“The leeches made him squeamish. All that blood.”
At first glance, to anyone who didn’t knowwhathe was, Garin might’ve appeared seasick, or as if he’d had one too many boysenberry tarts. But there was something else there in the shadows beneath his eyes—a lingering hunger perceptible in the clench of his jaw, the way his hands were balled fists.
Lilac found Garin’s hand, but he resisted when she made to lead him out of the closet. She looked back with a glare she hoped was reassuring, squeezed his wrist, and firmly led him out.
Marguerite retreated from the hall to make room for them, eyeing their interlocked fingers with silent incredulity. Half the guests staying on the first floor had spilled out of the northern corridor into the foyer. Several maids from the scullery room peeked into the hallway to their left, each holding their breath as their gazes fell first upon Lilac.
Then Garin.
Her mother and Piper trailed them into the foyer, where several of her staff waited. Yanna and Isabel were there, Yanna’s eyes wide and apologetic. Helena and Gertrude were on the other side of the door, nudging each other, looking panicked. Emma was still in her nightgown, glancing distantly out the stained glass window.
Lilac led him to the center, feeling stripped bare. She would try. Shehadto try.
“So, what were you doing together in the closet?” Agnes stood behind them, leaning arms crossed against the center table. There were streaks down her cheeks that cut through her powder, eyes rimmed in black, as if she’d been crying.
Lilac held firm, fighting to hold the baroness’s amused gaze, feeling every other pair of eyes on her heating face. Her kingdom deserved its own defenses—and more imminently, a queen who fought no matter the outcome. Regardless of the ring on her hand. Such gall demanded a monarch who did not care what others thought.
Garin managed to remove his hand from his face. “Not to fret, she was showing me?—”
“I am sleeping with him, Agnes, if that is what you’re inferring.” Lilac sighed, shooting a sidelong glance at Marguerite—and Henri, wherever he was. A quick sweep around the room told her he wasn’t there. “In true Trécesson fashion.”
Her mother’s face reddened further as Agnes let out a high-pitched giggle. “Hold your tongue and have some decorum for once.”
Although Garin said nothing beside her—she didn’t know what his expression was because she wouldn’t dare look at him—she felt a violent jolt of adrenaline, so strong it made her nauseous.
His displeasure. Lilac dug her nails into his arm. The sensation passed as quickly as it came on, but she felt her face blanch.
“You’re not coming down with an illness, too, Your Majesty?” Kemble leaned against the railing looking down on them.
“No,” she snapped. “I’m not.”
“Wait.” Helena fidgeted with the frills on her day gown and glanced down at their hands. “So, you two aren’t at odds with each other?”
“What she means to ask is,” said Gertrude hastily, “youarestill considering the emperor’s offer, aren’t you? Despite last night.”
“I haven’t yet denied the motion.” A wave of hopeful, half-concerned whispers spread through the crowd. “Unless specified otherwise. And if any of you want our kingdom to be spared, you won’t say a thing.” Lilac turned to Marguerite. “Is Father still recovering from last night?”
“He departed with several guards to assess the situation out east,” her mother answered reluctantly.
Lilac’s heart dropped—it was an answer she wasn’t expecting. Garinremained expressionless. “He went there himself? So soon? Has there been any change in status?”
“None confirmed,” Marguerite said, straightening a little under Lilac’s rigid tone. “We didn’t receive an active update from them yesterday, so he wanted to see it for himself ahead of your ceremonies. He will be back in time. It is only a day trip, I made him promise.”
“Did he leave with Rupert? He mentioned last night that he’d leave this morning for the battleground.”
“No. Your father took a moment to gather his men and armor. He just left.”
“Rupert seemed in a rush and brought no guard,” added Emma, wringing her hands.
Marguerite nodded with surprising reassurance. “I assume they will catch up with him, though, Lady Emma. The armorer wasn’t around, but Ambrosius opened the armory for them before leaving.”
“Blew it up, you mean,” muttered Agnes, sniffling.
“Where did Ambrosius go?” Lilac looked to Garin, who remained silent. Maybe he’d gone to deal with the chest.
“I don’t know, he didn’t say. What I do know is that Rupert has departed and Henri took a quarter of the remaining guard with him.” Marguerite’s lip quivered. “Your ceremony is in two days. Our country is on the brink of war. Yet our keep remains defenseless.”
Not for long, Lilac thought.
