I quirked a brow at him. “And why is that?”
I was officially fascinated.
Our hands met above my head as he spun me perfectly, twice. Then his body returned closer, his lips a breath away from my cheek.
“Because I am the eyes and ears of thisdreadfulplace.”
Was he trying to frighten me? Unnerve me? Awaken … desire? It wouldn’t work. Well, perhaps the latter might, but intimidation tactics would not.
Copying him, I lifted my mouth and said in a rasping rush, “Shall I call you Sir Eyes then? Or Sir Ears?” Two could play at this game.
He laughed warmly, the sensation winding down my spine. “If you say it like that, you may call me whatever you like.”
Heat rushed into my cheeks and settled in my belly.
Damn. He was certainly the victor, in this round at least.
The song ended and he pulled away, bowed, and brushed past me, vanishing into the crowd. The eyes and ears of the castle. Gone in an instant.
Chapter 3
The king’s laughter slammed me back into reality. “My daughter has caught the attention of every male at this feast! Even the queen’s son Sir Gyldford cannot resist!”
Thatwas the queen’s son? The creator of Whiterok? But he was so young. Only a few years older than me. Vega was right, he was most definitely rakish. The way he’d held me was telling. He knew the topography of the female form toowell.
“Blackthorns do burn the brightest in a room,” the king cackled for all to hear.“Now, daughter, your governess has informed us you have a gift to share. Is this true?”
Right. My composition. The performance was the key to winning over my father.
“Yes, I’d like to play a musical piece for you and the queen as a Yule gift.” This was my time to shine. My chance to show the king what a well-rounded and put-together lady I had become. Talented and brilliant. All the things IknewI was at my very core. Titles or not, I had my mind and skill. If the king could only see it, then I’d easily win him over.
“Let’s hear it then,” he said, then drank from his tankard.
The crowd parted to reveal an elaborate virginal waiting for me. I sank onto the marble bench, its cold seeping into me. I wanted to gape in aweat the instrument; it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Far more impressive than the simple one I possessed at Granger House.
My fingers savored the ivory keys laid over sumptuous black velvet. The entire body of the instrument was painted with near-perfect images of all four Guardians, which looked real enough to float out of the instrument and perch on my shoulder.
With a steadying breath, I reached into my pocket for the musical piece I had composed. But it only yielded a bit of … lint.
Fuck.
My hands frantically explored every corner, checking the other side, but the music I had written for this exact moment wasn’t there.
Fuck, fuck,fuck. How did it go? My thoughts swam through a current of mead swirled by dancing, anxiety churning it all faster. All the court’s eyes were on me. Holy Guardians above, the king’s eyes were on me. I looked to Vega, pleading. But she simply smiled back, unable to read my mind for the first time in my entire life.
“Let us hear you play, daughter,” the king said, annoyed.
My hands floated to the keys and my fingers moved as demanded. But it was not my perfectly crafted composition, the impeccable blend of humility and skill that took me hours to prepare. It was stupid hymns.
Around me the crowd chattered, already bored. My stomach clenched.
No one wanted church music. We were not here to worship the Guardians. We were here to worship the night, the glory, to feast and indulge, and be merry.
The eyes fading from me made my heart surge. This was not going well. I needed them to see me. Hear me. I had to impress my father.
My fingers picked up the tempo, recalling the warm-up I often did. It was fast and fearsome. The playing of a master. My fingers twiddledthe keys, teasing them quickly. And to my astonishment, the gaze of the court hastily returned to me. Good. But greedily, I wanted more.
Each note began blurring into the next as the virginal sang beneath my touch. Familiar, sharp notes cut through the air. Faster and faster I played, unleashing a frenzied torrent.
