When the overindulged son of a duke meets a feisty bohemian beauty, two opposite worlds collide. But it doesn't matter how ill-suited they are for one another, Aiden and Amalia can't prevent their feelings from growing.
• • •
England, 1790.
Aiden La...
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Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Po. 11, J.98: II. Adagio, by Carl Maria von Weber
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For hours, Amalia wandered around. For as long as she could, she delayed the moment she'd get back to her camp, where her family would surely notice something was terribly wrong with her.
Deep down, she knew she was doing the right thing. She was convinced of it, even. But while she knew there was no other way, she couldn't help but think of what her life with Aiden would be like.
In her haste to leave, she hadn't even given him the time to explain what was his plan to make it work. She had been so focused on fleeing the situation that she couldn't think straight. But it was too late. All she could do now was convince herself she'd taken the right decision. But as she tried to think of all the misfortune she was avoiding by refusing his proposal, she kept thinking of all the happiness she would miss.
Maybe a life spent by his side was enough to balance out everything else.
By the time she arrived at the campsite, the sun was almost down, the night slowly falling over the meadow. She was so lost in her thoughts it took her a moment to realize that something wasn't right.
Everybody was running around, carrying bags, belongings, trunks... It was usual for the camp to be animated, with women doing their chores, children running around, men repairing something... But this was different. There was some urgency to it, a frenzy that worried her.
She hurriedly went to her caravan. In there, she found her sisters tidying up their things. Brunhilde, the youngest, was crying, and Francine was trying to comfort her.
"What's happening?" Amalia asked. Blanca, the oldest of her three sisters, turned around.
"Where have you been! Father has been looking for you for hours!"
"What is going on? Why is everyone packing up?"
"We have to leave! I don't really know what happened, but men, constables, came, and they said we violated some law, stating we can't beg for charity. Also, we aren't allowed to stay on this prairie because it's someone's property." Blanca paused, trying to remember everything. "He said we were in infraction with other laws, but father thinks it's just lies."
