Keys to the Kingdom by Fiona Wilde Read Free Book Online Page A

to lead it."
    Now it was Lenora's turn to hide her emotions. It was a shame. More than a shame, in fact. It was a miscarriage of paternal responsibility. Yes, she knew she was headstrong and proud and haughty. But she was also smart and capable and savvy. Why could the land not have a Queen instead of a king.
    "I suppose if we aren't suitable your father will have to search for some distant male cousin to suffice. Surely he'll find one. And you'll no doubt be given fine houses in the city with a view of the castle that was once your home."
    Lenora wanted to dismiss his musings as manipulation, but she was a practical girl. And she knew his words hurt because they were true. There were male relatives waiting in the wings - impossible cousins once and twice removed. Lenora remembered them coming to visit in the summers; they were noisy and arrogant louts who threw stones at the geese and flogged the ponies when they rode.
    "I won't be manipulated," she said.
    "Of course you won't. You're far too smart," Kier said. "I can see that, even if your father cannot." He sighed. "On the other hand, I'm not going to be manipulated either. I refuse to spend my days cooped up in these quarters simply because you're stubborn. I fancy a walk."
    Prince Kier looked around. "I just need to find a suitable place to tie you up."
    "Tie me up?" Her voice was incredulous. "Are you mad?"
    "Well you can't expect me to just leave you unattended, do you? I'll have to tie you up." He lifted the chord that held the heavy velvet drape away from the window. I could cut this and use it. Unless..."
    He looked at her. "Unless you'd like to walk with me. I've seen nothing but the inside of the castle since I've arrived. I'd love to see the vineyards, the stables, the pond..."
    "I can show you, provided you trust me not to run off."
    Kier smiled. "Will you?"
    "It's a risk you'll have to take. You're the one who wants us to get married, not me. One would think you'd be happier assuring yourself of your future bride's trustworthiness before dragging her reluctantly to the altar."
    "Good point." He held his arm out to her, but she scoffed.
    "I think not," she said and moved to the door.
    Behind her, Kier smiled. Had they actually had their first small, semi-civil conversation? It certainly felt that way. And with such a reluctant quarry he could only be encouraged by this development.
    The weather was perfect for a walk. The castle gardens were planted with all manner of exotic trees, and the scent of flowers and fruit hung in the air. Peacocks strolled beneath the heavily laden trees, their plaintive cries hanging in the air.
    "I played here daily when I was a girl," Lenora said. "My sisters and I used to play hide-and-seek and eat so many pomegranates and figs that we'd ruin our supper - and our dresses."
    "It's beautiful here," Kier said. "Our gardens were never so grand."
    "There are none to match them that I've heard of," Lenora said. "She reached up to pluck a juicy peach for herself and then, as if by an afterthought, reached up and plucked one for Kier as well."
    He exclaimed in pleasure as he took a bite. "Wonderful," he said.
    "Indeed," she said. "My father only selected the very best rootstock for the garden. Just as he only selected the best horses for his stables."
    "And the prettiest woman in the kingdom to wed," Kier added. "I've seen your mother's portraits around the castle. She's breathtaking. You look just like her."
    Lenora smiled. Were it not true she'd accuse him of class flattery.
    "She left us far too early, and without giving my father what he really wanted," she said.
    "Which was?"
    "A son, of course," she replied. "My father loves us but we represent his only five failures."
    "Come now," he said. "I'm sure he doesn't feel that way."
    "You of all people should know I speak the truth," she replied. "Had your father lived you would already be running your kingdom. And yet I - with equal intelligence and determination - am nothing more than