Chapter Seven

Reina was unsettled.

She had no better way to explain the mass of confusion that existed within herself. She wasn’t anything specific... she was nothing, she was everything...

Her head fell back, and a long, loud sigh escaped her mouth.

When she’d fallen asleep last night, she half thought in the dreamy, well pleasured recess of her mind that she was going to awake angry—at herself, at him, most probably both. Instead, waking up to Tiernan’s face, one dimple noticeable in the morning light, her tongue was already out and ready to get a sample of him before she came to her senses and moved away.

She got up, readying herself for the day. As she finished dressing, Tiernan woke, a hesitant smile at the sight of her. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Not yet, you have the barn to fix today.”

Both dimples came out at her light response. “Of course, the secret is to go to bed with chores to do in the morning. That way I can be assured of not being murdered in my sleep.”

“Wise Godfather. Up, up, up, we have a HEA to accomplish. You can discuss strategy with me at lunch.”

Reina spent the morning scrubbing the floors with Cinderella. The good part was that none of Cinderella’s family was around. The bad part was they were not around because they were using every excuse possible to go outside and watch Tiernan, who was working shirtless in the morning sunshine.

The fact that she had yet to see his bare chest while they were ogling him made her want to smash their faces in.

Yeah, that was one feeling she wasn’t confused about.

“Reina?”

Cinderella’s soft voice broke into her thoughts. Cinderella had a true gift, a spirit gentle and loving, able to calm a person before they were even aware of it. “Yes, Cinderella?”

“How long have you known Tiernan?”

Reina smiled, for a moment the urge to tell Cinderella the truth and see what her response would be strong. “A long time.”

“Did you always love him?”

Hmmm, this conversation was going to be dangerous, and considering her own confusion, not one she felt up to having. Still, she had to try. She had a HEA to accomplish. “I was always... aware of him.” Aware of him, yes, always aware. Aware of his smile, of his scent. Aware that I didn’t want anyone else near him. Aware that he could lay me bare in ways that would destroy me. “I always knew the moment he entered a room, I always felt him when he was behind me. I can’t shut down my emotions around him.”

“Oh,” Cinderella said, and the tone of that small sound sparked Reina’s interest.

“Oh,” Reina repeated. “Have you ever felt that way?”

A light blush suffused Cinderella’s face, and a small, shy smile passed over her lips. Before she looked away, Reina saw in Cinderella’s eyes complete, perfect contentment.

Reina had been a Godmother for a long time, and she knew exactly what that look meant. Whoever caused that reaction was the only one who Cinderella could ever have a HEA with, the file be damned. That reaction was one of true love.

Which meant Reina needed to find out the name of the man quick, since she didn’t have time to waste trying to put Cinderella with the wrong man. Tiernan’s life was on the line.

Cinderella cleared her throat and went back to scrubbing the floor, but within a moment she sat back on her heels. “Reina?”

Nonchalance would be best to draw Cinderella out. Reina kept her head down as she answered in a distracted tone, “Hmm?”

“Were you scared?”

“Scared?”

“Your... first time, as a wife.”

Oh yes, complete nonchalance. “Of course,” she answered, not even bothering to look up to see Cinderella’s reaction. Keep it simple, keep the conversation easy.

It seemed to work. Reina couldn’t see Cinderella’s face, but she could almost feel the relief come off the young woman.

After a moment, afraid Cinderella wouldn’t continue, Reina said, “I guess you don’t have any women to discuss such things with.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Cinderella’s first reaction, an instinctive response to defend her Stepmother, but almost immediately Cinderella stopped herself. “I am not close to my Stepmother or stepsisters.”

“I know many families like yours. It would be nice if when there is a remarriage everyone would love each other, but that is not always the case.”

Cinderella smiled in gratitude of her understanding. After a moment of taking Reina’s words in, her mind turned back to the original thread of the conversation. “Is it painful, being a wife?”

Reina reached out and grabbed Cinderella’s hand, keeping her manner easy and loving. “Will you allow me to speak with you as a sister in this matter?”

“Please do,” she said, gratitude infusing her voice.

“As you grew up around animals, I assume you know the basics,” Reina said, her voice holding the slightest undercurrent of naughtiness.

Cinderella’s face turned beet red. “I, yes, I mean, I have seen horses.”

Reina laughed. “If you have only horses to think upon, you will be more scared than you should be,” she said, patting Cinderella’s hand reassuringly. “Men are not that large, but yes, it is the same with humans as it is with horses.”

“So it is painful?”

“It is the greatest pleasure we as humans have been given, but there are moments that can hurt, especially for us women. Your body is made to take your man, but the first time, before you are accustomed to him, it will hurt. For some women, the pain is negligible, for others they may be sore an entire day afterwards. All of them learn to enjoy it.”

“And you enjoy it?”

Sharp and distinct, the memory of Tiernan’s face buried between her thighs surfaced, and heat blossomed in her body. “Yes, I enjoy it very much.”

Cinderella smiled, delighted with the secret she came upon in Reina’s expression. “Your husband is very handsome.”

“Well, please don’t tell him that. Enough women make fools of themselves over him.”

Smile still firmly in place, Cinderella started to clean the floor again. “I would not worry myself if I were you. Every time I saw him, he was looking only at you. His eyes never leave you if he can help it.”

“Really?” The question left her mouth before Reina could stop it.

“Oh, yes.”

Before Reina embarrassed herself by asking probing questions, a male voice that was not Tiernan’s came from the door. “Am I interrupting?”

Cinderella’s head snapped towards the door, then just as suddenly her gaze fell to the floor and she swallowed hard, color coming into her cheeks.

Reina glanced toward the voice, and only long hours of schooling kept her expression neutral.

By Cinderella’s reaction, Reina was positive this was the man she loved, and this man just so happened to be the Prince everyone was so excited about.

Looks like the imminent homecoming was a lot more imminent than anyone knew.

“Hello, Cinderella,” he said, his voice warm and his attention focused completely on the girl. He was a very good-looking man, thick black hair resting against tan skin, green eyes displaying intelligence, the slight lines around them telling of a good sense of humor. Still, blue eyes were better, and a man without dimples really wasn’t worth a second glance.

Not looking at him, Cinderella responded, “Hello, Henry, this is Reina. She and her husband started working here recently.”

He gave a quick nod in Reina’s direction, but his eyes went right back to Cinderella, who was still not looking directly at him. “I welcome any new friend of Cinderella’s.”

Reina smiled at that. This man was so wrapped around this little blonde’s finger, it was almost an affront to her as a Fairy Godmother. If the consequences weren’t so severe, she’d be laughing right now. “She’s a very easy girl to be friends with,” Reina responded, warmth in her voice to put the man at ease.

“Yes, she is,” he agreed, his voice deepening the slightest bit.

“What can I do for you, Henry?” Cinderella asked, standing but still not quite meeting his eyes.

“It seems there is to be a ball,” he said, and Reina noticed the flash of annoyance that crossed his face with that announcement.

“Henry is a messenger for the king,” Cinderella explained for Reina’s benefit, coming closer to Henry to get the thick parchment in his hand.

So that was how the prince could just show up at someone’s door without the household having a screaming fit, huh? Why the hell was he running around playing dress down while having everyone believe he was outside the country and just now coming home? He must have been doing this quite a while, considering the build up of feelings between him and Cinderella.

Cinderella took the offered paper from the disguised prince, and Reina noticed the subtle movement Henry used so his fingers could brush Cinderella’s.

“I guess this means the Prince is back?” asked Reina, more to give Cinderella a chance to breathe rather than truly needing the answer.

“Yes. His Majesty declares a ball is needed to welcome His Highness home.”

For yet another reason to not look at Henry, Cinderella was reading the announcement. “Stepmother will be very pleased to learn of this,” she said softly.

“What about you? Aren’t you pleased?”

Her eyes were direct on his for the first time. “Why would I be pleased?”

He shrugged, and Reina could see the veil covering his eyes, telling of long practice shielding his real feelings. “Don’t all women want to meet a prince? Dream of marrying one?”

Hurt covered Cinderella’s features. “Do you truly think so little of me, that I would be swayed by such a thing? That I would want to marry a title, and not a man I love?”

“No, Cinderella, I’m sorry,” Henry said, his hand coming up without forethought to stroke her face. “Never. Never would I think such a thing about you. I’m just feeling a little jaded after seeing all the responses to the announcement.”

Cinderella went stock still at the first touch of his fingers. Henry seemed to realize as well that he was touching, probably for the first time, the face of the woman he loved.

It was such a beautiful moment, so of course Cinderella’s stepsisters came tromping in to ruin it. “Well, well, I see we have a message waiting for us,” the skinny one said, causing Cinderella to jump back from Henry, once again not looking at him.

Both stepsisters’ eyes roamed hungrily over Henry, and Reina thought over what animals she should turn them into. No matter what animal came to her mind, though, it seemed such an insult to the animal she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“What a day,” murmured one to the other. “First our new handyman, now our favorite messenger.”

“The King is going to have a ball,” said Cinderella, her voice displaying a hint of anger, the first Reina had ever heard from her.

The skinny one grabbed the message from Cinderella’s hand. “It’s true,” she said, after looking over it quickly. She grabbed her sister’s hand and ran out of the room, calling out, “Mother!”

Cinderella turned to the man. “You should leave before Stepmother comes back.”

It was obvious the man did not want to leave, but he held back his instinctive negation. Instead, he said, “The King’s decree says every unmarried female is to come to the ball. That means you should go.”

Cinderella shook her head. “I have no desire to go, Henry.”

Without warning, Henry grabbed her hand, pulling her so that their bodies aligned, nearly touching. “I’ll be there, Cinderella, and I want more than anything to dance with you.” With a last lingering look, Henry left.

Cinderella’s hand absentmindedly wandered up to her throat, her eyes indicating her thoughts were anywhere but the present. “Cinderella,” Reina said gently.

“Huh?”

“We should finish the floors.”

“Of course,” she said, and sank to the floor to finish her job, so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t realize Reina was still in the room. Reina watched over her, the occasional indulgent smile stealing over features.

The rest of the morning saw the house in an uproar over news of the impending ball. Visitors arrived at odd times, and the continuous voices of women constantly whipped around the halls.

When lunch came around, Reina found herself in the kitchen alone, grateful that Cook and Cinderella were at different tasks around the house and she could finally get a few minutes of peace.

“Damn, women are loud. I swear I heard them over the hammering in the barn.”

Tiernan’s grumbling voice alerted Reina to his presence in the kitchen, so she turned to greet him.

The words died in her throat.

Tiernan’s chest was bare, and it was her first time ever seeing him in this state.

He had a lean, muscular build. His upper body was v-shaped, and his wide shoulders went down to a nicely sculpted chest, to a stomach ridged with muscle. His trousers were a little loose, and she noticed he had a v even there along his stomach and hips going down his thighs, the lines trailing delectably to that bulge between his legs. Her eyes lingered there, and she wished desperately that last night she’d had the presence of mind to disrobe him.

Then she remembered where she was, and praying he was too busy to notice where her gaze had been, she finally looked him in the eye.

He noticed, the bastard. Of course he did. Oh yes, there they were, those dimples out full force in all their majestic glory. “Well, Fairy Godmother Reina, what exactly are you thinking about?”

“Our assignment, of course,” she responded, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her ruffled. “What else is there to think about?”

“What else indeed?” he asked, going to collect his plate of food. “I assume with all the thinking you were doing, you have something to tell me?”

Smug bastard. She noticed he didn’t bother to put anything over his chest. “As a matter of fact, I have many interesting things to tell you.”

Tiernan listened quietly as she related the events of the morning. “The file never mentioned the Prince’s deception.”

“No, it didn’t. That implies a certain laxness on the part of the intel gathering which I will investigate when we get back, but I can only see it working in our favor right now. She is very obviously in love with him and he with her.”

Tiernan reached out, twirling her hair around his fingers. “Do you think Cinderella is over her fear of men?” and despite the fact he tried to sound disinterested, Reina could see his pupils dilate slightly, darkening his eyes in a way that caused her heart to start beating madly.

She leaned closer to him, her voice lowering. “I think she has made a good start.”

His fingers went from her hair to feather over her lips. “Maybe we should be sure her fear is gone.”