I stepped out of the stall and started back down the aisle. Philip fell into step beside me.
“You talk to your horse like he can actually understand you.”
I shrugged. “Can’t your horses?”
He grinned. “I like you, Lark. I would hate to discover you were up to something nefarious.”
I glared at him. “Nefarious? Is that what you think about every new arrival at the palace—or am I special?”
“Oh, you’re definitely special,” he said, with a dangerous grin. “I can sense it. I’m good at sensing that sort of thing. I just haven’t made up my mind what kind of special.”
“I haven’t made up my mind about you, yet, either,” I said. “You don’t seem at all like a regular coachman.”
That surprised a laugh out of him. “Maybe that’s because I’m not a coachman.”
I faltered mid-stride, turning to stare at him. “Not a coachman? What’s that supposed to mean?”
He had an amused smile on his face that I didn’t like at all. “It’s been most interesting meeting you and your impressive horse, Lark. I hope you find Arcadia to your liking.” He nodded and sauntered away while I continued to stare at him.
Growling to myself, I turned and stalked out of the stables. I had enough mysteries on my hands without adding Philip to them.
I had almost succeeded in putting the irritating man out of my mind when I arrived back at my storage cupboard and all thought of him disappeared.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped at Sierra, glaring at her as I closed the door behind me, shutting us both into the tiny space.
She stood up from where she had been sitting on the edge of my bed and smiled.
“Lovely room you have here. Do you want to hear about mine?”
I rolled my eyes. “If you think I care about my room in the middle of all this, then you don’t know me at all.”
“Actually, so far it seems I know you quite well enough,” she said, the satisfaction in her voice nearly tipping me over the edge. “Percy was delighted to renew our old friendship and has already begged me to join him on his daily rides through the park. Clearly I’m well able to pass for a princess.”
I snorted. If Percy had taken to begging young ladies to accompany him for exercise then he definitely hadn’t improved with age. I tried to imagine his older brother Gabe saying anything like that and failed.
“Have fun with that,” I said. “I hope you begged him to provide you with a mount.”
“Are you still upset about Arvin?” Sierra asked with faux sympathy. “I can’t imagine why. He was the most useless horse I ever saw.”
She paused for a moment and looked disappointed when I didn’t burst into tears or lash out at her. I let the silence draw out. I certainly wasn’t going to tell her Arvin was safe.
“Did you want something?” I asked, ice in my voice.
“Just to check on you, of course.”
“What, worried your enchantment is failing already?”
She shuffled forward, standing almost toe-to-toe with me.
“Of course not, don’t get your hopes up. I’m just making sure you know you’re to stay out of my way. If you interfere with me—if I so much as see you—I will use my new position to make sure you don’t bother me again.”
“I’m the palace goose girl now, remember? And you’re planning to go riding in the palace park every day. I’m afraid there’s every chance your delicate sensibilities will be forced to endure the sight of me from time to time.”
Sierra glared at me with narrowed eyes. “Just stay out of my way.”
She spun around and attempted to wrench open the door for a dramatic exit, but nearly tripped over me in the process. I made no effort to assist her, and she barely caught herself.
With a single, angry sniff, she managed to get the door open and disappeared. I took a deep breath of my own and collapsed onto the bed. The day felt like it would never end.
And yet, as I lay there, I didn’t feel in the least sleepy. Sierra’s unexpected visit worried at me. She had already bound me by enchantment not to reveal her identity—why her desperation to keep me away? Had Percy been less convinced than she claimed? Did she still fear he would recognize me?
The idea held a kernel of hope, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that something else was going on—that Sierra wanted me to stay away because she hadn’t yet achieved her true purpose here. And if my former maid wanted more in life than becoming a princess, what could it possibly be?
Chapter 6
The bell that rang through the servants’ wing the next morning clanged far too loudly. I groaned and rolled over, the deluge of memories from the day before flooding over me.
Thankfully my uniform and basic supplies had been delivered as promised, so I was soon dressed in a simple, hard-wearing dress and eating breakfast in the dining hall. A crowd of servants surrounded me. Some ate silently, their surly expressions clearly communicating their dislike of early mornings. Others called cheery greetings and chatted over their bowls of porridge.
When the bell rang, I had bitterly missed a quiet maid bringing a tray of breakfast to my room. But now that I was up, I found I quite enjoyed the communal atmosphere of the dining hall, everyone starting their day together. I hadn’t expected to find any enjoyment in my circumstances, and it buoyed me up.
Nikki spotted me and waved. I smiled back but didn’t attempt to join the group around her. I had too much on my mind to want company with my meal. Merely sitting among the crowd was enough for now.
But even as I thought it, my eyes were searching the crowd of their own volition. When I realized I was looking for Philip, I sternly trained my gaze back on my bowl. My curiosity about him could wait until after I discovered if I was going to survive my first day of goose herding.
A grizzled older man found me as I was returning my bowl to one of the trays laid out for dishes.
“You my new herder?” he barked out.
I swallowed and nodded, and when his expression turned thunderous, quickly murmured, “Yes, sir.”
His eyes narrowed, but otherwise his face returned to calm.
“I’m told you’ve no experience, but it seems no one has the inclination to find me a proper replacement. Not for a temporary position. Which means I’ll have to accept you. However unsatisfactory you may be.”
I had never experienced such a complete dismissal, but I found myself amused rather than offended. The emotion was a relief—as if I had passed the first test set by myself.
“I’m a quick study,” I told him.
“I’ll be the judge of that, young lady.”
“It’s Elle,” I offered, but he merely narrowed his eyes again and stomped off toward the exit.
After a brief moment of uncertainty, I ran after him, quickly catching up. I found him mid-instruction and struggled to catch the import of his words. Something about startling easily? But whether he meant me or the geese I couldn’t be sure and didn’t dare ask.
“We have six ganders, and I try to keep them to three geese each, but every now and then one of them manages to attract himself a fourth,” he said next. “But the flock also has goslings at the moment, so you’ll need to move slowly and be ready to defend them—and yourself until the adults get used to you.”