Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
J ust when I thought I had gotten used to the bedlam around me, the queen invited myself and Korhonan for an after-dinner brandy, along with the rest of the adults in the room.
Well, most of the adults. Rowan had all but fled the moment dinner was over, when her father asked her to walk the gardens. Had he asked her for her sake, because he sensed she needed an escape?
Or perhaps to give the others an opportunity to observe us without her in the room?
Regardless, she had been openly eager to take him up on his offer.
The queen led the rest of us into a cozy parlor room with high ceilings and intricately woven tapestries. More portraits of the family hung on the walls, all of them in the same style as the ones from the hall, showcasing the royal family through the years.
Heavy, brocaded curtains hung from the windows, pulled back enough to allow the moonlight in while offering a view of the gardens. I couldn’t help but briefly scan them for signs of Rowan and her father before meeting Davin at the liquor cart.
He filled several crystal glasses of brandy before looking at me with a wry expression. Then he poured extra into a glass and handed it to me.
I quirked an eyebrow in silent question.
“I just think you may need a double tonight…” he said quietly, and not at all ominously.
A quick glance at the seating area told me he was probably right, so I took a healthy swig and allowed him to refill my glass just a little more before helping him pass out the glasses around the room.
Once we were done, Davin quickly took the spot in the armchair next to the fire. He raised his glass in a toast-like fashion, gesturing toward the only other available seat on the small sofa, right next to Korhonan.
Arseling.
The giant mass of muscles stiffened as I sat down, not even bothering to move over to offer more space. It was an effort not to roll my eyes as I valiantly took the seat, offering him the same consideration of personal space that he had offered me.
Resting my ankle on my knee, I took a long swig of my brandy, another beverage that was sweeter than necessary, before cutting in to answer Prince Oliver’s question about our after-dinner customs in Socair.
“Well, it depends, I suppose, on what clan you’re in and the reason for the meal,” I said, as Korhonan irritably stiffened at my side. “In clans such as Eagle, Crane, Wolf, and Elk, who enjoy their excess despite their peoples limited food stores, dinner often lasts several hours and consists of more courses than most of us could fathom?—”
“Vodka,” Korhonan interrupted me with a pointed glance while Davin choked on a laugh behind his brandy glass. “The men usually move to the parlor to share a bottle of chilled vodka.”
“But not the women?” Princess Jocelyn asked carefully. Her narrowed blue eyes sparkled with the same judgment I had seen in her son’s before.
I tilted my head to the side watching as Korhonan shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. “Usually, no. I am sure my brother would make an exception if his wife wanted to attend, but the women often prefer to retire to their rooms after dinner.”
Jocelyn pointedly glanced in Davin’s direction, looking for a little more insight. When he only offered a silent shrug in response, she made a small, thoughtful, if not slightly judgmental sound in the back of her throat.
It wasn’t as if things were much different in Bear, not with my father being who he was and customs dictating the different roles of our people, but I did enjoy watching Korhonan squirm.
“On that subject,” the queen interjected with all the subtlety of her second daughter, “might you enlighten us a little more about what exactly the roles of women in your kingdom involve?”
Her spring-green eyes darted between the two of us, and for the first time since I sat down, I realized what a strategic move it had been for them to orchestrate where we sat.
Korhonan and I were seated in front of a veritable firing squad of Rowan’s wildly protective family. Each of them wore earnest expressions, eager to hear our answers. All save Davin, of course, who looked far too amused at this interrogation.
Which is exactly what this was. An interrogation.
Any previous doubt as to why we had been invited for drinks this evening was answered with that realization.
I had known on some level that this subject would be broached from the moment I entered the Council Room and saw firsthand the authority held by women here. And I suspected just about everyone in the room knew damned good and well that women weren’t even allowed in council rooms in Socair.
Of course, that was hardly an issue if Rowan was staying here.
With that in mind, I sat back to allow Korhonan to answer first. I was likely a little too eager to see how he would put his giant foot in his mouth this time. But if it kept my lemmikki in Lochlann and humiliated him in the process, then all the better.
“It is not so different from here. Clan Wives are respected, they host the home, they meet with the women in the clan, and they raise their children.”
Silence followed his words, weighted and heavy like a blanket of snow.
“Women certainly do all of those things here,” Jocelyn cut in smoothly. “But what if she should desire other pursuits?”
Korhonan’s features relaxed a bit, and he sat forward more confidently.
“Like sparring?” he suggested. “Princess Rowan and I have discussed this already that though it is not conventional, we will make exceptions to ensure her happiness.”
Avani’s eyebrow rose, and I took a sip of my drink to hide my smirk at the way the Elk heir was obliviously digging his own grave, telling the royal family he would make an exception to allow the princess hobbies.
“That is…” the queen trailed off, and Prince Oliver cut in.
“Accommodating of you. It’s nice to know her wants are being taken into consideration.”
He poured another serving of brandy for his sister-in-law before taking a long dreg from his own glass.
Jocelyn nodded in response to her husband’s words, her features smooth and unreadable enough to be a Clan Wife herself, though no part of me believed she was satisfied with Korhonan’s answer.
“And you, Lord Evander?” Avani asked, and the attention of the room shifted toward me. “Would you make… accommodations as well? Or do you imagine that my sister will be content to be your silent, treasured figurehead?”
I let a small snort escape me, since it was clear this family respected transparency more than they did stoicism. It wouldn’t help matters to say that I didn’t imagine Rowan would be in Bear at all, now that I had given her the option of living in Lochlann.
But Avani was asking what would happen in the event that her sister did choose a life in Socair.
I lifted my glass to my lips, taking another long sip before meeting her eyes again. If I were being honest with myself, I had no idea, but there was one thing I knew beyond all measure of doubt.
“What I imagine is that anyone who knows your sister at all knows better than to count on her silence.”
The barest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “On that, at least, we can agree.”