Adore Ch 18 (Patreon)

Granny Leslie came over for an hour to watch Bee and I managed to rewrite this entire chapter! Phew.

...

Peregrine stayed with the horses while Deryl and his entourage entered the inn to secure their rooms. 

Was she worried that he might just forget about her entirely and not actually book her a room? Yes. Did she have every intention of waiting until he was settled in before having Lish handle things properly? Also yes. 

Of course, she hadn't expected to see him storming off down the road with his three attendants in tow, leaving her having to form an entirely new plan on the fly. 

“Should we wait until they get back?” Lish whispered to Peregrine. 

Peregrine sighed, shook her head and walked towards the front door. “No, let’s settle in and we can deal with His Highness when he returns… if he returns.” 

“The Waddling Wombat is the best inn for miles,” Lish pointed out, “and I can’t see our crown prince settling for anything but the best…” 

She was right. Peregrine would stop trying to predict what Deryl was going to do. Instead, she played it safe and booked the best room from the ones available for the prince, a second for the guards, a third for the three attendants, and a two bed room to share between her and Lish. 

“Can we have dinner in our room?” Peregrine asked the elderly human at the front desk. 

She nodded, “Of course, Miss. Here is a copy of the menu that you can bring with you, and your keys.” 

Peregrine left the other room keys at the front desk for when the prince returned, and headed upstairs to the third floor. 

That was when she saw him. 

He stood guard outside one of the rooms, and was in the middle of running a hand through his sweat-streaked and tustled hair. 

Silver eyes met hers, widening slightly in recognition. The pair of them stood fixed, opening staring.

He was just so… big. There was a lot to see; from his slightly pointy ears, harsh cheekbones, and strong jaw to his heavily armored boots. When she dragged her eyes back up to his face, she noted with amusement that he was staring intently at her hands. 

She reflexively clenched and opened them under his scrutiny, and his eyes flickered back to hers. 

Lish let out a subtle cough, startling the pair. In sinc, Peregrine and her potential betrothed stiffened straight. 

“Ah–”

“Greet–”

He started at the same time she spoke over him and the both cut short for the other. Peregrine’s cheeks burned, and even the tips of her ears felt hot under his intense gaze. Technically it was impolite to speak with another noble before an official greeting… but there was only Lishinia in the hallway with them. 

Peregrine looked over her shoulder at her maid with an almost desperate plea, noting that her maid was frowning at the man heavily. 

“Miss Peregrine?” The man’s soft voice sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t too deep, but it carried, and there was a roughness to it that she liked. He knew her name, which was doubly embarrassing because she didn’t know his! Peregrine decided to fall back on something she did know. 

“Greetings, Sir.” Dropping into a delicate curtsy, she repeated her earlier attempt. Standing straight again, she self-consciously brushed her hand over her riding clothes; she currently as disheveled from cross-country horse travel as he was. “I'm sorry... I wasn’t expecting to meet you like this--”

“--What my lady is trying to say,” Lishinia stepped in front of Peregrine as if shielding her from threat, “Is that this is no fit place for introductions, and she would like to retire to freshen up after her long days travel.”

The knight nodded, a hint of chagrin in his soft smile, “Of course…” 

Lish reached out for Peregrine’s hand and practically dragged her to their room at the other end of the hall. Peregrine couldn’t help looking back over her shoulder at the knight. 

She even caught herself waving farewell as Lish pulled her into the room and closed the door behind her. 

“Wow.” She breathed, standing there in a bit of shock. 

She wasn’t expecting to see him in person so soon. 

She wasn’t expecting how large he was. Those muscled arms were so thick it might take both of her hands to wrap around one bicep. And he might be her husband? Peregrine covered the grin that played across her lips, trying to compose herself. 

“I’m so sorry you had to suffer that.” Lish said, drawing Peregrine’s attention. Her maid was busy glaring at the door before turning back and gazing gently at Peregrine. “I’ll pour you a hot bath and you can enjoy some quiet while I fetch dinner.” 

“It’s alright, Lishinia–” Peregrine tried to say, but her maid shook her head.

“You deserve some rest,” Lish said strongly, “And it’s too soon to expect you to entertain suitors! Now let’s get your bath ready.” 

Peregrine glanced back at the closed door to the hallway and sighed. 

…

Lishinia prepared the bath, washed Lady Peregrine’s hair, cleaned her nails, and then left her mistress to soak while she ordered them dinner. Luckily, by that point that man was no longer blocking the hallway. 

She couldn’t believe they wanted to marry off her precious mistress to such a lout! Lish could forgive the knight that he wasn’t from Sumbria and might not know their customs, but it was common etiquette not to greet other nobles before proper introductions were made. 

And to try and strike up a conversation in some inn hallway! Completely inappropriate! The proper thing would have been no more than polite acknowledgement as they passed. 

And the way he’d looked at Lady Peregrine! She wanted to hit him over the head for audacity. She almost had when his eyes lingered on her mistress. 

Lishinia needed something to do to work out her restless frustration, and set about turning their room into proper living quarters. 

She used Peregrine’s storage ring to store all of the original furnishings and then replaced them with a nicer bed, soft covers, and a dining set with plush leather seated chairs. For herself, she pulled out a cot and down feather mattress more fit for a royal. It had been a birthday gift from Peregrine three years back and Lish loved it. 

The food arrived just as Lish was helping comb out and braid her ladies hair. The potato bacon leek soup was rich and creamy, paired with a thick-cut garlic butter toast. Dinner helped mollify Lishinia’s temper a bit, but she was already set in her decision. 

There was no way that her mistress would marry that knight. Lishinia would save her mistress if she had to stop the engagement herself.