What was he doing now? She couldn’t even begin to understand. His heavily scarred features were carved from stone—impossible for her to read.
But though she never would have admitted to such a thing aloud,there wassomething oddly comforting about having him here. Beside her.
Keeping her company while she dealt with Tiberius.
Seraphina bit back the peal of hysterical laughter lurking in her throat. Comforting? The word hardly belonged in the same breath as Aldric Hargrave. He was a hard man. Ruthless.
Rude.
And yet the mere sight of her scarred betrothed was enough to see Lord Tiberius retreating, no longer threatening a kiss she had no desire to receive.
“Your Majesty,” the baron protested around a tight smile, his hand awkwardly dropping back to his side. “I had hoped to speak with you in private.”
Before she could even begin to formulate a diplomatic response to that particular assertion, her Crow rumbled, “I can think of no reason you would need to be alone with the queen, Crestley.”
Seraphina gently extracted her hand from the clasp of his so that she could rest it on his forearm instead—a courtly enough gesture. Just a queen letting her future king consort support the weight of her fingers.
Truly, she was trying to pinch him through his sleeve to warn him to behave but could find no grip on his arm through the heavy leather of his brigandine armor.
Her gaze flicked about the room, taking quick stock of all those who still lingered—merely her Queensguard and Master Fitzjesmaine at this point. Her godparents and Father Perero seemed to have disappeared at some point.
And only the Lord knew where Olivia had slunk off to.
“There is no one here to eavesdrop, my lord,” she observed as her attention returned to Lord Tiberius. “You may speak freely before His Highness. My future husband and I…are of one mind.”
It was the proper thing to say. The expected thing to say.
But the words still left a bitter taste in her mouth. They rang false in the air.
Alliance of convenience or no, she hadn’t the faintest idea what went through Aldric Hargrave’s mind. Nor was she sure she ever wanted to.
In the wake of her claim, Lord Tiberius indulged in a shameless laugh. A particularly saccharine smile claimed his features as he edged closer to the two of them and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Oh, but of course. How silly of me. I merely wished to ask your permission to leave court at any rate, Your Majesty, so I might accompany the Duke of Coreto on his trip to his home province.”
“Oh?” she asked, careful to keep her tone neutral and her visage smooth despite the sudden racing of her pulse. Tiberius and Coreto? What business could her former close friend have with her political opponent? “And for what purpose do you wish to accompany His Grace?”
While her thoughts raced, rapidly exploring the various possibilities, she rubbed her fingertip against the rough stitching of Aldric’s brigandine sleeve, tracing the diamond pattern there.
Beneath her touch, his arm tensed.
“I wish to keep an eye on him, of course,” Lord Tiberius lowly explained. “For your sake.”
Despite her best efforts to have no reaction at all, her eyebrow arched.
Again, she flicked a glance toward the door, but the Queensguard standing sentinel there were careful to keep their gazes averted, feigning disinterest.
Even so, she lowered her voice further until it was but a shush of sound shared among the three of them. “Are you accusing the Duke of Coreto of harboring ill intentions against the Crown, Lord Beaumont?”
The baron was quick to shake his head. “I can make no formal complaint. Not yet. But I wish to ensure he is no true enemy of yours in his time away from court. Your safety is my primary concern.”
Aldric snorted.
But Tiberius ignored him and continued, “Surely, you have sensed the unrest here in Goldreach of late. Surely, you have heard the whispers. Coreto hasneverbeen your friend, least of all now.” His lips turned down into a frown when he asked, “Would it not be in your best interest to keep a set of eyes on him while he is away from court?”
Unrest.Whispers.
Suddenly, Seraphina longed to fling open a window and let some of the unnatural chill of this midlands autumn flood the room.
Yes. Of course she knew of it. Of course she had heard.
