One Kiss (2 page)

“Well…” Princess Serenia sighed, as though making a deeply distressing decision that could change the course of history. “This tree will shade me, so I think you can go. Crush that vile frog dead, then throw it away. I don’t want to see it ever again.”

“I understand.”

“Make sure not to leave any disgusting frog blood either. Or…body bits.” Princess Serenia put a dainty hand to her mouth. “Oh, I do believe I’m going to throw up.”

“Please don’t.” The last duty she needed was getting stains out of the princess’s favorite pink dress. Keeping her garments pristine too was Molly’s responsibility.

As a matter of fact, everything was Molly’s responsibility. And she had to do all of it well to earn the meager wage Princess Serenia deigned to pay each month. Otherwise Molly would lose her small cottage outside the city, and her mother would starve.

Molly ran toward the spot where the princess had seen this “giant frog.” She looked around, not seeing anything unusual. Had it run away already? If she were the frog, she would’ve fled the second the princess began screeching.

Something caught her peripheral vision. She turned and saw a green frog resting on a rock.

She sighed. Given the princess’s hysteria, she’d thought it would be a large and ugly toad. But this frog was small enough to sit on her palm, and it wasn’t even of the poisonous variety. Stomping on it would constitute nothing more than cruelty, and Molly didn’t want to be mean to the frog. It wasn’t the poor thing’s fault Princess Serenia hated amphibians.

“You, help me!”

Molly blinked and looked around, wondering where the sudden and imperious male voice had come from. It was baritone, dark and rich. Definitely not anybody she was familiar with. She knew all the voices of the high lords and their sycophants. None of them had one this authoritative…or alluring.

“Down here!”

She dropped her gaze. The frog hopped twice. She leaned closer and saw a small golden crown perched on its head.

Hmm. Most unusual.

A hazy outline formed around the frog. She narrowed her eyes and focused. Ah there. A man’s shape. A handsome face with a sharply carved nose and cheekbones. A plump sensual mouth that softened the harshness of a strong jaw. And dark brown eyes that reminded her of a caramel and chocolate treat she’d once purloined from Princess Serenia’s many coffers of candy. It had tasted exquisite.

But not as much as this frog’s beautiful human face.

Molly straightened. Beautiful or not, he was clearly some cursed thing. Not her problem. The world was full of hexed men and women, and she wasn’t the sort to undo spells. She was far too practical—and not pretty or highborn enough—for that kind of thing.

She picked him up and looked behind her. Princess Serenia was still under the tree, her face turned away.

Molly drew her arm back, aiming for the field beyond the large pine tree. The frog would fly over the wall and land on a soft grassy area on the other side. It might stun him, but it wouldn’t kill him.

“No! No!” the frog yelled. “Help me and I’ll reward you.”

“That’s what they all say,” she muttered.

“I am not ‘they,’ whoever ‘they’ are. I am rich and will give you many gold coins.”

She put her face close to his. “You’re just a frog.” One who apparently had been foolish enough to anger the Wicked Witch. Everyone knew not to cross Fairy Godmother’s sister. “Where are you going to get these coins?”

“I am
not
just a frog.” He made a face. The eyes were rather expressive. What had he done to earn the Wicked Witch’s displeasure? “I am a royal prince, and I have the money and treasures commensurate with my rank.”

She gazed at him skeptically. “‘Commensurate’, is it? The highborn do like their flowery words. But pray be a bit more precise for this poor country girl.”

“A hundred gold coins!”

Her mouth formed an O on its own volition. A hundred? This frog was desperate. She might have taken him up on it, if it weren’t for what had happened earlier with Prince John.

“A thousand,” she countered.

“
A thousand?!
”

“If it’s not even worth a thousand gold coins to you, it can’t be that important.” She pulled her arm back again.

“Very well! A thousand it is.”

“And you’re to pay me half now and the rest after one week. I’ll not play your errand girl for life.”

“That’s outlandish! How do I know you aren’t going to run away with my money without fulfilling your end of the deal?”

“Oh yes. Much easier to believe that a wretched frog will shower me with coins of gold.”

“I am
not
just a frog! I’m a prince. Prince Robert of Lustrea.”

She shrugged. “Never heard of you.” Actually, she had guessed his rank from the crown he wore, but she didn’t want him to know she could see through his curse. “Anyway, the princess pays me to do things for her, for example getting rid of frogs such as yourself. So why would I work for you without payment?”

“All right! I accept your terms.”

“Swear it.”

He looked like he’d swallowed a particularly unsavory insect. “I swear it, on my honor.”

Molly managed not to scoff at the idea of “honor” from the frog. She hadn’t seen any evidence that such a thing existed among the royals, if he was indeed one. He probably didn’t even know what the word meant. “Go to the basement of the northern wing. My room is the second one on the right from the main entrance. You can’t miss it. I’ll tie a green ribbon on the latch. And bring the money in five small bags.”

* * *

Robert couldn’t believe the nerve of the maid. How dare she demand payment—and in advance!—for helping him. Was it not a great privilege to help a cursed prince?

Still, he’d promised on his honor to pay her, so he would.

The princess had called her Molly. A simple name, nothing fancy, but the maid attached to that name was anything but.

The lass was too young to be so mercenary. Probably in her early twenties, he surmised. She was pretty in a mundane way—braided brown hair and lightly tanned skin. Her eyes, on the other hand, were extraordinary, large and beautiful and green as a forest in springtime.

An apron with various pockets was wrapped around her; his mother’s maid used to put one on to carry items for her. Molly wore a simple blue cotton work-dress beneath, one that emphasized her small waist—surprisingly, hers had to be as tiny as Serenia’s—and generous breasts—which were definitely larger than the princess’s, much to his annoyance. He was irritated that he’d noticed her shapely form, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. The outward appearance of Serenia’s serving staff wasn’t relevant to undoing his curse. The fact that his skin felt tight and hot meant…

Well. He was cursed, not dead. Of course he appreciated buxom women! It would’ve been more worrisome if he
hadn’t
noticed her breasts.

Molly had calluses on her hands. He’d felt them when she’d grabbed him in the garden. Her grip had been gentle but sure, a woman with no qualms about handling frogs.

If only Serenia shared the latter trait…

The coins in the bags jingled as he hopped toward the palace. Five hundred gold pieces. What did she plan to do with such a large sum? Run off with a stable boy she fancied?

And why did he care? It was none of his business what she did with the money, so long as she helped him undo the curse.

A kiss willingly given by a woman of worth.

Surely that was Serenia. Golden, radiant and beautiful, she was everything a royal princess should be. It was unfortunate she didn’t like frogs, but truth be told not that many women did. Besides, wasn’t that why he was paying Molly? With the inside help, he could win the princess. Afterward, of course, he’d have her dismiss Molly. A servant who could be bought shouldn’t be part of his future wife’s retinue.

He went into the lower levels of the palace and found the door with the green ribbon. He scouted the area. How in the world was he supposed to get in? There wasn’t anybody around who could open the door for him.

He went back out and along the rough stone wall, counting his hops, until he was at approximately the same spot. There was a small window near the ground, and he jumped up onto the sill. Inside he could see a yellow hair ribbon lying on a small table. Molly’s room. Maybe he should wait for her to come back, but… Ah well. She hadn’t forbidden him from entering her chamber.

The room was dark except for what meager light came through window he’d just used. Moisture hung in the dank air, reminding him of a dungeon; even though it felt pleasantly cool on his skin he shuddered.

Putting aside his unease, he explored the small square space. Molly didn’t have anything nice, just a change of clothes and some old bread and cheese. Purple wildflowers in a jar of water sat in the middle of the plain wooden table—a poor girl’s bouquet. Did they come from an admirer? Would Serenia even allow her maid to have a beau? Some princesses could be particular about their maids’ love lives.

A small bed with a pathetically thin mattress squatted in the corner. He hopped on it a couple of times and winced. Molly wouldn’t even notice if the mattress went missing. All in all, a rather sad place, not something he found acceptable for a young woman. Didn’t Serenia provide for her staff better than this?

Molly didn’t return until early afternoon, well past lunch time. Robert crouched on her pillow and watched her move around the room. She dragged, rolling her shoulders. Fatigue had carved lines around her eyes and mouth.

She went to the table and poured herself a cup of lukewarm water. Afterward she cut a thick slice of bread and cheese and sat down. Her eyelids drooped and she bent to put her head on her arms.

No no. Not until you talk to me first.

“Hello. Remember me?” He hopped over, ignoring a twinge of guilt. She was clearly tired, but this curse business was too important to put off. “We spoke earlier.”

The maid looked up and blinked at him. “I remember.” She frowned. “So you were serious.”

“I wouldn’t have promised on my honor if I weren’t. Here are your coins.” He dumped the five bags, each containing one hundred gold coins, on the table. “Count them if you wish.”

She peered inside one of the bags. “Gold. Very nice. I’ll count it after I eat.” She ripped a small piece from her bread, then hesitated. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes.” He’d barely had a bite since breakfast. His usual routine would have afforded him lunch at least an hour earlier, but he’d had to go to the secret spot where he kept his funds and treasures. Molly didn’t seem like the type to lift a finger until she first had money in hand.

So cold-hearted and calculating.

If Fairy Godmother had things her way, he’d be courting someone like Molly. Upon consideration, that might have been easier. He could toss some sparkly gewgaws at her and she’d do anything for him. But the notion left a singularly bad taste in his mouth, worse than the stinkbug the Wicked Witch had tried to make him eat shortly after cursing him. Susceptibility to bribery made one distinctly less than worthy.

“Here.” She placed a small plate in front of him with some of the bread and cheese.

He frowned—or tried to, forgetting that frogs didn’t have the requisite forehead muscles. “Don’t you have anything else?”

“If you’re going to complain, don’t eat. All the more for me.”

“But…surely the palace kitchen must have leftovers aplenty?”

“Indeed it does. What is your point?”

“No one at my court eats stale bread and cheese with water.”

Molly leaned back and crossed her arms. “Well, Prince Ribbit—”

His temper, drastically shortened from a decade of existence as a repulsive amphibian, came to an immediate boil. “Ribbit! Ribbit, is it now?” He slapped the wooden table with his webbed forefoot. “The name is Robert. Prince Robert of Lustrea, and I’ll thank you to remember it!”

“Your pardon, Prince Robert of Lustrea.” She rolled her eyes. “But how can you be so sure? Have you seen what your servants eat in their chambers?”

In point of fact, he had not. “What else would one do with leftovers?”

“Some of the highborn prefer to throw them away,” she muttered.

“What? But why?”

“Because they don’t want them given to those who didn’t
earn
it.”

Robert didn’t miss the derision in her voice. Nor did he miss the way her eyes flicked over him dismissively, as though he too were one of that miserly class. Uncertainty replaced his irritation. He didn’t care what she thought of others, so long as she didn’t lump him in with them.

Who cares about her opinion of you? She’s to serve a purpose, a means to an end.

But somehow it mattered. It was confounding, but he wanted her to think highly of him. “I have my share of flaws, but I assure you, cruelty and stinginess are not—”

“I have no doubt that you are the very soul of generosity.” She shook the bags. “Thanks ever so much.”

Impertinent chit. If he hadn’t needed her help, he would’ve scolded her harshly. On the other hand, what was the point of lecturing a woman who wouldn’t be changed? She was obviously too small-minded to accept that she was eating stale bread and cheese out of a misguided perception of How Things Worked. The beauteous Serenia was undoubtedly punishing her, most likely for some insolent remark. But back to the more important matter.

“About your helping me for the coins…”

“What of it? You can’t change the price now.”

“No need for concern. You’ll get the rest after I have accomplished my mission. Within the week.”

Molly nodded. “So what is it you need help with?”

“I require a kiss from Princess Serenia. A willing kiss.”

“A
kiss?”
She blinked, then burst out laughing. “I see it now. You’re demented.”

“No. Determined.”

“Did you fail to mark how she screamed at the sight of you? She abhors frogs.”

“Not many women care for frogs.” Robert scowled…or tried to. Not that they cared for things like bears or beasts either, but at least those curse-spawn looked powerful and manly. The Wicked Witch had no respect for his royal pride or appearance. “Be that as it may, if what I aimed to accomplish were easy, I wouldn’t have agreed to pay so much.”