Hevva raised her brows and nodded sarcastically. “Ah, yes. And you trustallyour nobles to rule their towns fairly.”
“I obviously do not,” he ground out.
She cocked her head to the side as if to say, “Exactly.”
Ehmet sighed, recognizing that his protestations would be in vain.
As banter watered the dry space between them, an understanding bloomed there, a shared desire to escape the rigidity that defined their lives. Lady Hevva, it seemed, did this regularly, or at least far more often than he would have expected from a countess and future duchess, which was not at all.
“Fine. But I will not go alone. And we cannot venture near the finer parts of town,” Ehmet relented.
Her mouth quivered in anticipation.
“Tonight,” he declared, putting on his most kingly voice. “We shall become shadows amongst the people, unseen and unknown. ’Til the wee hours, let us be free of titles and expectations.”
“Here, here!” She clinked her glass against his and grinned, a conspiratorial gleam in her eye. “We need names...You can be Berim, and I will be Saka.”
The decision was made.
nine
Ehmet wins a crown.
Leaving the confines ofHewran Hall, Berim and Saka ventured down the winding drive, cloaked in the anonymity of their chosen identities. Berim was a stablehand in his borrowed yellowed tunic and dirt-ingrained boots. Saka found herself wearing a simple woolen dress layered over her silk shift. “No need to change what the crowd won’t see,” she’d mentioned offhandedly to him.
Her comment resulted in him swallowing thickly while attempting to discreetly readjust his nether bits. Why’d she have to force him to recall her exposed bottom jiggling beneath her thin chemise?
Not wanting to call attention to their entrance into the fray, the king and Hevva decided to walk down from the hall. Berim and Sakadidn’thave money for a horse, Hevva had reasoned. He had to agree.
“You can’t walk around like that in town.” She hurried up beside him after having lagged behind for a few paces.
“Why not?” He paused on the cobbled road for a second before resetting his pace. This time, Ehmet paid close attention to his steps. They seemed normal.
“You walk like...here, I’ll show you. Stop there.” Lady Hevva popped around in front of him and put a hand to his chest.
He obeyed and stepped to the side of the path.
She jogged back uphill a few steps and then turned around. “All right,this is what you’re doing.”
Effortlessly, she floated past, promenading with intentional steps, shoulders thrown back, and her chin held high.
He swung his head, following her path.
She stopped before turning back to face Ehmet. “Too...regal. Too kingly. Try this instead.” Hevva slumped her shoulders forward and widened her stance. Then she looked down at the ground like she didn’t want to be noticed and loped farther down the road. The lady’s two slightly uneven plaits swayed with her irregular steps.
Chuckling, he caught up. But she pushed him on ahead. Her elegant hand rested on his back as she gave him a nudge. “Let me see.”
He obliged, trying his best to walk like a tired man who’d spent his day shoveling shit. Like someone who wanted to grab himself a pint, and maybe get lost for a few moments with a pretty woman. It wasn’t all that difficult to pretend, frankly. Ehmet stopped and turned back, palms open, awaiting her assessment.
Lady Hevva, or perhaps it was Saka, pranced over, laughing and clapping as she approached. Before he could react, she’d reached him and looped her arm through his own. He had no objection. Ehmet glanced down to find the countess looking up at him, eyes and hair sparkling in the moonlight. “Berim, funny seeing you here. Heading into town?”
Her casual demeanor and common accent drew forth the happiest sort of unrestrained laughter from deep in his chest. “What a surprise, Miss Saka. I am, and you?”
“I would like to go...Only, my papa says it’s not safe to be in the city after dark without an escort.” She looked back, into the empty fields, as if her father stood over yonder.
This woman is ridiculous.“Shall I escort you then?” He played along.
“Oh, Berim.” Her free hand swatted at his chest, lingering. She trailed her fingertips down the plains of his abdomen, sending a frisson of electricity to his groin. “A big strong man like you? I know you’ll keep me plenty safe.”
