The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1) - Kiera Cass Page 0,12
to the king’s left, chatting up a storm, so I went up thinking I had some time to figure out how to casually work road repair into the conversation.
“How in the world am I going to do this?” I asked Delia Grace quietly.
“No one said it had to happen today. Think on it more.”
I didn’t know how to explain why this felt bigger than earning Lord Seema’s allegiance. I wanted Jameson to see me as someone serious. I wanted him to know I could be his partner, that I had a mind capable of handling important decisions. If he could . . . then a proposal surely wouldn’t be far off.
As Delia Grace and I listened to my parents go on and on about how Mother’s favorite tiara had gone missing last Crowning Day, and she was hoping the culprit would show up with it this year so she could finally get it back, I thought back on how easy our conversation had been the night before. How would I have said something then? A crumb of an idea hit me, and I waited until my mother finally let the king have a break from her incessant talking.
“I had a thought,” I began sweetly. “Remember that old swing back at Varinger Hall?”
Jameson smirked. “What of it?”
“I think I would like to go back to it, and have the strongest hands in all Coroa push me on it. Maybe then I would finally feel like I got to be a bird,” I teased.
“That sounds positively charming.”
“There are many places in Coroa I’d like to see with you,” I continued.
He nodded seriously. “As you should! More and more, I’m thinking you need to be well versed in all of Coroa’s history.”
I added that little tick mark to the list of things the king had said that made me think he wanted me as queen.
“I hear the mountains in the north are so beautiful, they’ll bring you to tears.”
Jameson agreed. “The way the mist settles on them . . . it’s as if they’re from another world entirely.”
I smiled dreamily. “I would very much like to see that. Maybe it would be a good time to go on a tour of the country, let your people see you. Show off your great possessions.”
He reached over, wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger. “I do have some beautiful things, though there is one gem in all of Coroa I am aching to call my own.”
Tick.
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I would go anywhere with you, Your Majesty. Although . . .” I peeked around him at Father. “Father, didn’t you have trouble on the road the last time you went up to Bern?”
After swallowing his oversized spoonful of food, he answered. “Broke a wheel. Those roads are rough out there.”
“Are they?” Jameson asked.
Father nodded gravely, as if everything he spoke of with the king was of utmost importance. “Unfortunately, yes, Majesty. Not enough people out there to keep them up. I’m sure there are plenty more in the same state of disrepair.”
“Well, that won’t do,” I said. “I wouldn’t want Your Majesty injured. Perhaps another time.”
Jameson wiggled his finger at me. “Who was it . . . Ah! Lord Seema!” he called. Out of the crowd, Lord Seema lifted his head and rushed forward to bow before the king.
I sat up straighter as Jameson began.
“Was it you who was saying something about the roads in Upchurch?”
Lord Seema flicked his eyes between Jameson and me. “Yes, Your Majesty. They’re in considerable disrepair.”
Jameson shook his head. “I am thinking of taking the Brites on progress, but I cannot do so if this pearl of a lady might be stranded on the road.”
“No, Your Majesty. With your permission, I could assemble a committee and survey the roads. Afterward, I could organize a proper budget, if you like. I’m very passionate about all the citizens of Coroa being able to travel easily, wherever they like, and would happily oversee it myself.”