The Debutante (Season Series #2)

Chapter 18 (part 2): Libby the Smith

"So first I heat it, right?" I asked the apprentice. The boy glanced over at Graeme and the prince, the smith watching intently while Andrew tried to stifle his grin.

"Yes, milady," the boy said, "Like this."

He showed me how to heat the metal in the fire before coaching me on how to hammer it out. I struggled with it, the whole process seeming far simpler than it actually was. Andrew and Graeme wandered away to inspect a few apprentices nearby who were working on horseshoes.

"Your name's Billy, right?" I asked, when I botched the hammering for the third time and he had to help me restart.

"Yes, milady," he said.

"I'm Libby," I said, setting to hammering once again, "And I'm very happy you're helping me. This is much more difficult than it looks."

"It's not as hard as what the others do," he said, casting a wistful look towards the work of the older apprentices.

"But you must make ever so many more finished pieces than they do," I said, restraining myself from giving a yelp of glee when the hammered metal finally fit into the square gauge.

"I do," Billy said, a ghost of a smile on his face, "I can make more than a dozen in a hour."

"Now that's a lot of nails!" I said, "Will you show me how to bend it?"

He complied, then showed me how to use the tongs to both heat and hammer the now smaller piece of metal. I was so engrossed in finishing it that I barely noticed the time passing. When Billy showed me how to plunge the gauge and newly hammered nail into the water and I turned around to tap it out onto the anvil, I whooped with glee. Andrew's laugh nearly toppled me backwards in my shock as I'd been completely oblivious that he and Graeme had returned.

"Look at that, you made a nail," Andrew said, impressed. He picked it up to inspect it before handing it to Graeme.

"Billy was an excellent teacher," I said, shooting the apprentice a wink. That ghost of a grin returned for a moment before he got back to work. Graeme was running a critical eye over my nail as I stepped out of Billy's way to join them.

"And it's not a terrible job for a...well, for a lady," Graeme said, handing it back to me, "Though I'll admit I've never seen a lady use a hammer before."

"Libby's not like most ladies, Graeme," Andrew said, that glint in his eyes again. I blushed, suddenly feeling the heat of the room. I dropped my eyes to toy with the nail, a sudden swell of pride ballooning in my chest as I inspected my work.

"I reckon that's true," Graeme said, turning to Andrew, "Your Highness, before you go, I was hop-"

He stopped speaking as the captain of the guards hurried through the smithy towards us.

"Pardon me, your Highness, but they say it's urgent," he said, handing a sealed note to Andrew. The prince frowned, breaking the seal and reading the note by the light of the forge. Despite the clanging of the apprentices and smiths, I could have sworn I'd heard Andrew curse.

"What's wrong?" I asked, as he crumpled the note. The smile he gave me didn't reach his eyes, doing more to unsettle me than reassure me.

"Just a change in plans is all," he said, "Graeme, unfortunately I'll have to cut the visit short. I'll return soon and we'll discuss what you were about to bring up."

"Of course, your Highness," Graeme said, bowing as we took our leave.

"Are you going to tell me what's happened?" I asked as we emerged into the cool afternoon air.

"Suddenly there's a state dinner with the Ardalonian ambassador tonight," Andrew said, reaching for my hand again, "No doubt because I'd slighted Dulciana by not inviting her to the box at the opera."

"But we have plenty of time before then, surely?" I asked, looking up towards the sun. It was barely mid-afternoon and if I had to guess, we weren't all that far from Highcastle if we hurried. Andrew gave me a rueful smile as we approached the waiting horses.

"We do, but I hadn't intended this to be our last stop," he said, "I was hoping to have dinner with you in Harridon. The inn there has the most spectacular roasted duck."

My stomach twisted with longing as I thought about a dinner just the two of us. Instead, we'd be riding back to the viper pit so he could have dinner with Dulciana.

"Don't worry," he said, resting his hands on my shoulders, "I promise we'll do this again soon."

"I'd like that very much," I said, rolling my little iron nail between my fingers.

"Please don't let this ruin today," Andrew said, pushing some of my sweaty hair out of my face, "Because I've had the most wonderful time."

"As have I," I said. He smiled and it was all I could do not to lean up and kiss him. Today had by far been the most enjoyable of all my days in Highcastle, probably mostly because very little of it had been spent in the palace. He helped me into Juniper's saddle and the royal guard mounted around us, Andrew clasping Graeme's hand one more time in farewell as the blacksmith bowed to him.

As I watched Andrew bid farewell to the villagers, that little sun in my chest swelled even larger. He was going to be a wonderful king. Seeing the respect and familiarity he afforded his future subjects was reassuring, especially given the stuffy general attitude of the rest of the nobles I'd come across at court.

We rode out of Castlerock, taking a smaller hunting track as a shortcut back to the main road to Highcastle. It was barely even tea time as we approached the city limits, my heart aching at the thought of returning to the palace and everyone in it. I tried to focus on the feel of the sun on my face and the wind in my hair, but it was no use. That tension that I'd so suddenly been freed of this morning had now settled firmly back into place as we entered Highcastle.

The city was awake now and there were far more people stopping to watch us pass, the royal guard surrounding us on all sides now. Andrew waved to everyone who greeted him and I forced myself to at least smile despite the knot squeezing tighter and tighter in my stomach.

"Try to look like you had at least a little fun today," Andrew said, the palace gates looming ahead of us. When I looked over to him, I could see the concern in his eyes.

"I daresay I had too much fun today," I replied, "I don't want it to end."

"It won't," Andrew said, reaching over to give my hand a squeeze. He held my gaze and I felt that tug between us again, reassuring me that I could look forward to more days like this with him at my side.

We rode through the grounds and I took my last chance to savour the afternoon sun and the comfort of sitting atop my Juniper. Closing my eyes, I basked in the warmth for a few more seconds to brace myself for the return to reality.

Only that return was to be sooner than I'd thought.

When we rounded the corner towards the stables, I had to keep from swearing. There, scattered about the rose garden with fur-lined cloaks and colourful dresses were the queen and the rest of the debutantes. The sounds of our riding party drew their gazes and I felt my stomach plummet as their eyes turned to me. Annabelle and Georgina's gaped like the rest of them, my cousin bouncing on her heels as she hid a smile behind her hand.

Behind them, however, Ashley looked positively livid as her eyes followed me, while Adelaide's eyebrows had lifted in polite surprise. I didn't much care how the two of them reacted, but I very much cared about the reaction from woman they flanked. The queen was standing between them, her expression unreadable as she watched me ride by next to Andrew.

I could only hope that an unreadable expression was a good thing as I rolled the little nail between my fingers.