Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Emmeline
Roremar and Nico’s home was all the way on the western edge of the Residential District of Lyra.
Isolated, the weathered two-story house was built into a deserted cliffside, looking straight into the sea, a trail leading down to the beach on one side and jungle wrapping around the other.
Uneven balconies jutted out from the second level, chipped green trim framing the windows.
“Why do you live so far from town?” Emmeline asked as they dismounted.
Horses were rarely used on Lyra—they weren’t allowed on the Promenade of Revels, and many of the surrounding streets were too winding and narrow, but they were available to rent for further travel.
Most didn’t, given the unnecessary expense, but getting all the way across the isle would have taken much too long on foot.
Luckily, she’d learned to ride as a girl on the continent.
“It’s our family home,” Nico explained, hurrying up the stone steps that led to the front door and disappearing inside.
“Your family home?” Emmeline repeated as Roremar helped her tie off her horse. The trio of sleek black Starsearcher mares were thin and lithe, making them suitable for cutting through the jungle terrain when given the chance.
“Our father bought it when he and our mother had their bonding ceremony.” Roremar looked at the house, and she swore there was a hint of longing and endearment in his soft smile.
“It was practically a ruin, but he said they took one look at it and the land and didn’t care how long it took to restore it or how far he had to walk to get to the market. ”
Waves rolled against the shore in the distance, slapping lazily against rock in a soothing lullaby, and a gentle breeze whispered through the jungle. It was a slice of escape, a haven amid the fear encapsulating the rest of the isle and the breath of fresh air she needed after last night.
Sunlight sliced through the branches and glistened off the sea, and Emmeline imagined what it would be like to retreat into this serenity every night. How would the stars look from here?
“It’s lovely,” she muttered.
Roremar laughed, soft and affectionate. “Wait until you get inside.” Placing a hand to her lower back, he guided her up the steps. Forget-me-nots and lush green plants cascaded down the porch, looking like they’d been tended to carefully.
“What’s inside?”
No sooner had she asked the question than the door flew wide, crashing back against the hinges, and a small body launched itself at Roremar. Emmeline nearly stumbled as she ducked out of the way.
“Rory!” the little girl squealed, arms latching around his neck.
He scooped her up in a hug that seemed to relax his entire body. “Happy birthday, kid,” he whispered with a tenderness that squeezed Emmeline’s chest. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”
“That’s okay!” She giggled, leaning back to look at him. “Mother said you’d get here as quickly as you could, and you’ve only missed breakfast.”
Mother? Something in Emmeline went cold. Was she—she couldn’t be—
The little girl’s hair was lighter than Roremar’s, but when she turned her big blue eyes on Emmeline, it was practically the same face. Younger and feminine, but the same shape to the eyes and lips. The same curiosity and smirk.
She couldn’t be his, could she?
“Oh, you brought a friend?” the girl asked. Squirming out of his arms, she dropped to her feet and held out her hand. Not shy, this one. “Hi, I’m Siena.”
Siena. The name rang a bell.
“Hi Siena, I’m Emmeline,” she answered, shaking her hand.
“She’s pretty, Rore,” Siena whispered loudly.
“I know.” Those two words rolled down Emmeline’s spine as Roremar placed his hands on Siena’s shoulders. “Sisi, Emmeline is my…friend. We’re working together. And Emmeline, Siena is my youngest sister.”
Emmeline’s eyes snapped to his, and she couldn’t deny the relief that flushed through her. Was certain Roremar smirked as if he felt it, too. His brows raised in a silent taunt, but she scowled and looked back at his sister.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Siena. I love your dress.”
She twirled, the pale-pink fabric shimmering in the light. “Thank you. Vivi helped mother make it special for today using pieces of an old one.”
“Vivi?” Emmeline asked.
“Vivienne, our other sister. She’s not our only sister,” Siena quickly added, and Emmeline was certain she’d learn more about Roremar in five minutes with this little girl than she had in weeks from the man himself.
“Our other sister is on the continent. But Vivienne loves making dresses.” She wiggled her finger, asking Emmeline to crouch closer, then dropped her voice.
“She’s not very good yet, but she’s getting better, and she always wants to make dresses for me for special events.
She also tends to all the flowers and plants in the yard.
That, she’s very good at.” Siena nodded dramatically.
Emmeline couldn’t help but snicker, more of the tension from last night dropping from her bones. “And today is special because it’s your birthday?”
Siena quirked her head. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“Of course,” Emmeline quickly amended, biting her lip.
Her gaze flicked to Roremar, silver steel glinting back at her, both amused and…
something that made her knees weak. She swallowed, giving Siena her attention.
“But I fear your brother didn’t give me enough of a warning. I haven’t come with a gift.”
“That’s okay!” Siena shrugged. “Leo gave me an old book of his that seems boring, so I’d rather have no gift than that.”
“I’m guessing Leo is your brother?” Emmeline asked.
And she remembered why the name Siena sounded so familiar.
Something Leo, Vivi, and I came up with.
Never hide things no matter how much trouble we’re in, no swimming alone after dark, don’t feed the jungle cats unless we’ve had dinner already, when glass breaks, always tell you before trying to clean it up—that one was Siena, actually.
From Nico’s Rules of Roremar.
How much was Roremar caring for his siblings if he had his own specific set of rules?
Siena nodded, taking her hand to lead her inside. “He’s fourteen.”
“And how old are you today?” Emmeline asked, following through the foyer. Roremar’s steps echoed theirs.
“Ten.”
“What? You’re ten? You’re so grown up!”
“Don’t give her any ideas,” Roremar groaned as he closed the door.
Emmeline cast a glance over her shoulder, and she couldn’t help the feeling that she was seeing him in an entirely different light. Somehow, as he stepped through those doors, the burdens both multiplied and shed.
After last night, desperation curled through her to understand this side of him. All sides of him. And it began within these walls.
Siena led her past a sitting room with sunken sofas and settees, dust-lined paintings purposefully hung on the walls with cracked mystlight bulbs over each.
Books, scribbled charcoal drawings, and empty incense vials were scattered around, laundry on the clothesline just visible through the window and more stacked on the table.
Despite the disorder, every room they passed cinched her chest. It was lived in. A home that breathed with the love and vitality of its residents.
Voices bounced off the tile as they entered the kitchen. A raven-haired girl barely older than Siena—Vivienne, most likely—raced around the worktable, chasing a wiry boy who must be Leo. She shrieked as he and Nico laughed, something about not having enough lemon icing now that they’d sampled some.
Siena immediately dove into the mess, hoisting herself onto the counter and declaring it was her birthday and no one got to taste the cake first.
“We didn’t taste the cake! It was only the icing!” Leo shouted, ducking a lemon as Vivienne hurled it across the room with surprising strength. Nico snatched it from the air.
“No throwing fruit!” he chided.
“He started it!” Vivienne screeched.
“Yeah, and last time you ended it with broken windows,” Roremar reminded her, though he was also laughing.
Vivienne’s bottom lip jutted out. “I was only responsible for the one.”
“Yeah, the other was me,” Siena piped up as if proud to be involved. “And you fixed it so fast.” Her eyes found Emmeline’s, and she added, “Roremar is really good at fixing things.”
All eyes whisked toward Emmeline, silence descending. Her throat tightened.
“Who are you?” Leo said abruptly.
Nico flicked him in the back of the head. Leo’s answering curse had Siena giggling as Roremar pulled her off the countertop.
“Get down before you fall,” he reprimanded, swiping a finger through the aforementioned lemon icing. His eyes caught Emmeline’s as he licked it clean, and her cheeks flushed, pulse thrumming. Unaffected, Roremar said, “That’s perfect, Vivi.”
Instead of getting mad at Roremar the way she had Leo, Vivi beamed at the compliment, all wounds soothed over.
This side of Roremar, the doting older brother who knew exactly how to diffuse the tension, was entirely different than the one Emmeline knew.
And yet it fit. How he was so uptight yet nurturing.
How his craving for control sometimes warred with a natural impulsiveness.
How he could be both so gentle and stern.
Roremar the Reckless was one persona, a reputation earned in a time when he wasn’t tied to so much responsibility. But this…this was him.
A melodic voice fluttered from the staircase in the corner, laughing. “I left for a few minutes, and you all couldn’t keep from arguing.”
A woman who had to be Roremar’s mother glided into the room, brown hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and wispy pieces framing her angular face. Something about her seemed oddly…familiar. Her eyes landed on Emmeline, widening slightly.
“Oh,” she said, smoothing down her simple cotton dress, the colors faded from wear. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, her frame frail. “I didn’t know we invited anyone else today.”