The Handmaid (Unexpected Circumstances 1)

“Yes, Mother.”

“Alexandra, dear?” Queen Sunniva reached out and touched my hand. My eyes darted to hers quickly, still unsure if I was allowed to look her in the eye. When our gazes did meet, she smiled, and I tried to smile back. “Let us get you into something more appropriate, agreed?”

“Yes, Queen Sunniva.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she responded. “I’m practically your mother now, too. Just call me Sunniva.”

“If you wish, Sunniva.”

And that is how I was welcomed into the family.

Chapter 6—Slowly Comprehend

Looking sideways at Branford, I tried to meet his gaze and judge if he wanted me to accompany the Queen of Silverhelm, but he wasn’t looking at me. He kept his focus on King Camden, whose steel blue eyes stared back at his nephew.

“My lord?” I questioned softly, trying to get his attention. His hard look met mine briefly and softened. Then he looked back to the king.

“Go along,” he responded. “I’ll fetch you shortly.”

“Yes, my lord,” I replied and then looked back to the queen, who continued to smile at me.

“Follow me, dear.” Her kind voice echoed softly through the hall. She started to lead me back toward the main doors and then stopped suddenly. She spoke quietly to herself as she turned around. “Perhaps a different route would be preferable. Let’s go this way, shall we?”

I was confused only for a moment. When I realized we would have walked through what was undoubtedly a hall full of nobles just outside the doors, I was quite glad for Queen Sunniva’s forethought since I definitely did not want to walk through all those people in my current state. She led me back behind the twin thrones where she and King Camden had been seated and down a small corridor to a staircase leading upward. It was narrow and somewhat steep, so I tread carefully to keep from tripping. Sunniva held her beautiful layered skirts up a bit as she climbed the stairs, and I tried to keep up with her strides.

At the very top, she opened a wooden door and stepped into a wide corridor. The corridor was open to the outside along one wall with a ledge overlooking a courtyard below. Light from the sun as it descended in the sky shone through, cascading prisms of color over the walls and floor.

“Branford’s chambers are that way,” Sunniva said as she held her hand out to her right. She shook her head and chuckled. “I suppose I should say Branford’s and your chambers, shouldn’t I? We’ll go there soon so you can get comfortable. Camden and I are down this way. Ida is here, in the center rooms.”

Though we hadn’t been properly introduced, I had assumed the dark-haired woman who had slapped Branford must be his sister, Ida. Sir Parnell had been right—she was obviously quite angry about the wedding, and I couldn’t help but wonder: in her eyes, how much of that would be my fault? I knew how the minds of nobles tended to work, and when blame could be placed on those that served, it was. Branford had already demonstrated such an act.

Continuing down the corridor to the left, I glanced briefly out over the ledge and was surprised to see greenery on the inside of the castle. Taking a step closer so I could get a better look, I saw a beautiful garden, surrounded by the high walls of the castle, but completely open to the sky. It was a glorious oasis in the middle of the cold, stone walls.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sunniva said.

“Very,” I answered. “I’ve never seen a garden on the inside of a castle!”

“It’s not common,” Queen Sunniva said. “Camden’s grandfather—that would be Branford’s great-grandfather—had it built this way so his Queen would always be surrounded by such beauty. Camden has upheld that tradition. Aside from the few evergreens, we decorate the area in the wintertime so there is still color in the garden.”

“Branford’s father was King Camden’s brother?” I was fairly certain that was the case, but I hadn’t been told the exact relationship. Branford had referred to Sunniva as his mother, and I was a little confused.

“Yes,” Queen Sunniva said quietly. “Though they have been with us for so long, both Ida and Branford have called me mother for years. He was only six, and Ida was five when they lost their parents.”

She did not offer any more information, and we quickly continued our journey through another pair of massive doors and into a set of rooms with many single-sized beds in the large chamber. Sunniva explained this was the Women’s Room—a place where the noble women could meet and also seek their privacy from their husbands during “certain times.” I flushed when I understood her greater meaning—wives came to this place when they were bleeding. As a commoner, I had always been expected to just keep to myself and get my duties done quickly and without interacting with any men during my time of the month.

Sunniva led me through the sitting room and into the main chamber where so many surfaces held large displays of flowers, I wondered if we had walked into another garden. As soon as we were all the way in the room, Sunniva stopped and turned around, placing her hands on my shoulders.

“You poor thing,” Sunniva said softly. “The last couple of days have been difficult for you, haven’t they?”

I stared at the floor, not sure if I should answer or how I would answer if I did. Queen Sunniva seemed so kind, but then Branford had at times as well, but he had also been quite harsh with the carriage driver. Of course all of this was difficult—I didn’t have the slightest idea what was expected of me. I obviously didn’t know how to behave, as evidenced when I was before the King and Queen for the first time.

“What did I do wrong?” I asked Sunniva quietly.

“What do you mean, dear?”

“I thought I was supposed to kneel,” I answered, “like Branford did. But I could tell by everyone’s reaction that I was wrong to do so. I didn’t mean any disrespect, honestly—I just didn’t know…”

“Branford didn’t think to tell you, did he?” Sunniva shook her head and took my hands. “Just like a man to assume you know all the customs of a foreign land. We may be close in proximity to Hadebrand, but