I shall hold them up for you, and whichever