Mar 8

Mar 8 The Prince's Pursuit - Morgan Utley

The Prince's Pursuit by Morgan Utley

Book excerpt

Twenty-six-year-old Jane Addison was sitting by her father’s bedside, dabbing his forehead with a cool washcloth. As she examined him, she listened intently to all the sounds around her. The closest sound was her father’s breath, quiet and quick. Then, she noticed the harsh winter air blowing hard against the windows, reminding her that a cold, brutal winter had arrived. Lastly, she heard her mom gently reprimanding her little brothers on the other side of the door. From what she could hear, they had gotten into something in the kitchen and made quite the mess. The twins were always into mischief.

All these sounds were her favorites, and for a moment, she was content-although it was easy to hear anything in a small three-bedroom, one-bath cottage and the walls were very thin. She smiled to herself as she watched her father sleep. She could tell he was restless, as he was constantly fidgeting in his sleep, getting the occasional cold sweats. The poor man was shaking despite the many blankets she’d laid over him.

As Jane monitored and took care of her father, she silently prayed, hoping he would heal from his terrible illness. He started becoming sick a few weeks ago, not thinking it was anything but a cold. As the days passed, he began feeling worse and weakened to the point where he could barely move his body. Her poor family didn’t have the money to pay for a doctor, let alone the medicine, so they did their best with home remedies. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to fight the sickness. She needed a miracle.

Her mother was a mess, but was putting on a tough face for her brothers. In her way, she was trying to protect them from any unnecessary heartache, but Jane thought this idea was pointless. In the last couple days, it had been proving to be harder to pretend everything was okay, and her brothers weren’t clueless. Jane and her mother noticed that her father’s breathing was becoming shallower and more staggered, and she was sure the stress was showing all over their faces. His time was coming, and now it was just a waiting game.

It broke her heart that not two weeks ago, she and her family had been running around, building leaf piles for her brothers to jump in. It had quickly turned into a leaf fight, and pretty soon, they were all covered in leaves and dirt, accompanied with big smiles. They prepared for the first snow, making sure there was enough food storage ready for them and the animals, and that the barn was completely weather-proof. Jane and her father chopped wood and stacked many cords of wood so that their house stayed warm. It was hard work, but they were always grateful later for the warmth.

Christmas was coming in a matter of weeks, and there was nothing better than her mom splurging and buying a ham with some of the money they had saved over the year. They were hardly ever able to buy ham. They usually ate a lot of chicken, and sometimes beef if they could risk butchering a cow, but not ham. There was even talk of her mother baking an apple pie to make it an extra-special Christmas. The apple had done so well this year, Jane and her mother were able to preserve some of them. It was turning out to be a very exciting Christmas.

Jane’s family did the best they could to make a living. At the beginning of her parents’ marriage, her father wanted to try growing an apple orchard. He figured if he grew enough and was successful, it could provide for their family and they wouldn’t need to struggle. However, after years of trying to perfect how to grow the apples and bring forth the most fruit, he was only successful at growing five trees. Usually, if the trees grew enough fruit, they would pick them and take it to the local village to sell. The goal was to make enough money to last throughout the year. Some years were better than others, but they were always able to figure it out. When they had better years at selling the apples, her parents had gradually bought chickens, goats and even splurged on a couple dairy cows. This livestock helped put food on the table when they couldn’t make a lot of money, especially in the winter months when they didn’t have a garden.

Life on the farm wasn’t always easy, but when Christmas came around and they were able to buy a Christmas ham, it sure made it worth it.

If there was anything Jane would remember from her dad, it was that he was hardworking, selfless, and humble. He knew that growing the apple trees was a risky idea, and it frustrated him during years when the trees didn’t bear much fruit. In years when the rainfall was minimal and the apples were scarce, it took everything in her mother’s power to not grab the axe and chop down the wretched trees that took so much time to take care for. But she was patient and restrained herself, because she knew how much her husband loved those precious trees. From the way he took care of them, watered them, and gently pruned the branches, he took great pride in them. She wouldn’t take that away from him.

While Jane took care of her father, she daydreamed about the good times she’d had with him and the lessons she had learned from him. He had taught her how to tend to the apple trees and which branches to prune to help produce the best-tasting healthiest apples. He’d taken the time to teach her how to milk the cows and goats and keep the animals as healthy as possible, and to watch for signs of illness or lame animals. He taught her how to take care of the land, prevent it from being overgrown, and even how to build the fences surrounding it to protect it from outside predators. He taught her patience, and that good things always came to those who worked hard and waited. He taught her that if she was kind to others, even when it was hard, she would be blessed. Last of all, his greatest lesson was to love. To love the good moments, and be grateful for the bad. To love the rich, and even more so, the poor. And to love her friends and family, even the ones with the most hardened hearts.

Jane wasn’t always perfect, but she constantly strived to abide by her father’s lessons. He was the smartest, kindest, and happiest man she had ever met, and she knew he was because he followed his own lessons. She hoped to be just like him someday. Her mom teased her that she was already so much like him with her strong hands, athletic build, and high cheekbones. Not to mention, she wasn’t very graceful or ladylike, and was often called a tomboy within her family. Sure, she knew how to act like a lady, but it didn’t come to her naturally. She had to constantly work at it, and her mother often reminded to remember the importance of being a lady.

Jane’s thoughts were interrupted when her father began violently coughing. She quickly reached over to the bedside table she’d watched her dad build with an old rusty hammer and a few bent nails, and grabbed a glass of water. She gently lifted his head and brought the cup to his lips. Once he had sleepily taken a sip, she lowered his head onto his very flat pillow and put the cup back. The table also held a couple of interesting rocks her brothers found for him and a drawing Jane had done of his beloved apple trees, all in an attempt to keep his spirits up.

She stared into her father’s face and did her best to memorize every wrinkle, every freckle, and every blemish so that she would never forget him. Her father was in his young fifties, so he wasn’t very old, but his illness had aged him. He had a full head of wavy blond hair, like Jane, but his gray hair was beginning to show through around his ears and on his sideburns. His face always wore a scruffy beard that matched the color of his hair, covering half of his face. She couldn’t see them now, but his eyes were a beautiful light amber color. Jane wished her eyes had the same color, but she’d ended up with her mother’s sea-green eyes instead. He had wrinkles around his eyes that had deepened over time from his constant smiling and laughing. No matter how tired he was, he always went out of his way to make people happy and smile. He would always tell her, “Life is meant to be enjoyed-not to be in a constant state of worry. That’s just not living.” Right now, it was really hard for Jane to heed to her father’s counsel because she knew it was only a matter of time she wouldn’t hear it anymore. Not to mention it was hard to find joy in anything, considering her current situation.

Jane closed her eyes and felt tears fall down from her face, feeling herself slowly lose her composure. She felt a hand cup her face and a calloused thumb brush over her cheek to wipe away the tears. She placed her hand on her father’s and held it there, feeling the warmth of his hand on her face.

“Jane,” her father whispered in his deep, gruff voice. Jane opened her eyes and saw that her father was looking at her affectionately.

“Yes, Papa,” she replied, lowering his hand slowly and laying it down by his side.

“I think you know that my time on this earth is coming to a close.”

Jane nodded, choking back a sob. She knew he was dying, but for him to admit it out loud felt like a stab to the heart.

“I need you to be strong. I’ve already asked so much of you already. But I will rest easier knowing that while I’m gone, you’ll do whatever you can to help your mother lighten the load,” he said.

“I will, Papa. I’ll do whatever I can to ease her burden,” she tried to assure him, but everything came out in a blubber.

“I’m so sorry I can’t be there to help,” her father continued. “But my body grows weaker, and the light is becoming darker. I need you to know that I’m not frightened by any means. I’m only scared that my beautiful family won’t be taken care of.” Jane saw tears well up in his eyes.

“Papa, no. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything and everyone around here is taken care of, no matter what. I promise.”

“I know you will. You are by far my greatest joy, and I love you with all my heart. You outshine any apple I have ever grown. You have grown up to be a beautiful young lady, and I hope that someday, you will have your own children. No other thing can bring you greater joy. You are worth more to me than any apple tree.” He smiled weakly at her and stroked the back of her hand. “Never forget your worth, Jane. Never.”

I love you, too, Papa. I promise I won’t.”

“Good. Now if you don’t mind fetching your mother. I would like to speak with her please,” he said slowly.

“Sure thing. I’ll send her right in.”

Jane quickly left the room and hurried to the kitchen to grab her mother, who appeared to be mopping up egg yolks.

“Mama, Papa needs you quickly!” Jane exclaimed. Her mother stood up at once and rushed to his side.

Jane looked over at the table, where her little brothers were drawing again. She felt pity for them. They had some idea of what was happening to their father, but didn’t fully understand. She walked over to them and wrapped her arms around them.