Seeing him up close, I had to say that he was quite the fine figure of a man, although he was a good deal older than either Gabrinne or I, or even Torric. But the Duke of Gahm stood tall and straight, and had a fine hawkish nose and determined chin. There was something, too, about those hooded dark eyes, something compelling, and I began to see why Gabrinne had made him the particular object of her quest for a husband.
He extended one of the goblets to her and the other to me, even though I was sure he must have intended it for himself. I began to demur, and he only shook his head.
“No, my lady, I am not churlish enough to drink in front of you when you have none. It is an easy enough thing for me to fetch another. But I think I will wait, for I have heard the next dance is a verdralle, and Gabrinne has promised it to me.”
“Yes, I have,” she said, “and you would hear something of it if you went off and left me alone while everyone else was enjoying themselves. But despair not, my lord, for you and I can share my cup, and we shall do quite well that way.”
He smiled at her, and something in his expression reminded me of the way Torric would gaze at me, and so I saw then that the Duke did have a true regard for Gabrinne. This realization warmed my heart, for I had not yet been able to observe them together, and I had wondered how much of a connection they actually shared.
“This is most generous of you, Your Grace,” I said, and sipped from the wine, for to refuse it now would be quite rude. Besides, a bit of wine might help to settle my nerves.
“You are quite welcome,” he told me, and it sounded as if he actually meant it. “That is a very stunning gown, my lady. You should not linger here by the door, but should go further into the ballroom, so that more might admire it.”
Gabrinne laughed, and her dark curls — which I could tell needed no coaxing from a curling rod — bounced with the movement. “What he really means is that the Emperor is out there now, doing his duty by dancing with the pockmarked daughter of the Earl of Treglende, and if you stay over here, you will not catch his eye in time for him to dance the verdralle with you.”
Her merriment was contagious. I smiled and said, “Well, then, I guess we had better move a little closer, for I suppose if I am not hasty, then he will be stuck with the Lady Brinda, or someone even worse.”
“There is no one worse,” Gabrinne said darkly. “Senric, darling, hold the cup for me, will you? The floor here is so dreadfully crowded.”
I did not miss the fact that she did not precede his name with “lord,” nor that she had called him “darling.” That familiar? Had he already asked for her hand? I supposed it was possible, although I would have thought she’d tell me such important news as soon as she saw me.
He did not comment on her familiarity, but took the goblet from her as we wove our way through the crowd so that we might be closer to the dancers. For truly, although the ballroom was enormous and could easily accommodate a hundred couples, there were far more than that milling about: talking, eating, drinking, or watching the dancers. I kept a firm grip on my goblet and was glad that I had drunk from it somewhat, so at least it wasn’t quite so full. Even so, I was glad when we more or less made it to the edge of the crowd, and therefore had a better view of those actually dancing.
They moved past, the steps of the linotte slow enough that I could make out the intricacies of the ladies’ gowns, or the fine cut of the men’s doublets. And then at last he came by, wearing the severe silver and black of his house, but so exquisitely tailored that it seemed to outshine the most elaborate garb there. Diamonds glittered from the white gold circlet on his brow, and he was so perfect in every way that my breath caught at the sight of him, and I wondered how he could be a mortal man and not a god, when he so surpassed everyone there.
His eyes widened as he appeared to see me, and it seemed he almost lost his step but recovered, moving on smoothly as if nothing untoward had happened.
“I have no doubt who the Emperor will be dancing the verdralle with,” Gabrinne whispered in my ear, and this time I did not bother to contradict her. Why tell more lies, when in such a short time everyone would know of Torric’s and my true feelings for one another?
A quick swallow of wine seemed my best recourse then, and I remained silent, tasting the rich, heavy savor of the unknown grape. With a shake of her curls, she leaned over and murmured something to Lord Senric, but I could not make it what it was. No matter. My entire attention was consumed by watching Torric make his circuit of the dance floor, those agonizing moments of waiting until the dance was finally done and he came straight toward me, ignoring all the women who attempted to approach him as if they were not even there.
“My Lady Ashara,” he said, stopping a foot or two away and bowing from the waist.
I curtseyed at once, as did Gabrinne, while the Duke bowed as well. “Your Majesty,” I replied formally, all too aware of their watching eyes.
Torric seemed to perceive my diffidence, for he said, “My lady, if no one has claimed you yet, I would be honored to have you as my partner for the verdralle.”
“No, I am newly arrived, and so have no partners as of yet.”
“Then consider yourself claimed…for this dance.”
I curtseyed again, and he waved to a passing servant for his own goblet of wine. The man rushed over at once and handed off the last vessel on his platter. Torric drank deeply, then gave the goblet back to the servant.
“And if you are done, my lady? I think you will find it difficult to dance whilst holding on to that goblet.”
“Oh, of course,” I said, even though I had not drunk even half the vessel’s contents. But I gave it over as well. If I had need of more later, I had no doubt Torric would procure it for me immediately.
I could not help but feel Gabrinne’s eyes upon us during this exchange, as if she were attempting to see something between us beyond the polite, empty words. But then the musicians played a chord, signaling that it was time for those who wished to dance to take their place upon the floor, and she and Lord Senric also handed off their shared goblet to the serving man, so they would have their hands properly free as well.
Torric wrapped his warm fingers around mine and led me out of the crowd and into the center of the room so we might begin to form the circle of dancers required for the verdralle. As we stood there, waiting for the music to begin, he bent toward me.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he murmured.
“So are you,” I replied frankly, and he laughed.
“Well, then, I suppose that makes us well-matched. Are you ready?”
“Why, yes. I have been practicing my steps.”
Those amazing sooty lashes swept down over his eyes, concealing them. “That is not what I meant.”
“Then yes, I believe I am ready for that, too.” In that moment, I knew I could face anything, as long as I could do it by his side.
And then the music began, and he pulled me into his arms, and I let myself be swept away, knowing we were moving toward our future, and all was beautiful and right and perfect.
Chapter 14
Torric
By the gods, I did not know what I had done to deserve her, but I would not question their wisdom in putting such a woman in my arms. When my gaze first fell upon her this evening, I could not quite believe it was my Ashara. True, it was her sweet face, that fall of russet hair I admired so much, but she was garbed more elegantly than either my mother or my sister. I had not even stopped to wonder how a baronet’s daughter could possibly have afforded such finery. My only thought was, There is a true Empress.
And now she was here, moving about the polished floor as if it were no great thing to be dancing in the heart of the palace, to be the center of all eyes, for all her deprecating comments about practicing her steps. She smiled up at me, those beautiful lips curving as if in pure pleasure, and I fell in love with her a little more, when I had not thought it was possible to love her any more than I already did.
“You were late again,” I told her, after we had taken a few steps.
Her amber-green eyes laughed up into mine, reminding me of the autumn wood where we had shared our first kiss. “It does seem to have become rather a habit of mine. I assure you that in general I am quite prompt…when my stepmother isn’t delaying me.”
“Well, she shall delay you no longer. I hope you prepared for this night by packing your things, for as soon as I make the announcement, I will send men over to fetch them so you need not spend another night under her roof.”
An unreadable expression passed over her lovely features. “Oh, I have not that much to pack, I fear.”
I let out an unbelieving chuckle. “I find that difficult to believe, if your wardrobe of this week is any indication.”
For a few seconds she said nothing, although her pretty white teeth caught on her lower lip, as if she were not sure of the best way to respond. Then, “I would say that this week has been an exception, Your Majesty. Most of the time I am not nearly so grand.”
Had her family done the thing I had feared, and gone into debt to ensure that she made a fitting impression on me? But no, that did not jibe with her remarks about her stepmother not showing her much favor. Frowning, I tried to work at the puzzle, and then decided to abandon it. After all, it did not matter one way or another. If they had gone into debt, I would make sure those debts were cleared, and if not, well, I would soon have a wardrobe fit for an empress constructed for her.
“You are quiet,” she said, and I caught a trace of worry in her tone.
“Only thinking of our future together, my love,” I told her.
Her face brightened. “That is something which has been much in my thoughts as well.” She cast a quick glance around the crowded ballroom and added, “How I wish this evening were over!”
“Indeed?” I inquired dryly. “I will admit that I am not the empire’s best dancer, but I did not think I was that bad.”
“Oh!” A quick flush stained her cheeks. “Oh, you know that is not what I meant. You are a very fine dancer. It is just the thought of you dancing with all those other women for the next few hours…”
“Believe me, I am not looking forward to it all that much, either. But it is only for a few hours, my dearest, and then I promise you I will never dance with another woman again, even if it causes a huge scandal.”
She smiled a little then. “Now you are teasing me, I think. I realize that I cannot always keep you all to myself. Perhaps it is just that I feel as if I am bursting with our secret, and holding on to it for even a few more hours seems so very difficult.”
Ah, I well knew that sensation. At the moment I wanted nothing more than to tell the musicians to stop, and to take Ashara up to the dais where they were playing so I could announce to everyone that she was the woman I had chosen for my wife. Or, failing that, at least steal her away to a quiet corridor so I might kiss her again, taste her sweet mouth, this time go further and touch my lips to her perfect white neck, follow a trail to her collarbone and then onto the enticing curve of her breasts where they showed above the neckline of her gown.
My groin tightened, and I immediately forced my thoughts in other directions, ones not quite so arousing. Yes, I would make her mine in every way possible, and as soon as was feasible, but in the meantime I did not want to frighten her with my desire. She was an innocent, I could tell; a passionate one, that was clear enough, but I knew that mine was the first kiss she had ever tasted. There would be many more firsts, each more pleasurable than the last.
But that was certainly not the best way to get my mind running in more innocuous paths. “Not so long now, my love,” I said, then went on, “Do you know, that is the third time in a row that Lady Gabrinne has danced with Lord Senric? I was going to ask her, as she is your friend and seems like a lively dance partner, but I fear she is not going to give me the opportunity.”
Ashara laughed then and shook her head. “You are probably right. And I am wondering if the Duke has asked for her hand already, for earlier she addressed him by his first name alone, and called him ‘darling’ right in front of me. Now, because it is Gabrinne, perhaps that was just her way of trying to shock me, but since he took it in stride, it seems there could be more to it than I first thought.”
High time his lordship got himself another wife, although I couldn’t help thinking he would have quite the handful in Gabrinne Nelandre. Perhaps that was what he needed. A good man, and one of the steadiest in all of Sirlende, but sober and quiet. He might appreciate the shaking-up she was sure to provide.
“Look at us,” I said, and grinned, even as I turned Ashara under my arm and spun her around before drawing her close to me once more, so I might smell the perfume of roses that seemed to rise from her masses of copper curls, so close in color to the astonishing gown she wore. “We sound like a pair of matchmaking grannies — although I will freely admit that I am probably the worst of us two, as I have also been doing what I can to encourage the connection between my sister and the Duke of Marric’s Rest.”
“Oh, yes, I think I saw him speaking with her earlier. He is very handsome.”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?” I growled.
“Certainly not. But Lord Sorthannic is very handsome, and your sister is very beautiful, so if they admire one another, then it sounds like it should be a good match.” She stared up into my face, one eyebrow lifted. “I am rather surprised you are not marrying her off to some foreign prince, though. Is that not what usually happens with princesses?”
“It is,” I admitted. “And if there were anyone suitable, then perhaps that would be her fate. But as there is no one suitable, she is safe to follow her heart and stay close to home, which I must confess I find a far more attractive proposition. For you must know that I am a selfish man, Ashara, and it suits me better to have my sister here in Sirlende than off in Purth or Farendon or even South Eredor.”
“I don’t think you are selfish,” Ashara replied. “I think you love your sister very much, and so of course it is natural that you would not want her to be thousands of miles away.”
“Do you always see the good in people?”
I had asked the question in a joking manner, but she appeared to consider it quite seriously, her lashes half concealing her eyes as she thought it over. “I would like to see the good in people — and in general I think most people are quite good, or at least try to be. But there are some who seem to have very little good in them, who seem to enjoy hurting others, or belittling them, or taking advantage of them. So I am not sure I am quite as naïve as you think I am.”
This remark had to be about her stepmother…or at least I could not think of who else it might be applied to. Perhaps Brinda Aldrenne, for I was not so blind or deaf that I had not overheard some of her spiteful remarks about Ashara, or seen the way she was so quick to cut down anyone she saw as a possible rival.
While some part of me wanted to press the issue, I decided that was not a good use of the last few moments of our dance. I knew this was the only one we would share, as I had to make the effort to partner as many of the ladies as I could over the course of the evening. “I think you a very perceptive young woman…and a lovely one, and a strong one. And I think you will make a very great Empress.”
Her eyes seemed almost suspiciously bright, and she nodded and tightened her fingers around mine, as if she could not find the words to reply. And so we finished the rest of the dance in silence, concentrating only on the feel of being in one another’s arms, the sweep of the music and the sensation of knowing that this was so much more than merely a dance, but a chance to reaffirm our need for one another.
When the music ended, we paused and performed the customary honors — I bowed to her, and she curtseyed to me, then thanked me in a somewhat breathless voice for the dance. I had to force myself to remain where I stood, to allow her to walk away and disappear into the crowd. How much better it would have been if I could have kept her by my side,
said to hell with convention and let her be my only companion for the rest of the night.
But it would be foolish to cause such an uproar this late in the game. My gaze flicked to the enormous carved clock mounted on the far wall. Only a few more hours to go. Surely I could survive that long.
* * *
I began to ponder the wisdom of that decision, though, after I spent the next three dances with young women whose names and faces I could not have even recalled, for they left my memory as soon as we had done the honors at the end of the dance and also melted away into the crowd. One good thing about having to make the rounds, as it were — at least that way I did not have to suffer any of them for more than a single dance.
This fact was brought home to me more than ever when I found myself partnered with Brinda Aldrenne very late in the evening, after she all but elbowed another girl out of the way so she might claim me for a dance. My only consolation was that at least it was for “Grey Mare,” a lively piece that did not require the close contact of a verdralle. I feared I could not have stomached having to hold that nasty young woman in my arms for such an extended period of time.
Even so, she looked as smug as if she had just been crowned Empress herself, and made quite a show of curtseying as low as she could, so that I might get an eyeful of the bosom exposed by her low-cut gown of scarlet silk. Never in my life had I possessed less of an inclination to gaze on a woman’s body, but I summoned a smile from somewhere and then was heartily glad when the music began so she was forced to concentrate on the quick-paced steps of the dance.
Despite that, she commented, “Surely you must have made up your mind by now, Your Majesty? Why, I think it is most unkind of you to keep us all waiting until the last moment!”
This remark was delivered in a teasing tone, one she probably thought was flirtatious. Underneath it, though, I could hear her criticism. My first instinct was to rebuke her for being so forward with her Emperor, but I knew that was the wrong approach. So I merely lifted my shoulders and replied, “My Lady Brinda, the announcement will be made at midnight — less than an hour from now. Surely you can contain your anticipation until then.”
Ashes of Roses (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 4) Page 19
