The Lady and the Prince

The Progress crossed the Pyne River over an old solid stone bridge and wended its way up the coast for a day before turning inland. At the end of the second day they passed from Landsford into Aggradon, where the Stratton holding was.

Two days later they stopped at an inn less than a half day from their goal. In fact they were closer than that, but they had to go up along a large stream to a bridge and then backtrack to the Stratton manor.

They could have continued, but it was late afternoon and Elizabeth wanted a chance to freshen up before they arrived, and she wanted to make sure Nick was looking his best too when she introduced him to Gramp. She was a little worried about how that meeting would go. Nick outranked her grandfather and wasn’t much for being respectful, especially toward someone of lesser rank no matter what their age. Gramp wasn’t the courtly type, and he might not manage to at least pretend to respect her teenage betrothed. Or they might get along fine, she just didn’t know what to expect.

They stopped at a very nice inn. Elizabeth wanted to make sure she had the dresses available that she wanted for her visit, so she and Sylvie went into the inn together followed by all her trunks. Nick realized she was going to be busy for some time, so he made sure Winkershime had his valise and then took Falcon and went for a ride while the Progress encamped. The small inn couldn’t accommodate more than those riding in the carriages and the guard officers, so everyone else was putting up tents.

Nick went down by the stream. While streams attracted habitation, heavily wooded areas or areas with steep or rocky banks were often deserted, perfect for practicing magic. They had passed an area that looked like it might suit him a while back, so he headed that direction.

He was disappointed though. The place he had remembered had steep banks and trees, but it wasn’t deserted. Four boys about twelve or thirteen years old were there, wading shoeless in the shallows, playing with sticks and tossing stones.

Nick dismounted since the gently sloping bank he had been riding along disappeared into the water. He would either have to go into the stream or backtrack and go around the area if he wanted to continue on. Or should he just go back to the inn?

The boys spotted him and splashed over to him. “Who are you?” one of them asked him, rather rudely, he thought.

“Just a visitor. Is there a bank where I can ride my horse down that way, or is the stream inaccessible like it is here?” Nick didn’t want to announce his rank to a group of ragamuffin children; they didn’t need to know.

“Nah, you can’t ride down there. It’s all trees and roots and rocks and stuff,” one boy said. But another, the tallest of the group, said, “You’re not allowed here. This is my land, and you get off.”

Nick raised his eyebrows. “Your land? Are you Lord Muck then? I’ll allow you own the dirt that’s all over you.”

Another boy, apparently the leader of the group, stepped forward. “This is our land, and you’ve been told to leave, so get going or face the consequences.”

Nick had been amused, but the boy’s threat made him angry. “Consequences? What exactly do you think you’re going to do if I don’t leave?”

The leader looked unsure, but the tallest boy stepped forward and swung the stick in his hand. It was long, thin, and flexible, and it whistled through the air to slap Nick on the thigh, leaving a dirty wet mark on his clothes. It stung too.

Nick was outraged to have some peasant boy strike him. “How dare you! Do you know what the punishment is for hitting one of your betters?” He made a face as soon as he heard what he said. He sounded pompous like Edward, but he didn’t know what to do; he wasn’t armed, not even with a knife. He was taller than any of the boys but not by much, and there were four of them.

“You’re not my better,” the tall boy said scornfully. “I’m a lord, and so is my brother, so you better just say you’re sorry and leave.”

“Well I’m a prince, so why don’t you and the rest of your lordships kneel down in the stream and beg for my forgiveness.”

The tall boy lost his temper and started whipping his stick at Nick. The young prince put out his hand to catch it, but he was too slow and got a cut across the back of his hand the first time. The second strike he caught and jerked the boy toward him, pulling the stick out of his hand and grabbing him.

Two of the boys turned and ran back the way they had come. The leader said, “CJ! You shouldn’t have done that. Let him go, mister.” Nick had a good hold of CJ by then, but the boy started to struggle, trying to punch him a couple of times.

Nick had been trained to fight. He blocked one blow and turned so a second was ineffective. Then he grabbed the boy’s arm and levered him down into the water, holding him down until he stopped thrashing.

The young prince pulled the half-drowned boy up to his feet and strong-armed him over to Falcon. The other boy had danced around the edge of the struggle and now followed, begging, “Please, mister, let him go. We’re sorry. Honestly, CJ just has a temper. He didn’t really mean anything.”

Nick tossed the limp boy facedown over the front of his saddle and mounted behind him. “He’s going to find out what happens to people who spill royal blood,” Nick growled, making it clear that the offense was serious—very serious.

“Oh crap,” the leader boy said. “Gramp is going to kill us.” He turned and sprinted off after the other two boys.

Nick was already loping away, but the name Gramp caught his ear. Surely there was more than one Gramp in the world, wasn’t there? “You”—he poked the boy flopping up and down in front of him—“what’s your name?”

“Ch-ch-charles J-J-John Stra-a-atton,” he wheezed out in time with the horse.

“Oh crap, indeed.” Nick considered just letting the boy go, but no, that wouldn’t do. This was going to be his brother-in-law, and he had to learn to respect Nick. But visions of whipping the insolent boy were now replaced in his mind with Elizabeth being angry with him.

When the prince made it back to the Progress encampment, he immediately attracted a great deal of attention. When he’d left, he had been the perfect image of a neat, well-dressed gentleman going out for a pleasant ride. Now he was wet and dirty and returning with a prisoner.

He picked out the guard lieutenant that Winkershime trusted from the gathering crowd, dismounted next to him, and unloaded CJ into his arms. “Hold on to him, but don’t hurt him,” Nick instructed. Then he turned toward the inn and bellowed, “Elizabeth! Elizabeth, come out here now!”

Elizabeth was alarmed; she’d never heard her betrothed yell for her before. She went to the window and saw the crowd with Nick in the middle. She couldn’t tell what was going on, but he was all right, and that was what mattered. She was a lady, she wasn’t going to yell back, but she turned away from the window and headed for the inn door.

Outside she hurried up to Nick. “Whatever is it?” she asked, concerned. Her prince stepped aside to reveal the guard lieutenant with…Charlie! She almost didn’t recognize him. He had shot up while she had been gone, and he was dirty and wet. Well, dirty and wet weren’t all that unusual for her little brother.

“Charlie, how did you get here? What happened to you?” Charlie just gave Nick a sour look and didn’t answer. Elizabeth turned to her betrothed.

“Nick, what happened?”

He showed her the cut across the back of his hand. It didn’t look like much since most of the blood had washed off in the stream, but it was still clearly a cut. “He was with three other boys—I suppose one of them was your other brother—and he attacked me.”

“Charlie attacked you?” Elizabeth examined the cut. “With a knife?”

“No, with a stick.”

“My little brother hit you with a stick, and you what, beat him up, tossed him in some water, and dragged him back here?”

“I stopped him from continuing to hit me. He tried to punch me twice, so I knocked him down, but I didn’t hit him, Elizabeth. We were on the edge of the stream, and I dunked him to cool him off, then I brought him back for punishment. I didn’t even know who he was until I had him on my horse.”

“Charlie, is that true? Did you do this?” asked, holding forward Nick’s hand.

Charlie hung his head. “Yes, but we didn’t know who he was. Jamie and I told him to get off our land, and when he wouldn’t, I got mad and tried to make him.”

Elizabeth sighed and turned back to Nick. “Lady Hornswaggle hasn’t gotten to crime and punishments with me yet. What is the punishment for scratching a prince?”

When he didn’t answer, the guard captain stepped forward. “It’s fifty lashes for attacking a royal, another fifty for each blow landed, and a hundred for drawing blood. A serious injury rates beheading.”

“But all those lashes would kill someone,” Elizabeth said, aghast.

The captain responded, “Usually, but not always. It does discourage attacks though.”

Elizabeth gave Nick a stricken look and said, “You’re not going to do that to Charlie, are you? Isn’t there any choice?”

“Of course there’s a choice,” Nick responded. “Since I was the one attacked, I can change the punishment with reason. Since Charlie had no idea who I was and was just trying to enforce his brother’s command, there’s no need for whipping, at least not officially. As far as I am concerned, we can leave it up to your grandfather. Whatever he decides is acceptable to me.”

Elizabeth nodded and turned back to Charlie. “Did you hear that? You’re off the hook except for whatever Gramp decides to do to you. Now apologize to Prince Nick for hitting him.”

“I thought you were marrying Prince Henry,” Charlie objected.

“Same fellow. Go on.”

Charlie shuffled over to Nick and said sullenly, “I’m sorry for hitting you, but you should have told us who you are.”

Elizabeth prompted, “Your Highness.”

“Your Highness,” her brother repeated.

Nick was familiar with the strategy of putting the blame on the other person. He’d used it himself, and he wasn’t about to let Charlie get away with it. “That doesn’t matter. Resorting to violence when someone doesn’t immediately do what you want isn’t the proper way to behave, Lord Charlie. If you and your brother, Lord Jamie, had politely introduced yourselves, I would have done the same.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Elizabeth was pleased Charlie was getting the hang of talking to her prince and speaking politely, even if his tone of voice remained sullen and insolent. Maybe the threat of a couple hundred lashes had made an impression on him.

She turned to the guard captain and said, “Captain, could you please send a messenger to Baron Stratton and explain that we have Charlie, he’s all right, and we’ll bring him along with us tomorrow? Oh, and a set of nightclothes and a clean suit for tomorrow would be appreciated.”

“Certainly, Lady Elizabeth. A rider can be there and back within a couple of hours, perhaps less. If you’d like, he could take the boy with him, not just a message.”

“No, I think we should be there when Charlie explains to our grandfather what happened, so he will be staying with us tonight.”

“Very good, Your Ladyship.” The captain turned to Nick and said pointedly, “And would Your Highness like his sword or, possibly a guard to accompany him next time he decides to go for a ride alone?”

Nick snapped back, “I’ll decide that, Captain. Dismissed.” In truth, he knew he had made a mistake. He had been so intent on finding a place to practice that he had completely forgotten that he wasn’t on the palace grounds or on the patrolled estate of a High Noble. Riding off unarmed and alone had been foolish, and he had been lucky to have run into boys instead of bandits.

Elizabeth said, “You two dry off and change into clean clothes. We’ll have to borrow something for Charlie until the messenger gets back. I’ll see if the inn can squeeze my brother in somewhere.”

The inn was out of rooms, but they offered to put a second cot in the broom closet-sized room allotted to Hal. Hal was pleased to room with a lord, even one that didn’t look or act like nobility. The innkeeper’s son loaned Charlie some clothes that were only a little big on him.

Nick went back to his own room to dry off, wash up, and change. Winkershime came in the door behind him and started bustling around, laying out a dry change of clothes. As he worked he said, “I hear you caught one of the men that attacked you.”

“They weren’t men, just boys, and only one tried to hit me.”

“Ah, well that’s good. Men are usually armed with clubs and knives and don’t hesitate to attack as a group. You could have gotten far worse than a scratch, Your Highness. Anarchists, were they?”

“No, it was Elizabeth’s brothers and their friends.”

“Fortunate. Anarchists generally try to murder lone unarmed nobles, and a prince would have been quite a prize, wouldn’t he, Your Highness?”

Nick finished drying himself and started to dress. “Yes, Winkershime, I shouldn’t have been off by myself unarmed. I know that. I wasn’t thinking, and I won’t do it again, all right?”

Winkershime looked affronted as he handed Nick his pants. “I’m only a servant, Your Highness. It’s certainly not my place to criticize your behavior.”

“Right, and you would never act improperly, I know that too. And I know you’re about the best valet a prince could have. Don’t think I don’t appreciate all that you do for me.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I do my best to ensure you always look your best.”

And learn my jobs, do my duty, and become a decent adult, all while sponging out stains and ironing in sharp creases. The room didn’t have a big mirror like his room at home, so when fully dressed, Nick asked, “How do I look?”

The valet surveyed him critically and said, “Very good, Your Highness, you look very fine indeed.”

Nick grinned. Winkershime wasn’t angry with him. If he had been, he would have made Nick stand there while he fussed over his appearance. His young prince had gotten the point, and all was forgiven. Nick went to join Elizabeth and her little brother for dinner. At least at an inn the atmosphere was less formal, although the table laid for them was reasonably impressive with four glasses, five plates, and seven pieces of silverware per place setting. And Nick could tell it was at least silver plate, not steel.

Elizabeth spent most of dinner talking to Charlie, asking him about how things had changed since she had been gone. He mumbled about him and Jamie having tutors for literature, history, and mathematics, but was enthusiastic about his arms tutor. And Charlie proudly told her the old barn was now just feed storage, that there was a brand-new stable for thirty horses, and that they had a dozen fine mares and the best stallion in the dukedom.

“And what about Billy? I hope he’s getting enough exercise.”

“Oh, we sold him to the Donalds. They have a little girl who is crazy for him. I have a real horse now. I named him Blaze because he has a white patch down his face and three white socks.”

“What did you think of my horse?” Nick asked.

“Oh, well, I guess he’s all right, Your Highness.”

“I suppose you didn’t see him from the best angle.”

“Not exactly my fault, was it, Prince?”

Nick stopped eating. The boy was just rude. Nick hoped the rest of Elizabeth’s family had better manners. “Elizabeth, I do believe your brothers need a PGE tutor, don’t you?”

“They’re a little young, Nick.”

Charlie broke in with, “How come you get to call him Nick, and I have to call him Highness?”

“Because I’m going to marry him, and you’re not. Now I think you should stop chatting and finish your food.” Elizabeth watched as Charlie used his salad fork on his dessert, which she had expected since he had used his entrée fork on his salad and his dessert fork on his entrée. At one time, she might well have done the same, but now it seemed ignorant. Would Nick see her whole family that way?

Charlie’s clothes had arrived by the time they finished eating. It had been a long day for all of them, and they went to bed early.

In the morning Elizabeth dressed in one of her simpler Londinum gowns, and she, Nick, and Charlie shared the big coach. Charlie spent a lot of time looking at the swords and the bow riding with them, but a discouraging look from Elizabeth kept his hands off of them.

Elizabeth knew the advance scout would announce their imminent arrival a few minutes before the Progress turned into the Stratton driveway, so she wasn’t surprised to see Gramp and Jamie standing on the porch to greet them. She crossed her fingers for luck and hoped with all her heart this would go well.

Her eyes met Nick’s, and he gave her a little smile and said quietly, “It’ll be okay.” He could see how tense she was. The carriage rolled to a stop, and the usual bustle ensued. Charlie put out his hand to open the carriage door, but Elizabeth gave him a quick shake of her head, and he stopped.

One of the footmen opened it, the little stairs for mounting and dismounting in place. Nick got out first, helped her out, and made sure Charlie was safely on the ground before giving her his arm and escorting her up the stairs.

Gramp and Jamie were both in new suits; Jamie’s actually fit him perfectly, and Elizabeth had noticed this morning how well Charlie’s fit as well. When they reached the top of the stairs and stood facing Baron Stratton, for a moment nothing happened. Elizabeth’s heart started to race, but then Gramp bowed and said, “Welcome, Prince Henry and Lady Elizabeth. My home is your home.”

The bow had been about half as deep as it should have been; it had been almost disrespectful. Elizabeth’s hand tightened on Nick’s arm.

Nick returned the bow with one of exactly equal depth—a little more than was proper for a prince to a baron. He replied, “Thank you, Baron. The family uses my middle name, Nicholas, and I hope you will too. I am honored to meet you, sir.”

Elizabeth curtsied expertly in turn and added, “And I am very glad to be home, Gramp, even if it’s only for a little while.”

Gramp was smiling. He said, “And may I present my heir, Lord James? I believe you have already met my younger grandson, Lord Charles.”

Jamie actually did a bow that was a little awkward but correct. Nick smiled at him and returned a shallower bow, also correct. He said, “I’m pleased to be formally introduced to you, Lord James.”

Jamie said hoarsely, “And I you, Your Highness,” while looking at the ground.

Charlie had gone over to stand next to his brother, but it was a bit late for formal introductions, so he was ignored except for sidelong looks from Jamie. Elizabeth knew as soon as they were dismissed they would have their heads together, and Charlie would tell Jamie everything that had happened to him.

But first Elizabeth said, “Charlie, why don’t you tell Gramp what happened yesterday?”

Charlie looked at Jamie, who gave him a little nod. He’d already told, so there was no point in saying anything but the truth. Charlie said, “We were playing in the stream, me, Jamie, Zeke, and Martin, and we saw a man on a horse. We didn’t know him, so we told him to leave, he was trespassing. But he didn’t, so I tried to make him leave. I hit him with the stick I had, and then I hit him again, but he caught the stick and pulled it away from me and grabbed me. I tried to punch him, but he got me down in the water, and then he pulled me up and put me over his horse and rode off with me. I didn’t know he was the prince, Gramp. He didn’t say who he was. But I guess me and Jamie didn’t say who we were either, so I shouldn’t have hit him. I’m sorry.”

Baron Stratton said, “Striking a member of the royal family is a very serious offense. Prince Nicholas, what do you intend to do with my grandson?”

“There was fault on both sides, and I was only scratched. I’ll leave his punishment to you, sir.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. That is very magnanimous of you, I do appreciate it. Young lords, you are dismissed to your rooms now. Charlie, I’ll think on your punishment and let you know later.”

Both boys made their bows and quickly went into the house followed more slowly by the adults. Once inside, Elizabeth dropped all formality and hugged Gramp, who hugged her back tightly. He said, “Elizabeth, I’m so glad to see you. You’re looking well, is everything all right?”

Elizabeth said, “Everything is just fine, Gramp. Let us get settled, and then we can talk.”

Like the inn, the Stratton house could only accommodate a few guests, so the tents went up on the side lawn while Nick and Elizabeth were shown to two of the large bedrooms that had been reopened and redecorated.

Once she and Sylvie had unpacked, Elizabeth went to talk to Gramp. She knew she wouldn’t be seeing Nick for the rest of the afternoon. The latest package from Commerce had been thick, and he planned to finish it before dinner.

It took some searching, but she finally found Gramp in his new office. It was much larger than the old one with new furniture and new books about horse breeding and farming. The door was open, so she just knocked politely on the door frame.

Gramp’s raised his face from his account books, and it lit up when he saw her. He came around his desk and hugged her again. “Elizabeth, please sit down. Your prince isn’t with you, is he?” At the shake of her head, he continued, “He’s only a boy, Elizabeth. How old is he?”

“He’s almost sixteen, and we won’t be married until he is and gets his knighthood.”

“Elizabeth, I never thought you would be paired with a child. I thought all the princes were older than you. You don’t have to marry him. We would be fine without any further payments. We have back a great deal of land, a new stable, the beginnings of a fine breeding herd, and money in the bank. You could just tell him you changed your mind and stay here with us.”

“Nick isn’t a child, he really isn’t. He’s the Head of Commerce for all of Anglia, and he takes his duties very seriously and does them well. Admittedly, he’s not entirely an adult yet either, but he’s a good young man, and he’s becoming an even better one. I love him, Gramp, and I want to marry him. So don’t feel guilty about the payments, please?”

“You love him, truly?”

“I do. I want to marry him.”

“Well, if you want to, I suppose I can accept it. At least, he was respectful of my age, if not necessarily my rank. I don’t like what happened with him and the boys though. What was he doing out riding all by himself? That’s not the way a prince should behave, ordinary folk should have some warning before running into him.”

“I know, and Nick realizes it too now. He made a mistake. He’s going to do that from time to time. Didn’t you make mistakes when you were fifteen?”

“I was a feckless boy at fifteen, but I wasn’t a prince or even a baron at that age, and I wasn’t heading up an important government department. Well, it’s understandable I suppose. I told Charlie he’s going to be spending his free time mucking out stalls and doing extra chores for the next ten days. I don’t know what got into that boy. The fact that he’s just a hair taller than Jamie now seems to have gone to his head.”

“I’m sure he’ll settle down. He’s always had a good heart. I’ve been taking classes Gramp, learning Franckish and something called Protocol Genealogy and Etiquette. It’s helped me quite a bit. I still have a great deal to learn, but Jamie and Charlie could benefit from those classes too. When they go to court, they need to know how to behave properly. Right now they would be considered rustic bumpkins.”

“And would I be a rustic bumpkin too?” Gramp asked touchily.

Elizabeth quickly corrected her implication. “Of course not. You’re Baron Stratton, and your natural dignity would overcome any minor etiquette slips.”

Gramp’s eyes suddenly twinkled. “So it wouldn’t hurt me to sneak in a few lessons when no one is around too.” He’d only been teasing her. “By the way, will your prince expect dinner to be formal?”

“No, not unless you want it to be. Just let us know so we dress appropriately.”

“What sort of activities do I host for you two?”

“Whatever you like. Nick should get to know my family as they are. But I do want a ball. I want to show him off to everyone, if you could manage that.”

“The ballroom is open, and I’ve just been waiting for an excuse. Let me know who you want to invite so I don’t forget anyone you particularly want to parade your prince in front of.”

They grinned at each other in complete understanding. Gramp had seen how unhappy she had been when the neighborhood social circle had snubbed her and was in complete agreement that they were due a little comeuppance.

Gramp added, “I suppose you’ll want Agatha and Christine over tomorrow?”

“If they’re free, or I could visit them. You’ll make the arrangements?”

“I’ll send messages. You know one is married and the other is engaged now?”

“I didn’t know, but I thought they might be. But I’d like to be with them just us girls at first.”

“I’m sure they’ll want that too. After all, you can’t compare notes on your men with them present.”

“Gramp!”

Gramp laughed. “I was married to your grandmother long enough to know what women talk about among themselves.”

Elizabeth gave Gramp a peck on the cheek in thanks and left him to finish his accounts. She stopped by the kitchen and had a nice visit with Mildred. She was glad to see the cook had other servants to help her now and no longer had to do any of the heavy or onerous work.

Dinner was informal, but Jamie and Charlie were surprisingly polite and well-behaved. Nick was quiet, reserved, and respectful, but Gramp seemed annoyed for some reason. Finally he said, “Your Highness, we’re going to be family. If you don’t stop calling me ‘sir,’ I’m going to get angry. Everybody calls me ‘Gramp.’ Why don’t you try that?”

Nick met Elizabeth’s eyes, and she gave him a little nod. He said, “All right, si…Gramp. And you can call me Nick, although in public…”

“…You’re still a grand fellow, and we should show proper respect,” Gramp finished. “Of course, we’re not completely ignorant, you know.”

Nick protested, “I didn’t mean to imply—”

“I know, I know,” Gramp said. “Elizabeth has been telling me about something called Protocol Genealogy and Etiquette, and I think we’ll add that to the boys’ curriculum.”

Jamie and Charlie groaned and rolled their eyes. Jamie said, “We’re already pretty busy.”

“You’re not too busy to acquire some manners,” Gramp said in a voice that said his decision was final.

Nick smiled a little and said to Jamie, “It’s not so bad. You get to memorize long lists of names and learn dancing and how to sip tea properly.” His smile turned into a grin at the boys’ looks of horror. He knew exactly how to torment them. After all, he’d been them only two or three years ago.

After dinner Gramp took them on a tour of the new stable and proudly showed them the fine horses he’d acquired, extolling their excellent bloodlines and virtues. They admired the horses until it was nearly dark and then went inside. Throughout the evening Elizabeth was pleased to see Nick and Gramp becoming easier with each other, bonding over their mutual admiration for good horseflesh.

She went to bed happy. Nick was fitting in with her family after a rocky start, her family was prosperous and doing well, and tomorrow she would see her old friends. She had brought her doll, Betsy, along, although this was the first time she had unpacked her old toy. She set her on the nightstand next to the bed. For now, at least, all was right with the world.