Love Letters Read online

  Love Letters

  Michelle Leyland

  Published by Violet Star Publishing

  United Kingdom

  Category: Adult, Fiction

  First published in e-book format 2019

  Copyright Michelle Leyland © 2019

  Cover design by Shardel

  ISBN : 978-0-9926320-9-0

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  About the Author

  Books by Michelle Leyland

  Chapter 1

  Rosanna felt very happy when she woke up on her sixteenth birthday. She snuggled up in her warm covers and smiled, excited for what would happen today, but not wanting to leave her soft and comfy king-sized bed just yet. It was an elegant four poster bed, with carved patterns along the wooden posts and draped lace curtains hanging from them.

  She finally got out of bed once she heard her maid Isabelle entering her bedchamber.

  “Good morning, Isabelle,” she greeted her sleepily.

  Isabelle was petite and thin, with dark skin and long black hair neatly plaited back. She was fifteen years old, a year younger than Rosanna, and was more like a best friend to her instead of an employee.

  Rosanna often felt lonely staying inside the castle by herself. She had a younger brother named Jonathon, but they weren’t close as siblings. Even as children he refused to play with her. He would scoff if she tried to join in with his games of adventure or fighting and said it was only for boys.

  Their relationship was similar now that they were older. Jonathon wanted to focus on combat training and only talked with Rosanna if it was polite conversations over meals or social events. She had always wished for a sister, but unfortunately their mother had passed away giving birth to Jonathon, so he remained her only sibling.

  She was thrilled when Isabelle got the position as her new maid three years ago. They immediately became best friends and talked about everything together. Rosanna thought of her as a sister, even if they weren’t blood related or even the same ethnicity.

  “Good morning, your Highness,” replied Isabelle with a smile.

  “I have told you before, you can call me Rosanna,” she teased her.

  “And you know I will be in trouble if I do not address you correctly.”

  “No one will hear us in here,” she said dismissively. “It is boring having to be formal all the time.”

  “I wanted to give you best wishes for today,” said Isabelle. “It is special to become sixteen.”

  Rosanna smiled and gave her a friendly hug.

  “I have a gift for you,” Isabelle produced the wrapped box she had kept hidden behind her back.

  She accepted it happily, “Thank you. You are so thoughtful to buy me a gift.”

  She felt guilty knowing that Isabelle was on a low wage and would have saved up for months to buy her something. Yet, she was still excited to see what it was and untied the string. She opened the box to find a small perfume bottle with rose petals inside.

  “It is wonderful! Where did you find it?”

  “They were being sold at a market stall in the village.”

  She opened the glass bottle and dabbed it onto her wrists, then offered for Isabelle to try.

  She tried to politely refuse at first, “It is your gift, not mine.”

  “I want us both to smell lovely and best friends share their gifts.”

  Isabelle smiled and used it too, “Are you excited for the ball tonight?”

  “I cannot wait,” she replied happily.

  Her father, King Adrian, organised a ball to celebrate her birthday every year and her family and friends had all been sent invitations weeks ago.

  “I love when we have balls at the castle, but I wish I could attend them properly,” said Isabelle, feeling left out.

  “I do too,” Rosanna felt saddened that all the staff had to work instead of joining in the fun. “I could try to beg my father again…”

  “No, it is fine,” replied Isabelle, not wanting to get her into trouble or to seem disobedient to the king’s rules. “I am here to work.”

  “It is still unfair. You are my best friend and I want you to be at my party most of all.”

  Isabelle didn’t dare to agree even though she thought so too. She got on with her duties, preparing a hot bath while Rosanna thanked her and felt guilty. She sometimes watched the process and knew that it was difficult for Isabelle having to carry pales of water up to her bedchamber and heating them over the fire place. However, she knew this was a special day and she had to look her best.

  She waited patiently and talked to Isabelle as she worked. She soon enjoyed a nice relaxing soak in her bathtub, while Isabelle cleaned her bedchamber.

  “I suppose you are excited about meeting Prince Ethan today?” Isabelle asked, as she helped her change into a beautiful, pink silk gown bought especially for today.

  Rosanna admired it in the mirror, “Yes, I am thrilled to finally meet him,” she replied blushing, “but I am quite nervous.”

  She had always dreamt of meeting Prince Ethan ever since she was seven years old and had started to like boys. She loved to hear stories about him as if he was a heroic character from one of her books. She had been told that he was very rich, charming and handsome, and a lot of eligible ladies were desperate to have his hand in marriage. She often daydreamed about them being together, fantasising about a perfect married life with him.

  “You do not need to feel anxious,” Isabelle reassured her. “You look beautiful and I am sure he will be very taken by you.”

  “Thank you,” she sat at her vanity table and brushed her long, wavy auburn hair and blissfully thought of him. “I hope he does like me.”

  “I bet he falls madly in love with you and asks you to be his wife,” teased Isabelle.

  She giggled, blushing again at the thought of her daydreams, “If only...”

  Isabelle smiled and thought about how wonderful it would feel to be a princess like Rosanna. She was lucky enough to meet all the most wonderful bachelors in the country and would probably marry one of them now she was old enough. Isabelle sighed and hoped that one day she would experience falling in love with someone. Being a maid gave her hardly any time at all for romance.

  “You are very lucky,” Isabelle told her thoughtfully. “I wish I could meet someone as amazing as Prince Ethan.”

  “Do not worry, I am sure you will meet a lovely gentleman one day,” she assured her. “Maybe you will meet him at the ball tonight?”

  “I doubt it. I will be busy working,” Isabelle replied before she could feel hopeful about the idea. She dismissed any fantasies knowing she had to serve guests and there wouldn’t be any time for socialising.

  “I had better return to my other d
uties,” said Isabelle. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Once Rosanna had finished getting ready, she walked down the stairway to go have breakfast with her family.

  She saw her friend Leonardo on her way towards the dining room. He was one of the knights and had been chosen to act as her personal guard. He was tall, strong and good looking, with fair hair down to his shoulders, brown eyes and a friendly smile. She thought of him as a protective older brother and knew Isabelle had a secret crush on him.

  “Good morning, Leonardo,” she greeted him.

  “Good morning and happy birthday, your Highness,” he bowed to her. “I was hoping I would see you soon.”

  He presented flowers to her and she grinned happily as she accepted them, “thank you.”

  “Will you be leaving the castle today?” he asked.

  His job was to accompany her whenever she was outside the castle grounds and to keep her safe. The king never allowed her to wander out unsupervised and was very protective over her.

  “No, I will be here all day,” she reassured him.

  “I will see you tonight before the ball,” he promised and said a quick goodbye.

  He continued his way outside to help the knights with their duties and she walked towards the dining room.

  She entered and saw that her father and brother were already seated and having breakfast. A maid took the flowers from her to store with the rest of her gifts.

  “Happy birthday, darling,” her father greeted her. He got up from his seat to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  She was happy that she would get to see more of her father today. He was usually very busy and most of their time spent together was at meal times.

  She accepted a hug from Jonathon who wished her a polite happy birthday, then took her place to the left of her father, who always sat at the head of the table. She couldn’t help feeling sad that her mother wasn’t here to celebrate with them. She always missed her especially on her birthday. It had been difficult for them as a family when she passed away, but they had to slowly adapt to being a family of three.

  She tried not to think about her mother too much and didn’t want to cry, so instead she focused on eating breakfast. She ate freshly baked bread and fruit while a maid poured water into her glass.

  “We have received a large number of gifts for you this morning,” her father informed her. “They are waiting for you in the lounge.”

  She smiled and went through as soon as she had finished eating. She stared in amazement at all the gifts and flowers that were waiting for her. She found her father’s present first, a velvet box containing a gold bracelet with diamonds.

  “Do you like it?” her father asked, entering the lounge and watching her admire it.

  “It is beautiful,” she answered and gave him another hug. “Thank you, father.”

  She took it out of the box and slid it onto her wrist.

  “It is a family heirloom that belonged to your mother. We agreed that you would receive it on your sixteenth birthday.”

  Her eyes watered as she smiled. She thought of her mother looking down on them from heaven and hoped she was pleased to see her daughter wearing it.

  “I will treasure it even more,” she promised, since it had a lot of sentimental value.

  She was drawn towards a huge bouquet of red roses next.

  “I wonder who those could be from?” her father asked with a knowing smile.

  Her eyes widened, realising who he was hinting at, and she excitedly opened the letter beside them. Her heart raced as she read through it:

  Princess Rosanna,

  I wish you a happy sixteenth birthday and I hope you like the gift. I am very eager to meet you this evening at the ball.

  With all my love and best wishes,

  Prince Ethan

  She smiled blissfully, feeling very lucky to receive such a wonderful gift from him. She couldn’t wait to thank him in person later that evening when he arrived.

  Once she had finished going through her gifts, a maid entered looking for her.

  “Your Highness, your guests have arrived,” she informed Rosanna. “I have escorted them to the music room.”

  “Thank you,” she said politely.

  She knew it must be her friends, Bernadette and Gretel, and couldn’t wait to tell them the news. She made her way to the music room, which used to be a spare lounge. Her father had given it to her when she was young and learning to play piano. Now she used it to practice or socialise with her friends in private.

  She entered and smiled as she saw them waiting. Bernadette was a middle-aged lady who lived in the village. She was short and chubby, with brunette hair that was light with age. She was a kind and friendly person who always invited Rosanna in for a chat whenever she was passing. She liked to think of her as an auntie as well as a friend, since Bernadette would always give her advice and be there to talk if anything was troubling her. After losing her mother, she had become quite attached to Bernadette and was welcomed as part of her family.

  Gretel was her eight-year-old daughter who was small, thin and adorable. She also had brunette hair that was tied up into pigtails. She grinned happily and ran over to give Rosanna a hug. She loved to see her and they often played games together. Gretel was like the little sister she had always wished for and Gretel was happy to pretend they were sisters.

  “Happy birthday!” they both chorused.

  Rosanna smiled, “It is wonderful to see you both.”

  “Mother helped me make a birthday cake,” Gretel told her proudly.

  She noticed Bernadette was carefully holding a baking tin and felt touched that they had baked something for her. Bernadette was a great cook and her husband worked at the bakery in the village.

  “Thank you, it looks delicious,” she said gratefully.

  “Did you get lots of gifts?” asked Gretel eagerly.

  “Yes. My father gave me this bracelet,” she answered and let them admire it.

  Gretel gazed at it in awe.

  “It is beautiful,” commented Bernadette.

  “Will the prince come to see you today?” Gretel asked her excitedly. She remembered that everyone in the village were gossiping about it and hoped she could meet him.

  “Yes, he is arriving this evening,” she answered. “I cannot wait to finally meet him.”

  “I wish a prince would visit me for my birthday,” Gretel said wistfully.

  “I suppose you will be excited,” Bernadette said to Rosanna. “I hope it goes well.”

  “Thank you, I am sure it will,” she smiled.

  “Will he meet me too?” asked Gretel hopefully.

  “He will want to spend time alone with Rosanna,” Bernadette told her.

  She didn’t want to disappoint her daughter with the truth. A prince wouldn’t want to be bothered by commoners at a party, even if they were Rosanna’s friends.

  Gretel was still excited even so, “I would love to see Prince Ethan. All the other children will be so jealous when I tell them.”

  Chapter 2

  Rosanna felt anxious as evening approached. She admired her dress again in the full-length mirror and loved how it clung to her waist and floated out long below her ankles. She was wearing her best jewellery and her golden crown with her wavy, auburn hair combed back so it cascaded down to her waist. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

  She went out onto her balcony to look for any sightings of Prince Ethan’s carriage arriving.

  “I am sure he will not be long,” Isabelle reassured her, joining her on the balcony to wait.

  They talked as they watched people down below and finally they caught sight of a grand carriage heading towards the castle.

  “That must be him!” Rosanna watched in excitement as the regal, black horses stopped outside the entrance.

  They saw Prince Ethan, King Frederick and Queen Cassandra get out of the carriage and enter the castle.

  “Do I look nice enough?” she wo
rried, looking at Isabelle for approval.

  “You look perfect,” Isabelle assured her. “He will not be able to take his eyes off you.”

  She smiled feeling reassured and quickly combed her hair again.

  They soon heard a knock at the bedchamber door and her heart began to race as she went to answer it.

  “Prince Ethan has arrived to see you,” the maid informed her. “He is waiting in the lounge.”

  “Good luck,” Isabelle said as they exchanged nervous smiles.

  Rosanna felt even more anxious as she followed the maid downstairs and over to the lounge. She passed Leonardo who noticed she was looking nervous and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Do not worry, your Highness,” he told her. “The prince seems nice and he is very keen to meet you.”

  She smiled back at him, feeling grateful for the encouragement.

  She entered the lounge and her eyes caught sight of Prince Ethan immediately. He was just as handsome as she had always imagined. He was tall and well groomed with piercing blue eyes and black hair that was neatly combed back. He gave her a dazzling smile which made her feel very special.

  “Your Highness, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” he came over to kiss her hand affectionately. “You look very beautiful.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you too,” she replied, feeling quite shy. “Thank you for the lovely flowers and letter. I was very touched by the gesture.”

  “You are welcome.”

  It felt strange to finally meet the person she had been fantasying about for several years. However, she felt a tiny prick of disappointment. She had always imagined falling in love with him at first sight like in a fairy tale. So far she didn’t feel anything other than think he was very good looking. She reasoned that they still had to get to know each other first and then maybe she would start to develop feelings for him.

  She sat in a chair next to him and they talked, drinking glasses of wine which were being served by the maids. Her father and brother were busy talking with King Frederick and Queen Cassandra, so she felt relieved to be able to talk alone with Prince Ethan for a while.