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Wulfric had expected Lord Löwensbeck to turn up alone at the royal chambers, but Lady Löwensbeck rushed in behind him and after her a sheepish looking Katarina entered. She was staring so hard at the floor as she walked, that Wulfric was afraid that she might walk into the furniture.
The family greeted King Jonathan and Queen Maria properly, then turned to him. Wulfric bowed, as did Lord Löwensbeck although not as deeply as before. Both ladies curtsied but again not as deeply.
“Lord Rosenkranz,” Lord Löwensbeck began, but was interrupted by his wife:
“Lord Rosenkranz,” she said in voice that was clearly meant to be flattering, but simply made Wulfric cringe. “I trust that there’s no reason for this conversation to take place under such formal circumstances. We are after all going to be family.”
“Well, yes...” Wulfric began, but now it was his turn to be interrupted, when the queen said:
“Why don’t we all sit down?”
She gestured towards the chairs in front of the empty fireplace. They sat and for a moment there was silence.
“I didn’t mean to imply that it was not an honor to be invited to your rooms, Your Majesties,” Lady Löwensbeck then said.
“Oh, of course not,” Queen Maria said in tone of voice that Wulfric recognized as uncharacteristic for her, although he was not sure that Lady Löwensbeck did.
At least the lady smiled at her and seemed genuinely pleased.
“When we have called you here today it’s because we have important business to discuss,” Queen Maria said and looked at both her husband and Wulfric as if she wanted them to go on.
Her husband seemed amused by the whole situation and Wulfric had no idea where she was going with this and felt no need to say anything.
“I see that Katarina has grown so much the past couple of years,” the queen then said, and everyone looked at Katarina who turned red and seemed to stare even more intently at the floor.
Wulfric felt sorry for her. He knew what it was like to have a dominating mother and if you did not learn to hold your ground, she would run you over with the force of an ox cart. Wulfric had never really learned to stand his ground, hence why he had considered marrying Katarina in the first place: Because his mother had suggested it.
“Yes, we are so happy that she is finally able to make a match this year. She is, after all, seventeen now,” Lady Löwensbeck said.
Lord Löwensbeck tugged on his brownish red moustache and seemed quite pleased that his wife was doing all the talking.
“Yes, about that...” Wulfric began but was once again interrupted by the queen who flat out stated:
“That simply is not going to happen.”
Lady Löwensbeck grabbed onto her husband’s arm.
“Oswald, defend our daughter,” she shrieked.
From the look on Lord Löwensbeck’s face her grip was rather tight.
“My lord, with what happened between you and my daughter surely the two of you have to marry,” Lord Löwensbeck began in a rather tired voice.
“Lord Löwensbeck...” Wulfric said and for the third time was interrupted by the queen who said:
“He’s engaged to someone else!”
Wulfric actually scowled at the queen this time. He knew that he was not the most outspoken or eloquent person, but surely, he was allowed to handle this on his own. It was his marriage after all.
“Maria, perhaps you should let Rosenkranz handle this himself,” King Jonathan said gently and placed a hand on her arm as if she might jump from the chair.
“What is this, my lord, that you’re engaged to someone else?” Lord Löwensbeck said. “I have to say that I did expect from you to do the honorable thing.”
“I’m not engaged to anyone else, and I certainly try to do the honorable thing,” Wulfric said. He held eye contact with Lord Löwensbeck for a moment before he turned towards Lady Katarina. “I deeply apologize for what happened in the garden and I take full responsibility,” he said to her bent head.
“It wasn’t...” Lady Katarina began, then cleared her throat and raised her gaze to somewhere around Wulfric’s chin, not properly meeting his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. It was... Well,” she looked sideways at her mother who did not meet her eyes but stared intently at Wulfric, making him feel uncomfortable. “You shouldn’t feel bound by your honor to marry me.”
She practically whispered the last part, but she met his eyes as she said it. Wulfric nodded at her and smiled a little. Perhaps she was braver than he had given her credit for.
“Katarina, will you take that back right this instant?” her mother said, now turning to her.
Katarina shook her.
“No, mama,” she said firmly. “Lord Rosenkranz wishes to marry someone else...”
“But your reputation!” Lady Löwensbeck all but shrieked.
“As I understand it was only yourself and two others who witnessed the two of them alone,” Queen Maria said.
“Well, yes, but there’s no telling who Lady Holmskjold and Lady Lohendal will tell about it,” Lady Löwensbeck said with an offended face.
“But they did not see us alone,” Katarina said. “It was only Lady Harold. And she won’t tell anyone.
She looked questioningly at Wulfric, who shook his head.
“But...”
“Mama,” Katarina said and put her hand on her mother’s arm. “I promise you that I will work really hard on finding someone else. I know it means a lot to you that I marry soon since Lady Holmskjold and Lady Lohendal daughters have both married this year.”
Lady Löwensbeck pursed her lips in a manner that said that she did not like that her wishes were so transparent that even her own child knew about them. Or at least that was how Wulfric interpreted it.
“But don’t you want to marry him?” she finally asked as if Wulfric was not even there. “I thought that you liked him.”
Katarina turned completely crimson.
“I do like him, mama, that’s why I don’t want to marry him,” she finally said in a low voice.
“That doesn’t make sense at all,” Lady Löwensbeck said.
“No, I have to agree with you,” her husband said.
Wulfric could see that both the king and queen looked bemused at Katarina and even he felt puzzled by her statement.
“I don’t want to be married to a man who’s in love with someone else,” Katarina explained and looked around as if they were all simpleminded.
Wulfric felt a bit simpleminded as he stared at Katarina with his mouth slightly open. He had clearly underestimated her.
“In love with someone else? But who?” her mother said and looked from Katarina to him.
“I suppose that if you don’t know you will soon enough,” Katarina simply said to her mother. She looked Wulfric in the eyes again and even smiled a little.
Wulfric could not help but smile broadly as this matter was finally settled.