“Lady Rosaline,” Caspian said simply. “And Laurent. I did not know that the two of you were back.”
“We are… just now,” Laurent stuttered. “On the way home to see my brother.”
“Give him my regards, won’t you.”
Caspian did not look angry. Nor did he look upset. He wore a passive expression on his face, almost bored it might appear tothose who did not know him. But for Thalia, she understood her husband, and she knew that he was furious.
“I thank you for the offer,” Thalia said. She let go of Caspian’s hand and slid her arm around his waist. “But there is no need.”
Rosaline frowned. “What… I don’t understand.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Thalia continued pleasantly. She made sure to look at her husband, trying to catch his eyes so that he would know there was nothing to be upset by. But he stared at Rosaline and Laurent without blinking; a coldness seeping from his body that made the room feel chilled. “As you can likely see, there is no need to worry about me. I am, you might be surprised to hear, perfectly happy where I am.”
Rosaline gasped.
“I…” Laurent licked his lips nervously. “That is wonderful to hear, Thalia. Truly, we had no idea.”
“And why are you surprised?” Caspian asked.
Laurent’s eyes widened. “I did not mean it like that. We have just…” He laughed awkwardly. “We have been a little cut off from the world, is all. Behind on our gossip.”
“We are happy for you,” Rosaline was sure to add. “So very happy.”
“And I am glad to hear it,” Thalia said, with a careful smile. The situation needed it.
The addition of Caspian to the conversation had the obvious effect of squashing the warmth and cheer, while sucking from the room any chance that this interaction might end on a pleasant note. He stood silently, his expression flat, his stare unblinking as he looked between Roseline and Laurent.
And the happy couple, as was to be expected, wilted in the face of the Duke’s silent hostility. They held one another, trembling the whole while, looking as if they wished to be anywhere other than in that room.
“We… we best be going,” Laurent said.
“Yes!” Rosaline agreed, a little too loudly. “We… there is so much to do.”
“We were glad to see you,” Laurent was sure to add as he led Rosaline across the room. “And as for your marriage, Thalia. Congratulations.”
“Yes,” Rosaline said. “We are so happy for you. So… so happy.”
She did not sound like she meant it. Nor did she look as if she meant it either. Both she and Laurent could not contain their surprise, or their shock, that the marriage had both happened, and that Thalia was happy.
Not that I can blame them. And the way that Caspian has decided to react to seeing them both certainly did not help.
They left shortly after that, which saw Thalia and Caspian alone in the sitting room.
“I hope you are happy with yourself,” Thalia snorted the second they were alone. “I dare say you scared poor Laurent half to death.” She laughed and shook her head. “The look on their faces when you came into the room…” More laughter. “I will be reminding Laurent of that for some time.”
She laughed further as she walked back to where she was sitting, scooping up her book, and then sitting back down.
As she did, Caspian said nothing, but that wasn’t such a huge surprise, which is why she did not notice at first how strangely he was acting. He just stood there, staring at the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face that might have been anger, or just as well might have been amusement.
“We will have to have them over for supper,” she continued as she opened her book. “Assuming that everything works out. I wish they had stayed longer to tell me why they have returned and what they are planning…” She bit into her lips. “And that would have given me time to warn Rosaline about her father and…” It was only then that she looked up and saw her husband.
He was still standing in the same spot, only now he was looking down at her. And Thalia, finally paying attention, saw that something was wrong.
“Caspian…” She closed her book. “What is… what is the matter?”
“I hope you know that if you were to try and run, Thalia, there is nowhere you could go that I would not find you.”
She blinked in surprise. “Ah… as I said, I have no intention of –”
