Flo had lived a quiet if lovely life, surrounded by people who loved her and took care of her and of her every need. And while they were kind, really and truly kind, and so good to her, she did miss her Mama and Papa, and her younger brother.
But she didn’t get to see them very often. Nanny told her that they were busy doing important things, and she said important things in a funny sort of sing-song way. Flo had learned not to ask her what sort of things, for Nanny would hush her and change the subject. She did ask one time why Bernard got to do the important things with Mama and Papa, and not her… but Nanny got such a sad look in her eyes that she never asked again.
Then one memorable Spring day, Papa came to see Flo. Of course, he called her Florence – Mama and Papa always did – and she’d stropped trying to persuade them because it meant the little time she was with them ended up being spent in crossness, and Flo didn’t like feeling cross.
She could tell he wasn’t expected as Nanny was flustered and fluttered around the room straightening books, and plumping up cushions until Papa told her to leave them alone. That had never happened before and both Flo and Nanny looked at him with their mouths in a big O – which seemed to make him cross.
As soon as Nanny left, Papa told Flo to bring her chair close to his and then he spoke in what she and Nanny called his serious, important voice. Flo couldn’t understand what Papa was saying – she could hear the words, but they made no sense. All of a sudden he made a choking sound, and cried. Great big wet tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, and he did nothing to stop them or to wipe them away. Flo was wondering if she was meant to use her handkerchief to do it for him, when she realised he’d finally got to the important bit… the kingdom’s coffers were nearly spent so she was going to have to marry a rich Prince and go to live with him in a far away land.
Nanny had talked to Flo about getting married, and she’d warned her that she wouldn’t get to chose, but she was at pains to re-assure her that Mama and Papa would pick someone lovely and make sure she could live nearby. But that wasn’t going to happen. Apparently Bernard had decided to marry a neighbouring Princess, but she wasn’t rich, and so it was decided that Flo would have to be the one to save the kingdom.
Flo felt rather cross. Why was Bernard allowed to do as he chose while she was not? But she was even more cross that Papa had agreed, but also that he had cried – for it meant that she felt obliged to make him feel better by agreeing and doing so without a fuss. She asked for only one thing, that Nanny and the people who cared for her be allowed to come with her, and Papa had readily agreed. When she told Nanny this, Nanny had spoken rather sharply – not at her, but about Papa. Apparently he’d have been more than happy to agree as that reduced the wage bill, and they were spending rather a lot on Bernard’s grand wedding. And now Flo felt really very cross.
Things happened quickly after that, so quickly that Flo began to suspect the plans had been in place for a long time before anyone had plucked up the courage to tell her. In fact, she and Nanny were now speaking rather sharply about Mama, Papa and Bernard pretty much every day.
She met the Prince and he seemed nice enough, and said he was pleased she was bringing her people with her, as he would be spending most of him away. It turned out that the reason he was so rich is he was always off fighting wars and carrying off the spoils. This didn’t please Flo, but he seemed to expect very little of her… and it’s not like she had a choice in the matter.
The wedding was a grand affair, the wedding night passed without untoward unpleasantness, and Flo was whisked away to her new home. They arrived as darkness was falling, so Flo had to wait till the morning to see her new kingdom. When she awoke the next morning, Nanny greeted her with the most beautiful smile and indeed, the sight she could see from her window looked most pleasing to her eye.
The Prince offered to take her on a tour and much to her surprise, he told her to dress simply, for they were to ride as private citizens – the time for her to be presented to the kingdom was to come soon, but – for now – he wanted her to see the land that would be her new home. Flo was touched by this thoughtfulness, it wasn’t what she’d expected from a soldier.
She’d expected to be taken to see the grand places within the kingdom, but instead they’d ridden into the countryside until they stopped at what he called “the lookout point”. Flo quickly understood, for stretched out ahead of her was the whole kingdom – and it looked like a vast colourful patchwork quilt.
As he pointed out farmland and orchards, places of industry and business, he named the individuals and families she would meet there, and as he spoke Flo learned how the spoils of war had been used to build all these homes, to create businesses, and make safe the people of his kingdom.
When they’d first met, he’d told her he’d been looking for someone who would care for and nurture the people of his kingdom as much as he did. In fact, she remembered he’d said something she’d not understood about not wanting a Princess who’d complain about a pea. That made sense now – he didn’t want someone precious, but someone who would consider the people of the kingdom precious.
As Flo looked out across that beautiful sight, she knew she was going to enjoy the work of adding more patches to the quilt, as well as mending and improving those already there. And right then and there – and without her asking him to – her prince called her Flo…
© Debs Carey, 2024
Fiction Can Be Fun 