Teaser #2

by Cheri Chesley

Here you go, as promised. The first peek into the story of The Lost Princess, the final installment of the Peasant Queen series.

CHAPTER 1


“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Jessenia looked at her handsome, older brother. “Don’t worry about me. I’m concerned for Mother. Is this what she really wants?”
“They aren’t forcing her,” Rogan said. “If you ask me, she was lost the moment she met the great grandchildren.”
“But Fayterra is so far away,” said Jessenia. “And why there instead of in Demarde with you?”
“I think returning to Demarde after all this time is too difficult for her.” Rogan looked across the courtyard. “She’s so happy, Jess. I haven’t seen her smile so much since you were a baby.”
Jessenia leaned against his shoulder. “It’s going to be quiet with you gone.”
He put an arm around her. “You’ll be busy enough running this estate. You won’t have time to miss me before I’m back for a visit.”
“The newly crowned King of Demarde thinks he’ll be free to come all this way for regular visits?” Jessenia ducked under his arm and turned to face him. “And you tell me I’ll be busy. You have to reorganize an entire kingdom.”
Rogan gave her a smile. “You could come along, you know.”
She sighed and looked around. “No. Someone has to stay, and I’m his heir. It’s my responsibility.”
“Delegate,” he said. “Your father never wanted you in charge of his estate. He made that clear enough.”
“All the more reason I should stay.”
Rogan lost his teasing smile. He put his hands on her shoulders. “You can’t prove anything to a ghost.”
Jessenia folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not trying to prove anything. My place is here, just as yours is in Demarde.”
“Just remember two things for me.”
She smiled up at him. “What?”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “If anyone questions your authority, I’d be happy to set them straight.”
“And the second thing?”
“There is always a place for you in Demarde.”
Jessenia looked away. “I don’t belong there.”
“You are family. You are the queen’s daughter.”
“Yes,” she said. “I am also the daughter of the queen’s kidnapper. You know that isn’t going to make me very popular.”
“No one can blame you for what your father did,” Rogan said. “That’s not reasonable.”
“People tend to struggle with reason where their hearts are concerned. Think about it. My father kidnapping Mother threw Demarde into chaos. You know the history. You’ve heard the rumors.” She sighed. “I’m a living reminder of that.”
“That doesn’t make you responsible,” said Rogan. “Don’t make yourself an outcast in your own family.”
“I’m not,” she said. “I just see the situation more clearly than you do.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do you?”
Jessenia chose to ignore his tone of disbelief. “Come. Mother is beckoning us to say goodbye.”