Aurelia by Anne Osterlund Read Free Book Online Page A

two.
    shooting Chris a knowing look, she tugged robert away, calling over her shoulder, "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."
    Together, she and her remaining companion struggled through the cluttered streets. They wove around vendors' stalls for a while. but Aurelia had already drained the slim purse she had bothered to bring along, and robert had no need for glass beads or decorative weavings. The tight crowd and combined smell of food and drink grew stifling.
    They stopped to catch their breaths beside the large fountain depicting rearing horses. robert knelt as if to help her mount one of the magnificent stone steeds. she took his hand and climbed up to walk along the fountain's circular rim.
    "Away, away!" shouted a man wearing a dark mustache and holding a painter's palette. Aurelia realized she had interfered with his portrait of a pair of revelers posing beside the fountain. He waved a paintbrush in anger, splattering red drops all over the white costume fabric of his paying customers.
    Apologizing and smothering her laughter, Aurelia steered robert away from the crowds, back toward the river. "I've had enough." she sighed as they wound their way up along the bank beside a curtain of willow boughs.
    Nodding his approval, robert walked beside her without speaking. The celebration sounds dimmed, and the number of paper lanterns decreased until only a scattering lit their way. He moved out on a carved bridge and leaned over the edge. people who did that always made Aurelia nervous, but she forced herself to hold her tongue, having learned from experience that protest only encouraged them.
    He pulled back slowly, continuing to gaze down at the dark water and the reflection of a single lantern's light. "This is what I missed the most," he said, startling her by breaking the companionable silence. "The river. I always felt so connected with it, connected with the world here on this bridge."
    Hearing him voice her feelings made her uneasy. "but now you've seen the world," she said, unable to keep the envy out of her voice.
    "Only another corner of it and the route on the way there." He turned around, resting his elbows on the railing and peering up at the patch of sky above his head. "I think the more you see, the more you realize you have yet to see."
    "you sound like our old instructors." she wrinkled her nose. "The more you learn--"
    "The more you realize how much you don't know," robert finished for her. "Chris said you aren't taking classes anymore. I always assumed you'd attend university, or at least have the professors come to you."
    she choked over her father's words as she voiced them. "Apparently I can better serve my kingdom if I commit my time in more useful ways." she knew the darkness could not hide the bitterness and disappointment in her voice. A variety of threats, bribes, and frequent reminders about her duty had conspired to keep her watching as other classmates went on to join the university ranks.
    To robert's credit, he attempted a switch to a less sensitive topic. "Who was the girl who approached Chris back there? you seemed in a hurry to avoid her."
    "Hmm." This was no more an enjoyable subject but encouragingly less personal. "Tedasa. she is a friend of melony's and one of the most eligible young ladies at court." Aurelia did not bother to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
    He laughed. "I've rather been enjoying the company of an eligible lady all evening."
    "Ah, you are mistaken," Aurelia corrected him. "One thing I have not been all evening is a lady. That is why it has been enjoyable."
    "Nonetheless." He refused to let the subject drop. "you did not seem inclined to spend any more time in our unexpected companion's presence than you had to."
    Aurelia was uncomfortable sharing her honest opinion when she knew it might get back to Chris.
    "she didn't go to school at the palace with us," robert prompted.
    "Her father is a foreign dignitary. He spends his time traveling. When her mother died last