The King's Daughter (High Born Book 1) (5 page)

I nod, hoping it will be enough for her to drop it. I understand what she is saying and I know that she is right, but seeing him adds some excitement to living here and I do not want to give that up. Nobody will find out because I will be careful. It is no secret that I love my horses, nobody should think it out the ordinary whenever I go to the stables.

“Remember, you only need the smallest of rumours,” Louisa warns me.

She is right of course, but I want to keep my friendship with him and that is all it is. Nothing can ever come of it. I am a Princess and I am not an idiot to believe I can be with him. Only now, I think I might have to keep my visits a secret from everyone.

The last couple of days have been taken over by my mother because she wanted me fitted with the latest fashions. Not only has she gifted me many dresses, she saw to it that I was in top form in my practice of languages. Today I am relieved to have my mother want me to catch up on my books. As I sink into the world of romance I relax. I have always found it so fascinating how words on a page can be so magical. A knock on my door brings me back into the real world and I see Louisa’s sweet face smiling at me as she enters, “You look happy.”

I close the book, gently placing it beside me, “I am reading about love.”

Louisa’s face changes, “As much as that is lovely, I hope it is not in relation with the boy in the stable.”

“Louisa,” I sigh.

“You cannot let a boy destroy you,” she insists.

“He is not a boy,” I argue and then I see my Lady Jane walk in, shortly followed by Catherine and Beatrice.

“What is this?” Asks Jane.

Louisa shakes her head, “You need to tell them.”

“Tell us what?” Asks Catherine.

“Close the door,” I order with a heavy sigh. Beatrice quickly shuts the door to my bedchamber and the three of them walk towards me and stand beside Louisa. “It is nothing of importance, but Louisa does not approve that I found a friend whilst I was visiting Beauty in the stables.” I inform them and Louisa laughs.

“He is not just a friend,” she turns to look at the rest of my Ladies. “He flirts with Grace and she flirts right back.”

All three girls gasp and look to me with wide eyes.

“I do not!” I shout, standing from my seat.

“Grace,” Catherine whispers. “You have to be careful.”

“Nothing is happening,” I insist.

“This is exciting,” Jane giggles and Louisa looks at her in shock.

“You need to try and stay away from him,” Beatrice looks to me with concern.

“But what will I do if I want to see Beauty? The King wants to see me riding her tomorrow, what shall I do?” I ask and I am slightly panicked by that because he does not know who I am and if he sees me with my father, rising our horses together then he will find out the hard way.

“Oh how romantic,” Jane swoons.

“This is not a romance book. This is real life,” Beatrice looks to her.

“We will all come with you tomorrow, to make sure nothing happens,” Catherine steps closer and gives me a kind smile.

“I cannot come with you tomorrow. I promised my mother to write her a detailed letter as soon as possible,” Jane adds.

I watch from the balcony as Grace walks with Catherine, Beatrice and Louisa to meet the King at the stables. I do feel guilty that I am not down there with them. However, I felt the need to do this for me. As I lose sight of the Princess, I turn around and begin to walk through the castle halls. I exit the castle and go in the opposite direction from Grace. It becomes clear when I have reached my destination, I see a small white table with two matching chairs that face each other. Against the backdrop of greenery and a beautiful water fountain, it looks like something I could only dream of. Two guards stand close by, protecting their future King. I curtsey in front of him and as I do, he reaches forward with a smile and stops me, “There is no need for that, Lady Jane.”

My cheeks burn, “Thank you Your Majesty.”

“You can stop that as well,” Prince George laughs. “You can call me George.”

“Ok, George,” I smile up at him. “Then please call me Jane.”

George looks down at me with so much intensity and lust, I feel as if I could melt on the spot.

“Not that I don’t want to be here, but why did you want to meet me?” I dare to ask him.

I have noticed Prince George all around the castle, and like many other women, I appreciate what I see. George is a gorgeous human being and by far the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on.

“I want to get to know you Jane, I have seen you all over the castle, but I want to get to know you properly. Not just admire you from afar,” his words leave me speechless. George leads me over to the table, not letting go of my hand until I am sat down in the chair. He pours us both a drink and then sits back in his chair, a seductive grin in place. “You are very beautiful Jane.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, my cheeks burning. “You are very handsome, Your Majesty.”

“Jane,” George lifts an eyebrow. “What did I tell you? Call me George.”

I bite down on my lip, a foreign feeling developing in my stomach. I’ve never felt like this with a man before. It is going to be hard to call him just George, he is the Prince to me.

“Sorry,” I apologise as I take a sip of my drink that George so kindly poured me.

“I forgive you,” I look back into his eyes and fight against the shiver that runs down my spine. There’s something so appealing and exciting about George.

“I feel so guilty that I have left Grace,” I admit and George’s smile fades.

“She doesn’t need you tied to her side, she can do without you for the morning. You’re mine right now and I intend to get to know you very well,” his eyes sparkle as he speaks and my heart beats faster.

“Yours?” I ask with a slight giggle.

George smirks, “Not romantically, but I would like to explore you. Like I said before, I want to get to know you. I am already tired of admiring you from a distance and being quiet.”

I am shaking, my heart is beating fast and I am trying my best not to smile victoriously. Having the admirations from Prince George who is very handsome and very powerful is overwhelming. I don’t know what to say, apart from, “Very well.”

“How is Grace getting on? Is Prince Antonio leaving her alone?” George asks.

“She is doing well, but she does not like Prince Antonio and is doing her best to avoid him. The Spanish Prince doesn’t seem to want the same though,” I honestly answer.

“Is he bothering Grace?” George suddenly becomes very serious.

“I think so, and I’m a little worried. I do not like him,” I admit.

“No,” George shakes his head. “Stay away from him and do not be alone with him Jane. Promise me.”

“I promise, is he really that dangerous?”

“I’ve asked around and there are some rumours I do not like the sound of. Just stay clear to be on the safe side,” George asks of me and I nod in return.

“Make sure to look after my sister Jane, there will be many people who would love to better a Princess. Whether to gain information on my family, blackmail my father or to simply hurt her. Court can be dangerous. She needs to play by the rules and gain a respectable husband,” I am touched by his concerns for Grace, but after hearing what I have today, I am worried she isn’t being very careful.

“I will do my best George,” I answer. “She’s not only my Princess, but she’s my friend and I will make sure she is safe.”

“Good,” George smiles. “I would prefer you don’t tell Grace about us meeting either. She would put an end to it.”

“I agree, but that doesn’t make it easier for me,” I answer honestly.

“Do not think I like to lie to her Jane, I respect Grace but the reality is, she would not agree with us becoming closer and I want that. Don’t you?” He asks.

“Yes,” I answer quickly. I most definitely want that.

After our glasses are empty, George gestures down to the blanket lying beside the table on the grass, “Care to relax?”

“Of course,” I smile over to him as he gracefully stands and holds his hand out to me once he is standing in front of me. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he winks as I stand and we walk to the blanket.

We sit side by side on the soft blanket, and it suddenly feels very intimate.

“Won’t you get in trouble for meeting me?” I ask George.

“Not at all,” he shakes his head. “The advantages of being a man in court, I don’t have to keep my virginity like my sister does. A future prince is encouraged to experience with women before he is married, even during.”

I don’t know how I feel about his words, but the way he looks at me makes my worries disappear.

“It is unfair,” I admit. “Men have more fun during their time at court.”

“Are you saying you’re not having fun with me right now Jane?” He cheekily asks me.

“Of course not, I am enjoying your company,” I answer with the truth.

“I am pleased to hear that,” George bites on his lip and reaches out to hold my hand. He asks me many questions about my home life and time begins to fly by.

“I am sorry Jane, I had no idea you were the cousins of the French royals,” George admits.

“Why would you?” I laugh. “Politics can be boring and I never met you whenever you visited France. Grace and I got along greatly and the Queen managed to persuade my uncle that it was a great advantage coming to English court.”

“And I am glad you’re here,” George growls.

George leans forward, placing his large hand on my cheek, looking me directly in the eye, “You are so very beautiful.”

George surprises me and leans in for a kiss and I accept. His lips feel so divine on mine that I actually moan against him. George is an amazing kisser, I become light headed from the feeling. We do nothing but kiss, he doesn’t push me to do anything else and I couldn’t respect him more.

Later that day, I practically skip back to Grace’s bedchambers to help her dress for dinner. I just need to wipe the silly smile from my face before I see any of the girls.

On the way there, the Queen spots me, “Lady Jane.”

“Your Highness,” I curtsey.

“Why were you not with Princess Grace at the stables?” She asks.

“I had to write urgently to my mother,” I quickly answer. The Queen is very smart and if I had stalled, she would be suspicious.

“Very well, I hope there is nothing wrong with your mother, I am fond of her,” she places her hand over her heart.

“Nothing like that Your Majesty, I haven’t written to her in a while and she was worried,” part of that is actually true.

“Lady Jane,” The Queen scowls, shaking her head. “Now, do you know where my George is?”

I am shocked by this question, “No, Your Majesty, I do not.”

The Queen then smiles at me, “Jane, I have known you since you were a baby, you do not have to be so formal when we are alone.”

“If you wish,” I curtsey again.