One Kiss (3 page)

Molly considered. “I suppose you’re right. But why can’t you find somebody who doesn’t mind frogs as much? There are such women out there, you know.”

“I am a royal prince, and, therefore, require a princess. Not just any princess, but a
royal
princess. One born of a royal family. The stark reality is that Serenia is the only one available.”

She snorted. “Well, given that you’re such a rich prince, the best course would be to lure Princess Serenia with three of something golden and pretty. Things that would go well together. In a set, so to speak.”

“Three? I can gift her with scores of baubles.”

“She likes to collect things in groups of three. A peculiar fetish, but there it is. You shouldn’t give her all of them at once. Make her work for them. And no matter what, don’t give them to her until she upholds her end of the bargain first. Otherwise you’ll never get what’s been promised.”

Robert blinked at the shocking directness of the maid’s speech. How dare she call her own princess a liar? Lying, cheating, stealing…these were the kinds of things that the scullery staff did, and only the poorly bred members at that. Serenia was obviously different. Her beauty impressed even him, whose taste was not only impeccable but exacting. Her curls… They’d shone in the morning sun over her slender shoulders like gilded rings, setting off her sky-blue eyes and soft red lips. They had been perfectly arranged, and stayed so even when she’d run screaming at the sight of him. But what impressed him most was the lovely symmetry of her form. He’d never seen anything so fine, and he had met countless of the Fairy Tale World’s most renowned beauties.

“Thinking better of the idea?” Molly asked.

“I’m thinking I should be
honored
you haven’t insisted on the full payment upfront.” No point in scolding the maid for her slander at this point. No one respected his authority in his ridiculous frog form. He could punish her for her insolence after he regained his true body. After all, he’d promised her thousand coins, not perpetual immunity from her infractions. “Anyway, thank you for the advice. Would it be safe to assume that Princess Serenia will take her morning perambulation in the garden at the same time tomorrow?”

“It would. She is a creature of habit.”

“Excellent.”

“Just remember,” Molly said. “Get what’s promised first.”

Molly made her way toward the small cottage she shared with her mother outside the town wall. The sun had set a short while earlier, but she hadn’t been able to leave until Princess Serenia dismissed her.

Though every muscle in her body ached, Molly couldn’t help but smile at the weight of coin in the small bags hidden among the many pockets of her dress.

Five hundred gold pieces. More than what she could make in her entire lifetime. When she closed her hands around the other five hundred, she would never have to work for others again. She could buy a house in the country and live well so long as she wasn’t foolish with the money.

Most importantly, her mother would finally have the kind of life she deserved.

Suddenly Molly stopped, the fine hairs on the back of her neck rising. She looked around, but didn’t notice anything unusual. Maybe she was just nervous about carrying so much gold.

Come now, Molly. Nobody knows you have any money with you, and the small bundle of smoked duck you carry is hardly worth the trouble for a would-be thief.

She forced her shoulders to relax and picked up her pace, reaching the cottage without incident. When she was finally inside, she relaxed against the closed door. The feeling of being spied upon, however, remained.

“Molly? Is that you?”

She pushed away and went to her mother, who sat by the fire. “Yes, it’s me.” She held her mother’s frail and bony hand, which squeezed hers with a faint strength.

“You’re late,” Mother said, her milky eyes searching. Blind though she was, that didn’t mean she couldn’t see what really mattered—the truth. Nothing could obscure her Vision, not even the most powerful magic. She always knew when somebody was lying, a skill many of the highborn valued far above anything else. Molly’s ability to see through curses came from her mother, though she wasn’t able sniff out lies the way her mother could.

“Sorry. It was very busy today. A prince arrived to court Princess Serenia.” She looked at the wooden plate on the table next to her mother. Only the crumbs remained, which was good. “Would you like some smoked duck?” She knelt by her mother’s chair and unwrapped the small bundle.

Mother’s face lit up. “How lovely! Yes.” Then it immediately dimmed. “But can we afford it?” Her cheeks hollowed briefly. “What about your dream?”

“It’s all right,” Molly said. She didn’t want to speak of the gold she got from Robert, not when she couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched. “There’s plenty to go around,” she said vaguely.

“Did it come from the palace? Did Princess Serenia give it to you?”

“No.” Her mother had seen the princess. She’d never believe Serenia capable of any type of generosity. “Not her. Somebody else.”

She turned her face toward Molly, then raised her eyebrows. “I see. Please convey my thanks.” She picked up a small slice and chewed it slowly. Her eyelids lowered until only slivers of her eyes showed, while her lips curved upward in bliss.

Molly clasped her hands together and watched her mother enjoy the duck. The town butcher had given her the most tender fowl he had.

“By the way, Molly,” her mother said around a mouthful of duck, “Who is that young man behind you?”

“What?” Molly jumped to her feet and whirled around. “I don’t—” Then she noticed the green frog from earlier. “You!”

“Hello, Molly.” He took a small hop toward her mother. “And who is this lady?”

“I’m Molly’s mother. My name is Ether.”

Molly put a hand over her eyes. She didn’t want Robert to know about her private life. She didn’t want anyone to know much about it. Things were better that way, safer for her and her mother.

“Hello, Ether. My name is Robert. Very pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine.”

He eyed her curiously. “Can you see my true form?”

“Yes. You’re very handsome.” She added, “Tall and manly as well.”

Molly immediately put herself between her mother and the frog before they could speak more to each other. “How did you find this place?”

“Quite easily. I merely followed you from the palace—”

Oh, the gall. “Out! Out now!” When he didn’t move fast enough to suit her, she snatched him from the floor and carried him outside. “Mother, have as much duck as you want. I’ve already eaten my fill.”

“All right, dear. Thank you.”

Molly shut the door and tossed Robert on the grass. “How could you spy on me?” she said, glaring at him.

Robert drew himself up. “Spying? I was watching you rather blatantly.”

In the moonlight, his true form was clearer. Some spells gained strength in the darkness of night, but this curse seemed to be the opposite. He was stunning, more so than any of the princes or high lords she’d seen during her tenure as Princess Serenia’s maid. Molly could make out the incredible breath of his shoulders and towering height of his powerful frame. Underneath the expensive silk and supple leather, his body was lean, the muscles honed from years of physical exertion. Her cheeks suddenly felt unusually warm. Had she been less experienced and jaded, she might have melted at the sight of him, promised to do anything for him.

If Princess Serenia could see him like this, she would kiss him in an instant and claim him as her own. How ironic—it was Molly the maid who could see his true form, yet she wasn’t the one he wanted.

Because she wasn’t royal. Or a princess.

She put aside the kernel of resentment at his snobbishness. What else had she expected? The highborn were capricious and shallow, not to mention selfish, and royals most of all. What she wanted was the money he had promised, the money that would give her financial freedom and security.

When she remained quiet, he said, “Hopping along in plain view, I tell you. It’s not my fault you didn’t notice.”

“What do you want? I thought you were going to wait for Princess Serenia’s walk tomorrow.”

“I was curious about you. You said you would help me, and it struck me that I should make sure of the kind of person you are.”

“It’s too late to worry about that, isn’t it? You already gave me the money.”

“Ah, but now that I know where you live, I can take it back if you break your promise.”

Fat luck with that. She’d hide
her
money where he could never find it. “Don’t worry, I won’t,” she said between clenched teeth. “I’m the one who’s worried you’ll try to rob me blind.”

He drew back. “I did give you my word.”

“You aren’t the only one to give his word…and then employ trickery to weasel out of the deal.”

“What?”

“Just today, before you showed up, there was a prince who came to court Princess Serenia. He offered to give me a pretty gold ring he had on his finger if I would help him woo the princess. I told him what I told you, and do you know what he did?”

“I confess I do not.”

“He tried to give me the ring in front of the princess, who promptly took it for herself since it was of course far too valuable for someone like me.” Anger spiked at the memory, making her hands shake. She clenched them. “The prince merely shrugged and said it was my fault I couldn’t keep it.” Fury coiled in her belly, hot and acidic. The prince had never intended to pay her as promised.

Ah well. It’s not as though you could wear something as precious as that ring. It’d look outlandish on your hand, and with that uncomely cotton dress.
Prince John had said it with a shrug and cruel, laughing eyes. He’d calculated everything from the beginning, and had never had any desire to keep his word, that horrible man. Her station in life wasn’t something she’d chosen, anymore than he’d had to exert himself to be born a prince.

Robert croaked softly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugged, trying not to let him thaw her. She couldn’t afford to think of anything but her ultimate goal.

Words were cheap. So was sentiment. She didn’t want either from Robert. She simply wanted the payment he’d promised. That way she’d be free of Princess Serenia and the job she had to endure to make ends meet.

* * *

Robert regarded Molly. Bitterness and anger etched deep lines ’round her mouth and eyes. Whatever had happened wasn’t just annoying her. He could see a fury building inside.

The need to punish whomever was responsible for her unhappiness surged within him. He’d seen her kindness at the butcher shop and her loving patience with her mother. She didn’t deserve to feel bad. “You didn’t have any duck,” he said, trying to drag her mind away from bad memories.

“What?”

“The duck. I saw you buy it from the butcher. Why didn’t you tell your mother the truth?”

“Ha. One cannot help but tell my mother the truth. She sees it in any case. But I didn’t say I’d eaten duck, I said I’d had my fill.”

“So not a lie, precisely, a…dissembling.”

“Yes.”

“Still, you should have some. The money that bought it was yours.”

“If I show that I desire any at all, she won’t eat it until I have at least half. I want her to have all she likes, especially since smoked duck is her favorite, and I didn’t buy that much.”

“Surely a single one of the five hundred gold coins I gave you can buy all the duck you want.”

She sat on a knee-high rock. “It can, but I’ve never spent much at the butcher. If I start now, he may wonder. It’s unwise to draw attention to oneself.”

Robert tilted his head. “A stressful way to live.”

“No. Just necessary.”

“If you can’t spend the money or draw any attention to yourself, what are you going to do with all the gold coins? Keep them under your mattress?”

She laughed, the sound full and throaty. Not at all princess-like.

Yet it struck something deep inside him, conjured images of wild fairy dancers in lush lazy summer. A little shiver traveled along his skin. He forced himself to squat still.

“No. I’m not that crazy,” she said. “I plan to spend it…but how and when are my affair.”

Buying more slices of duck for her mother, probably. Robert still couldn’t quite understand why she didn’t want to have at least
some
of the meat. It had smelled amazing at the butcher shop, and he bet it tasted just as wonderful. He doubted he could be as disciplined as Molly about what he wanted. He’d never had to deny himself anything.

As the only son of a king, Robert had been spoiled to the core, even by those who didn’t care for him much. They’d been investing in their future, since it was inevitable that he would one day inherit the throne. Women too had indulged him when he was young and loved him when he was older.

He’d taken all of that and more for granted. He’d felt like he was the best and the greatest…until the Wicked Witch transformed him into a frog, after which nobody believed the claim that he was a royal prince and treated him like a common amphibian.

“By the way, about what your mother said… Can she really see me in my true form?”

“No,” Molly said quickly with a little too much force. “She’s blind. She’s been that way for over three years.”

“But she said—”

“A handsome young man. That’s not you, Prince Ribbit.”

He croaked at the undignified name. “Robert. Prince Robert.”

“Of course. Tell me, do you keep
rabbits
in your castle? Make them wear
ribbons
?” Molly’s fingers were fiddling with one another, and he could tell that she was trying to distract him from the topic of her mother with her horrible taunts.

“Are you quite done?”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to
rubbit
in.”

“I don’t believe you about your mother.”

“Leave my mother out of this. Our bargain was that I would help you, not her. If you try to involve her in your mad scheme to win a kiss from Princess Serenia, I’ll leave you at the princess’s mercy.”