Essence Of The Heart (The Royal Tutor) (15 page)

 

          Louise hugged Nell, and Nell returned her affection. Louise could
feel her heart swelling with even more love for Alexander. She hadn't even
thought of bringing in the children from the village for the wedding. He
was kind and thoughtful in even the smallest things. Sometimes what
seemed like a small thing was really a big thing.

 

          The queen and Lady Margaret went into the hall to take their places.
The music began to play. Nell and another little mountain girl led the way
with dried flowers, due to the season. Behind Louise, six girls carried her
train. As she stepped into the hall, her arm through the arm of her father's,
Louise looked up and saw Alexander. He was dressed in a royal uniform,
and she thought there could not be a more handsome man in the world.

 

          She noticed many of the mountain people were there, attired in the
best clothes they had. There were many other people from villages near and
far. Most Bernodian villages tried to send at least one representative. As
they neared the front of the hall, Louise saw Nell wave at someone. As she
glanced out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nell's grandmother motioning
for Nell to pay attention to what she was doing.

 

          On the other side of the hall she caught a glimpse of Aunt Eldna.
Eldna was her father's sister, just younger than himself. She was actually a
pretty woman, but her sour character had creased her face. She frowned,
even now, and Louise knew she did not approve of this wedding. Beside
Eldna sat Tobias. For some reason, he was smiling. She was surprised,
because he had expressed his consternation, saying she was marrying far
beneath the dignity of a queen.

 

          But above all, there was Alexander. He stood tall and handsome
near the priest. She wanted run to his side, but now was the time for
ceremony. They neared Alexander, and she removed her arm from her
father's, and she returned a curtsy to his bow. Her father took his place near
her mother as Louise reached up and took Alexander's arm. He whispered,
"You're beautiful" as he led her up in front of the priest.

 

           Marina and Elizabeth were there to attend her, and two young men,
distant cousins of Alexander's, stood beside him. Most men of nobility
might have a Man-At-Arms to accompany him everywhere he went, but
Alexander liked the freedom to travel and be himself, so he had none.

 

          She couldn't remember much of what was said after that. She could
remember the priest asking her if she would love, cherish, and honor
Alexander of Bernodia for all of her life and take him as her husband. Her
heart fluttered as she said, "I do."

 

          She could also remember how her heart trembled as Alexander was
asked the same about her, and replied, "I do."

 

          He put a ring on her finger, and she put one on his, the symbols that
they belonged to each other. And most of all, she could remember when he
kissed her, and how she thought that was the symbol of the love that sealed
them and their hearts to each other forever.

 

          The people in the hall then rose and started to clap, most of them,
anyway. Louise could see Eldna did not. Alexander bowed, and she
curtsied. As she did, she thought back on a night so many months before
when they had bowed and curtsied to a hall of people. It was her birthday
ball, the point when her heart began to change. They had come so far since
that parallel night not too long before.

 

 

 

 

          The wedding celebration was wonderful, with feasting and
merriment. All of the wedding guests were invited, including the villagers
from the mountain. Aunt Eldna seemed displeased about sitting at the same
table as commoners.

 

          After each of the many toasts that were proposed, the newly married
couple was expected to kiss, which made Louise very happy and caused
Alexander to glow bright red with embarrassment.

 

          The cooks had outdone themselves, bringing in plates of roast pork,
chicken, ham, and lamb cooked over an open fire. Bernodia was known for
an abundance of apples, and there had been huge amounts stored for the
wedding celebration to be pressed into apple cider.

 

          Alexander had seated Nell next to Louise, with Nell's grandmother
on the other side of Nell. Nell talked a lot to Louise, even after her
grandmother told her she needed to be quiet and eat her meal. Louise and
Alexander were pleased to hear her little voice. Of course, dessert was
snow cream. Most of the villagers had never had it before, and Alexander
had to explain how to make it. Louise even saw Eldna smile as she tried
some.

 

          After the dinner, which lasted well into the evening, Louise was
happy to have some time alone with Alexander. His arms around her felt so
right, and she loved thinking nothing could come between them again.

 

          They slept as late as they wanted, with breakfast near noon, but then
they had to prepare for one more big celebration. They had planned their
wedding for December thirtieth, because December thirty-first was the night
of the Bernodian Ball. Alexander wanted everyone to meet his wife, so he
looked at it as an opportunity to combine it with the wedding celebration.
The servants had worked hard all week pressing apples; the cook and her
helpers were making snow candy as fast as they could. A team of men had
no other job than to go far and wide loading wagons full of clean snow to
bring back for the cook. Another group had gone all week buying more
cream at all of the villages.

 

          Everyone in Bernodia was invited. They just had to get there. The
great hall, the courtyard, and all the hallways of the castle were full of
people coming and going. They went through barrels of apple juice and
fields full of snow turned into snow candy. Louise was sure Aunt Eldna
would stay in her room, but she was there visiting with Captain Johnson of
the Royal Guard. Louise smiled to herself. It was strange that stuffy, old
Aunt Eldna would seem to enjoy visiting with a soldier.

 

          Though people usually didn't bring presents to the Bernodian Ball,
that night they did - gifts for the newly married couple. Many of the artisans
and craftsman from Esconodia were there, bringing beautiful, carved chests,
necklaces, and richly decorated blankets. Louise wondered how her father
would feel about the Esconodians, but if he noticed at all, he didn't say.

 

          The craftsman that had sold Alexander the necklace was pleased to
see Louise wearing it. He gave her a small necklace that was a miniature of
her own, suggesting it was "For baby princess someday."

 

          As the ball commenced, the king and queen, Lady Margaret and
Duke Reginald, and Alexander and Louise stepped to the ballroom floor. A
hush fell on the crowd as the musicians began to play. The three couples
danced, and as they did, Louise thought of the dance many months before
that had changed everything. Even then, she was sure where it would lead;
she just didn't realize how happy she would be.

 

          When the music ended, the people in the hall applauded. The three
men bowed and the three women curtsied - an invitation for everyone to
join them on the dance floor. It was a wonderful celebration and went into
the early hours of the New Year.

 

          The next afternoon, after a good night's rest, Alexander and Louise
left for Walsken Manor, a few days' journey away. The first night
Alexander asked her if she would like to stay at an inn or at a home in a
village. She chose to stay with the family.

 

          It was getting dark by the time they entered the village, but it was
noised about quickly that Alexander and his new bride were there. People
converged on the village square to greet them and congratulate them. He
had candy for the children, and had even brought his book, though the
parents told the children the new "prince" was just married and should not
be bothered that night. So after the children got their candy, they were
quickly shooed off to their homes.

 

          Alexander was embarrassed at being called a prince. He asked,
"Louise, will it bother you if I just have people call me Alexander?"

 

          She kissed him. "Not as long as you always remember that, to me,
you are a prince."

 

          Every time she did things like that, he would blush and get all
tongue-tied. It made her giggle. He admitted that love had a way of
muddling his brain.

 

          A second night with another family, a night at an inn, and they were
finally at Walsken Manor. Alexander directed the care of the horses and the
unloading of the luggage from the coach while Louise started exploring.
She hadn't been there for years, yet, when she walked into the halls, her old
memories of being there for a few weeks each summer, playing jokes on
Alexander, running, playing, climbing the apple trees and eating apples, all
came rushing back.

 

          Suddenly, there in the large sitting room, she recognized an old
couch that she recalled hiding behind to throw a rotten apple at Alexander,
and she burst out laughing. Alexander poked his head in the door. "Is
everything all right, Louise?"

 

          She grinned and put her arms around his neck. "Oh, Alexander, this
place brings back so many memories, not all of them good. I was such a
little brat in the way I treated you. Can you ever forgive me?"

 

          He kissed her and laughed. "I don't remember any bad memories.
Besides, life is made for looking forward. Forward is always brighter if
happy memories are remembered and others are forgotten."

 

          She hugged him tighter. "When we were small, did you ever
imagine we would be married?"

 

          He smiled. "You know, sometimes I could see something wonderful
behind that tough exterior of yours. But I have to admit that the thought of
the two of us marrying was probably the absolute opposite of what was on
my mind back then."

 

          They held each other for some time. She was glad they had come
here. She had thought it might not be the best place to spend their
honeymoon because of the memories of summers, but she was also finding
that building good memories seemed to erase the pain of the bad.

 

          They had a wonderful two weeks at Walsken. At night the old
guardian of the estate would sit with them by the fireplace and tell them
stories of their mothers. The queen grew up there, and Lady Margaret grew
up not too far distant. When she became the queen's lady-in-waiting, she
moved to Walsken. Louise laughed to hear new stories of her mother -
stories of pranks she had played and things she had done in her younger
years. In many ways, she found she was more like her mother than she had
ever known, and she felt closer to her for it.

 

          Alexander took Louise sledding on a hill near the manor - a new
experience which she found exhilarating. She liked to catch him with a
good snowball, now and then. He was too much of a gentleman to throw
one back at her, but he wasn't above coming in from the cold and placing
his icy hands on her bare neck as she sat by a warm fire.

 

          Alexander was true to his word, and they started spending most of
the winters at Winslow and most of the summers at Denville. The winters
and summers seemed to come and go quickly after that. They wanted
children, but no children came. She knew how much he wanted one, and
each time she would get her hopes built up only to find out again that she
was not pregnant, she would cry. She had felt that, in so many things, she
had been a disappointment and less than he deserved, and, in this one thing,
she had hoped to please him.

 

          He would always comfort her and tell her it didn't matter. He would
remind her that the thousands of children all over the kingdom were like his
own. That would ease the pain in her heart, because she knew it was true.
Wherever they went, the children flocked to him. Even if he didn't have
candy, he would read to them, and if he saw a child hurt or crying, he would
stop and comfort them. He especially had a soft spot for the children of
Bernodia.

 

          But finally, there came the day that she was sure she was pregnant.
She kept it to herself for quite a while, not wanting to get Alexander excited
just to have him be disappointed. When she was absolutely positive, she
told him. Alexander could hardly contain his excitement. He danced her all
around the room. As the day grew closer, he fussed and worried over her.
He was so concerned all would be right.

 

          When the night came for the delivery, he paced and paced, worried
and worried. Her father had tried to calm and reassure him, but he kept
saying that he didn't know what he'd do if she wasn't all right. His worry
was all for naught. When Alexander and her father were invited in and their
new little bundle was placed in Alexander's arms, the tears flowed down his
cheeks. He kissed the baby, and then he kissed Louise. "She's beautiful,"
he said. "She looks just like you."

 

          They named her Marie, and she truly was beautiful. She adored her
father, and he loved her. Before she was even two, she was helping him
with plants in the gardens. He would take her everywhere. She could be
seen at parades, at balls, at any royal gathering, either riding on her father's
shoulders or standing beside him, her little hand in his.

 

          And if Marie wasn't with her father, she was with one of her
grandpas. They all adored her, and Louise thought they didn't just spoil her
a little.