behaved. It isn’t fair that she gets the good one when she just got here.”
“Now, now, ladies, these horses are all well behaved or they wouldn’t be in my stable. If there aren’t any
real
questions... Good. When Lord Penbroken counts to three, we start.” Raising his hand, the prince gave a signal.
“One, two, three!” shouted Lord Penbroken.
Prince Andreas’s horse took off like a shot, leaving the other horses to snort at the dust cloud he’d left behind. Princess Sarinda kicked her horse, which reared, dumping her on the ground. Daphne patted her horse and asked it to move, but it refused to budge. While two other princesses milled around, trying to get their horses to go where they wanted them to, Annie and a princess in a lavender gown raced down the field after the prince.
Annie loved the sense of freedom riding bareback gave her. She’d often gone out into the fields where the horses were pastured, thrown a rope around a horse’s neck, and raced with the stable boys until it was time for them to return to work, and she to her duties as a princess. Annie had won more often than not, although she hadn’t had the time to do it of late. Now, racing with Prince Andreas, she let herself go in a way she never would have with anyone but her friends. It was fun, itwas exhilarating, and she hoped he wouldn’t tire of it soon and declare that it was over.
She was laughing from excitement, her hair whipping in the wind behind her, when the princess in lavender screamed and galloped past straight into the woods instead of following the curve of the field. “Princess Clotilde!” shouted a rider stationed at the edge of the woods. Seeing that the rider was already trying to stop the runaway horse, Annie urged her horse to go faster in an effort to catch up with Andreas. The prince turned his head to look back, grinning when he saw that Annie was gaining ground.
Together, Annie and Prince Andreas raced around the field once, twice, three times. Although Annie could have passed him, she remembered that Maud had said the prince wanted a princess who could keep up with him, which wasn’t at all the same as saying that he wanted one who could beat him. The palomino mare wanted to run faster, but Annie held her back, giving her a silent apology.
After two more circuits around the field, Andreas held up his hand and slowed his horse to a walk. They returned to Lord Penbroken amid the cheers and applause of the watching crowd, but Annie noticed that none of the other princesses had waited for the end of the race and had already returned to the castle. While Lord Penbroken announced that Princess Annabelle of Treecrest was the winner of the contest, Andreas slippedfrom his horse and crossed to Annie’s, where he offered to help her down.
“Very nicely done,” said the prince, and kissed the back of her hand.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Annie, curtseying. She couldn’t help adding, “It was fun!” which earned her a guffaw from the prince.
“I’ll see you at the ball tonight.”
Annie looked dismayed. “There’s a ball? But I don’t have a gown to wear.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Prince Andreas. “Once my mother hears that you won this contest, she’ll make sure you have twenty gowns to choose from!”
CHAPTER 9
ANNIE WAS SHOWN TO A ROOM where she could freshen up. There she found a selection of gowns and a stern-looking lady-in-waiting named Lady Hillary. A long, narrow, hot water–filled wash tub awaited her as well. This alone was a luxury she hadn’t hoped to find, but she was even happier when she discovered a piece of soap that smelled of violets.
Before Annie handed her dirty clothes to Lady Hillary, she made the older woman promise that they would be washed and hung in front of a fire to dry so they’d be ready for her to wear after the ball. The lady-in-waiting bundled up the soiled clothes while Annie slipped into the tub and sighed as the heat drew the ache
“Now, now, ladies, these horses are all well behaved or they wouldn’t be in my stable. If there aren’t any
real
questions... Good. When Lord Penbroken counts to three, we start.” Raising his hand, the prince gave a signal.
“One, two, three!” shouted Lord Penbroken.
Prince Andreas’s horse took off like a shot, leaving the other horses to snort at the dust cloud he’d left behind. Princess Sarinda kicked her horse, which reared, dumping her on the ground. Daphne patted her horse and asked it to move, but it refused to budge. While two other princesses milled around, trying to get their horses to go where they wanted them to, Annie and a princess in a lavender gown raced down the field after the prince.
Annie loved the sense of freedom riding bareback gave her. She’d often gone out into the fields where the horses were pastured, thrown a rope around a horse’s neck, and raced with the stable boys until it was time for them to return to work, and she to her duties as a princess. Annie had won more often than not, although she hadn’t had the time to do it of late. Now, racing with Prince Andreas, she let herself go in a way she never would have with anyone but her friends. It was fun, itwas exhilarating, and she hoped he wouldn’t tire of it soon and declare that it was over.
She was laughing from excitement, her hair whipping in the wind behind her, when the princess in lavender screamed and galloped past straight into the woods instead of following the curve of the field. “Princess Clotilde!” shouted a rider stationed at the edge of the woods. Seeing that the rider was already trying to stop the runaway horse, Annie urged her horse to go faster in an effort to catch up with Andreas. The prince turned his head to look back, grinning when he saw that Annie was gaining ground.
Together, Annie and Prince Andreas raced around the field once, twice, three times. Although Annie could have passed him, she remembered that Maud had said the prince wanted a princess who could keep up with him, which wasn’t at all the same as saying that he wanted one who could beat him. The palomino mare wanted to run faster, but Annie held her back, giving her a silent apology.
After two more circuits around the field, Andreas held up his hand and slowed his horse to a walk. They returned to Lord Penbroken amid the cheers and applause of the watching crowd, but Annie noticed that none of the other princesses had waited for the end of the race and had already returned to the castle. While Lord Penbroken announced that Princess Annabelle of Treecrest was the winner of the contest, Andreas slippedfrom his horse and crossed to Annie’s, where he offered to help her down.
“Very nicely done,” said the prince, and kissed the back of her hand.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Annie, curtseying. She couldn’t help adding, “It was fun!” which earned her a guffaw from the prince.
“I’ll see you at the ball tonight.”
Annie looked dismayed. “There’s a ball? But I don’t have a gown to wear.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Prince Andreas. “Once my mother hears that you won this contest, she’ll make sure you have twenty gowns to choose from!”
CHAPTER 9
ANNIE WAS SHOWN TO A ROOM where she could freshen up. There she found a selection of gowns and a stern-looking lady-in-waiting named Lady Hillary. A long, narrow, hot water–filled wash tub awaited her as well. This alone was a luxury she hadn’t hoped to find, but she was even happier when she discovered a piece of soap that smelled of violets.
Before Annie handed her dirty clothes to Lady Hillary, she made the older woman promise that they would be washed and hung in front of a fire to dry so they’d be ready for her to wear after the ball. The lady-in-waiting bundled up the soiled clothes while Annie slipped into the tub and sighed as the heat drew the ache
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