Cold Feet
Chapter ten
A family as powerful as the Valengards couldn’t be without secrets.
No one occupied a throne without having dealt in the shadows.
Lucianna intended to shed light on the darkness of her future family before she said her vows tomorrow.
Her father would have her head if he knew what she was about to do, but he raised her this way.
“Gather all possible information before making a move,” he’d told her when she was barely a teenager. “Don’t go into any situation blind if you can help it.”
Yet the same man who’d given that advice sent her into the royal family with no more than a piece of parchment’s worth of intelligence.
When she inquired about the mission that would take place after her wedding, all he told her was that she’d set sail shortly after, so she should keep a trunk packed.
Said that the rest of the details would be given by Prince Castien in due time.
He’d left her without a choice. She would marry a stranger and embark on a perilous journey with a whole host of them, but she would do so once she had leverage over them that could be used if the need arose.
So, in the dark of night, Lucianna slipped out of her chambers, the only sound the soft click of the door and the whisper of silk against her skin.
It wasn’t her preference to be clothed in such a manner, but anything more than a nightgown would be seen as suspicious.
If she were to be caught, all she needed to say was that she couldn’t sleep because of the upcoming wedding, and she got lost on her walk.
Every fourth lantern along the corridor walls was still lit, creating pools of flickering light on the floor.
Lucianna shivered as her bare feet came into contact with the cold stone.
She’d have worn slippers, but it was easier to run or hide this way.
Satin lacked the traction she might need, but boots were too loud.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake of being heard that she had in Lord Treisling’s house.
Lucianna took careful steps in the direction of the main entrance to the castle.
It was difficult to recall the layout from her brief tour, but she was certain if she returned to the drawing room first, her mind would fill in the blanks.
The castle was quiet until she neared her destination.
Amber light spilled out from under the door, along with voices.
Lucianna took a measured breath and drew closer.
“Tidesmark.” Princess Wren’s voice was the first Lucianna heard.
“I know you’re cheating,” Finnick said. “But I’m too exhausted to prove it.”
Lucianna’s heart quickened. Was she correct in her thoughts that Finnick and the princess were tangled in an affair?
“How could I cheat?” the princess asked. “The only person who could help me is Castien, and he’s paying no attention to us. He’s focused on his plans.”
“I’m always paying attention to you, dearest.” The low rumble of Prince Castien’s voice threw Lucianna’s theory into the Tides. “However, you are correct in that I am not involved in your game. Though, I am unsurprised of your winning.”
“Because I’m a wreck?” Finnick inquired wryly.
“No, because my wife is superior to you in every capacity,” Prince Castien replied, amusement threading his tone.
“Yeah? Tell that to the stable boy she almost hit with her throwing dagger last week,” Finnick shot back. “I’ve never done that.”
A chorus of laughter exploded from the room. Unexpected jealousy snaked its way through Lucianna. The only person she laughed so freely with was her brother, and she was being forced to leave him behind. To trade him for this trio who were already beginning to exclude her.
“I did not almost hit him! There was plenty of room between his head and the blade,” Princess Wren defended.
“He fainted, Wren,” Finnick said through his laughter. “You scared him to the point of losing consciousness.”
Lucianna’s jealousy now turned to fierce bitterness. Here her soon-to-be husband was, laughing with his family; meanwhile, she was left alone with no knowledge of the future aside from the fact that she possessed nothing he desired.
Wren sniffed. “Well, perhaps he needs to strengthen his sensibilities.”
“Perhaps—”
Her Highness cut off Finnick’s sentence.
“Someone is near.”
The laughter ceased. All went quiet.
Lucianna’s stomach dropped. How? She hadn’t made the slightest of noises.
With miniscule time to think, Lucianna leapt into action.
The main hall of the castle was an expansive space possessing little to hide behind or within.
She recalled that most of the windows—which were now covered by heavy drapes—had looked more like doors than typical windows.
These were the only details she had to make her decision to dive behind a set of curtains.
Boot falls broke the silence and Lucianna held her breath, straining her hearing.
She felt for a knob, found it, and turned the lock on it.
Right as the door to the drawing room clicked, she pressed down the lever to the window.
Ever so slowly, she pushed the door open, breathing easier when she saw that the ground was level with the windows as she suspected.
“I don’t see anyone.” Finnick’s voice floated through the curtain. “Do you want to look for them?”
Lucianna stepped out into the wet grass and began slowly shutting the window.
“No, that’s all right. I might have been mistaken. Or it could have been a guard,” Princess Wren supposed.
Lucianna cringed at the reminder of guards. She was bound to run into one outside the castle. Tides, she was losing her edge. This situation was getting the best of her, and she could not afford for it to.
Though she was tempted to continue eavesdropping, she shut the window the rest of the way, then turned around to assess the area.
It seemed to be some kind of garden, though she didn’t recall being shown it on her tour.
There were no lanterns lit, so it was difficult to make out many of the details in the dark beyond an abundance of flowers and greenery.
She craned her neck in either direction.
There was a guard at a gate, but he was far away and facing the opposite direction, which meant she shouldn’t have to worry about him.
As she picked her way through the area, being careful not to trip over any stray roots or statues, Lucianna wondered what was special enough about the garden for its entrance to be guarded at night.
But her curiosity had gotten her in enough trouble this evening, so she didn’t linger any longer to try to discern anything special about it.
There was a window of similar make as the one she had escaped out of, but it was further away from the drawing room.
She tried the knob. Locked. No matter, she was always prepared for these things.
Buried in her hair were two specialized pins her father had designed for her to aid in such purposes.
Lucianna glanced over her shoulder to ensure the guard was still facing away, then set to work on the lock.
It wasn’t a complicated mechanism; therefore, it didn’t take long for her to get in.
She stepped inside, holding her breath again and listening for any sign of life. When nothing came, she pulled back the curtain the tiniest amount to be certain, then stepped back into the hall.
Right as Lord Finnick Valengard rounded the corner.
His jacket he’d worn at dinner was draped over one shoulder. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up over his forearms, and the top two buttons were undone. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he wore a soft smile unlike anything he’d given her so far.
When he caught sight of her, that smile turned into a smirk and his eyebrows rose.
“Lost, Lady Lucianna?”
His eyes roved over her figure. Lucianna crossed her arms, hiding the hair pins in a clenched fist. She tapped back into her Gift, calling upon the voice she’d been using since they met.
“Not at all. I was simply taking a walk to clear my head.”
There was something in the manner of which he sauntered toward her that made her feel more prey than predator. She was unused to the sensation.
“Can’t sleep?”
He came to a stop a few steps away from her. Did he want distance between them, too?
“I guess you could say that.” She eyed his disheveled hair. “And you?”
“I’m not one for sleeping through the night. There’s always too much to do. To see.” His eyes dipped again and her face flushed.
Was this his Gift at work? Had he lied earlier? Perhaps as they neared the wedding he was considering desiring more from her.
“You must be freezing. Why didn’t you at least put on a robe and slippers?” He frowned and pulled his jacket off his shoulder.
“I-I didn’t plan on being out of bed very long.” She stumbled over the lie.
Finnick closed the distance between them, and before Lucianna could protest, he draped his coat over her shoulders. It was warm and smelled of cinnamon.
“If you get Tidesick, Cas will be furious,” he said, and stepped back.
Oh. That was why he’d acted in this odd manner. She was an asset. If she were to get ill or hurt, then the wedding would be for nothing.
“So you admit I’m needed for the mission?” The words slipped out. She should just go back to her chambers, and yet she found herself wanting to press him. To get him to verbally spar with her, as he did in the drawing room.
“It’s not my decision on the matter that counts.”
“And if it were?”
His eyes met hers, indigo in the dark hallway. A slow smile curled the edges of his mouth. Lucianna’s stomach swooped.
“Too soon to tell.” He tucked his hands back into his pockets. “But I’m sure you’ll prove Castien right. He’s rarely wrong. It’s quite infuriating.”
Lucianna stayed quiet, for she didn’t know how best to respond to such a statement. It was clear that even if he disagreed, he trusted the prince’s judgment above his own.
“It’s rather late, and we have a long day ahead of us. A long few weeks after that. You should get some rest.” He tipped his head in the direction of their rooms.
Lucianna dipped her chin. She didn’t think sleep would come, but she couldn’t comb the castle now that she had caught Finnick’s attention.
“Good night, Lord Finnick,” she murmured before turning toward her room.
“Good night.” His voice curled around her like his jacket, warm and alluring.
It occurred to her after a few steps that he wasn’t accompanying her, though his chambers were adjacent to hers.
She glanced over her shoulder and watched as he pulled back a set of curtains and disappeared out into the very gardens she’d just abandoned.
A frown tugged at her lips. He’d just scolded her about being out in the cold, but there he was going outside without a coat.
Whatever those gardens held, it must be important if he was visiting them this late, not to mention the guard’s presence.
What could it be?