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mountain village, Louise wasn’t ready for the scene that appeared before her. As he sat down and all the children clambered around him, she was, at first, nervous. But as his clear, strong voice read the stories, the children looked at him intently, serenely, hanging on every word, and she could feel something in her heart she didn’t understand. Her emotions overwhelmed her, and she slipped out of sight and sobbed at the memory of the way she had previously treated him. Could she ever forgive herself? Alexander didn’t seem to hold any resentment, but at times his eyes belied the scar that had been left in his heart. That first night, after the children departed, he came looking for her. “Louise, are you all right?” Seeing him coming, she had wiped the tears from her face. She turned to him and smiled. “I’ve never been better.” She had never known a man like Alexander. What had made him the way he was? She learned he had traveled through the villages with his father as soon as he could sit astride a horse. When he was almost thirteen, he was allowed to venture on his own, first nearby, then further and further. Duke Reginald and Lady Margaret were well-loved by their people. She began to understand that Alexander was indeed his parents’ son. He was who he was because of them. They were concerned about everyone. They levied the lightest taxes in all of her father’s kingdom. In fact, the national taxes were their heaviest burden in 79