Chapter Thirty Three
Justin was caught between needing Maggie to repeat the last thing she said and desperately not wanting her to, in case he had heard her correctly. However, one look at her face told him that he had.
"You are going to marry Matilda's son?" Justin's voice came out higher than he wanted it to, but he was too focused on watching Maggie's face to be able to feel too embarrassed about it.
He watched as she chewed on her bottom lip, and he couldn't help but notice that even in her discomfort and the absurdity of the situation in which they found themselves, she was extremely cute.
He had never thought that about any girl before. Mainly because he had never let himself get close enough to a girl to really see her. Girls had always terrified him, and although he could still feel the grip of fear at the base of his heart, he did his best to push it aside and focus on Maggie. She clearly wasn't happy about having told him, but he wasn't sure why.
When Maggie looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes. Justin gulped as he put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. He had no idea why he did that, or even if he should have. She was engaged. He doubted her fiancé would like it very much if another guy hugged her, but he couldn't bear to see her cry.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest as her shoulders shook. When she finally pulled away, he noticed his shirt was damp, and her face was wet. "I am so sorry I fell apart, Justin!" Her words came out almost like a lament. "I have needed to do that for a while now, but have had..." She pulled awkwardly at her dress and looked away from him. "I am so sorry." He was about to tell her it was all right when she looked at his shirt and winced. "I am afraid I have ruined your shirt, and you just got it. I will have to ask the cook if she knows anyone else whom you can borrow some clothes from."
Justin squeezed her hand as he spoke. "There is no need for that. It will dry soon and be fine in the morning. I am more worried about you than this shirt. Are you all right?"
Maggie's smile was watery, but it seemed genuine. "Yes, I am fine. I didn't want you to find out like this, but I suppose that when Lady Matilda gets here, she will mention it. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Lady Matilda. She has been my mother's lady-in- waiting since before I was born. They are close friends, and she has been like a second mother to me. I always love seeing her."
Justin looked at her knowingly. "But you don't like her son?" Maggie once again bit her lip, and Justin got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "I don't dislike Richard, but I do not love him. He is a fine man who will make some woman a wonderful husband, but that woman isn't me." Justin let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Her next words made him suck it in again.
"But I am afraid I do not have a say in the matter. My parents arranged our marriage when I was a baby, and he was only 5. Neither of us had any input, and we were bound by our parents' decision to go through with it."
Justin didn't want her to have to dwell on the situation, but he had so many questions. "How long have you known about the betrothal?" Maggie took a shuddering breath and took a step away from him. Justin immediately missed her closeness.
"We were told when I was ten, and Richard was 15. He had started flirting with a nobleman's daughter, and Matilda and my mother decided that we needed to know so one of us wouldn't grow attached to someone that we couldn't have."
Maggie looked at him, her eyes wide and imploring as though begging him to understand what she couldn't say. He nodded and looked away towards the guards. Just then, a rustling came from the opposite end of the path, and a woman dressed in a white dress with a black cloth overlay came up to stand next to Maggie.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, light shone around them. Justin was startled to see that all three guards now held torches and had come to stand around Matilda, Maggie, and himself.
Now that he could see better, he noticed that the black cloth overlay on Matilda's dress was actually burgundy, with intricate embroidery down the front. He wanted to ask her if the patterns meant anything, but had no idea how to ask a complete stranger. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the lady spoke.
"Your Highness. How are you this evening?" The lady curtsied in greeting and then, after a moment, looked expectantly at Justin. Maggie quickly schooled her features. "I am well, Lady Matilda. I hope you are well this evening also. May I introduce you to Master Justin White? He is here to help the royal mages solve the issues we are having with the magical creatures. He wishes to see you milk the jackalopes."
Matilda smiled warmly at Justin, and he instantly felt at ease with her. He noticed that she held a small funnel and a glass jar with a narrow opening in her hand. "Is that what you will use to gather the milk?" Justin was surprised that he asked the question so quickly after meeting Matilada, but he was eager to see the milking first-hand and even more anxious to help Maggie think about anything other than her betrothal.
Matilda held up the funnel and bottle and let the torchlight hit them so Justin could have a better look. "Yes, this is what I use, along with a stool to gather the milk from the creatures once they are asleep." Looking towards the guards, she asked, "Are the animals asleep?" All three guards nodded in unison, and their shadowed faces in the torchlight gave off an eerie feel. Justin hoped it wasn't a sign of something bad to come.
Walking towards the guards, she looked at Maggie, then at Justin, and motioned for them to follow her. "Very well, Master Justin, it is time that you watched the milking of a jackalope.