“Hi.”
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted out.
I smiled at her. “I know. Can I come in?”
She nodded, taking a shaky breath.
As she stepped back so we could enter the room, I found Molly and a woman I assumed to be Jo already in the sitting area of Renna’s room. A room quite similar to my first one at the castle. And our breakfast had apparently already arrived, waiting under silver trays.
This had to be the absolute worst way to meet Renna’s wife, since I was the reason Renna was crying, but here we were. “Hi. You must be Jo.”
“Hi, Jorah,” Jo said not unkindly.
“Molls,” I greeted.
Molly gave me a little wave as her greeting.
I sat on the end of Renna’s bed, as sitting next to Jo on the couch felt too rude to someone I’d just met. And Molly was already in the chair.
Renna sat next to me, grabbing ahold of my hand. “Jorah, I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked halfway through her apology. “I amsosorry.” She took a deep breath. “If I would have seen Jo in the hallway with someone, real or not, I would have lost my mind.”
“I—”
She cut me off. “I need to say out loud, whether you believe me or not, that other than hold onto his jacket, I did not even touch Krew. I have never kissed Krew.”
“I—”
“I know given your relationship with Keir and how many times you saw him kissing other women that what I am saying might be hard to believe, but I am telling you that I would never cross any lines with Krew, no matter the plan.”
I looked at Molly sitting in the chair with a book in her lap and mouthed, “Sorry.”
She gave me a shrug.
Renna kept going. “He just wants you safe from his father, Jorah. More than anything, more than he wants his father dead even. He wants you safe.”
I assumed Renna’s room was safe to talk freely since her wife was often with her, but not taking any chances, I pointed at the door and put up a sound barrier just to be sure.
“Oh my gods!” Molly’s eyes were wide and her mouth slightly open.“You have magic.”
I tipped my head back to the ceiling before looking back to Molly. “I have wanted to tell you all week, but I couldn’t. Or I didn’t. But I wanted to. And I’m sorry I didn’t sooner. Can I explain in a minute? I need to talk to Renna for a few minutes and just wanted to be sure this was a safe area to speak.”
Molly nodded, speechless for what had to be the first time in her life.
I turned back to Renna. “I know it wasn’t real. I know why you both did it. But the fact remains that instead of being asked if this plan should be done or not, or having a say in it whatsoever, I was kind of just informed of its happening.”
She finally went quiet, letting me talk.
“I also know the intentions behind it were pure, but it never should have happened, Ren. Not because of my messed-up history with Keir, but because it was just one step too far in trying to distract the king. And it was another step too far because you and Krew are both married, and not to one another.”
Jo raised her hand. “I also disliked this plan. For the record.”
Molly’s voice was high as she said, “Wait! You and Krewgot married?!”
“Sorry, Molls. I’ll explain everything in a minute.”
I turned my attention back to Renna as she wiped her eyes.
“I know we can’t go back and do it over again. But I also know that if we could, we’d all do it differently. It is over and done with, I get it. But just because I knew it wasn’t real, didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
