17. A Lady of Honor
Chapter 17
A Lady of Honor
S tellon
There she was.
A long sigh of relief left my chest. After all my frantic searching, Wyn had just appeared in the central hall, stepping out from one of the side corridors.
I’d been so afraid she’d left the palace altogether before I’d gotten a chance to speak with her again. And we did have important matters to discuss, despite my father’s orders to take my time and “explore all the possibilities” that were open to me.
Hurrying toward her, I called out her name.
“Lady Wyn. Hello again.” I reached her and took her hands in both of mine. “My esteem shines upon you.”
“And mine upon you.”
In contrast to her polite words, she darted her eyes away, looking like she’d rather be somewhere else. As I’d suspected, she was insulted.
“I deeply apologize for the seating arrangements,” I said. “I had no idea where you were sitting until I spotted you just now. If I’d seen you earlier, I would have done something about it. In fact, I’ll take care of it right away. Come with me and I’ll speak to—”
“It’s fine,” she said, looking taken aback. “I don’t care about that.”
She pulled her fingers from mine. “What I mean is that’s not necessary. In fact, I was finished eating. I don’t want to be reseated.”
So she was offended. At least I thought that’s what I detected in those captivating caramel eyes. I had to make it up to her.
“What do you know?” I said. “I’m finished as well. Let’s not go back in there. I could use a break from the crush and some fresh air. Would you take a walk with me?”
I gestured toward the long wall of windows that offered a view of the flower gardens and moonlit lawn from the hallway.
Wyn’s forehead was creased with uncertainty.
“Won’t you be missed?” she asked.
“Perhaps. But I don’t care about being missed by anyone but you.”
Her eyelids widened, and then her expression changed, looking a bit sad. She didn’t believe me. She thought I was just handing her a flirtatious line.
“Just for a few minutes?” I cajoled. “You must experience the luminescence of the star-poppies at night—and their scent. They smell so much sweeter after dark.”
After another long moment of hesitation, she nodded and allowed me to lead her to one of the heavy glass doors that punctuated the window wall.
We stepped outside, and as I’d promised, the fragrance of the flowers met us immediately. Under the moon’s light, they emitted a reddish-pink glow that tempted any observer to reach for them.
But like so many things here in the High Court, nasty thorns lurked beneath the beauty of the blooms.
Wyn was quiet, not commenting on the flowers or the pleasant feel of the cool night air. I had my work cut out for me. She wasn’t going to let go of the dining-room slight so easily.
Carefully, I snapped a bright bloom from its stem and sniffed it then held it to Wyn’s nose for her to enjoy as well.
“It’s lovely,” she said quietly. “I’ve never seen one in person.”
“No? They’re my favorite flower. They only open under starlit skies like we have tonight. Their nectar is a favorite of the Lunar moths. Very sweet.” I gave her a small smile. “Like you.”
Pushing her hair back over one ear, I asked, “May I?”
Lady Wyn nodded, and I carefully tucked the flower stem into the hair over her ear.
“Your beauty puts it to shame,” I said. “Let’s walk down toward the water.”
She didn’t object, and I drew her hand into the crook of my arm, walking toward the outer edge of the lawn where a waist-level marble wall separated the palace grounds from the edge of the cliff that dropped steeply into the sea below.
The moon was nearly full, and its reflection on the water was a sparkling white line that seemed to point directly at us.
Thank you, Tenebris. I sent up a silent prayer of gratitude to the god of night for that and for the enchanting blanket of stars overhead.
Torches placed around the border of the lawn lit our way as we approached the wall. When we reached it, I released Wyn’s hand and pressed my fingertips to the cold marble, inhaling the crisp ocean air.
“I love the seaside air,” I said. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it. When was the last time you saw the ocean? It’s quite a journey from your home.”
“It is,” she agreed. “But I’ve seen it a few times before. Not like this. This is beautiful.”
Finally she looked at me. “I can only imagine what it was like growing up here at Seaspire, in this home, with this magnificent view. You must have loved it.”
“I probably took it for granted,” I confessed. “But yes, it was wonderful. My brother and sister and I played many a game of tag here, running wild across this lawn as the seagulls sailed overhead and the seals cavorted below.”
“It sounds idyllic.”
“It does, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t all fun and games,” I admitted.
And then I decided to go for broke. Being completely honest with Wyn was the only thing likely to break through the wall of reserve that had grown around her since earlier in the evening.
Maybe if I gave her something real, if she saw who I really was—behind the title and the trappings of palace life—she’d realize I didn’t care at all about her social status.
“My father isn’t the easiest person to deal with,” I said. “It’s been… difficult to be the one he places the heaviest expectations on. And please accept my apologies on his behalf for his behavior with you tonight. It shocked me, honestly. He must have been quite deep in his cups of wine already to act so familiar with a lady he’s never even met.”
Wyn looked up at me, her sharp eyes studying mine and seeming to drink in my sincerity. But she looked sadder than ever.
“It’s not your fault. I’m not angry with him—or any of you.”
She clutched her handbag a little tighter, and I had the strangest feeling she was about to bolt, run across the yard and leap over the hedges surrounding it, like a wild colt who’d been spooked.
“Did you at least enjoy the food tonight?” I asked, desperately grasping for any conversation that might make her stay.
“It was delicious,” she said. “The only problem was there was far too much of it. I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten so much in my life.”
“Good. Good. We’ll go back in for some dessert in a little while if you like. The pastry chefs here are so gifted. Their cream-shells are fit for the gods. They look like lobster tails and are almost as large.”
“Oh my little sisters would love to taste those,” Wyn said.
“Did they come with you to Merisola?” I asked, instantly intrigued by her revelation of a sliver of personal information.
“I’ll have some set aside for them and sent to wherever your family is staying.”
“No.” Her expression sank again. “They’re back at home. They would have loved to have come, though, and to see all this.”
I’d never visited Altum—its location was remote, and Lord Elardis wasn’t known for his warm welcome to visitors. But I’d heard conditions there were more primitive than they were here in the royal city, and reportedly Lord Elardis’ underground palace wasn’t nearly as large and opulent as my home. I took Wyn’s hand again.
“We shall have to have them visit then—very soon. I will personally show them around, including all the hidden passages. My brother and sister and I used to have the best time sneaking through them and making mischief.”
With a smirk, I added, “Pharis probably still uses them to sneak around and make mischief. He’s quite a night creature. Mareth and I used to tease him that his real father was Tenebris himself.”
“Or Hermod, the god of wrath,” Wyn said. “He doesn’t like me very much.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true.”
In fact I was sure it wasn’t. I’d watched my brother dance with her while I’d been following my father’s orders to spread my attention around, thoroughly miserable.
Pharis had looked quite… invested in Lady Wyn.
It had surprised me actually. He had never shown any lasting interest in any woman before. I certainly hoped it wasn’t because this was the one I wanted for myself.
We’d always shared a friendly rivalry, but neither of us would ever do something truly malicious to the other. He probably just didn’t understand the depth of my fascination with Wyn.
And how could he? I didn’t understand it myself.
I’d talk to him later and explain why I was going to do what I intended to do tonight.
“You are close to your brother and sister,” Lady Wyn said.
It wasn’t a question but a statement. And she was absolutely correct. They were my closest friends, my confidants, my allies against the manipulations of our common tormenter—the king.
“Yes. The closest,” I said. “They’re not just my siblings—they’re true friends. I would trust either of them with my life, with my most treasured possession.”
“And what is your most treasured possession?” Wyn asked.
I answered without hesitation.
“A portrait of my mother. I keep it on the dresser in my room where she can watch over my sleep the way she did when I was a young boy. I remember being little, waking at the feel of her fingers playing in my hair and seeing her smiling down at me as if I was her greatest treasure.”
For a moment, I could see a vision of her in my mind’s eye.
“She looked like an angel,” I said. “As she does in that portrait. Having it makes me feel like she’s still with me, though she’s been gone for years now.”
A gasp escaped Wyn’s mouth.
“You did not know the Queen had passed away?” I asked, surprised. I would have thought that news would have reached even the remotest parts of our kingdom.
“No I…” She stopped then started again. “I knew. It’s just… my mother used to do the same thing. She’d say she was sorry to have awakened me, but that I was so beautiful to her she couldn’t help herself.”
“I can’t blame her,” I whispered.
Unable to help myself , I lifted a hand and stroked Wyn’s cheek with the backs of my fingers. Her skin felt like the finest silk from across the Sapphire Sea.
Her lips parted, and I could hear her breaths quicken. Looking up at me with those soulful eyes, tears dotting the corners of them, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“You lost your mother, too?” I asked, feeling a timeworn ache echo through my chest.
Wyn nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I’m sorry for yours,” I said.
It seemed impossible, but I felt more connected to this woman I’d met only tonight than I’d felt to anyone in years. She pulled at me like the moon drew the waves.
“I know we’ve only just met, and I know you’re a lady of honor, and it’s far too early for this to be appropriate, but I wonder if I could… that is, would you mind if I…”
All the while I’d been talking, I’d been moving closer to her, lowering my head over hers to accommodate our height difference.
Now our lips were close enough that I could feel her warm, tantalizing breaths against mine.
I didn’t know her well enough yet to read her signs. I didn’t know what she wanted.
But I knew what I wanted.
It didn’t even feel like a desire, but a requirement , a necessity rather than a choice, like drawing air into my lungs or eating when I was famished.
Without waiting for Wyn’s permission, I kissed her.