The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (5 page)

“Can you walk, darling?
”

She nodded, and he gently put her on her feet
.
She was dizzy and clutched at his arm
.
He
shook his head
and swung her up again, kissing her fo
rehead
.
Genevieve didn’t argue
but lay there passively, resting her head on his shoulder as he moved swiftly back to the picnic area
.

The other
couples
had finished their lunch, and some part of Genevieve realized that every
person there
was staring
dumfounded
at
the two of them
.
Her hair had come out of its combs, and her beautiful dress was stained with grass and twigs
.

So apparently this was to be the start and finish of her
Bridal Week
—
creating a scandal with Damian Black
.
She had no idea why it had happened or what she might have done differently, and finally she just closed her eyes
.

“Damian, what have you done?” the priestess demanded
.

“Do you impeach my honor?”

“Have care, Damian!”

“She is unharmed, I swear it
, b
ut I am taking her home
.
I must send for the rest of my family.”

“
I gave her your ribbon and this is the return you make me
!
 
You could not wait?”
the priestess
said angrily.

“No I couldn’t!  This is everything to my family,
Holy One
.”

“Your family!  What are they to her
?
This is her
Bridal Week
—
a week of pleasures she has waited for her whole life
.
She deserves to be courted and feted
.
Are her feelings so little to you
?
I will have words with Declan over this
—
he has allowed his zeal for you to blind him.”

Damian
dropped to his knees, gently placing Genevieve on the ground next to him
.
“Forgive me,
Holy One
,
”
h
e said, bowing his head
.
“Do not blame Declan
.
I let my fears rule me
.
Her
well-
being
is my first priority at all times, on my honor I swear it
.
Declan would repudiate me if he thought it otherwise.” 

Genevieve felt herself swaying dizzily
—
nothing made sense
.
Declan
?
Titania’s champion
?
“Damian?” she squeaked out
.
“What is happening?”

“Silence, Genevieve.”
He looked carefully at her
,
tapping
her lips
,
a
nd then turned back to the priestess
.
“Please
,
Holy One
, I need your help
.
It will be many hours before Declan can get here
.
I need you to ease matters with her family
.
She is mine now, and I will allow no interference, even from her parents, but I have no wish to trample their feelings.” 

The priestess gave hi
m an annoyed rap with her staff
.
“Get up, Damian, enough of this.” 

Genevieve felt herself flying
up
as Damian got to his feet in a smooth motion, hoisting her up at the same time
.

“I see you’ve arranged matters so that I have little choice
.
I will speak to them, but you will not forget what is given to you, nor treat lightly the challenges she faces becoming your bride
.
She must have a proper wedding, surrounded by her friends and family, before you sweep her off
to
that castle of yours.”

“I know,” he said
,
sounding deeply moved
.
“You cannot guess…
.
Just trust that every member of my family knows what we are being given, but please, come as soon as you can.” 

Damian had no intention of putting Genevieve down as he made his way back to the town and her parents’ home
.
She was so slender, she weighed practically nothing and while she was
in
his arms,
he felt
there was no chance of her escaping
.

He was astonished and touched by how peacefully she lay there—trusting her future to him
—
though
she understood
nothing
of what it would mean to marry into his family,
or
what would be demanded of her
.

He wanted to howl with triumph
—
she was his!  He’d actually found her
.
He wondered what his brothers would say
.
No doubt Donal would ask if she were pretty
.
H
ow strange that he’d bare
ly even taken note of her looks
beyond the basics: blond hair, blue eyes, small
.
Except for her mouth: he’d noticed immediately how innocently carnal it was, as if made for taking a man between her lips
.
Do
nal would be driven mad by her
.

He supposed by
conventional
standards she would not be considered a great beauty
.
Her figure was feminine
, with small, gently rounded breasts,
but
not
particularly
well endowed
.
Her thinness and pallor hinted strongly of
ill health
.
H
is bride clearly needed someone
to
take
proper
care of her! 

But it was those clear blue eyes of hers that continued to stagger him
.
They hid nothing
.
R
ight now they wore a glazed expression, as they had every time he’d shown her even a hint of dominance
.
He was forced to shift his hold slightly
.
Just the thought of her responses made him shoot impossibly hard
for what seemed like the fortieth time that afternoon
.

There had probably been girls
at the picnic
whose
beauty
stood out more, but Damian hadn’t noticed anyone after he’d caught sight of Genevieve
.
The awkward way she’d stood outside the group of girls, as if she knew she could never truly belong, had called to him
.
The frothy, feminine dress she wore only underscored for him how tense she was
.
Then he’d caught her staring at him
and noted
the
nervous, guilty way she’d looked away, as if she’d been indulging some very unmaidenly thoughts about him
.

At that moment he’d known
—
she was his
.
Declan had t
old him to trust his instincts
, but nothing could have prepared him for that overwhelming
sense of
certainty
.

From then on
he’d not stopped watching her
.
Her movements and expressions were remarkably easy to read even from a distance
.
But still, his observations had been nothing to the reality of meeting her, hearing her voice, seeing her adorable confusion
.

It was as if a force had taken over, impelling him to push until he could feel that she was his irrevocably
.
He would stake his life that her
heartwood
box
had changed to his color.

Unfortunately that was not the end of his problems
.
Declan had also given him strict instructions on dealing with the girl’s family
.
They must be treated with courtesy and their attachment to their daughter honored, but Damian must also assert control of everything to do with her immediately
.
H
e could allow no one, not even her mother, to speak to her without a member of
his
family present
.

Now was the time that posed the greatest risks to both of their happiness
.
There were very few outside
his
family who could understand or accept their ways, and there wa
s a great chance that the girl’s
family or some well-meaning friend would poison her mind and lead her to fear marriage to one of the Black family
.

He only had himself to blame that he must now ap
pear to trample over her parent
s
’
natural rights and keep them from their daughter
.
Declan was the proper person to explain matters to them and ease their fears for Genevieve
.
The Black Prince’s authority was such that they would find it impossible to deny anything he asked for, and they would trust his reassurances more than they could Damian’s
.
Declan planned to come, but he had many duties and no reason to think he would be needed today
—
the very first day of the
Bridal Week
.

The moment Damian arrived at
the village
, he found the servant who had accompanied him and ordered him
to ride with all haste to the
fortress
, informing his
brothers
that they were needed
.
They would understand the urgency and would not delay, but it might be many hours before a message could be gotten to Declan in Faerie, and as many more before he could make his way to the village.

But first he must deal with
Genevieve’s
parents
.
The moment he knocked,
her
mother threw open the door
.
Her expression told him she already knew Genevieve’s
box
had changed
color
and did not regard the news with joy
.

Her uneasiness only grew when
she
saw
her daughter’s
confused state
.
“Jenny! 
Is she hurt?” 

“She’s not hurt, just a little dazed,” he said
.
“May I enter?” 

Mrs. Miran reverted instinctively to proper village courtesy and showed him into the parlor, calling out to her husband
.
Genevieve’s
box
had been placed in the center in honor of her joining the
Bridal Week
.
He could imagine
the Mirans’
surprise when the pale wooden box had darkened to the same lightless black as his hair
.

Damian ignored
the seat Mrs. Miran pointed to
and sat himself and Genevieve on a small sofa that enabled him to keep himself between her and her parents
.
She slumped against the back,
so
he pulled her to lean against him, keeping his grip on her arm
.
Genevieve’s parents both took seats across from him
.

He di
dn’t waste time with
the usual
civilities
but said his family’s traditional betrothal words
.
“I am Damian of the house of Black
.
I beg the honor of being allowed to guard the key to your daughter’s
heartwood
box
.”

Damian wasn’t surprised that her father did not immediately hand over the key but said gruffly, “This is full hasty, sir
—
I don’t half like this.” 

Damian could see the man’s suspicions growing as he took in the details
of his daughter’s appearance
—
her shawl lost, her skirt stained with grass, her hair disheveled
.
He knew what it looked like, but still it took some effort to master his rage that they might suspect him
.
To take a girl’s innocence as a way to force a change of her
heartwood
box
would be the gravest dishonor and an unthinkable offense to Titania
.
But the father and mother in front of him knew little of his family but the rumors
.