The ride to back to the castle was quiet, and uneventful. Thanks to the heavy threats coming from the friend of the woman who had hissed and growled at them. as Dominic had placed Abigail upon his horse and turned it towards his home.
Though secretly he admired the woman who had threatened to hurt him in many various ways via threats that no doubt would be real if he harmed the woman he was taking home with him. He had assured Hannah; as he had heard someone hiss at her when she had very vocally blasphemed his name right there in front of everyone after the funeral; that Abigail would be safe, and protected in his castle and that threatening him any more would render her in the dungeons despite his good will to keep her from them for Abigail's cooperation.
The castle appeared finally, the shouts from the villagers who lived within the massive city greeted him with waves, bows, and some occasional shouts of hello. He nodded and continued on until he passed the gates into his home.
"Welcome home," he murmured to Abigail, "You will be escorted about as to keep you in line, and for the proper appearance as my fiancé"
Though secretly he admired the woman who had threatened to hurt him in many various ways via threats that no doubt would be real if he harmed the woman he was taking home with him. He had assured Hannah; as he had heard someone hiss at her when she had very vocally blasphemed his name right there in front of everyone after the funeral; that Abigail would be safe, and protected in his castle and that threatening him any more would render her in the dungeons despite his good will to keep her from them for Abigail's cooperation.
The castle appeared finally, the shouts from the villagers who lived within the massive city greeted him with waves, bows, and some occasional shouts of hello. He nodded and continued on until he passed the gates into his home.
"Welcome home," he murmured to Abigail, "You will be escorted about as to keep you in line, and for the proper appearance as my fiancé"
His mother stood on the short steps leading to the great hall, her blue eyes wide when she focused her gaze on Abigail, she came forward at a slow pace stopping when she was beside his horse. She smiled up at him.
"Welcome home son," His mother Angelina said, "Who is this woman that is with you? Find her lost and about did we?"
"Not really, Abigail meet my mother Queen Angelina; mother my fiancé Abigail." He said, as he dismounted pulling Abigail from the horse and setting her between them.
The look of complete surprise was on his mother's face; then her eyes sharpened; "You did not speak of a fiancé nor of a woman who had captured your heart." Angelina said, "Your father, is pleased to hear that Lady Victoria is coming by, he hoped you would make a proper proposal to her."
Abigail curtsied as proper to the queen but her eyes weren't at all pleasant, she also listened with rapt attention to what was being said.
Oh dear god spare him, Dominic thought as he shuddered at the sound of the woman he despised most name escaped his mothers lips. His father had already made talks of arranging the marriage between him and the woman that annoyed the hell out of him with her flirty ways, and skin and bone structure.
Which was why he had deemed the offer of a bride a little bit of a blessing even though the poor fool who had bet his own daughter had figured he'd win the cup and keep his daughter.
"I didn't speak of it because I had other businesses to attend to in the last few months" he said, looking at Abigail before looking back at his mother; "I wanted to be sure things were settled with her father before I brought her here."
His mother rubbed her brow, "Your father will not be happy about this, he had been on the verge of signing documents for your arranged marriage today as the agreements had been going back and forth for the past few weeks."
"I'll deal with father, now take Abigail up to her rooms and be sure she is well taken care of," he said, "Tony and Glenn will be her personal guards, and assign her some hand maidens if we have any to spare."
"Of course, come along young lady. We need to get you freshened up, and ready for the arrival of our guests." Angelina said, before kissing her son's cheek and taking the young woman's arms; "I do hope you will find our home well suited to your needs."
Abigail went with the woman, though she shot a glare at the man responsible for this trap. She was not going to be an obedient follower of the royal decrees. She was already hoping this woman who was coming would aide her in her plight and escape.
When they were upstairs in a room a few doors down from the prince's chambers, and alone. Angelina studied the woman who her son had brought home.
"Where was your mount?" she asked, "Why did you ride with my son?"
Abigail studied Angelina as well. Her amusement showing on her face, she crossed her arms and gave the woman a small smile.
"So you did not believe what he told you!" she stated, "I may come to like you, if you would help me escape this debacle I'm in."
Angelina just quirked an eyebrow; "As I'm sure you are not happy, believe me when I say that I am happy my son had decided to find someone with a little spine to stand up to him. Yet, I will not turn my back on my son as you think I would."
Abigail scowled; "Why ever not?" she asked, " I clearly don't want to be here. I don't want to marry your son, or become a princess. I do not want to rule a kingdom. All I want to do is live in the home where me and my father have lived since I was a little girl. To run my family's farm and to possibly fall in love with another man."
Angelina just sighed; "The reason is because I do not want to see my son shackled to that whiny, snotty Victoria Bannion. She has been a thorn in my son's side since he became of age to marry, and she would ruin this kingdom my husband, and I have worked so hard to build." she said, "Where I can sympathize with your plight, I can not bring myself to help you escape when I too am hoping my son will go through with this plan of his."
Abigail snorted; "So much for the caring queen of the people," she stated boldly, "You were highly regaled by my family friend Hannah, she told me to plead to you my case and you would help because you believe in rights for women. So much for that idea."
Angelina's spine stiffened; what the woman said had sucked out her guts and heart. She hated that the woman had been told of her advocacy of women's rights for this day she would hate that she had been so adamant to plead for a woman to have the rights she wanted.
"I am sorry to disappoint your friend and you, but I fear I have no remorse for what I feel. Or for what I want for my son." Angelina said, "Now, I will leave you to bathe, and I'm sure I have a few dresses that would fit you that can be pulled down from the towers and washed."
Angelina took her leave then, leaving Abigail to her guards and giving the orders for the dresses to be brought down washed and dried then hung in the room. She then went down to be sure that the supper was being prepared and things were arranged nicely.
Abigail kicked the nearest chair in anger, so the queen wouldn't help her. Perhaps this Victoria would as she would be standing in this woman's way to be married to the man her father seemed so destined to pair off with.
A knock sounded on the door and a maid stuck her head in; "I have come with your bath my lady," she said, as she stepped into the room followed by two heft men who hauled a tub into the room and four others who had steaming water for the bathe.
The maid set towels down and some soap by the tub and spread out one on the floor, then they all left. Abigail alone again.
Cursing the fate she was stuck with she undressed and sat into the hot water, grasping the soap she washed the grim away from the trip, and planned her next move if she could do so.
"Welcome home son," His mother Angelina said, "Who is this woman that is with you? Find her lost and about did we?"
"Not really, Abigail meet my mother Queen Angelina; mother my fiancé Abigail." He said, as he dismounted pulling Abigail from the horse and setting her between them.
The look of complete surprise was on his mother's face; then her eyes sharpened; "You did not speak of a fiancé nor of a woman who had captured your heart." Angelina said, "Your father, is pleased to hear that Lady Victoria is coming by, he hoped you would make a proper proposal to her."
Abigail curtsied as proper to the queen but her eyes weren't at all pleasant, she also listened with rapt attention to what was being said.
Oh dear god spare him, Dominic thought as he shuddered at the sound of the woman he despised most name escaped his mothers lips. His father had already made talks of arranging the marriage between him and the woman that annoyed the hell out of him with her flirty ways, and skin and bone structure.
Which was why he had deemed the offer of a bride a little bit of a blessing even though the poor fool who had bet his own daughter had figured he'd win the cup and keep his daughter.
"I didn't speak of it because I had other businesses to attend to in the last few months" he said, looking at Abigail before looking back at his mother; "I wanted to be sure things were settled with her father before I brought her here."
His mother rubbed her brow, "Your father will not be happy about this, he had been on the verge of signing documents for your arranged marriage today as the agreements had been going back and forth for the past few weeks."
"I'll deal with father, now take Abigail up to her rooms and be sure she is well taken care of," he said, "Tony and Glenn will be her personal guards, and assign her some hand maidens if we have any to spare."
"Of course, come along young lady. We need to get you freshened up, and ready for the arrival of our guests." Angelina said, before kissing her son's cheek and taking the young woman's arms; "I do hope you will find our home well suited to your needs."
Abigail went with the woman, though she shot a glare at the man responsible for this trap. She was not going to be an obedient follower of the royal decrees. She was already hoping this woman who was coming would aide her in her plight and escape.
When they were upstairs in a room a few doors down from the prince's chambers, and alone. Angelina studied the woman who her son had brought home.
"Where was your mount?" she asked, "Why did you ride with my son?"
Abigail studied Angelina as well. Her amusement showing on her face, she crossed her arms and gave the woman a small smile.
"So you did not believe what he told you!" she stated, "I may come to like you, if you would help me escape this debacle I'm in."
Angelina just quirked an eyebrow; "As I'm sure you are not happy, believe me when I say that I am happy my son had decided to find someone with a little spine to stand up to him. Yet, I will not turn my back on my son as you think I would."
Abigail scowled; "Why ever not?" she asked, " I clearly don't want to be here. I don't want to marry your son, or become a princess. I do not want to rule a kingdom. All I want to do is live in the home where me and my father have lived since I was a little girl. To run my family's farm and to possibly fall in love with another man."
Angelina just sighed; "The reason is because I do not want to see my son shackled to that whiny, snotty Victoria Bannion. She has been a thorn in my son's side since he became of age to marry, and she would ruin this kingdom my husband, and I have worked so hard to build." she said, "Where I can sympathize with your plight, I can not bring myself to help you escape when I too am hoping my son will go through with this plan of his."
Abigail snorted; "So much for the caring queen of the people," she stated boldly, "You were highly regaled by my family friend Hannah, she told me to plead to you my case and you would help because you believe in rights for women. So much for that idea."
Angelina's spine stiffened; what the woman said had sucked out her guts and heart. She hated that the woman had been told of her advocacy of women's rights for this day she would hate that she had been so adamant to plead for a woman to have the rights she wanted.
"I am sorry to disappoint your friend and you, but I fear I have no remorse for what I feel. Or for what I want for my son." Angelina said, "Now, I will leave you to bathe, and I'm sure I have a few dresses that would fit you that can be pulled down from the towers and washed."
Angelina took her leave then, leaving Abigail to her guards and giving the orders for the dresses to be brought down washed and dried then hung in the room. She then went down to be sure that the supper was being prepared and things were arranged nicely.
Abigail kicked the nearest chair in anger, so the queen wouldn't help her. Perhaps this Victoria would as she would be standing in this woman's way to be married to the man her father seemed so destined to pair off with.
A knock sounded on the door and a maid stuck her head in; "I have come with your bath my lady," she said, as she stepped into the room followed by two heft men who hauled a tub into the room and four others who had steaming water for the bathe.
The maid set towels down and some soap by the tub and spread out one on the floor, then they all left. Abigail alone again.
Cursing the fate she was stuck with she undressed and sat into the hot water, grasping the soap she washed the grim away from the trip, and planned her next move if she could do so.