He smiled. “If I am to be your husband, I would expect you would want to get to know me before the wedding.”
Her face grew whiter. “When is the wedding?”
“Trahern and I wish to discuss that and a few other things with you.” Ireic slowly drew her toward the bottom of the stairs. “If you would like, we can have lunch in the library and I will explain the options as we see them.”
She nodded slightly. “Where is the first step?”
Confused, Ireic paused before asking, “Pardon?”
Lirth glanced up at him. “I need to know where the first step of the staircase is. The library is on the third floor, if I remember correctly.”
“Of course.” His ears warmed. He guided her to the first step. “The first step is before you.” He expected her to test the area with her foot, but she surprised him by confidently starting up the stairs. Ireic followed.
Halfway up, she glanced his way.
“You will get used to it. Everyone does.”
~~~~~~
Lirth strained her ears for the soft sounds of footsteps on the thick library carpet. Ireic had deposited her on a couch near a window and then gone to fetch his brother and sister-in-law.
Someone else was in the room; she could hear them breathing. Playing with her skirt, Lirth listened as the unknown person approached. Unfamiliar with the arrangement of the room, she couldn’t place the source of the occasional shuffling she heard growing closer. Finally, when the sounds were about five feet behind her, she spoke.
“What are you doing in here?” She did not turn her head. Many times she could fool strangers by acting like she was above physically acknowledging them. The only answer to her question was a hurried scuffling, probably from underneath a table. “Come out where I can see you and tell me your name.”
The sounds of the child’s obedience echoed. Even before the child spoke, she was sure of its gender, no boy’s clothing could match the distinct rustle of petticoats.
“I was studying, madam.” Her voice wavered a bit.
Lirth smiled encouragingly. “I am sorry to have disturbed you. Aren’t you young to be going to a boarding school? What is your name?”
“Isica Stoward.”
Lirth’s stomach fluttered. She was speaking with her betrothed’s niece. Isica’s birth announcement came days before the abduction. Listening to Aarint read the news in a letter from mother was one of the many memories Lirth cherished during her captivity.
The little poppet was about five years of age. She was much too young to be so far from her mother, even if it was her uncle’s school.
“What is your name?” Isica’s direct question brought Lirth’s attention back to her.
“Lirth Parnan.” Lirth smiled.
“Isica, you are very late for lunch.”
Both Lirth and Isica jumped at Ireic’s voice.
“I suggest you hurry, Isica. Abrigail will be upset if she has to keep your meal warm again.”
The flurry of footfalls as the girl departed pulled Lirth’s smile wider.
“She is cute little thing.” Warmth infused Ireic’s voice.
“Does she take after her mother or father?”
“Mother.” The door to the hall opened and closed. “Yulandra was always a bit precocious.” His voice came nearer as he sat down next to her. Lirth adjusted so she did not slide across the cushion toward him. He sighed as though weary. “Trahern went to find Eve. They will be here soon. Trahern thought it would be easier for you to have a female listener when you tell us your story.” She heard a smile in his voice. “At least that is what he told me.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“He wants her to be included. She is his friend and councilor.” He paused for a moment as if weighing his next words. “I hope you do not mind. I didn’t wish to object because I also value her opinion.”
The door opened. Ireic rose to greet the new arrivals.
__________
Chapter Four
Eve’s flushed face made Ireic regret asking that they meet on the third floor.
“Are you alright?” He stepped forward to claim her hand, the one not already clasping Trahern’s.
“I am fine.” She protested his assistance by withdrawing her hand to rest it on her stomach. “The child stirs and pushes on my lungs at times. Let me sit for a bit, and I will recover.”
Trahern lowered Eve onto the lounge across from Lirth. Settling himself next to her with a twitch of discomfort, Trahern turned his perceptive blue gaze on Lirth.
Ireic watched his brother massage his bad leg and wondered how much of the pain was from all the riding recently. Tightness around Trahern’s mouth spoke of more pain than usual. Ireic glanced at his sister-in-law, noting a similar concern darkening her eyes.
“Ireic.” Eve laid a hand on Trahern’s hand, stilling it. “I believe that I have not been properly introduced. I would be delighted if you would do the honors.”
Ireic claimed Lirth’s hand from where it lay on the cushion and drew her to her feet. Placing her hand into Eve’s, he began the introductions.
“Princess, I would love you to meet Lady Eve Theodoric, my sister by law and heart. Eve, this is Princess Lirth Yra Parnan.” Both women dipped their heads.
Trahern waited for Lirth and Ireic to reclaim their seats before getting to the point. “Your father was less than honest with us. Would you be willing to answer some of the questions we have?”
Not even a twitch marred the serenity of Lirth’s features. “I cannot speak to his policies or the state of Sardmara.”
“We don’t expect you to speak for your father.” Trahern leaned forward as he clarified. “Your parents hinted that you suffer from an illness, a weakness of health. We were wondering if it was connected to your lack of sight.”
Even before he finished speaking, Lirth’s brow wrinkled. “I am healthy, my lord–”
“Please don’t call me that.”
The harsh edge to Trahern’s tone brought Lirth’s chin up.
“Why?” Ireic asked.
“I do not wish to be associated with the Anavrean nobility. They are a bunch of–”
Eve stalled her husband’s anger with a touch to his arm. “We are here to discuss Lirth, not the King’s Council.”
With visible effort, Trahern softened his voice. “Please call me Trahern.”
Ireic didn’t notice if Lirth acknowledged the request. He was too busy frowning at his brother. The strength of Trahern’s outburst seemed out of proportion with their last conversation.
Avoiding Ireic’s glare, Trahern composed himself. His face relaxed into its usual placid lines. However, he couldn’t hide forever. Ireic would corner him later.
The crease between Lirth’s brows grew deeper in the tense silence. She tilted her head to the side, obviously listening hard.
“Pardon me.” Trahern straightened in his seat. “My recent dealings with Councilor Kline leaves many things better unsaid.”
She smiled her understanding. “People can be trying no matter their rank.”
“I am sure your father’s court had its issues,” Trahern observed.
Ireic nodded in agreement. He and Trahern had discussed the difficulties of the Sardmaran court many times.
Lirth closed her eyes. “I wouldn’t know about his court, but simply dealing with servants can cause all kinds of problems.”
“Didn’t you spend time at court during your childhood?” having grown up at court, Ireic hadn’t considered the possibility that she hadn’t.
“No, I have never been to court.”
“Where did you spend your childhood?”
“From our birth to reaching the age of usefulness, my brothers and I lived at Clorian Castle on the edge of the northern wastes.”
“We have been there,” Ireic remarked. “Hardly a nurturing place to grow.” Wind whipped trees had crouched about the castle grounds, bent as though bracing for a coming winter.
“Why were y
ou there?”
“We were seeking you.”
“Then you missed its best seasons. Fall is breathtakingly beautiful. All the colors alone are worth the trip north.” Her voice wobbled as she lowered her chin. Pain flickered in her dark eyes. “Father didn’t tell you where I was, did he?” Clutching her hands in her lap, she shrank back against the brocade cushions.
“Hardly your fault.” Ireic instinctively reached out to reassure her, but caught himself before touching her. He dropped his hand to the expanse of couch between them. “We found you in the end.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“Why ever did your father keep you there?” Trahern asked.
Her chin came up and her jaw tightened. “At Clorian? Safety. Or at least that is what we were told. I don’t think I believed it in the end.”
“Was that what your parents told you when they visited?”
She uttered a painful little laugh. “Mother came only once. When I was seven, I was thrown from my horse and lost consciousness. I lay in a fever for three days. The healer declared me on the brink of death. Father allowed my mother to come only when she threatened to harm herself if he didn’t. When I woke on the fourth day, the first sound I heard was her weeping.”
“How could he be so unfeeling?” Trahern asked, echoing Ireic’s thought.
Despite the calm of her features, Lirth’s fingers tightened so that the knuckles shone white. “My parent’s relationship has never been…amicable. My mother was the eldest daughter of a northern tribesman. While Father was still a second son, he patrolled the northern borderlands. He saw her. He desired her. And what Father desires, he takes. My brother, Joman, was born seven months after their wedding.”
Eve’s small gasp brought all attention to her.
“The child kicked.” Telltale moisture glistened in her eyes.
Trahern laid his hand over Eve’s where it rested on her swollen middle. The warmth of their exchanged look caused Ireic to turn his attention back to Lirth.
“You woke blind?”
She nodded. “I asked if someone could light a candle while the sun shone on my face. It wasn’t terrible. Mother feared my handicap more than I. At that age, I worried that I wouldn’t be allowed to ride a horse. The concern about whether or not my father would dispose of me didn’t enter my thoughts until later.”
“He would have murdered you?”
“Apparently, Mother bore a child between Aarint and me, deformed but alive. My father ordered it destroyed.”
Eve swallowed a sob. The tears in her eyes prompted Ireic to change the topic slightly.
“So you grew up with your brothers?”
Lirth’s dark head tilted so that she could face him. She smiled slightly.
“Joman, Lloyden, and Aarint were all a young girl could ask for in brothers. Even after my accident, they never tired in trying to include me as best they could. I was given a major role in most of their games, and they insisted I be included in their lessons. Their tutor, thankfully a kind man, did not mind when I joined my brothers in languages, government, and other subjects deemed appropriate for young princes.”
“Did your accident change anything?”
She shrugged. “My father still considered me marriageable. I learned etiquette, music, singing, all the ceremonies, how to seat titled persons at a table, and other things useful to a noble lady.”
“What about dancing?” Ireic asked. His council was obsessed with dances. Their wives enjoyed every opportunity to flaunt their rich gowns.
Shaking her head, Lirth smiled slightly. “Our dancing master declared me hopeless after I lost my sight.”
“We will try our best. The ladies of the court do love their parties and balls.”
~~~~~~
Although Ireic’s voice sounded positive enough, Lirth sensed underlying hesitancy. It was as though he didn’t believe his own words. She tried to ignore the rising panic in her chest. If he didn’t marry her, what would happen to her then?
Trahern continued speaking, perfectly calm and in control of the situation. “I am assuming Ireic has not told you of the plan we have been working out.”
“I have not had the opportunity,” Ireic protested.
Eve intervened before more discussion could carry them off track. “Explain it to her.”
Trahern shifted with a rasp of fabric against fabric. In a voice that reminded her of listening to her tutor, he explained.
“Anavrea has a monarchy government. The King, with the help of his queen and later his sons, serves as the highest authority in the land. This is the way it has been for generations. About one hundred years back, a council was established by the ruling King at the time...”
“Leoyn Tranken,” Ireic supplied.
“He formed the council to be a body of lords and commoners, as advisers to the throne,” Trahern continued. “Since their inception, the council’s role keeps changing. Currently, in practice, they act like a co-ruler with the ruling King.”
“On what authority?” Lirth asked when Trahern paused for breath. She vaguely remembered her brothers arguing this very topic in their studies. Anavrea’s governmental structure had been the topic of many animated discussions between the boys and their tutor.
Ireic answered, “They have no real authority within our government, but that fact is carefully ignored.” He sighed. “I have been trying not to buck them, but they grow more forceful and arrogant. I fear I won’t be able to keep power much longer.”
“You will manage,” Trahern commented. “But you are right about them needing to be pulled into line.”
Lirth got the impression the two men were falling into an old conversation that played between them many times.
“I don’t understand how this relates to me,” Lirth pointed out.
Ireic shifted in his seat. “About a month ago, the council denied a marriage that I blessed. I gave my permission privately, but many of the council members knew of my mindset toward the couple.”
“Why?” Lirth tried to understand on what grounds the leaders and Ireic would have such different ideals.
“My sister, Yulandra, wanted to marry a good friend of mine. The council refused permission on the basis of his distant past as a slave.”
Trahern broke in to add, “The council even more recently demanded my children be removed from the succession for the same reason. They believe that Han and Eve’s possibly illegitimate blood would contaminate the royal line.”
“When?” Ireic demanded in surprise.
Trahern groaned. “I received the official letter this morning, signed by Councilor Kline himself.”
Resisting the shiver that pricked at her neck, Lirth suddenly realized how it all connected to her. If the council reacted so strongly to unseen flaws in royal blood lines, how would they react to her obvious lack of sight? No wonder Ireic struggled.
“The council is made up of mostly very proud men,” Ireic explained. “They fear humility.” He shifted. Lirth wished for the thousandth time that she could see him. “Trahern believes that if we get them to accept you publicly, without knowing the truth, they will have an investment in appearing to know from the beginning. I don’t think it will be that easy.”
Lirth nodded slowly. She understood the difficulties of fooling so many, but she couldn’t see an alternative. “What are the other choices?”
Trahern answered her. “You live here with Eve and me. Ireic faces the council on his own.”
Lirth frowned. “Will my father declare war?”
Silence hung for a moment while she was sure Trahern and Ireic exchanged a look.
“Yes,” Ireic said, “but Anavrea can deal with a war. We are larger and stronger than Sardmara.” His voice did not give away the tension Lirth felt coming from his end of the couch. A great deal hung between them unsaid. She could guess some of the unspoken issues. From what she had overheard during the past few days, their marriage contract represented the culmination of years of w
ife hunting. This was the closest he had ever come to the altar. If she backed out now, he would have no wife and a war on his hands.
Ireic moved. Two large warm hands enclosed hers and she could feel him before her. A strange fascination pulled her in his direction. She did not realize he knelt until he spoke.
“Lirth Yra Parnan will you marry me?”
Lirth thought her heart would choke her. She took a deep, shaky breath, swallowing the obstruction back into place.
“Yes.” The moment the word passed her lips an image jumped into her mind. A dark-haired, handsome man in his late twenties smiled at her. Then just as suddenly, the image evaporated. The Kurios had given her a glimpse of her betrothed. A blanket of comfort settled around her heart. This was right.
~~~~~~
Trying to hide a yawn, Lirth brought her fan to her face. The topic, not the speaker, caused her eyes to droop. Eve, a talented teacher, made the driest history intriguing, but even she could not spice the endless rules of court etiquette into a palatable morsel.
“...actually…” Eve summed up a long list of titles of those who were secondary to the Queen. “Just about everyone but Ireic will be required to greet you with a bow. Is there any way you are going to be able to tell if they performed the obligatory greeting?”
Lirth shook her head. “Not unless they speak while they genuflect.”
“I would not put it past some of them to try to avoid showing honor to someone they consider flawed.” The bitterness in Eve’s voice contrasted sharply with all Lirth had learned of her in the past few days. Her surprise must have shone on her face for Eve immediately apologized.
“I am sorry, Lirth.” Eve crossed to sit on the bench beside her. “I should not have spoken so harshly.”
“What did they do to Trahern?”
Eve laughed. “What makes you think they did something to Trahern?”
“It would be the quickest and most brutal way anyone could hurt you.”
“Ireic was right.” Eve’s smile colored her voice. “You are very perceptive.”
The King of Anavrea Page 4
