The Prince's Bride by Victoria Alexander Page A

the far too tiny satchel. She pawed through the bag and found her hairbrush, several other items, and a small, oblong package, wrapped in tissue and tied with a blue ribbon. A note was tucked under the bow. She pulled the paper free and unfolded it.
    Dearest Jocelyn,
    Some day you might well wish to see beyond the tips of your fingers and then you will need these.
    Yours with affection, Marianne
    Whatever did she mean? Jocelyn untied the ribbon and pulled off the paper. A pair of spectacles lay in her hand.
    Jocelyn drew her brows together in annoyance. Marianne knew full well Jocelyn would never so much as consider wearing glasses. Part of that shallow nature of hers, no doubt. She turned the spectacles over in her hand. Marianne had probably ordered these made specifically for Jocelyn. Well, she could try them on, she supposed.
    She slipped the wires over her ears and glanced up.
    The room jumped out at her and she started. Then stared.
    It was as if a gauzy fabric was lifted from the world. The walls, a gray stone with subtle patterns of subdued color, were sharp and distinct. The ceiling soared upward overhead, held aloft by carved stone arches. With every discovery, her excitement grew. There was indeed a wardrobe against one wall, a clothespress against another, and a brightly colored tapestry on a third—beside the door to the dressing room, she noted with satisfaction. Two well-worn chairs sat in front of a massive fireplace. A multipaned, leaded glass window framed streams of morning light, a built-in cushioned seat nestled beneath it. She flew to the window and pushed it open.
    Green hills rolled away toward eternity. Here and there trees stretched upward toward the heavens. Clouds like fluffs of down drifted overhead. And good Lord, was that a lake in the distance? It was amazing. She could see forever. Maybe even farther.
    She leaned her elbows on the stone sill, rested her chin in her hands, and gazed out in fascination. Why hadn’t anyone told her about this? She ignored the voice in the back of her head that said Marianne and nearly everyone else in her family had. Over and over again.
    “Jocelyn?” Rand called from the dressing room.
    She snatched the spectacles off her nose, hid them in the folds of her skirt, and whirled away from the window. It was a rather shallow and terribly vain reaction, but she had only just started trying to improve her character and it was absurd to expect miracles. “Yes?”
    “I’m coming out in a minute and I warn you, I will be fully clothed.”
    “Don’t tease me, Rand,” she said absently, fingering the glasses in her hand. How incredible that something so insignificant could change her world so completely. “My spoiled nature simply can’t handle it.”
    His laugh echoed through the room.
    She smiled with satisfaction. She had bested him earlier and the lovely feeling of success lingered even now. Better still, he wasn’t at all upset by her victory but rather impressed. She didn’t believe she’d ever impressed a man before, at least not in this particular manner.
    The realization pulled her up short. The admiration in his eyes had nothing to do with how she looked and everything to do with who she was. Her wit and her mind as opposed to her face and her figure.
    It was the nicest compliment she’d ever had.
    Chapter 6
    It was a very large castle.
    At least that was Jocelyn’s impression. Rand led her through the broad corridors and down the wide spiral stone stairs of the ancient building. In the manner of an excellent tour guide, he pointed out the various chambers and their uses. They passed a chapel and any number of smaller rooms. She couldn’t possibly remember it all nor could, she see much of what he commented on unless it was close at hand. She promised herself to explore later without him and with her spectacles. She also vowed to work harder on her problem with vanity, part of her promise to be a better person.
    “And this is the gallery.” Rand