The Royal and the Rebel (Royally Pitched 2)

25

5 March

Xavier Hall Stables

Rowan followed a few steps behind Violet and Juliana. When he saw the four-wheeler sitting near the bottom on the terrace steps, he whistled low. Violet looked at him over her shoulder and smiled wide, obviously proud of herself. He was too. And grateful. Recently, he’d spent too much time inside. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed the smell of the crisp, cool air, but as he inhaled, his mood immediately lifted.

Juliana reached the vehicle first and jumped into the driver’s seat. She held her hand out, and Violet dropped the keys into her waiting palm.

“You’re letting her drive?” Rowan asked as he finally reached them.

Violet climbed onto the back and nodded. “My driving privileges might have been suspended,” she said as she reached for Rowan’s crutches.

He handed them over but remained standing, waiting for her to explain.

Juliana laughed. “What did you do?”

Violet scratched the side of her neck and looked away from them. “I might have flipped one. But it wasn’t my fault,” she explained quickly.

“Oh, really?” Rowan asked, intrigued.

“Yes. An animal ran out in front of me, and I slammed on the brakes. But I was going too fast and fishtailed, clipped a boulder, and it ended up on its side.”

“And you didn’t get hurt?” Juliana asked, a look of concern on her face.

“Nah,” Vi explained, “not a scratch. But since I hadn’t specifically asked to take it out, Fred, our head groundskeeper, has banned me for a while.”

Rowan narrowed his eyes. He heard Tristan in his head, calling him out for descending into Skipper mode when it wasn’t called for. He ignored it. “How did you get this one then?”

Vi smiled wickedly. “I asked someone else.”

“Violet!” Rowan intoned without any thought.

Her hand flitted, waving away his concern. “Kidding.”

Juliana cracked up, and Rowan bristled. This kid.

“Are you going to sit?” Vi asked.

Rowan sat and swung his legs around.

“Okay, Jules, you want to follow the hedge there, all the way to the end. Then, there is a path in the trees, to your right.”

Juliana started the engine and took off at a leisurely pace. Rowan found himself studying the amazing landscape around him. He’d been at Xavier Hall for almost three months, and this was the first time he’d seen the extensive gardens. The hedge maze stretched out for what seemed like the length of a couple of pitches. He couldn’t see anything but the eastern wall, which was impressive in its majestic splendor. The rest of the surrounding grounds were meticulously landscaped with stone paths, beautiful and exotic foliage, and picturesque benches set up for the casual observer to take in the view.

As they bumped along the pristine lawn, he got lost in the scenery. He could hear Violet’s directions, but there was enough road noise to make conversation impossible. They turned onto the well-traveled path. The trees formed a tunnel through the forest, and it almost seemed like they were leaving Nava behind and descending into a fairy land. Even in the later winter landscape, colors abounded. Suddenly, they cleared the canopy, and a huge stable appeared in front of them. Horses were the duke’s obsession, and the working stud farm was a sight to behold. The four-wheeler slowed to a stop right at the foot of paved pathway.

“You can wait by the ring over there. I’ll bring Star out.” Violet catapulted out of the vehicle and practically skipped into the stable.

“Seems she loves this as much as the duke,” Rowan stated. He grabbed his crutches and walked toward the ring she’d indicated.

Juliana followed. “This is impressive,” she remarked.

Rowan had to agree even though he didn’t say it. He hated attributing any good qualities to the duke. Even knowing it was perhaps short-sighted to ignore your adversary’s strengths.

“He makes millions every year from stud fees. The quality of the horses, the history of their lines, allows him to charge outrageous prices.”

Violet appeared, leading a midnight-black horse into the ring. She led him through a few turns. Rowan was impressed with her command of the animal and the look of sheer pleasure on her face. The kid had worked some magic and made herself important to him. His heart expanded two sizes. Violet had sold this trip to the stables as a way to get him outside, but as he watched her preen with her animal, he realized she’d wanted him to see her in this place that meant so much to her. He found himself smiling.

He knew the moment Juliana turned her head to watch him, as if she were a pole and he was the tether tied to it.

“You’re smiling,” she commented.

He nodded his head toward Violet. “I think she ployed me.”

“Ployed? Is that a word?”

He shrugged. “She made like this was all about me getting outside. But”—he shrugged again, as the words he was about to say registered. He was going to come off like a conceited prat—“I think she wanted me to see her doing this. She loves it, and she has a way.”

Juliana’s attention returned to Violet. For a time, neither of them spoke. He wondered if she was attributing his remarks to arrogance, and he was disturbed to find out he cared.

“You’re right, you know,” Juliana murmured. “She wants you to like her and to respect what she can do. Unfortunately, I think she thinks if you can’t find something about her to respect, you won’t like her.”

Rowan scowled in the direction of Violet as he weighed Juliana’s words. Without much searching, he knew she was right. Violet had this irreverent streak in her, but like every other person in the world, she wanted to be loved without condition. He knew she wouldn’t have received what she needed from the duke. The man wasn’t capable of truly loving someone. But what about Violet’s mother and half-brother? Why, of all the people in this crazy family, would Violet zero in on him?

“How did you know that? About Violet?” Was Juliana that intuitive, or did Violet talk to her about this stuff?

“Takes one to know one, I guess,” Juliana said.