C
hurch services began that Sunday with singing as usual, but it was somehow different this time. There were even more people attending than last Sunday. Everyone seemed to be dressed in their best. I was sure they were just as curious to hear what the pastor had to say as I was.
After he introduced himself, he asked us to turn to the book of Jonah. I looked in the front of my Bible to find the page number. The pastor began speaking before I found my place.
“Everyone knows the story about Jonah.”
Not me. I had never heard anything about Jonah. After I came to know Christ, the preacher in Aisling had suggested I start in the New Testament and that is exactly what I had done. I had been taking my time not wanting to miss anything since it was all new to me.
“This morning I am going to use his story to talk to you about God’s will for our lives.”
I listened as Pastor Dunham gave a summary of how God had sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh to warn them to turn from their wicked ways. This was not a job that Jonah had wanted, so he had tried to run away. I could already relate to this story. I would rather give one speech to some people I did not like and then be able to go on with my life, than to have the lifetime commitment of ruling a kingdom.
The pastor went on to read verses four through seventeen of chapter one. “The thing I find interesting here is God can take our blunders and turn it around to His glory. In verse five the men were all calling out to their own gods, but by verse fourteen they were seeking out to the one true God.”
He told about how Jonah had been swallowed up by a great fish. He prayed, accepting God’s will and after three days the fish spit him back out on dry land. He then made his way to Nineveh where he finally did what God had told him to do.
“When Jonah finally obeyed God’s will, the kingdom . . . I am sorry, I meant to say city. His obedience caused the city of Nineveh to turn to God. Just think, God used one man to save a whole city full of people. Isn’t God good?”
His face had colored a little at his mistake, but he had not allowed the blunder to slow him down like it had me. His use of the word kingdom had made the story even more personal to me.
Was the fact that I was the one ruling over the Kingdom of Gilvary the will of God? If that were true, then I was just like Jonah in a way. I had not run from the duty, but I wanted to. I had never had the desire to rule. I had been fighting against this from the moment I learned of my father’s death.
I looked around me. Everyone seemed to be engrossed in the pastor’s words. I brought my attention back to the sermon.
“The story goes on to show how Jonah sat down and pouted because God had saved the city. He should have been rejoicing, but instead he sulked. Jonah wasn’t perfect. If you ask me, he doesn’t seem like he would have been a good representative of God to these people. There had to be someone better suited. But God chose Jonah, and Jonah got the job done. Folks, just think of all that can be achieved if we all endeavored to do God’s will.”
That next morning I set out in search of Gwen. I wanted to hear her thoughts on the pastor’s sermon. I found her sitting on the side of my mother’s bed in conversation. Mother had improved to a point since Gwen had taken over her care, but now she seemed to be hovering there. She had not put on any more weight, and as far as I knew, she had only left her room that one time when she joined her sons for Sunday dinner.
She smiled up at me. “Hello Reagan. Gwen and I were just talking about the upcoming ball. It is less than a month away now. She was telling me about her sequined dress and I offered to let her borrow some jewelry. Will you take her to the vault and let her choose whatever she wants?”
Every Session held a themed ball and the theme for this one was “All That Glitters”. Gwen had managed to break down barriers with the queen that I had never expected to crumble. I planned to marry this woman and was happy to see that she had already built a relationship with my mother.
“I would be pleased to escort Miss Alexander and help her pick something out as well.” I was happy to do anything that allowed me to spend more time with her.
Gwen kept her eyes trained on Mother. “I appreciate your offer, but I can assure you it is unnecessary. No one expects a servant to wear fine jewelry to the ball.”
Mother reached for her hand. “Nonsense. You are more than just a servant, and remember, you will be representing Gilvary now. I insist.”
Gwen gave a nod. “As you wish, Your Highness.” She stood and curtsied beside the bed.
“Mother, I will see you again later today.” I went and stood by the door, waiting for Gwen to join me. I reached for her hand as soon as she came to me. She did not tense or pull away, but I was bothered by the fact that she had yet to look me in the eye.
We made our way across the hall to my father’s private study. I unlocked the door and motioned for her to enter before me. My father’s journals were scattered across what used to be his desk. None of them were opened so there was no chance of Gwen accidentally reading any of the passages, but my face still heated with shame at the things written there. I had been going through them at night trying to decide if any of his schemes were still in play. I had not made up my mind what I was going to do with them afterward.
I rubbed my thumb across her hand. “Have you ever seen the inside of a vault before?”
“As a matter of fact I have. Brianna and I used to spend hours inside the one at Aisling playing dress-up when we were younger. Listen, Reagan, I did not want to argue with the queen, but this is really not necessary.”
I tilted her head up with a touch to her chin and waited for her to look at me. “Come on, it will be fun, and it will make Mother happy. It will make me happy as well.”
“I guess it would not hurt to look.”
“That’s my girl.” I wanted to kiss her but held myself in check.
We made our way to the back of the room and opened the door to the storage closet. I pulled her in with me and closed the door, shutting out all light. I could hear her breathing and wondered if she was frightened. I gave her hand a squeeze before pulling the latch that would open the door to the vault. Light from the small window near the ceiling of that room was shining through. I lit a candle anyway. We would need it to get a closer look at the treasures to be seen there.
She ignored all of the other wonders the vault had to offer and stepped right up to the jewelry case. I guess I expected her to be more in awe of her surroundings. There were two sections at the very top of the case that held the reigning king and queen’s preferred jewels. She reached and touched one of my mother’s peridot necklaces.
“Your mother was always so stately. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I hate seeing her like she is now.”
My mother was beautiful, but in my eyes her beauty had never compared to Gwen’s. “I see how much she has improved with your help. I know she will be back to her old self soon.”
The look Gwen gave me did not hold that same surety. She turned back toward the case, but this time her eyes were focused on my father’s side of the display. “I never noticed that King Coman only wore onyx and diamonds.”
I looked at Father’s jewelry. For a brief moment I wondered if the fact that his choice reflected the darkness of his soul was on purpose. I did not want to think about him now.
I pulled out the drawer containing the rings and turned my thoughts to happier things. It was exciting to think that I would one day be placing a betrothal ring on Gwen’s finger. This day would give me information that I could store away for the future, like what style did she favor and what size did she wear?
“Let us look at the rings first, shall we?”
“With so many to choose from, I do not know where to start.”
“Take your time. Pick out your favorite, and we will go from there.” I watched the expressions playing across her features as she scanned the contents of the drawer. I saw a spark of excitement there for the first time since this endeavor began.
“Let’s try on that one.” It was all I could do to look away from her and toward the ring case. I loved how she said let’s and what it implied.
I had to take a deep breath when I saw the ring to which she was pointing. When Dunbar, Garrett, and I had turned eighteen, our mother had picked out a betrothal ring from this collection for each of us to give to our future brides. This was the ring she had chosen for me. I had been afraid I might make a rash decision in the heat of the moment and present it to some random girl who had caught my eye at that time, so I had kept mine here.
The light blue stone was a large, rectangle shaped topaz surrounded by tiny diamonds in a platinum setting. The reason why my mother only wore peridot was because the color matched her eyes. As I looked up into Gwen’s blue ones, mother’s ring choice for my future bride seemed providential, like a sign from God that we were meant to be together. I slipped the ring from its case and placed it on the slender third finger of Gwen’s left hand. I just knew it would fit and would be another indication that she was the one, but it turned out to be several sizes too big.
“It is a beautiful ring, but I am not surprised it does not fit my skinny finger.”
Turning her hand over, I ran my fingers across her palm, gaining a sigh from her. There were still a few calluses from the hard labor she had endured under Arlana’s command, but they did little to distract from her beautiful porcelain skin. I flipped her hand and took another look at the ring. It was hard to swallow past the lump in my throat. She slid the ring from her hand, and I replaced it in its case.
“What color is the dress you are going to wear?”
“It is a solid blue. I thought with the sequins, it was best to go with just one color.”
“Is that why you chose that ring? Does it match your outfit?”
She ran a finger across the blue topaz stone. “No, my dress is a deeper blue. I just liked the ring.”
“That ring belonged to my paternal grandmother. She died when my father was very young, so I do not know much about her. What about this one?” I pointed to a different ring with a darker blue stone. It looked smaller in size compared to my ring.
“What is the story behind this one?” She took the ring from me to try it on.
“That one belonged to the youngest ruler in our history. She was only thirteen at the time she became queen.”
“Thirteen is a hard enough age without having to rule a country. That explains why this one is so small.” She held her hand up for me to see. It sat just above her knuckle.
I think we may have tried every ring in the vault save my mother’s rings before she reached for the one we had both been avoiding. It was the most hideous ring I had ever seen. She slipped it on, and it was a perfect fit.
“It figures that the ugliest ring here is the only one to fit me. I would love to know who picked this one out.” The look on her face was almost comical.
“That one actually has a fascinating story behind it. One of my ancestors was considered to be the most beautiful in the country.”
“Imagine that—someone in your family being the most beautiful.”
I had to laugh a little at her sarcasm.
“Anyway, men were constantly presenting her with rings and proposing. She finally let it be known that she planned to marry the one who offered her the ugliest ring. This one was the winner.”
I caressed her hand as I studied the ring, then I pulled her hand up to my mouth and kissed her palm. The intake of her breath caused my pulse to quicken. I had not meant to do it, but spending time with her in this close proximity was getting to me.
“The couple, did they live happily ever after?”
I pulled her hand down between us but did not let go. “No, they did not. She later accused him of adultery and had him beheaded. She died right after. She was the mother to the thirteen-year-old I told you about earlier.”
“That is a sad story. I guess it is what can be expected when you choose a spouse based on something so frivolous.”
I took a step closer to her. “What would you base your choice on?”
“Well, I think most relationships do start out with physical attraction, but there would have to be something more before I would consider marriage.”
“Like what?” She was staring at my lips like she wanted to kiss me. I wanted to kiss her, but after our last conversation on the subject, I held back.
She finally looked into my eyes. Her pupils were dilated and her irises were a deeper blue than normal. “I could never marry someone who did not share my belief in Christ. There would have to be common interests between us, and I would not want to be with anyone who would expect me to be something I am not.”
“It seems that if I can get you to be as physically attracted to me as I am to you, we would have this thing whipped.” Our lips were only inches away from each other by this point. The urge to close the gap was painful to withstand, but I would wait for her to make that move.
She reached up and swiped her fingertips across her neck a couple of times, drawing my attention there. “Hmm, I need to find an ugly necklace to go with this ring.”
As distracted as I was, it took a moment for me to catch up. “Yes, a necklace. Let’s see.”
Hiding my disappointment, I turned and slid open one drawer after another, each holding a vast display of jewelry, until I found what I was looking for. “I believe this one will serve your purpose. You see, it matches the ring. I think this was a wedding or anniversary gift for the same couple the ring belonged to, if memory serves.”
I held the gaudy necklace up for her to see. “Turn around so I can hook it for you.”
She turned, and I stepped close enough that my chest was pressed against her back. I did not have to do it this way, but I put my arms around her as I fumbled to release the clasp just as an excuse to have contact. Her rose scented perfume wafted around us. I inhaled deeply, and when my breath pushed out hitting the back of her neck, I felt her tremble. I could not help myself. I wanted her to want me as much as I wanted a relationship with her. I finally clasped the necklace in place.
She turned to face me and touched the stones at her neck with her left hand, displaying both pieces of the jewelry at once. They would have looked ridiculous on anyone else besides her.
“Now you need a crown.”
“You mean a tiara, right?”
“No, a crown. The ones we have are the ugliest I have ever seen. They will match perfectly with your jewelry.”
I reached for both of the royal crowns. I placed the queen’s crown on her head and put the one for the king on my own. These crowns were crafted when this kingdom had first come to life. They had been passed down through each ruling couple since. It did funny things to my heart to see her in that crown.
She reached up and touched it. “This is not right.”
“It is all right. There is no rule saying you cannot try on the royal crown with permission. Besides, no one will know.”
“That is not it. What I mean is, I should not be standing here feeling the way I do toward the crown prince of Gilvary.”
“And what is it you are feeling toward me?”
“Do not toy with me. I think you know what I am feeling right now.”
I had closed the gap between us. “I think you are feeling the same toward me that I feel toward you. What is so wrong with that?”
“It is wrong because I am nobody, and you are heir to this throne. In all likelihood you will be king some day and that is not something I want to share in.”
“Are you not still heir to the throne of Aisling? What is the difference?”
“Brianna had no one else at the time she named me as heir, but that has changed. She has Garrett now, and they are about to have a natural born heir of their own. I am sorry, but I do not want to be a ruler.” She looked down at my chest and shook her head.
I tilted her chin so she would look up at me. “I never wanted to be a ruler either. I have been fighting this position from the beginning. After hearing the pastor’s sermon about God’s will, I have decided to quit fighting. My hope for the future is that Mother will continue healing, that she will one day remarry, giving Gilvary a new ruler. But I cannot depend on that to happen. As of now, I intend to worry about one day at a time, and let God take care of the future.
“Here is what I know about today. Today, God has set me as ruler of this kingdom, and I plan to do that job to the best of my ability until He gives me another job to do. Today I am spending time with a woman I am attracted to and who I think is attracted to me also. A woman with common interests to me who shares my belief in Christ. And I would never expect the woman I want to share my life with to be anyone but who she is.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
I had not meant to say that last part and I could tell by the way her lip turned up on one side that her question was not a serious one. “I would if I thought you would say yes, but for today I would be satisfied if you would just agree to let me court you. What do you say, Gwen, will you be my sweetheart?”
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Sweetheart? As in, we agree not to see other people? Because I refuse to be one among many.”
I held the side of her face and rubbed my thumb across her cheek. “That is exactly what I mean, and I have never asked it of any other girl before you. You should also know that there have been no other women in my life since June. You are the only one I have longed to be with for the last five months.”
“Reagan, you are going to have to take it slow and easy with me. I have so many doubts.”
“Does this mean you have decided to be mine?”
“Yes.” Her answer was a breathless whisper.
“Can I kiss you?”
In answer, she placed her hand behind my head and pulled me down until my lips were touching hers. I tried to take it gentle and slow, allowing her to take the lead. When the kiss became more passionate, I could not tell if it was her idea or mine. I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her a little closer as the kiss deepened. She tasted sweet—like honey mixed with cinnamon.
The first time we kissed, everything had happened too fast. It had been exciting, but when it was over the excitement was mostly all I could remember. This time I took notice of every sensation of her smooth, full lips moving in rhythm with mine. She ran her fingers up through the hair at the back of my head, causing my pulse to speed up as I sucked in more air. The crown I wore started to slip from my head. I reached for it, my mind barely on the task. That is when she abruptly pulled away.
We stood there looking into each other’s eyes, both of us breathing heavily. I had not wanted to stop, but she was right to pull away. I needed to gain her trust. I really was trying hard to slow things down, but no other woman had ever made me feel this way.
She turned and placed the crown she was wearing back in the display case. My own crown joined hers. This time when I stood behind her to unclasp the necklace, I could not stop myself from placing a kiss just below her hairline like I had wanted to do before. The last thing to go was the ugly ring. I only had a brief knowledge of the one who had worn it before, but now it would forever hold the memory of this day in my mind.