Essence Of The Heart (The Royal Tutor) by Daris Howard Read Free Book Online Page A

Lady Margaret
sat quietly as if not knowing quite what to do. If she told them what
Alexander had done, she knew they would have to punish him, but it was
humiliating to mention it after the many pranks she had played on him. He
had finally played one on her and she had lost control of herself.
     
          She stormed from the dining room, determined that whatever she did
to him next was going to be the best of the best. She was going to get him
good in whatever he took pride in most. As she trudged back to her room,
she wondered how he had gotten that horrible beast in there without her
knowing it. Obviously he had gotten it drunk, but how did he drag it in?
He must be stronger than she thought.
     
          She paced back and forth in her living quarters. She had to have the
right event and the perfect timing. Once, Lady Marina came in, but, with
one vicious glance from Louise, she quickly retreated to the safety of the
hallway. When a plan finally came to Louise, she knew it was the most
perfect of all perfect plans, and she smiled to herself as she prepared to
implement it.
     

 
     
    Chapter 5
    The Perfect Plan That Went Wrong And Made Things Right
          Above all, Alexander loved horses and prided himself on his
horsemanship. Louise decided she would embarrass him in front of a lot of
important people. Her own father and mother were coming for her
eighteenth birthday celebration, and they were bringing with them the most
notable people of the country. The eighteenth birthday was the biggest
event in a girl's life, especially for a princess. She would then be seen as
eligible for marriage.
     
          On that day all the noblemen were supposed to ride with the hounds.
That would be the day she would totally humiliate Alexander.
     
          She planned it carefully. Alexander truly was an expert horseman.
She ordered one of her reluctant ladies-in-waiting to distract Alexander
while she planted a burr under Lady's saddle. It was a major undertaking,
because Alexander never let anyone touch Lady's gear, not even his most
trusted servants. Louise had to do it after he had already saddled her. She
had to take the saddle off, plant the bristly burr, and resaddle her before he
came back.
     
          It worked like a charm. All of the great men of the country gathered
around and began to mount. Alexander had no sooner swung up into the
saddle than Lady went crazy. Alexander was jolted this way and that, and
eventually landed flat in the mud in his best riding suit. The other men
laughed and ridiculed him until she almost felt ashamed of herself... almost.
     
           As bad as that was, Alexander was especially upset when he found
the burr. He treated Lady with such gentleness. He was far more concerned
with the mistreatment she had endured than the abuse he had taken. He
didn't even question who had done it. There seemed to be no doubt in his
mind.
     
          As he turned to look at Louise, it was the first time she could
remember he wasn't smiling. She saw an expression on his face that wiped
the smile from her own and made her cringe. Sensing his disapproval, she
found herself shrinking into the shadows to hide. Never before had she felt
his condemnation.
     
          She tried to think she had gotten the best of him, though in reality
she was feeling the same disdain for her own actions that she sensed from
him. He still acted the gentleman; but as gracious and refined as Alexander
was, he was not above getting even.
     
          After the men returned, it was time for her banquet and ball.
Dressed in her favorite gown, she cut through the courtyard, as she often
did. She much preferred this route instead of following the maze through
the castle, and Alexander knew it. As she approached the banquet hall, with
Marina and Elizabeth not far behind, a bucket of murky mop water doused
her from the balcony