Besotted (The Fairest Maidens #3) - Jody Hedlund Page 0,4

simple blue gown, her skirt rustled and swished with each turn, showing bare feet underneath. Her unbound hair flowed in long blond waves that reached to her waist. As she spun, her hair floated around her, sunlight turning it to gold. A crown of dainty, light-blue flowers graced her head, the same flowers that dotted the clearing.

When she paused and brushed her hair out of her face, I sucked in a breath at her beauty, the arresting violet-blue eyes, elegant nose, rosy cheeks, and full lips.

At my intake, she paused, her hum fading and smile disappearing. She scanned the woods, and I ducked, hoping the foliage concealed me.

A moment later, as she resumed humming, I raised my head and peeked at her again. She’d returned to dancing except slower, her arms out as though she had an imaginary partner.

I could only watch speechless at her grace and poise, stunned all over again by her exquisite beauty, unlike any other woman I’d met—and I’d met many in my life whom I considered beautiful.

Who was she? And why was she here in the middle of the forest by herself?

In addition to the woodcutters, who were allowed a certain quota of trees and windfall, Inglewood Forest was also home to a fair number of charcoal burners. Such men and their families had a more isolated existence, and they oft went months before they ventured to Birchwood and other hamlets that bordered the forest. Jorg and I had met most of the charcoal burners within our woodcutting vicinity, but perhaps we’d yet to encounter those in this hidden area.

The young woman danced a few more steps, then stopped and shook her head. She bit her bottom lip and attempted the move again. The courtly dance was one my mother had taught us, one she’d learned while growing up on the Great Isle. In my mind, I played out the next few steps, and I was tempted to call out to her to use her right foot forward instead of the left.

Of course a poor peasant girl like her wouldn’t know the dance and would need instruction. But why bother telling her when I could show her?

Cautiously, so I didn’t startle her unnecessarily, I stood and parted the brush. The branches crackled and drew her attention. As I stepped through into the clearing, she halted and gasped, her eyes widening. She stood frozen in place, her body taut.

“Looks like you could use a partner in your dance.” I gentled my tone and offered my most winsome smile.

Bunching her skirt, her gaze darted toward the opposite edge of the clearing to a basket and her discarded shoes. From the fear rippling over her beautiful features, she was like a doe about to bolt. And once she did, I might not ever see her again.

“Wait. I know the dance and can teach it to you.”

She held herself rigid, her shoulders straight, her head high. I could almost hear her inner debate about whether to trust me or whether to race away as fast as her feet could carry her.

“I assure you, I’m quite good at it.” I stepped with my right foot forward and flawlessly performed the dance step she’d been trying to learn.

She watched, unable to hide her curiosity.

I twirled the next several complicated moves. When finished, I bowed with a flourish. “Kresten, at your humble service, my lady.”

Chapter

2

Aurora

I couldn’t keep from staring at the young man. He wore the common, threadbare garments of a woodcutter—a simple long tunic belted at the waist above loosely fitting hose. But his bearing and mannerisms were like none of the woodcutters I’d ever seen.

Granted, I’d only met a few woodcutters in passing during my sheltered life. Even so, none had looked like this one—muscular, handsome, and yes, even dashing. He was the kind of man who existed in fairy tales but not in real life.

His hair, a soft woodland brown, was overlong and in need of a trim. And his scruffy face required a shave. Even so, the shagginess couldn’t hide the rugged lines of his jaw and strong contours of his cheeks. His smile added to his charm, revealing clean and even teeth. Most of all, his eyes beckoned me. The pale blue resembled the same shade as the cornflowers I’d threaded together and placed on my head.

“Shall I show you the dance again?”

“No.” I couldn’t stay. And he needed to leave. Right away. My mind echoed with Chester’s command urging me to run, hide, and stay secluded