From the corner of my eye, I see her hesitate. She looks like she’s just now connecting the pieces, and her face opens with hurt and shock. I’ll have to deal with that later.
She murmurs an agreement and climbs the stairs, shutting the door to the upstairs apartment softly behind her.
“This is the best way, and you know it,” I say quietly. “I stole the map, and it’s my fault Adeline’s here. It’s my fault the duke wants her dead.”
“I am not agreeing to this.” Sebastian tightens his grip on my hands. “We’ll figure out something else.”
“We don’t have time. You and Adeline might be temporarily safe in the glow of the public eye, but they almost found me tonight, Sebastian. I have to make amends for my actions.”
A loud knock from the front echoes through the room, and we all jump. One of Lord Thane’s men calls through the door, “There’s a Captain Greybrow to see you, Your Lordship. Shall I allow him entrance?”
Sebastian doesn’t give him the chance. He strides across the room and whips the door open, surprising the guard. But before Sebastian can throttle Avery, the captain pushes his way into the room, his manner just as abrupt and angry as Sebastian’s. Without a word, he tosses a large pouch on the table. Several gold denats spill from the top. I gape at them. Never have I seen so much money in one place.
“Consider this my compensation for the orchids. It should more than cover your loss,” Avery says, impatient. “Now, Lucia, it’s time to go.”
“Where are the bounty hunters?” I ask just as I notice Sebastian sliding his rapier from its sheath. “Stop!”
Avery meets Sebastian’s challenge, but I jump in the middle of the men, holding out my hands, feeling as if I’m separating two feral cats. They glare at each other but slowly back apart.
“Duke Thane’s men apprehended two of them roughly an hour ago,” Avery says, finally answering my question. “I assume the rest are temporarily lying low. Now is the time to leave.” He looks about the room and frowns, obviously in a hurry. “Where’s Adeline?”
“How did you know where to find us?” Sebastian demands, suspicious.
Avery rolls his eyes. “You have fifteen of your grandfather’s guards loitering in the street outside. I took a guess.”
Several moments pass, and we stare at each other, none relenting.
“All right.” Grudgingly, I ask Avery, “What’s your plan?”
“Lucia!” Sebastian roars from beside me, the outburst so loud it takes me by surprise. “If you think—”
“We’re running out of options, Sebastian!” I holler back.
Adeline appears at the top of the landing, her usually prim expression shocked.
“What’s all the yelling about?” She sucks in a livid breath, and her face goes pink. “YOU!”
She holds up her hand, ready to blast Avery across the room with a little illegal magic of her own.
“STOP!” I cry.
The room goes silent.
“This is ridiculous.” I fist my hands at my sides, trying to calm myself before I go on. “We’re acting like squabbling children while there are at least five men in the city who want our heads. Whether we like it or not” —I give Avery a sharp look— “And we do not like it… We are in this together.”
When no one dares argue, I continue, “Sebastian will stay in Reshire with Adeline, as we previously agreed—”
Sebastian leaps in. “We did not—”
I cut him off with a sharp look. “As far as anyone is concerned, you have been courting her for the last two months, and you asked her for her hand this evening. You will make your engagement very public. We want people to notice if you were to go suddenly missing.”
“Congratulations,” Avery says to Sebastian with an evil gleam in his eye.
My stomach rolls, making me wonder if I’m going to be ill. Too bad they don’t make a charm for this sort of illness.
Adeline gives a little shrug and bites her lip as she tries to fight a wide and giddy smile. “I suppose I can do that.”
“I will sail to Mesilca with Avery, and we will return the map to the duke.”
Avery doesn’t bother to fight his smirk.
“No,” Sebastian says simply. “Absolutely not.”
I turn my attention to my dearest friend in the world. “You have exactly fifteen seconds to come up with a better idea.”
“This is insa—”
“One…two…”
“We are not doing this!” Sebastian snarls.
“Ten…eleven…” I count, impatient.
“Listen to me.”
“Fifteen,” I say, disappointed he didn’t even try. “We are done.”
Sebastian takes two steps across the room and grabs me roughly by the shoulders. “You will not go with him. I forbid it.”
“I love you, Sebastian,” I say suddenly, tired of holding it in. “Desperately, completely.”
The room goes deathly silent. Sebastian looks like I’ve slapped him, and though he opens his mouth to reply, he cannot seem to find words.
“You want me to stay by your side?” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “Then tell me your grandfather will accept me, and by this time next year we will be married.”
The words are like acid on my tongue, but they are freeing. I cannot keep pining for Sebastian, not if he doesn’t feel the same way about me.
Sebastian’s mouth falls open, his whole demeanor perfectly stunned, and he begins to stammer. “Lucia…it’s not even an option…”
My heart shatters, crumbles to dust. I knew his answer, I knew. But I never imagined the depth of the pain. My throat’s so dry I cannot swallow, and the room goes wobbly around the edges.
I take a step back. “Then you have no right to tell me to stay.”
“Please don’t go,” he begs, lost. It’s not a look he wears often. He’s always in charge; he always has a plan. Not this time. “I’ll figure it all out, I swear—my grandfather, the bounty—all of it. Just give me time.”
“I don’t have it to give.” Before I think too long and talk myself out of it, I stand on my toes and press a goodbye kiss against his lips.
Sebastian doesn’t kiss me back; he stands there, shocked.
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to give into them. Softly, so only he’ll hear me, I whisper, “Your engagement will look more convincing if it’s real.” Then, using his own words, I finish, “You could do a lot worse than Adeline.”
I step away, giving Sebastian one last long look, and nod for Avery to follow me out the door.
CHAPTER SIX
Midnight Carriage Ride
The good thing about hiding your feelings for someone for so long is that it’s just as easy to hide the heartbreak. Outside, I’m calm and collected, even if I’m dying on the inside. Eventually I’m sure I’ll break, but for now, in front of my parents, I am strong.
Avery stands silently behind me, looking as respectable as can be—unless you know him like I do. Fortunately, my family doesn’t know him. And if I have my way, they never will. I threatened to beat him within an inch of his life if he dared open his mouth while we’re picking up Flink and the map.
I’m sure it’s difficult for him, especially considering we just found out it was my mother who told the bounty hunter where to find us.
“Why would you do that?” I ask, almost at a loss for words.
Mother flashes another questioning look at Avery. “The man said he was a friend, that he had business with you and Sebastian. How was I to know any differently?”
It’s late, almost midnight, but even young Kirsten was roused from her sleep when my parents started making a fuss about me taking my dragon and leaving in the middle of the night. Now all my siblings gawk at us.
“Where’s Sebastian?” Father finally asks, getting to the question I know they all want the answer to.
“He’s staying here with Adeline.” My tone is so dark and bitter, every single one of them flinches. You would think i
t was Sebastian’s idea instead of mine.
“Are you in danger?” Father asks, crossing his arms. His eyes wander to Avery, and he frowns.
I glance at the captain, unsure how to answer, giving him permission to speak. I don’t want to lie, but the captain seems to be fluent in the art.
“It’s a serious matter,” Avery smoothly intercepts. “But I assure you, I will personally see to your daughter’s safety.”
“And you are?” Mother demands.
Avery gives them a half-bow, more a head nod with his arm stiff at his waist. “Captain Avery Greybrow, son of Captain Alexander Greybrow, the Earl of Mardin.”
I have no knowledge about puffed-up noble pedigrees, but it sounds impressive enough. My parents seem to think so as well.
“When will you be back?” Mother asks me.
“I don’t know.”
She and Father exchange a look before she turns back. “What about Connor?”
Honestly.
“What about Connor?” I demand. “You might be knee-deep in wedding preparations, but next time, perhaps you should check with me first.”
“You said no?” she gasps.
“Of course I said no! I said no the first time, too. And, heaven forbid, if he asks again—the answer will still be no.”
Her nostrils flare, and she turns from me, so mad I practically see the anger radiating from her. “Fine. Go. Waste your life.”
“Mother—”
“Go.”
I told Sebastian it was a mistake to come home. But did he listen? No. And look at everything that’s happened in less than forty-eight hours. Imagine the horrors that would have occurred if I stayed the entire week.
I say my goodbyes to all my siblings. When I give Father an extra-long hug, he pats my back. “I’ll hitch up the wagon and drive you back to Reshire.”
“No, we’ll take the coach.” No reason to put them in more danger than I already have.
“There’s no reason to rouse them from their sleep, not when I’m still awake.”
We borrowed two of the Thane’s horses to get here—Sebastian’s guards didn’t even question me when I asked. I hadn’t considered Flink at the time. The dragon is far too large to carry on my lap, and he hasn’t the speed of his larger cousins.
Because my father is already fetching his long work jacket, and because I know I’ll never win an argument against him, I agree. Besides, if I fight him too adamantly, he’ll wonder why. And I don’t want him to worry.
I pull Avery aside. “Is it safe? Will the bounty hunters attack him, follow him back here?”
“The two they apprehended will spend the night in jail, and their companions should stick to the shadows since the guards are still looking for them. I think it’s safe enough.”
Safe enough isn’t the same as safe. But it will have to do.
Ignoring my warning words, Avery carries on a light conversation while he helps my father and Anderson hitch the horses to our wagon. The captain’s friendly and falsely genuine, and Father soon warms to him, just as I did when we first met. I cross my arms, watching them, wanting to warn Father and Anderson not to get too attached. Instead, I hurry into the house to retrieve my trunk.
Mother sits at the old kitchen table, refusing to meet my eyes. She stirs honey into a cup of tea, concentrating very hard on ignoring me. The rest of the house is quiet; she must have told my younger brothers and sister to go to bed. I pass by her, waiting for her to say something, to begin lecturing me at least. She stays silent.
Even when I drag my new traveling trunk to the door, she doesn’t speak. The silence is worse than her nagging.
I wait by the door, wondering if I should say something. In the end, I settle for a paltry goodbye and head into the night.
Avery offers his hand, assisting me onto the seat of the wagon next to Father. The captain and Anderson are going to ride in back with Flink. My dragon’s still half asleep, grumpy to be awake at this hour. He grumbles and fusses but finally circles in the corner, settling down at last. I glance at the house one last time, wondering if I will see any of them again.
“She’ll be fine, little duck,” Father says quietly. “Give her time.”
That’s all anyone ever says to me anymore.
***
The hour ride to Reshire seems to take five times as long as usual. I’m constantly jumping at shadows, looking over my shoulder—waiting for someone to jump out at us.
But we arrive with no incident other than Flink sneezing out a sparking blue flame that accidentally ignited a bit of loose straw. Avery was able to quickly extinguish the fire, and Father and Anderson were fortunately amused.
According to the clock tower in Duke Thane’s courtyard, it’s half-past three in the morning, and I’m nearly dead on my feet. I haven’t waited tables in over two months, and my body is no longer used to staying up all night.
“Why are we here?” I quietly ask Avery as I watch my father and eldest brother head back in the direction of sleepy Silverleaf. I doubt they’ll rise early. Hopefully, Erik and Hansel can pick up their share of the morning chores. Hopefully, they’ll make it home at all.
“They’ll be fine,” Avery says, correctly reading the worry on my face. “And I know someone who will loan us a carriage. Come on.”
The wagon turns a corner, out of sight. A weird feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, worry that this is the last time I will see them. I should have given Mother a better goodbye, perhaps apologized for dashing her dreams. True, she meddled in things I wish she had left alone, but I know she had the best of intentions. If I do come home again, I’ll make sure I tell her that.
We leave my things in a shadowed corner, and I follow Avery to the duke’s stables. I try not to be overwhelmed by the opulence. Even the horses live better than my family. Most are sleeping in their gleaming, fresh-straw laden stalls, but the ones who are awake watch Flink with suspicion. He sticks his nose out, sniffing the air. Curious, he steps toward the closest stall, wagging his scaled tail like a dog. The horse’s eyes go wide. She tosses her head and takes several steps backward.
“Come on.” I give the dragon’s tether a tug before he gives the pretty strawberry roan mare heart failure. “She doesn’t like you.”
Flink looks at me, his expression so pitiful I almost wonder if he understands. Still uneasy, I scratch between his horns and follow Avery.
“Why does it seem you know your way around?” I ask after he takes yet another confident turn through the equine maze.
He glances at me. “I get around.”
“No surprise there,” I mutter under my breath.
A whinny sounds in a corridor down from us, and I nearly jump out of my skin.
“Hey.” Avery looks back, startled by my reaction. A mix of worry and curiosity etches his brow. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I say more vehemently than necessary.
He looks like he’s going to say something else. Before he can, a groom rounds the corner. I freeze, terrified we’re going to be hauled in front of Duke Thane and accused of trespassing. Or worse—attempted horse theft. Wouldn’t that just make old Lord Thane’s day?
“Captain Greybrow,” the man says, straightening, obviously surprised. “How may I assist you?”
The groom’s eyes stray to the tattered hem of my gown in question, but he stays silent.
“Oh, good,” Avery says. “I’m glad you’re awake, Ansel. I need you to ready a carriage for me.”
The man’s eyebrows go up. “Now…Captain?”
Avery extends a hand, palm up, silently saying, “Yes, that’s what I said.”
“Of course,” the groom says after only a moment’s hesitation, and then he scurries away.
I narrow my eyes at the captain as I follow him back to the front of the stables. Something was odd about the exchange, but I’m not familiar enough with this world of manners and titles to know what exactly.
Thirty minutes later, our carriage is ready a
nd waiting.
“Will there be anything else, Captain?” Ansel asks.
Avery frowns at Ansel’s chosen driver and footmen. “Replace them with armed guards.”
“Captain?”
“Do it.”
The exchange is made fairly quickly, but that odd feeling grows in my stomach. The men load my trunk, and we are finally ready to leave. Avery assists me into the carriage, but since Father isn’t here to notice, I swat his hand away. Undeterred, he transfers the tips of his fingers to the small of my back, gently steadying me. I’m too tired to fight him.
Before Avery steps into the carriage, Ansel stops him. “What will I tell your grandmother?”
Avery hesitates. “Tell her I had to leave on business. She’ll understand.”
“And Elizabetta?”
A shadow crosses Avery’s face. “Tell her I’ll miss her.”
The groom obviously wants to say more, but he only nods. “Be safe, Captain.”
***
The Greybrow Serpent is docked in Teirn, the capital city of Kalae, where the royal family lives. It will take us at least a week to get there by carriage, and I am bound to kill Avery before we arrive. It’s inevitable really.
The captain sleeps on the bench across from me, seemingly unconcerned that there are several nearby men who want to drag us back to Mesilca. I watch him, envious. Flink’s at our feet, crashed out. I’m not sure he’d even notice if we were attacked. Every few minutes, I glance outside the curtains, checking. Checking for what, I’m not sure. I cannot see in front or behind us, so it’s not like I would know if someone approached.
The day is beginning to grow light, but it will be a good hour before the sun makes itself known. My eyes are so tired they sting, and my back is weary under my gown’s restricting undergarments.
“You’re still awake?” Avery’s eyes are closed, and his voice is groggy.
When I don’t bother to answer, he yawns, stretching, and sits up. “You know, depriving yourself of sleep isn’t a terribly effective way to punish me.”
Greybrow Serpent (Silver and Orchids Book 2) Page 5
