I glared into the brightening sky.
Then I shouted at the top of my lungs, “God damn it!”
My horses danced slightly in agitation.
I stood in the cold, glaring at the thick but beautifully frosted forest all around thinking I had not handled that situation, or him, very well.
Then I stomped back into the house.
* * * * *
I was cold, exhausted and hungry but I was also Seoafin Wilde and I’d been in some serious pickles in my life and I’d always managed to survive.
It must be said, sharks crashing a sea dive and elephants stampeding were a lot more serious than a dirty house in the middle of a frozen nowhere. And Claudia hadn’t even mentioned that time the natives got seriously restless.
So I was Seoafin Wilde and nothing ever got me down.
The good news was, I was a lesbian and therefore my husband wanted nothing to do with me.
The bad news was, I was a lesbian and my husband thought he could watch me “at play” with a woman.
The good news was, he was gone, apparently for awhile, so I had time to figure out what to do about that.
The bad news was, I was in the middle of a frost-filled forest. I was cold, exhausted and hungry and I had four horses as well as myself to take care of.
So, since I really had no choice, I took care of the lot of us.
Prioritizing, I had to get changed. Many people wouldn’t think this was priority but, seriously, that dress rocked and it wouldn’t do for it to get dusty or torn.
So I went out to the sleigh, told my horses I’d get them warm and fed as soon as possible, they whinnied like they knew what I was talking about and I unhooked the silken ropes that held down the also silk tarp and threw it aside.
Eight huge trunks were in the back of the sleigh, four smaller ones.
I started with the smaller ones because I could carry them, lugging them in one by one and opening them. Quick glances told me there was nothing I could use in the present. So out I went to pull off the first trunk which was so huge and heavy, I had to drag it down off the sleigh, it thudded against the snow, then I dragged it into the house.
I opened it.
Sheets and blankets.
Shit.
Back out I went and I got the second trunk in.
On top of some folded, soft, knit woolen gowns, I saw a note. I picked it up and read it.
Princess Sjofn,
We’re so sorry. Your mother supervised your packing. We had to pack only your trousseau. We couldn’t pack any of your breeches or the shirts and boots you like.
But all of this is lovely and we hope you enjoy it.
Write to us and tell us how you’re getting along.
We will miss you.
Alyssa, Esther, Jocelyn and Bess
Well, apparently, Sjofn of this world dressed like a boy.