Sorry that it has been a while since I updated. It was a mix of chaos in my life and being conflicted about the direction of the story.

Wendy only remembered to breathe, when their lips no longer touched.

Eric looked just as stunned as she did.

For a moment they just sat there and stared at each other, until they heard Alexander yell that he had found the horses.

Eric looked away. "Please, forgive me…"

Wendy was confused.

"For what?"

He suddenly did not want to look at her. "That was very ungentlemanly of me."

Wendy exhaled through her nose. Eric was sometimes very funny. "I did not mind."

She got up and went to get her bow and arrow still lying in the wet grass.

"Wendy," he said and slowly got up, but did not approach her. "Please do not misunderstand what…"

She turned around to look at him confused – bow and arrow in hand. "What could I misunderstand?"

Sometimes the young baron was incredibly dramatic.

It was not the first time she had been kissed, there had been quite a few, but this one had been something special.

"I am different!" Eric sounded a little desperate. "I am not like the other men, who think beautiful girls in the countryside are just for … sewing wild oats."

Wendy's eyes grew big, and her cheeks burned.

She knew the meaning behind the words and was both embarrassed and confused about why he was bringing that up. Unlike the other noblemen that had visited the inn in the wake of his visits, Eric treated her kindly – and had never asked her about sewing wild oats, as he put it.

Though Wendy supposed his intentions had not always been pure, given how he had acted the first time they met.

"Why would you…?" She started when she saw Alexander coming back with the two horses out of the corner of her eye.

"I deeply apologize," Eric hadn't seemed to notice the servant. "You are by far the most amazing girl I have ever met. Every day I think about the next time I will see you. I never meant to act so barbaric…"

Something snapped like a dry branch in Wendy's head. "Barbaric?"

Eric gave a clumsy smile. "I had meant to seduce you with long walks and picnics, not indecently dressed on the dirty forest floor."

Something snapped in her head again.

Her wet clothes clung to her body.

She had saved him – and they had shared a kiss. But Eric found it barbaric and indecent, and the forest dirty. And he had wanted to seduce her?

"How are you not like the others?" Wendy asked.

Eric looked confused at her question and sputtered out a hectic response.

She tried to shake off the water from her body and went to her horse.

Unlike the other two, Temper had stayed in place by the lake.

She did not want to be near this person, who was suddenly different from what she knew him to be. Besides, she still hadn't gotten anything for dinner and her clothes were soaked through.

"Then let me tell you, you are not so different from them. You think so very little of me, yet you do not even know me."

"What do you mean?" He asked as she swung herself up on the horse.

"I think … I love you."

She looked down at the young baron.

The water made him look like a drowned mouse. His eyes pleaded with her.

Apart from when Eva was sick, no one had ever looked at her that way.

This all felt wrong.

She saw Alexander staring at them from the tree line.

"I think we should not see each other for a while, Sir." She said sternly to Eric. Then she turned Temper around and kicked him into a run.

She heard Eric yell after her, but she did not stop.

It hurt somewhere in her chest.

Because while Wendy had enjoyed the attention – but never considered it to end in marriage or the like – she had liked Eric.

He was kind and gentle to her in a way that no one else was. He treated her carefully, which she had found nice. And his visits just to see her had flattered her. Though it had all been so he could seduce her…

She hugged Temper's neck.

She wanted to get home and get dry clothes on.

She remembered the first time he kissed her hand, when he introduced himself, the way he called her my dearest and smiled at her.

She had been fooled by his pretty words and attention. Eric was not some example of what a nobleman should be, but rather a vision of how they really were. Lying, two-faced and selfish.

She steered Temper the other way around Inn to avoid too many people seeing her wet state.

When the boys in the village had kissed her, it had been quick. In the shadows of the inn or at a dance under the stars. It did not have the sweetness or passion of a nearly drowned man, but it was honest and no one had called it barbaric afterward.

Wendy got down from Temper, as they stopped outside the stable, and buried her face in his neck.

She was so confused.

Had she acted wrongly? Or had Eric?

She did know whether she should apologize or just forget him.

A few weeks later

Wendy smiled and looked back over her shoulder, where the twins were whispering to each other.

"What are you two whispering about?"

The two boys looked at her with big eyes.

"Nothing!" William said quickly.

She shrugged with a smile and continued down to the village with her filled basket. "Well, then I guess I have to go and deliver the marmalade before you."

She then started running toward the village with the two younger boys trying to run after her with their own heavy baskets.

The berry bushes on the edge of the forest had given a good harvest already, and their mother had been making marmalade for the last week.

Wendy did not even notice her run had slowed to a walk, as thoughts swam in her head.

The many guests that had come over the summer had bought a lot of it. So much that her mother had to set some aside for the villagers.

She sighed and looked over her shoulder as Ethan and William finally caught up with her.

Something good had come from Eric's visit.

Because of the curious high-class people that come to see why he had decided to spend his summer days in a small village, both the inn and the village had earned a lot of money for the winter.

She just hoped nothing bad would come of her decision.

Ethan smiled up at her.

"If we get done soon, and we go to the lake?" He asked.

Wendy smiled. "We will see."

Most of the villagers had been happy to see them and get some of their mother's famous marmalade, though Wendy froze when Lily opened the door.

Her friend smiled brightly at her, but Wendy just wanted to hand her the glass and leave.

"Wendy," The blond girl smiled. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"You could just come to the inn," William remarked.

Lily laughed and covered her mouth.

Wendy noticed the thin, golden band on her ring finger.

Lily's smile grew wider, when she noticed Wendy's gaze, like it was on purpose.

"Yes, Stephan proposed a yesterday." The blond's eyes gleamed. "He said that we will make a go of it in the big city."

Wendy smiled politely, while the twins looked at each other confused. "Congratulations."

"We are going to hold the wedding next spring." Lily squeaked. "It is going to be wonderful."

The red-haired girl continued to smile and nod. "I look forward to it."

"Are you going to bring Baron Branigan's son?" The other girl asked. "I am actually surprised I am getting married before you…"

Lily tried to tease her about it, but Wendy just showed a strained smile and turned around while Lily was still talking.

She huffed irritated, as she walked away and toward the next house.

"Wendy," Mina smiled when she saw the young woman. "It has been a while."

She was walking along with Miss Elizabeth and their children.

Wendy smiled and forgot her irritation when she saw the children. Mina's children were running around their mother as she stopped in front of Wendy. Elizabeth's children stood like small ghosts beside their mother and looked at Wendy expectingly.

"It has Mina," Wendy said. "Where are you going?"

"We are out for a walk. It has become something of a tradition over the summer…"

As if Mina could sense her friend wanting to talk down to the younger girl, she talked over her.

"But what brings you out, Wendy?" She asked and nodded to the basket, that her children were trying to pull down from Wendy's arm.

"I am passing out marmalade." Wendy explained and handed the three little children a glass.

They stared at the marmalade like it was pure gold.

Wendy handed a glass to Elizabeth and the stiff woman took it.

"By the way Wendy, despite your age, I would not mind teaching you some tea etiquette and such in the evening after school." The woman said.

Wendy raised an eyebrow at her.

Elizabeth had been the village teacher for years now, but Wendy was far older than any of the children she was teaching at the moment, and Wendy could write, read and add just fine.

"Why?" She finally asked after the teacher did not elaborate.

Elizabeth smiled. "Well, if you are going to marry the next baron I would feel more at ease if you had at least a basic education. We would not want them to think badly of the village."

She straightened her back with a confident smile.

Wendy opened her mouth and closed it again.

She was beginning to get very angry that everyone placed so much value on her relationship with Eric.

Her eyes fell on a wagon with hay. "We should move out of the way." She said and nodded towards it.

The two older women looked over their shoulders at the oncoming wagon.

All of them moved out of the way, so it could move on smoothly.

"Hey, Wendy." Some of the young workers called out.

She gave a polite wave.

"Where is your Prince Charming?" Alfred yelled from the wagon as it slowed down next to her.

Wendy bit into her lip.

"Did he leave you after getting what he wanted?" Alfred continued and the other boys laughed.

The wagon stopped and Alfred jumped down and confidently walked toward her.

Wendy leaned as far away from him as possible but did say anything.

She felt the twins behind her. They were both uneasy and grabbed at the back of her skirt.

"Do you need me to comfort you?" Alfred leaned over her.

The two older women clearly expected Wendy to say something snappy and send Alfred on his way.

"I do not think there is a need."

Both Wendy and Alfred looked toward the voice.

Eric looked like a prince on the beautiful dark horse.

He smiled his most charming smile at Wendy.

"Your brother said, you were in the village." He said and got down from the horse.

He handed the reins to William, who had stepped forward to get a closer look at the beautiful horse.

"I am sorry for not visiting for a while. I have been terribly busy." Eric continued as he walked toward her.

"It is fine," Wendy said hesitantly.

Eric smiled at her. Completely ignoring Alfred and the others completely.

"Are you blind or something?" Alfred spat and put a hand on Eric's shoulder like he was going to push him.

Eric looked at the hand in disgust, then at Alfred's dirty face. "If you get dirt on my clothes, I expect you to clean them."

Stunned, Alfred pulled his hand away.

Eric then went back to smiling at Wendy.

"Shall we go for a walk?" He asked and kissed her hand.

Wendy looked around at the others and the basket sitting on the ground.

"Please, take care of my horse," Eric said over his shoulder to William.

Wendy tried to smile and held out her hand for his. Instead of taking it, Eric wrapped her arm around his.

He walked so fast and confident, that Wendy had to hold onto him with both hands to keep up and keep her balance.

Wendy hadn't liked how he had acted – both toward Alfred and her brother – but everything had happened very fast, and Wendy was so tired of being embarrassed.

As they walked out of the village and out of view, Wendy pulled her arm back.

Eric looked at her confused.

"You are still angry with me." He then said.

"Yes, I am." She said with a frown.

"I apologize." He reasoned.

Wendy raised an eyebrow at her. "No, you apologized for kissing me, because it was barbaric!"

Eric looked at her surprised like it had just occurred to him why she was angry.

He started laughing.

He tried to silence it with his hand, but he could not.

"I apologize…" He continued to laugh. "I thought you were offended because I kissed you."

Wendy huffed and continued to walk. "I did not mind the kiss. I was offended you called me indecent and dirty."

Eric seemed lost as he tried to catch up to her. Then it seemed like he remembered his words from that day.

"Come now, my dear. Our clothes were completely soaked through and we were sitting in the dirt."

Wendy stopped and turned to him. "You also talked about seducing me."

Eric looked at her confused but then smiled with charm and confidence. "I must apologize again. It seems the two of us speak very different versions of the English language."

Wendy blinked confused and took an uneasy step backwards. "What do you mean?"

He stepped closer with a smile and confidence.

While Alfred had reminded her of a bear on a hunt, she did not sense any danger in the young nobleman.

He gently took her hands.

"I admit the word might have a poor reputation, but the word: courting has begone to slip out of fashion…"

Eric lifted her hands and placed a light kiss on them.

"So, you meant you want to … court me?" Wendy asked.

"Yes,"

His face was so close to hers, and she did not know when he had rested a hand against her chin.

Eric put his lips to hers.

It was different than the last time, softer, and it did not last very long.

He smiled at her dreamingly.

Wendy felt oddly clear-headed.

She looked around and made sure no one had followed them.

"What if I do not want to be courted?" She then asked. She was careful not to sound mean.

Eric smiled at her confused and pulled her hair back behind her ears. "Why would you not, my sweet? You have never once disagreed with my touch…"

Wendy sighed and pushed him away gently. "No, I have not. They were … nice … and I was flattered by your compliments … but I do not know if I want more than that."

Eric showed his glistening white teeth in a smile and gently put his hands on her shoulders.

"Why would you not? Am I not the most handsome of all your suitors?"

Wendy could not help but smile. "You are," she admitted and looked over her shoulder toward the forest. "But I like the forest and my life here."

Eric shook his head at her. "There is a forest on my estate."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you … want to marry me?"

Eric looked flustered. "Of course," he took hold of her hands. "Wendy, I have been thinking about how to convince my parents to give you a chance, so we can be together…"

Wendy pulled her hands away. "Why?"

"Because you stole my heart…" he smiled and reached for her face.

She shook her head exhausted. "But Eric … I do not love you the same…"

Eric huffed irritated. "Why not? I really do not know why you are so difficult!"

Wendy took a step backward. "Because you look down on me!"

"I fell in love with you at first sight, my beautiful dancer. I have never once looked down on you."

Wendy raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you know how many times men have told me that?" She crossed her arms. "Yet, you just handed my brothers the reins to your horse and expected him to take care of it and you called Alfred dirty!"

Eric narrowed his eyes in thought. "Alfred? The one who insulted you? Why are you angry about that? He was insulting your honor."

"I have been ways dirtier than him." She snapped back.

"But you are different, my sweet." Eric encircled her face with his hands. "An elegant and otherworldly beauty. A wild country rose that could thrive in polite society…"

He caressed her face. His blue eyes shinned.

Wendy stomped her foot and pulled away from him.

"You know nothing about me!" She said with a fire burning in her eyes. "I love riding my horse through the forest and bathing in its lakes. I have never thought of going to the city or a tea party – or what girls in the city do." Wendy sighed. "I love my family and I would not trade working at the inn for anything."

"I could give you so much more than this!" Eric gestured angrily to their surroundings. "There is no need for you to work. I can take care of you … you could play your music and ride your horse as much as you want…"

He tried to hold her hand again, but Wendy didn't let him.

"You are not listening to me." She shook her head. "I do not want to marry you and I do not want you to come back here again!"

She turned and walked back toward the village.

Eric looked at her confused. "Where are you going?"

"Back to pass out marmalade! She yelled over her shoulder. "Like I was doing before you interrupted me."

So ... I will be uploading every other week for a while, until my situation gets under control.

But, tell me what you think.