The Frog Prince (8 page)

Blythe gasped. “What? Me, cheat? I would never!” She put her hands on her hips. “Very well then, Mr. Frog Prince, I shall accept your challenge. I am in no way a good player at chess, but your ego has brought out the champion in me. I can tell already I shall beat you soundly in record time—without cheating!”

“Oh, ho!” He laughed. “Well, then, my fair princess, lead the way! I am all eagerness to see such a woman best me.”

Blythe had never had more fun losing such a silly game in her life. He was honestly the most humorous companion she had ever had. Their game soon became a nightly ritual—full of laughter and howling and mad bantering skills.

And she lost every single match.

They were still teasing one another about chess as they walked back from the village a week or so later. Blythe had a splendid day teaching again, but was now enjoying the sparring Caspian was quick to induce.

“You are so awful at chess that my blind, lame grandmother could soundly whip you!” he taunted.

“Me? Me?” She giggled, knowing full well he had no such grandmother. “And what of your ego, sir? That head is so large, I fear another win of yours and it may explode and a whole clump of green mess will land upon the game and me.”

He pretended to gulp. “I believe you would like to see such a thing happen!”

She was just about to reply when they rounded the back corner of the flower garden and walked into the castle stable yard.

They both gasped in unison.

There sat a beautiful white coach and four with the royal Hollene family crest painted in bright green and gold on the side.

Prince Nolan! What in the world was he doing here?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

BLYTHE’S STOMACH DROPPED AND her hands began to shake as she stepped into the side entrance of the castle. Why would Prince Nolan show up now, of all times? She was not certain she was ready to meet him. Not yet. Not when things were beginning to make sense with Caspian. Ugh. If her mother were to take a fancy to Nolan, there would be no stopping the wedding ceremony.

And then she would have to leave the castle, for there would definitely not be a bride in attendance during the reading of the nuptials.

What did Prince Nolan want?

Goodness! Perhaps he was worried about why she had not written him back. She had forgotten to after tossing his letter into the pond. Well, how was she to remember something like that? Especially with the arrival of Caspian—everything else seemed to have been forgotten. For the last couple of weeks, all she had thought about was the frog.

“If you drop me off here,” Caspian said, “I will distract your mother and the guest until you can change out of your village attire.”

“Yes, Mother will no doubt want me in attendance immediately.” Blythe set the frog near the arched entry of the grand corridor. The drawing room was just down along the way from where they were. Already she could hear her mother’s laughter coming from within it. “Let her know I am freshening up before I make my appearance,” she said as she watched him hop down the hall.

As swiftly as possible, she made her way up the servants’ stairs and into her room. Her maid met her there and helped remove the brown frock and stash it in the bottom of the chest beneath the extra blankets at the foot of her bed. It was where they had first decided to hide the plain dress in case the queen ever went through her wardrobe. It was this particular maid who had first told Blythe of the children’s lack of a schoolteacher, and together they formed this plan.

Blythe removed the flowers from her hair and the maid was quick to replace them with pretty gold ribbons. They brushed at her green gown as Blythe stood at the looking glass and turned from side to side to see if any of the day’s dirt could be found upon it. Once she was deemed presentable enough, she thanked the maid and nervously walked down to the drawing room.

She took a deep breath just before the footman opened the door.

There, perched charmingly upon the high-backed chair, was a plump woman in rows of lavender ruffles. Her mother sat on the adjoining seat, with her back to the door, and Caspian was on top of the settee.

Her mother turned at the woman’s smile in Blythe’s direction. “Blythe, you are here at last!” she said in a gently scolding tone. “My goodness, I sent for you nearly three-quarters of an hour ago.”

Blythe curtsied. “I beg your pardon. Caspian and I were outdoors.”

Her mother waved her hand. “Yes, yes. No doubt down at your pond. Now come here—I would like to introduce you to Queen Bethany of Hollene Court, Prince Nolan’s dear mother and one of my most particular friends from our school days.”

“How do you do?” Blythe walked across the room and deeply curtsied before Queen Bethany.

“My! You are quite lovely!” she said as she crooked her finger to gesture Blythe in closer. “If I am not mistaken, you look exactly like your grandmama, Queen Mary Elizabeth I.”

“Aye, she does. My mother was an exceptional beauty,” stated Mary. “At supper, you shall meet my two elder sons and my two younger daughters as well. Then you may gauge who is the most like whom.” Her mother grinned and waved Blythe toward the settee. “Sit next to your companion, dear. Bethany and I were just laughing at some of the amusing things Caspian has said to keep us entertained while we waited for you.” Another soft ring of annoyance came through her tone of voice at the last few words.

“I hope he did not frighten you,” Blythe said to Queen Bethany. “We are so used to him now, I did not even think how you must have felt when you saw him hop in.”

“He is fine, dear. And quite a charming rascal as well.” She grinned at the frog, and Blythe was surprised to see her slip in a sly wink.

Mary laughed. “Oh, do not let Bethany fool you! She jumped as high as anyone I have seen when he first came in and said hello.”

“’Tis only because I was not prepared to see him like that.”

“Do you mean, to see a talking frog? Or just to see a frog in general going about the place?” Blythe asked.

“No, I meant to see
him
like
that
.”

“Well, you have yet to tell us why you came, Queen Bethany,” Caspian declared, a bit overly loud. “And I am sure it does not have anything to do with secrets of Prince Nolan’s that you should be keeping, does it?”

Blythe glanced at him. Why was he behaving so oddly? “Are you implying that she is keeping something from us?”

Mary laughed before Bethany or Caspian could reply. “What heaviness is in this room! I will not have it. We are a merry party who are together now and that is all that matters.”

“’Tis true,” Caspian said. “Forgive my rudeness, Queen Bethany.”

“No matter,” she said. “I have simply come to see for myself what Princess Blythe is like. I have heard so many things about you from my son, my dear.” She grinned. “And I decided it was about time to come meet you personally. I find it is the best way to truly get to know someone—face-to-face like this. Do you not agree?”

“I do.” Blythe chuckled, liking her already. “Though I cannot imagine what Prince Nolan has relayed about me.”

“Yes, but I am sure you would not be interested in hearing any of it,” Caspian said.

“No, on the contrary. I am very curious to see how my betrothed speaks of me to others. I feel any woman would be. It is only natural.” She looked at Queen Bethany. “Would you mind sharing what has intrigued you so that you have come out to meet me?”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

NOLAN GULPED. HIS MOTHER would not really be that brainless as to actually tell Blythe what he had thought of her, would she?

She glanced at him and gave him another wink. Good grief. She really was that dim. Of course she would tell everything. Somehow, someway, she probably believed it would help him. He opened his mouth to intervene and stop the inevitable, but she was much quicker.

“Oh, you know how young men talk to their mothers. You are never fully clear on what they are truly thinking. He will say one thing today and then tomorrow tell me the direct opposite.”

Nolan breathed a sigh of relief. It would seem he was safe after all.

“I can agree with you there!” Mary laughed. “My boys will forever tell me one thing and I will believe it is truly their opinion on the matter. Yet, when I relay such things to someone else, it is all they can do to contradict me at every turn, specifically clarifying that they had never meant their original opinion after all.”

“Are you saying he has changed his mind about me?” Blythe asked, her features scrunched in confusion.

“Oh, goodness, no!” Bethany leaned forward. “No, his opinion of you has always been the same. If anything, it may have become more fervent throughout the last few months or so, but he has always portrayed the same interest in the arrangement as ever before.”

“Well, that is fine then,” Mary exclaimed with a look at her daughter. “It is nice to know there is a steadfast man in your home.”

“Steadfast?” Blythe shook her head. “But moments ago, you implied he was not firm. Have I perchance missed something?”

“Oh! I did, did I not?” All at once his mother began to giggle nervously. “So it would seem I have. Well, then!” Her giggle continued and rose several notches.

Nolan closed his eyes. This did not bode well for his future happiness.

“Is there something you wish to say to me?” Blythe asked as Bethany continued to laugh.

Nolan could not imagine what Blythe must think of his mother, for truly she was behaving as a woman caught in a lie.

The look his mother gave him clearly begged for support of some kind. At least she was wise enough not to wish extra trouble upon him. He sighed. How was he supposed to get her out of this mess? One thing was for certain—he needed to make sure she realized that his opinion had changed. “Well, I for one wish Prince Nolan was here with you now. Then everyone would know the truth of his feelings and we would not be in such confusion,” he said.

Bethany laughed louder and then said, “Oh! Goodness. I was not sure what to say—but you have helped me so very much! Thank you, Caspian.” She sighed and wiped at her eyes. Apparently she had been so nervously laughing, tears had formed.

But it would seem she had received his silent message to let him speak for himself. Nolan released his own breath of relief just as she continued to talk.

“However, since my son is not here, I feel it is my duty to relay the following …” She looked directly at Blythe. “He has frankly not been impressed with your letters and feels you are the last person he would ever wish to marry.”

Blythe and her mother both gasped.

Nolan groaned. Oh, my word! This was worse than he could have imagined.

“I beg your pardon?” Mary exclaimed. “My daughter is a fine example of an exemplary princess. It would take a complete moronic beast not to see the wonderful qualities she possesses! It is your son I worry about.”

“Mother!” Blythe looked upset. “Please do not. It is fine.”

“Well, I was only relaying what he has said to me,” Bethany said with a huff. “It is why I came, to see for myself if she truly was the spoiled child he believed her to be.”

“Spoiled?” Mary stood up. “My Blythe spoiled?”

“Wait!” Blythe called out from the settee.

Bethany quickly stood up too. “And willful and arrogant.”

Mary took a step forward, her face redder than Nolan thought possible upon a human being. “Take it back!” she snapped. “Your son must be the epitome of the most uncouth louse who was ever born!”

“Nolan?” Bethany inhaled sharply and pointed her finger at the other queen. “I will have you know there is not a greater man in all the surrounding kingdoms than my son, nor is there a better judge of character!”

“Wait!” Blythe said again as she stood up.

Mary took another step forward. “Your son would not know how to judge a pig’s backside from a superior stallion’s rump!”

“Take it back!” Bethany raged. “You have no right!”

“And you have no right to say such things of my daughter!”

“I have every single right, if it pertains to the happiness of my son. Those are his feelings on the matter and therefore what is the truth. If you did not wish to hear the truth, I suggest you raise your daughter to become a bit more pleasing to the rest of the world!”

“Do not say such things about her!” Caspian shouted.

“Wait! Halt!” Blythe stepped in between the two livid women. “Enough!”

Caspian tried again. “You do not know—”

Mary interrupted. “Blythe, move out of the way. Bethany and I have much more to discuss.”

“No, you do not!” Blythe put her hands on her hips.

Bethany’s jaw dropped. “Well, I never! To see such rudeness and blatant disrespect in a princess! It would definitely seem my son was wholly correct in his assumption of you.”

“No,” Caspian called, but Bethany glared.

“Please!” Blythe put her hand up to stop her mother from retaliating and turned to Queen Bethany. “It is perfectly all right. I do not wish to marry Prince Nolan, and I am grateful that he does not harbor such ideas about me. Indeed, I truly believe we would be much better suited if we were each to marry someone else entirely.”

“Very well!” Bethany exclaimed, smirking. “I can see that perhaps we were hasty in this betrothal. Your promise can definitely become dissolved. What do you say, Mary?”

“I find that completely satisfactory. As of right now, Prince Nolan and Princess Blythe will never wed!”

“Perfect!” Blythe genuinely smiled, her eyes sparkling. “For he is truly the last man I would ever wish upon myself.”

Nolan’s heart dropped.

She would never like him now.

And all of this was for naught.

Everyone seemed to be celebrating the fact that the two of them would never wed.

If only they had thought to ask him.

He watched the women make up and apologize to each other in stiff politeness. With a final glance at Blythe’s happy face, he hopped off the settee and slowly made his way out of the room and down the long corridor. Perhaps it would be best if he just headed home. There was a coach waiting for him, which would provide a much quicker way home. Besides, now that everyone else was so cheerful, perhaps he could find a way to become joyful too.