Richard sighed. "Not ready to give up my freedom just yet."
"You do not have to give up your freedom," Henry said. "You just have to be free more secretly."
Richard burst out laughing. "I'm sure you are right. Because in my case, I am not so sure love is ever going to find me."
"I thought the same too, brother," Henry said quietly. "I thought the same."
*****
When Baroness Cresswell opened the door and found the King of England standing there, her eyes widened so dramatically Henry feared, for one wild second, they might actually fall out of her head.
Behind her, the girls were screaming. They were quarrelling about something. The baroness went pale.
"Your Highness!" she gasped, dropping into a curtsy as quickly as her heavily pregnant body would allow. "We had no idea you would be coming."
"My apologies, Baroness," Henry said, trying very hard not to smile. "I was nearby."
"Girls!" the baroness snapped over her shoulder.
The screaming continued.
"Girls!"
