Once Upon A Goat First Chapter Sample

Eleanor Lister paced back and forth in her bedroom, clutching the letter to her chest. She could scarcely believe its contents—and if she told her family, she wasn't sure they would believe her either. She looked down at the paper again, her eyes catching on the words, "I would be honored if you would consider becoming my bride," and let out a strangled squeal.

She had only met Kellan in person a few times, that much was true. But her brother would not have introduced her to him if he didn't like Kellan, and the letters they had sent back and forth over the past years had been lovely. 

While she had no reason to believe that Kellan had fallen in love with her, she had slowly begun to fall for him…and in fact, had turned down several young men recently because she knew they would pale in comparison to Kellan, even though she barely knew him outside of his letters.

But a proposal or marriage? In a letter?

This was something she’d never expected.

She sank onto the seat in front of her writing desk and pulled a piece of paper from its drawer. She would have to write to him, of course, and tell him that she would love to accept his offer. Footsteps pounded in the hallway, and Eleanor hastily placed Kellan's letter into the hidden compartment in her desk, where she kept all of his letters.

As her mother entered the room without knocking, as was her custom, Eleanor bit back a sigh.

"Eleanor, dear, there's another young man here to see you," her mother trilled.

Eleanor bit back the response that sprang to her lips. She didn't want her mother to know that Kellan had offered to marry her—not until he came to officially propose and could sweep her away with him.

"Thank you, Mother," she said, though it was the last thing she wanted to say, letting her hand rest on the blank sheet of paper. "I shall be down momentarily."

She waited for her mother to leave, returning the piece of paper to its place with a sigh. She would have to respond to Kellan later. First, she had to go entertain a man she had no intention of marrying, and then she could plan how to become Lady Rendon without her parents ruining it for her.

***

After the visitors had left, Eleanor's mother confronted her before she could escape up the stairs. "You were not very kind.”

Eleanor fought back the urge to sigh at her mother. "I was perfectly kind, Mother."

What her mother meant was that she had not been encouraging towards this lord's suit. Which, in her mother's eyes, was the worst thing one could do when a suitor came to call.

"I do not expect Lord what's-his-name to make me an offer."

"So you decide to do the opposite of encouraging him?" her mother asked.

Yes, because I am planning to marry another, Nora thought, though she kept the words inside her head.

"That is simply unacceptable," her mother announced.

Nora swallowed the protest that nearly escaped her. She would be free soon enough.

"If you think that is proper, then I think we must train it out of you," her mother said. "Go to your room. You'll not have any visitors until you can explain to me how to properly treat a suitor."

Eleanor nodded contritely before making her way up the stairs, though she was steaming inside. 

If only Mother knew that she had a proposal that she was planning to accept. 

She would write to him and send it in the morning, and he would arrive to steal her away within a week.

But could she make it through a whole week of her mother’s training?

***

Sunrise came and went and Eleanor pulled a piece of paper from the stack and began to draft a letter for perhaps the fifteenth time. Each attempt had felt horrible, and had joined the crumpled pile of other drafts in the wastebasket. She was wasting so much paper, but she couldn’t send any of them. 

She began to scribble out yet another draft, but this time, she decided to keep it simple.

I accept. I’m on my way.

She stared down at the words she’d written. While not exactly the type of letter one would normally send in response to a proposal, it was close enough, and it got the message across.

She would be on her way tonight.

She'd thought it over all night long, tossing and turning. On one hand, convinced she was being rash, and on the other hand, convinced that marrying Kellan would give her the freedom she'd always wished for. She knew he needed a wife to prove to his parents he was ready to take on the bulk of the work and let his father step down, and she needed a husband so she could be free from her mother. 

And she so desperately wished to see the mountains that he spoke of so fondly in his letters.

Surely, nothing could go wrong from accepting him.

It wasn't as if she knew nothing about him. She knew he was young, younger than many of her other suitors, and handsome. And her brother liked him, which was both unusual and the perfect recommendation—because if Daniel liked him, then Eleanor could be reasonably convinced that he was a good man.

And when compared to the men that her mother had been bringing around…well, she would take a young, handsome, good man that she hadn't seen in five years over any of the men they had dined with lately.

She heard the telltale steps of her mother's feet walking briskly down the hallway and hid her letter away only a moment before her mother opened the door.

“Still in your nightgown,” her mother said, aghast. “Where is your maid?”

“I overslept and said she could go tend to her other duties. I'm capable of dressing myself, Mother.” In truth, she’d dismissed her maid so she could continue attempting to write to Kellan.

“Not in the gown I want you to wear,” her mother said brightly. “You are to go for a carriage ride this morning.”

Eleanor's heart sank.

But if she was to go for a carriage ride, she could slip her letter to Kellan out without her mother seeing it, then all she needed was to complete her plan to escape, preferably tonight.

She knew where she was going…mostly. Kellan's letter had once told her that if she aimed for the highest peak of the Gloaming Mountains, she would find him—and that was exactly what she intended to do.

She would take Falada, her favorite horse, fill his saddlebags with a few things she needed, and leave tonight. Traveling alone, it wouldn’t be wise to be seen traveling during the day, so she would have to ride at night and hope that it was truly, as her brother had told her once, nearly a day's ride away. If she could get a nap this afternoon after her ride, that would set her up for success.

So, with her mind busy making plans, Eleanor allowed her mother and the maids to prepare her for a carriage ride with yet another ostentatious lord she didn’t want to meet.

But when she stood on the front stoop and the carriage pulled up, any feelings of dread were forgotten when she saw the inhabitant.

“Daniel!” she shrieked, running down the steps.

Her brother stepped out of the carriage just in time to catch her, laughing as she threw her arms around him.

“I haven't been gone that long.”

“It’s been far too long,” she informed him.

“I think perhaps you’re an unreliable narrator,” her brother teased as she let go of him, and he offered his hand to help her into the carriage.

“How did you convince her to let me ride with you instead of someone else this morning?” Eleanor asked.

“I told her that we were more likely to draw attention to ourselves and show you off as a girl with great potential if you were seen in my company, since we know I have such a stellar reputation.”

Eleanor laughed as her brother picked up the reins and urged the horses forward.

“Stellar reputation?” she asked.

“I’m quite the young man about town, apparently,” her brother said.

“I’m sure all the young ladies would agree,” Eleanor said. “Fortunately for you, there are many more eligible young ladies than there are eligible young men.”

“Unfortunately, all of the good men seem determined to avoid the city right now,” Daniel said with a sigh.

Eleanor's cheeks flushed. If only she could confide in Daniel that she had a proposal from one of those men, and she had a letter accepting the proposal in her pocket.

She frowned at the thought. Sending it off without Daniel asking what it was would be nearly impossible, and he’d see through her if she lied. She wouldn't be able to send it today. She'd have to find a place to drop it off while she was traveling, though she might get there before the letter at that rate.

But no matter. It was best to send the letter anyway.

“What have you been up to while I've been gone?” her brother asked.

“Oh, not much, just the usual,” she said with a sigh. “What about you? Have you seen any of your friends lately?”

“Are you asking me if I've seen Kellan lately?” her brother asked with a bit of a smirk. “Does he still write to you?”

“Occasionally,” Eleanor admitted.

“You know, he told me once that I was unfortunate that my little sister was as accomplished and lovely as you are,” Daniel said, completely unaware of how the compliment made Eleanor feel warm and fuzzy inside.

She'd thought that Kellan's proposal was merely one of convenience, but perhaps he did have some feelings for her. Or he was just trying to make his best friend feel good.

Wait. “Unfortunate?”

“He said I was going to have a hard time keeping you away from all the vultures who wanted a young and beautiful wife with lots of money.”

Eleanor hid her grin. As far as she knew, Kellan didn't need her money.

“Well, I might have to see if I can convince him to come down to the city,” her brother said. “You haven't seen him in, what, five years? I think he would be surprised to see how you've grown up.”

Eleanor sighed inwardly. If she didn't think Daniel might try to stop her from leaving tonight, she would love nothing more than to tell him that Kellan didn't need to come down to the city, because she was going to go to him.

Daniel would be so surprised when she sent word that she had seen his friend before he had—and had married him.

***

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