The Lass Who Kissed a Frog by Lee, Caroline (big ebook reader .TXT) 📗

week—the anger and accusation she’d seen in his eyes as the afternoon had gone on…?

Vanessa wrapped her arms around her middle.

It was clear. Roland Prince was no longer interested in her, and she could guess why.

“Vanessa.” It wasn’t until Bonnie called her name that she realized the story was over. “Do ye recall when we were both young coming out here to catch frogs?”

Vanessa’s eyes shot open, and she gasped. “Nay, I’d forgotten that!” Glad for the distraction, she sat upright, a smile blooming. “That was back when Father was still alive, remember? He’d take us on his knees and kiss us and call us his ‘bonnie lasses,’ and we’d come out here to play!”

“Ye were the best at catching frogs. Ye didnae have to sneak up on them.” Bonnie giggled. “I used to think they were transfixed by yer beauty.”

“Maybe they were.” Vanessa wasn’t being vain; she knew she was beautiful. She’d been told so often enough. “But aye, I’d forgotten how it felt to just be able to walk up to them and scoop them up.”

“And do ye remember kissing them?”

Gasping again, Vanessa shifted on the well-stones to face her sister. “Nay! I’d forgotten that too! We’d…kiss them?”

“Aye!” Laughing, her sister closed the book. “In the hopes one might turn into a prince.”

“Lord help me, I remember now!” Vanessa whispered, wide-eyed. “I was certain it was only a matter of time. Look at this place! There were so many frogs, I just knew one of them had to be a prince.”

Bonnie sighed. “That was before we knew about real princes, I suppose.”

Her expression souring once more, Vanessa peered down into the distant depths of the well. “Sometimes I suspect a frog would make a better prince than the ones we’ve met.”

A frog, at least, wouldn’t be offended when she said something cruel.

Well, at least ye’re recognizing what ye said was cruel.

“Sometimes I suspect a frog would make a better husband,” Bonnie corrected.

Well, that earned a surprised burst of laughter from Vanessa, who turned an incredulous look on her sister. “What do ye mean?” she asked, with a hint of laughter in her tone.

Bonnie shrugged. “He’d be easy to feed—nae complaining about whatever menu ye decided on.”

“Ha! Bugs are simple, I suppose.” Vanessa was warming to the joke. “And I suppose he wouldnae take up too much room in bed.”

Bonnie’s nose wrinkled. “Ew! But at least he would no’ mind a wife who spoke her mind.”

“Or a wife who monopolized a conversation!”

Giggling, Bonnie tilted her head to one side. “I suppose any conversation would be monopolized by us in that scenario, huh? It would be a bit one-sided.”

“Dinnae be silly! Our slimy green husbands would be able to say, ‘Ribbit-ribbit,’ whenever they had something to add to the discussion.”

“Hah! We’d have to rely on each other and our friends for meaningful conversations, I suppose.” Bonnie was shaking her head.

“Aye, but there’d be compensations.” Vanessa wiggled her brows lewdly, and her sister’s eyes opened wide.

“Och, of course! Why did I no’ think of that? There’s always…”

Together, they both finished that thought. “His tongue!”

Vanessa dissolved into giggles, while Bonnie wrinkled her nose again, as if she’d smelled something foul. But she couldn’t hide the small smile on her lips, and Vanessa took that as a win.

As her laughter subsided, Vanessa tilted her head back against the post and closed her eyes. Marriage to a frog might sound nice to Bonnie, for the reasons she’d mentioned—minus the tongue reference of course—but that wasn’t what Vanessa wanted from her husband. She didn’t want a marriage where she never spoke to her husband, or where she expected him to leave her alone to follow her own goals.

She wanted a partnership: someone who would support her and whom she could support in return. Someone with whom to discuss their goals and achievements, and plans for their future.

Until she’d met Roland Prince and realized exactly how well the two of them fit together, she’d thought her dream highly unlikely. If Mother had her way, Vanessa would be married to the most eligible bachelor in Scotland, because she was the most beautiful maiden around.

She supposed she was just lucky the most eligible bachelor in Scotland was Roland.

Too bad she’d ruined her chances with him.

After a moment, she realized she’d been sitting there moping in silence, and Bonnie hadn’t said anything further. Vanessa peeked open one eye and glanced over to where her sister sat.

Bonnie was carefully removing the piece of correspondence she’d been using as a bookmark. There was something in her sister’s expression which made Vanessa pause, and she watched in silence as Bonnie unfolded the letter and began to read.

The paper had obviously been read several times before, and it wasn’t until she saw her sister bite her lower lip—a childhood habit none of Mother’s nagging had been able to cure Bonnie of—that Vanessa realized just how bad the news was.

“Bonnie?”

When her sister looked up, and Vanessa saw the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes, she gasped out, “Oh, Bonnie!” and slid from atop the old well. “What is it?” she asked as she hurried across the garden.

But her sister didn’t answer, even when Vanessa settled on the bench beside her. She hesitated only a moment before wrapping her arm around Bonnie’s shoulders and pulling her closer.

“What’s wrong, Bonnie? Another rejection?”

“Aye,” sniffed Bonnie. “I ken I shouldnae be upset each time. The Lord kens I’ve had enough Nay-thank-ye-for-yer-submission-but-we-cannae-publish-a-scholarly-work-by-a-woman letters to last a lifetime.”

“But that doesnae mean they hurt less when ye receive one.” Vanessa pulled a hankie from her sleeve and passed it to her sister. “Let me read this one.”

“This one is the worst because I really thought Grimm & Son was my best chance. They’ve published books written by women before after all! And they took so long to respond, I thought surely I’d be receiving an acceptance from them.”

“Oh, Bonnie.” Vanessa’s heart broke to hear the despair in her sister’s voice. “I’m so sorry.”

When Bonnie offered the letter, Vanessa removed her