We’ve decided to move our Lavender CottageCore here, and we’ll be posting the second and fourth Tuesday every month. Thank you for joining us!

Today’s Recipe

We have exciting news! Our Welcome to Lavender Cottage BookShop mug is now available at our store. You can also find all our ebooks there…and some stories are free today.

Since we have our new mug, we decided to share another recipe from our Burrows Bay series. While it’s sunny today, there’s also a cold breeze, so hot chocolate seems like the perfect choice this afternoon.

Gabbi & Moira’s Hot Chocolate

Also knows as cocoa with cinnamon…a family favorite!  Add marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, peppermint stick, or anything else to make it your own.

• ¼ cup cocoa
• ½ cup sugar
• Dash of salt
• ½ cup or hot water
• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon

Combine cocoa, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan.   Stir in hot water.  Bring to a boil over low to medium heat and boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Stir in the milk and heat but do NOT boil.  When warm enough, take off heat and add vanilla extract.  Pour into mugs and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.  Enjoy!  Should serve 4 to 6.

Author Spotlight

Today, we want to share a book by Author Bill Hiatt. This is the first book in his Whispers from Olympus: Novels Based on Greek Mythology. It’s available in Kindle Unlimited, and we hope you’ll take a look.

Orpheus is not interested in inheriting his father’s throne. He wants nothing more than to use music to bring joy to his fellow mortals. Jason believes that nothing is more important than wresting his father’s throne from a usurper. He wants to perform heroic feats that will earn him as much glory as possible. Under ordinary circumstances, Orpheus and Jason would probably never have met. Certainly, they would never have been allies. But scheming gods plunge them into adventures greater than either of them has ever imagined. Both of them want to achieve their respective dreams. But facing hostile armies, monsters, and even conflicts among the gods will force them into horrible dilemmas. Will they sacrifice their dreams, or will they die trying to preserve them?

Find the rest of the story here!

Lavender CottageCore

Too much rain and cold this weekend to take photos, but I did get a good look at the garden…and it’s going to be a LOT of work. While some plants seemed to be recovering last summer from the hailstorm, they aren’t showing any signs of life yet. We’re going to wait a few more weeks before we decide what to do next with the big garden, but we do have some fun ideas for the smaller areas.

If the garden has to be completely redone, we’re going to move some of the arbors and arches, which will open up whole new design possibilities. An allee is not out of the question, but we’d probably use our purple climbing beans rather than roses. However, roses will be in the garden! With our cold winters, climbing roses are always a challenge, but some old fashioned roses do very well.

I was going to post a photo of garden arches, but this one popped up on Pixabay and looks like a dream. Very pretty and something to encourage our imagination. What would you like to include in your garden? I definitely want butterflies to visit!

Once Upon A Rose – Chapter 4

Finally, we want to include a chapter for everyone to read at the end of each newsletter. Here’s the next part of Once Upon A Rose, the first story in our Enchanted Fairytale Series. Action, adventure, romance…and maybe a little magic. (If you missed the first three chapters, we have a link at the bottom of the story.)

Celsiana had given this idea of hers a great deal of thought and the next evening, she decided it was time to talk to her parents.  However, it was also the evening her brothers returned home from their visit to a nearby kingdom.

As she walked into the main hall, she was very pleased to see Bryce and Trevor…but she was surprised they had two lovely young women with them.  No one had told her anything about this.  One of the women had long, light blonde hair, while the other had dark brown hair, which was done up in a mass of curls. 

“Celsiana, little sister,” Bryce said, picking her up in a hug.  “It’s very nice to see you!”  He glanced back at the blonde and added, “I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Princess Arabella.”

“I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Celsiana replied with a curtsy. 

“And this is Princess Seraline,” Trevor said, walking up and hugging Celsiana.  “She is my fiancé.”

Celsiana curtsied to the other princess, saying, “I am very happy to welcome you to our home.”

The women both smiled and glanced at each other, seeming to share a secret between them.  They nodded slightly and walked over to the brothers, who escorted them into the dining room.  Celsiana was very happy to see her bothers, so she did her best to make the other princesses comfortable. 

When her parents joined them, the two women became quite animated, asking all about her mother’s interests and fawning over her father.  Celsiana realized she was probably being too judgmental.  She had gotten used to her friends and had forgotten what most royalty was like.  She smiled to herself and did her best to keep track of the conversations around her.  No one was really paying much attention to her, so she ate dinner and nodded at the appropriate times.

After they finished eating, Celsiana debated whether she should wait to talk to her parents about her idea.  After a moment, she decided they would only get busier with two visiting princesses.

“I have something I’d like to discuss,” she said to her parents as they started to leave.

“Very well,” replied the king smiling.  “Would you like to commission another bench?”

No, well…yes, that would be very nice,” Celsiana replied.  “But I wanted to ask you about the gardens.  I’d like to open them to the people of the village for tours.  Then, they can find out more about our plants and maybe even get some seeds or small starts of their own.  I’d like to do it with all the gardens, but especially the vegetable gardens.”

“Have peasants tromping through your royal gardens?” asked Arabella in shock.  “They would destroy them.”

“And sharing plants with commoners?”  Seraline winced.  “I do not think my father would understand such an outlandish idea.”

“Nor would mine,” agreed Arabella.

The king glanced from one princess to the other, then returned his gaze to Celsiana.  His own princess had such hope in her eyes, but he couldn’t see the point. 

“Having your friends visit is quite enough for now,” he replied.  As she started to object, he added, “I hope I will not come to regret that decision.”

Celsiana nodded and glanced at the two princesses, who both looked at her like she was out of her mind.  She curtsied to her parents and walked past the others on her way out.  When she got back to her room, she decided it was time to make a few changes.

Thank you for joining us today. If you miss a newsletter, please visit our Lavender Cottage Blog, where we’ll show every post. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

This is our third blog post in the new format. We’ve decided to move our Lavender CottageCore here, and we’ll be posting the second and fourth Tuesday every month. Thank you for joining us!

Today’s Recipe

We want to share another recipe from our Burrows Bay/A San Juan Islands Series that we think you’ll enjoy! Here is a very lovely and slightly mysterious photo of the San Juan Islands courtesy of Pixabay.

When it’s cold outside, what could be better than a big bowl of macaroni and cheese? Warms you up, makes you feel better…what Gabbi calls comfort food. She’s a chef, and along with her cousin Moira, they inherit their grandmother’s mansion in the San Juan Islands. The two women learn a lot about each other in the process, since they hadn’t spent much time together in the past several years.

Gabbi has a lot of specialty dishes, but this one she learned from her dad a long time ago. Find out what makes it so magical.

Magical Macaroni and Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 x 13-inch pan.

• 4 to 6 cups of boiling water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 16-oz of elbow macaroni

Put water into large pot, add salt and bring to boil. Add macaroni and stir. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes until done to satisfaction. Drain and set aside.

Cheese Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup cream or half and half
• 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter or margarine in large pot. Whisk in flour and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens into a roux. (Heated flour and butter or margarine mixture.)

Slowly add milk, still stirring constantly, then cream or half and half. Continue heating until sauce thickens and is the consistency you want. Better too thick than too thin because you can always add more milk.

Stir in grated cheddar cheese until melted, then mozzarella. If too thick, add a little more milk.

Add macaroni and stir until all combined. Turn off heat and pour entire mixture into greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

Place in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until heated thoroughly.

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Author Spotlight

Today, we’re sharing a FREE ebook from Author A.L. Hawke. This is a stand alone story with a little more steamy content than our books. However, we love magical stories…and we love FREE! So we thought this would be a good match. A.L. says this ebook is available at most retailers (and free) through April 14th.

I absolutely adore Halloween. I love the vibrant fall colors and the fun and revelry. And Samhain (Sa-win) is a major holiday for witches because it represents our new year. It’s the time when the spirit world meets the living.

So I wanted to throw a Halloween party for my students at Hawthorne University. Since the Billington frat house wasn’t available, I planned a party at my place. But as Maddie sat smiling in our circle, planning pumpkin carvings and costume contests, a visitor from my teacher’s past appeared, in tears, beside our bonfire. She said she had been terrorized by a haunted house, and she was looking for the Hawthorne Witch. Find the story here!

Lavender CottageCore

It’s time for planting the garden. Many of you have probably already started, but we have to wait until the snow finally melts here in eastern Washington. We’re planning to move the arches around in the garden and use them for climbing beans. Our favorite combination is Emerite beans with purple pole beans…and there is a reason! The first has lavender flowers and the second has dark purple. You can see why this is particularly appealing to Lavender Cottage Books.

The other fun and slightly magical thing is that the purple beans turn green when you cook them. A wonderful dark green that goes very well with the lighter green of the Emerite beans. It’s so much fun to walk under the arches and pick the beans, so we’re going to do it (with more arches) this year. What are your favorite vegetables in the garden?

We had planned to post some garden photos, but it keeps snowing…so when we found this on Pixabay the other day, it seemed perfect. A pretty little cottage garden where flowers and vegetables can grow together.

Once Upon A Rose – Chapter 3

Finally, we want to include a chapter for everyone to read at the end of each newsletter. Here’s the next part of Once Upon A Rose, the first story in our Enchanted Fairytale Series. Action, adventure, romance…and maybe a little magic. (If you missed the first two chapters, we have a link at the bottom of the story.)

Over the next few weeks, Celsiana’s friends came to visit several times. They spent most of their time in the gardens, but they also enjoyed their afternoon snacks with lemonade or tea. As she spent more time with them, Celsiana could see that they had worries she had never considered.

“My mother wanted me to thank you again for the plants,” Avaleen said as they sat down to tea. “She hopes they’ll make a difference this harvest, and she appreciates you taking such an interest.”

“Do you think you’ll make enough money to repair the roof?” Janine asked.

“I hope so,” Avaleen replied. “And my father hopes to get more work in the next village in a few weeks.”

“What does your father do?” asked Celsiana.

“He’s a fletcher, but there hasn’t been much call for bows or arrows lately. He also makes lovely furniture, which he hopes to sell in the next village.”

“Why not here?” asked Celsiana.

“The Chancellor is very strict about craftsmen, and my father cannot afford to join the guild right now.” Avaleen shook her head. “It’s been difficult, but Mother says such challenges make us stronger.”

“Your father makes such wonderful things,” Laurena said, glancing over at Janine. “Didn’t he build a bench for your mother?”

“He made one as a wedding present for them years ago,” Janine replied. “She has it in the garden, and it’s lovely.”

Celsiana just nodded. She decided to speak to her father about this after dinner.

“But I don’t understand,” said Celsiana, pacing back and forth. “Why do we care if a man sells furniture from his own home?”

“It’s not the way things are done,” her father replied. “Not the way things have always been done.”

“But you are the king,” Celsiana said. “You can change things.”

“Why should I?” her father asked.

Celsiana took a breath to calm herself. “If a person creates beautiful things, it seems a shame not to let others enjoy them.” She smiled and added, “I would like to buy one of his benches for the garden.”

“I cannot allow…” her father began, then stopped and smiled back. “Very well. I can see you have your heart set on this, but I warn you…I will expect a bench worthy of being in our gardens.”

Celsiana simply nodded and hoped her friends had been right about Avaleen’s father.

The next afternoon, the girls came to the castle after school. When Celsiana said the king had agreed to commission a bench for the garden, Avaleen was overjoyed.

“Celsiana, this is wonderful!” she exclaimed. “You are a true friend” she added, hugging her and twirling them both around. Avaleen paused and let go of her, taking a step back. “I am sorry.”

“I’m not,” Celsiana replied, hugging her back. Then the others joined in and they all laughed until they were almost crying.

As the other girls started walking down the hall, Janine took Celsiana’s hand. “You did a very good and noble thing today, Your Majesty.” She smiled, then added, “And I am very happy to call you my friend.”

Celsiana smiled back as they followed the other girls out to the garden.

School ended, and the girls spent more time at the castle. They had fun working in the gardens, going riding, walking in the meadow, and they even spent a few nights in the castle. Everywhere they went outside of the castle walls, they were followed by at least two guards. The girls soon got used to it, but Celsiana wished it wasn’t necessary.

One day, Avaleen’s father brought the finished bench to the castle. It was indeed beautiful, carved with ivy leaves winding around the edges and even had a few small birds hiding in the leaves along the back. Celsiana was very happy when her father paid him a bonus and stated that perhaps it was time to re-examine the rules for independent craftspeople.

She asked that the bench be put in the garden, near the Celsiana rose bush. The queen had said there was a legend that the flowers changed color because they gained wisdom as they aged. Celsiana always liked that legend and hoped she would live up to her namesake. Looking at the bench, she decided there was more she could do to help her friends.

Thank you for joining us today. If you miss a newsletter, please visit our Lavender Cottage Blog, where we’ll show every post. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

This is our second blog post in the new format. We’ve decided to move our Lavender CottageCore here, and we’ll be posting the second and fourth Tuesday every month. Thank you for joining us!

Today’s Recipe

We want to share a recipe from our Burrows Bay/A San Juan Islands Series that we think you’ll enjoy! Always good with or without rum. Try it out and make it your own. Add some whipped cream on top or maybe some strawberries for garnish.

Strawberry Daiquiris

This is one of our most popular recipes.  We hope you enjoy it!  (And again, they can be made with or without rum.)

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh strawberries, washed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup lemon juice (fresh if you have it)
• 4 cups ice
• Add rum if you like – we use 1 to 2 shots

Experiment with the rum because it should be just enough to make the strawberries taste less sweet…but not enough to taste the rum.

Blend them all together and drink safely.  Should serve 2.

Author Spotlight

Our good friend, author Sherry Perkins, has a new book in The Will-o’-the-Wisp Stories series. These stories have previously been short-listed for “best in genre” at the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers Choice Awards. The entire series is available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

When Morgan Patterson came to Northern Ireland for a college year abroad, she didn’t expect to meet the man of her dreams, Tiernan Doherty. Except Tiernan wasn’t a man at all. He was the hereditary lord of an ancient faerie kingdom…find out more here!

Lavender CottageCore

Since we’re talking about strawberry daiquiris today, what is your favorite fruit in the garden? I love apples, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries…but you can grow strawberries in containers. Even pots, which makes them very easy to fit into any garden. Even a patio garden.

Choose which type of strawberry you prefer, June bearing or ever bearing. That really depends on how many you want at once, as well as what might be available at your garden center. The wonderful thing about having strawberries fresh from the garden, is that even a few, can make a bowl of cereal even better!

What makes strawberry plants so fun is that we can watch the flowers turn into berries (and all the stages in between) on the same plant. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Once Upon A Rose – Chapter 2

Finally, we want to include a chapter for everyone to read at the end of each newsletter. Here’s the next part of Once Upon A Rose, the first story in our Enchanted Fairytale Series. Action, adventure, romance…and maybe a little magic. (If you missed the first chapter, we have a link at the bottom of the story.)

The next morning, Celsiana woke up early and decided to wear one of her gardening dresses rather than the gowns she usually wore when visitors came to the castle.  She put on her oldest hat and gardening boots, then went to meet the girls.  They were all in their best dresses with their hair done up and looked as nervous as ever. 

“Thank you for coming to visit me,” Celsiana said as she walked into the hall.  The girls seemed surprised by her outfit and one even smiled slightly.  “I thought since it was such a beautiful day, we could spend some time in the gardens.  I was just finishing a project in one of the rose beds.  If you’d like to help me, I have some clothes you could wear.  I’d hate to see you ruin your beautiful dresses.”

The three girls glanced at each other, then nodded.  “I like gardens,” one of them said.  She took a step forward and curtsied.  “My name is Janine and I would be happy to help you.”  She smiled.

“As would I,” said another.  “My name is Laurena.”  She blushed, then added, “Your Majesty.”

Celsiana smiled.  “There’s no need to curtsy here.  And please, call me Celsiana.  We are not in official surroundings, and I would like you to be my friends.”

The third girl giggled, then nodded.  “Sorry, I’ve been so nervous.  My name is Avaleen and I’m very happy to be here, Your…Celsiana.”

They all went to Celsiana’s room and found gardening dresses to wear.  In no time, they were having a wonderful time digging in the dirt and planting herbs around the roses. 

“This is fun,” said Laurena.  “I never imagined I’d have such a good time today.”

“This is a beautiful garden,” Janine said, stopping for a moment and looking around.  “You have such lovely flowers and herbs.  Do you also have a vegetable garden?”

“There’s one on the other side of the castle, but I spend most of my time here.”  Celsiana looked at the other girls, realizing they probably had vegetable gardens at home.  “Why don’t we go over there and look around?”

“I’d like that,” Avaleen said.  “My mother sells our extra produce at the market.  I’d like to see if you have anything we haven’t grown in our own garden.”

“Of course,” Celsiana replied.  “Let’s go look.”

The girls hurried along the path and around the castle.  As they reached the gate to the vegetable gardens, they heard someone clearing his throat.  “Pardon me, Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you?”

“My friends and I…” Celsiana began and smiled.  “We have come to see the vegetables.”

“But Your Highness,” the man said, bowing, “you spend your time in the flower gardens.  These gardens are not as pretty.”

“We would like to see the gardens,” Celsiana replied.  “We will try not to be in your way as you work.  In fact, why don’t you take a break and have a cup of tea?”  She smiled and led the girls through the gate.

“Um…thank you, Your Highness,” the man replied.  He waved at the other gardeners and they went around the castle. 

“It must be nice to tell people what to do,” Laurena said smiling. 

“Actually, it gets rather tiresome,” Celsiana replied, “but today, it came in handy.”

The girls giggled and walked around the garden beds.  It was a very large garden, divided into areas.  There were fruits and berries, cooking herbs, a few edible flowers and a wondrous variety of vegetables.

Avaleen walked from one area to another, mentally keeping track of all the varieties.  She finally turned and asked, “Do you think I could write some of these down, Your…I mean, Celsiana?”

“Of course,” Celsiana replied.  “Why don’t we go have some lemonade and scones?  Later, I’ll have one of the gardeners give you a complete list if you like.”

“That would be wonderful,” Avaleen replied smiling.  “Except, I doubt we’d be able to find very many of these plants.”

“Then, you must take some starts home with you.”  Celsiana looked at the other two girls and then back at Avaleen.  “If you’d like to go home, I can have them sent over tomorrow…but if you’d like to stay, I have guest quarters here in the castle.”

“I would love that,” Janine replied.  “I’m sure we all would, but we have chores at home we have to do.  Our parents depend on us.”

“That’s understandable,” Celsiana replied, trying not to show her disappointment.  “Why don’t you all come back tomorrow, and I’ll have the plants ready for Avaleen to take home with her.  Would you like to come back?”

“Oh, yes,” Laurena said, clapping her hands together.  “This was a wonderful afternoon.”

The others nodded in agreement, then they all went back and changed into their nice dresses again.  Celsiana walked with them to the castle gates, and they each hugged her as they left.  “You are the nicest princess I’ve ever met,” Janine said, then laughed.  “Of course, you’re the only princess I’ve ever met.”

“I still appreciate the compliment,” Celsiana replied smiling.  She waved to the girls as they left, then went back to her room.  She had to get ready for dinner, and her parents would expect her to be dressed appropriately.

Thank you for joining us today. If you miss a newsletter, please visit our Lavender Cottage Blog, where we’ll show every post. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

This is our first blog post in the new format. We’ve decided to move our newsletter here, and we’ll be posting the second and fourth Tuesday every month. Thank you for joining us!

Today’s Recipe

We recently added some recipes to Christmas in Silver Birch Valley, and we want to share one with all of you today. A few drops of green food coloring in the frosting would make these cookies a wonderful option for St. Patrick’s Day!

We’re also planning to add a recipe to the end of each of our Sweet Romance books, so we’ll be discussing those later this spring. Here’s the recipe for today…and if you want to try the cookies, send us a photo and we’ll include it with the next newsletter!

Shortbread Cookies

1 ¼ cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter or margarine

Combine flour and sugar in medium-sized mixing bowl.  Cut in butter or margarine until mixture looks like fine crumbs.  Form into ball and knead until smooth.

Spread onto lightly floured surface and roll until ½ inch thick.  (Should be about 6 x 8 inches)

Cut into strips approximately 2 x 1 inches each.  Should make about 24.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 325 degrees F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool then lightly frost if desired. 

(This is enough frosting for a cake or two batches of cookies…we always end up making more cookies!)

Frosting Recipe

1/3 cup butter or margarine
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk or orange juice
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Extra milk or orange juice if needed (a few drops at a time)
Food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter or margarine until fluffy.  Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar (mix well).  Slowly add ¼ cup milk or orange juice until well blended.

Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time.  Add a little additional milk or orange juice until spreading consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.

Author Spotlight

Our good friend D.L. Gardner writes in several genres but especially enjoys fantasy. Rise of the Tobian Princess is the first book in her Sword of Cho Nisi trilogy. Dianne has created new artwork and covers for the Kickstarter campaign she’ll be running this spring.

Erika, the youngest daughter of a legendary king, aspires to be a warrior and follows her brother to war against an evil wizard’s minions but makes a fatal mistake during her first battle. When she attempts to right her wrongs, her misdeeds bring turmoil on her and her father’s kingdom.

“There’s never a dull moment in here; it’s jam-packed with monumental events and action to look forward to. Princess Erika is one hero that readers are going to be thrilled to discover.” – Independent Book Review.

Lavender CottageCore

We’re celebrating all the wonderful elements that make our Lavender Cottage BookShop stories special. Gardening, decorating, crafts…and of course tea. We’ll be sharing projects and ideas in this newsletter, including our redesign of the garden this spring.

A hailstorm did a lot of damage, but we’re choosing to look at this as an opportunity to make the garden even better. We’ll be making some changes and adding new plants (and asking your opinion at times), so we hope you’ll join us!

Once Upon A Rose – Chapter 1

Finally, we want to include a chapter for everyone to read at the end of each newsletter. We’ll begin with Once Upon A Rose, the first story in our Enchanted Fairytale Series. Action, adventure, romance…and maybe a little magic.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Celsiana, who lived in a castle surrounded by gardens.  The queen, who loved flowers, had named her daughter for a favorite rose bush that she and the king received as a wedding gift.  Celsiana roses are pink and slowly turn white as they age, so it should have come as no surprise that their little princess would one day transform into a very capable young woman.

The gardens around the castle were quite large and completely surrounded by a high stone wall.   Beyond the wall, there was the village on one side and a meadow on the other.  A river wound along the edge of the village, then cut through the meadow before it disappeared into the woods beyond.

Celsiana loved the gardens almost as much as her mother did, but she often wished she could visit the young people in the village.  Her parents allowed a few girls to come to the castle, but they were always so in awe of the surroundings that they seemed more nervous than happy to be there.

Her two older brothers used to spend time with her, but now all they wanted to do was go hunting or travel to distant kingdoms.  Celsiana decided it was time to talk to her parents about visiting the village.

“But my dear, you do have companions,” her mother said, smiling at the king.  “Your father and I had some young ladies visit the castle only last week.”

“Yes, but I would like to visit them in the village,” Celsiana replied, tucking a strand of dark blonde hair into place.  “They seem so uncomfortable here in the castle, and I wish to visit this school they talk about.”

“The school?” her father repeated.  “Why would you want to go to a school when we have the best tutors available right here?”

“Perhaps those tutors could work at the school,” Celsiana thought…then realized she’d said it out loud.

Her parents were looking at each other in shock.  “Send the tutors to the school…” her father said.  “Why would I do that?”

“Because then I would fit in with the other girls.”  Celsiana stood tall and continued.  “I could go to school with them, and we would all learn about philosophy and science.”  She knew her father was very fond of both subjects.

Her mother smiled for a moment and took her husband’s hand.  “I remember feeling the same way before I met you.”  She glanced over at her daughter.  “Maybe we should invite some other royal families to the castle.  Soon, Celsiana will be old enough to marry…and meeting some eligible prospects now might be a good idea.”

Celsiana realized this conversation was not going as she’d hoped.  “Mother, I do not want to meet eligible young men.  I wish to be with people my own age.  Have girlfriends.  Be normal.”

Her parents both gasped.  “Normal?” her father asked.  “Why on earth would you want to be normal?  You are a princess.  Normal people want to be royalty, not the other way around.”

The queen put a hand on her husband’s arm.  “Calm down, Roderick.  We both know it’s been difficult for her having the boys gone.  She misses them.”

The king took a breath and nodded.  “Very well.  I will send for more young ladies to be brought up here for Celsiana to meet.”  He looked at his daughter.  “Find two or three you enjoy spending time with, and we will have them stay here for a few weeks.”

Celsiana nodded, then managed a smile.  It was not what she had hoped, but maybe spending a longer time in the castle would make the girls more comfortable.  And then, she might finally have some real friends.

Read the second chapter in our next post!

Thank you for joining us today. If you miss a newsletter, please visit our Lavender Cottage Blog, where we’ll show every post. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

We want to welcome everyone to our Lavender Cottage Books site! We write stories in many genres, and you can find them all in the menu at the top of the page by category, and below that by individual books.

Find your favorites under Fairytales & Fantasy, Sweet Romance & Historical Fiction, San Juan Islands, and Paranormal Mystery & Suspense. We also have some short stories and non-fiction, along with access to our Works in Progress in each category. Enjoy the stories!