‘It is very important that we position ourselves in sight of the king,’ Kendra whispered to her cousin. But Lyndal was barely listening, her head turned in the direction of the dancing merchants.
Astin had seen her dance at the festival the year before. Her dress might not have been as impressive, but her smile always drew plenty of attention. He had watched her from across the rope, partly because Harlan had asked him to keep an eye on the Suttone sisters, but also because she was hard to look away from.
‘Smile,’ Kendra sang, nudging Lyndal in the ribs. ‘Queen Fayre is looking in our direction.’
The queen mother might have been looking in their direction, but her eyes were on Lyndal.
‘Behave,’ Astin told the women. ‘No one’s to leave this area without telling me.’
Lyndal turned with a look of surprise. ‘Are you not going to follow at our heel?’
‘Do I look like a dog?’
She tilted her head. ‘Is that a trick question?’
His eyes fell to her smart mouth. ‘Behave.’
She lifted her shoulders in an adorable shrug before she was dragged off once more.
He watched from the rope boundary as they made their way over to Queen Fayre. After a few minutes of conversation, the queen mother slipped her arm through Lyndal’s and led her away. She introduced her to Lady Petula, whose body language did not match the pleasantries coming from her mouth. The Lady of Sulgrave House was looking Lyndal up and down as though she were a mangy dog.
Appearing lost, Kendra eventually went in search of her parents. The three of them stood speaking in hushed voices, eyes drifting in the direction of the king, who was surrounded by bodyguards.
Astin turned his attention back to Queen Fayre and Lyndal, only to find that Lyndal was no longer there. His eyes darted between faces, searching for her. When he did not find her, he moved into the crowd, slipping discreetly between the guests. He eventually spotted her at the rope barrier, dress hitched up and one leg already over. All the defenders were looking in the other direction, because they were focused on keeping peopleout, notin.
Astin reached her in a few paces, and she jumped when he stepped up next to her. She let go of the skirt of her gown, but it did not fall to the ground as it should have, because she was straddling the rope.
‘So my one instruction wasn’t clear?’ he asked.
Lyndal awkwardly stepped back over the rope and fixed her dress. ‘I do hope you’re keeping an eye on Lady Kendra. Lord Thomas will never forgive you should anything happen to her on your watch.’
He crossed his arms in front of him. ‘And do you suppose your sisters would forgive me if anything happened toyouon my watch?’
‘God, no. You’d be drawn and quartered before you could utter the words “It was all her fault.”’ She gave him a playful smile.
He glanced in the direction of the peasants. ‘Do you even know where they are? Or were you just planning on wandering aimlessly about?’
‘They’ll be easy enough to find.’ She looked out. ‘Eda will be the one with the bulky dress, due to all the weapons she’s concealing, and Blake will be hovering nearby, ensuring the day doesn’t end with our sister locked in the tower—again.’
It was tempting to let her go. She was in no real danger with her own people, certainly not with her sisters around, but orders were orders. ‘You know I can’t let you wander off. Your safety’s not open for negotiation.’
‘I know this is hard for you to understand, but I miss my family.’
He leaned away. ‘Why do you assume I don’t understand?’
‘Because you’re estranged from yours.’
‘So I can’t miss them? Is that the logic?’
She watched him a moment. ‘All right. Tell me what happened. Give me a reason to stay on this side of the rope. I’m guessing your father passed away given there’s a stepfather involved.’
He guided her back from the rope. ‘Are you fishing for a tragic story in hope of humanising me?’
‘Oh, please. It’ll take a lot more than a sad family story to do that.’ Her eyes returned to the peasants, searching for her sisters among them.
He let out a resigned breath, then said, ‘My father died from pneumonia when I was eight, and my mother remarried shortly after. We didn’t get along.’
Her eyes went to him. ‘So you just left the farming life behind you and became a defender?’
