The lute player nodded and said something to the others. The music began just as Lord Thomas stepped up to the edge of the circle with an expression close to disgust. Kendra and her mother appeared a moment later, looking from the king and Lyndal to each other with confusion.
Every muscle in Astin’s body was like carved stone as Borin raised one arm and pressed it to Lyndal’s. They circled one another, prompting the peasants to push up on their toes for a better view. Astin made his way around the edge of the circle, knowing any attack on the king would put Lyndal in danger. But he soon realised that was not his main concern. The approving smile on the queen mother’s face was the most alarming sight of all. She was not only looking at the dancing couple but at everyone watching them. Wary expressions had turned to curiosity. Some of the women were even smiling. A merchant girl dancing with a king was not something they had ever witnessed before.
Astin stopped walking, eyes back on Lyndal. That hair. That dress. Those painted lips. She was straight out of a fairy tale told to children.
A realisation hit him.
It was all part of one of Queen Fayre’s plans. It was the reason she sent that dress to Lyndal’s bedchamber. It was all a clever charade. The question was, how far could it move the dial? What exactly was the queen mother’s endgame?
The music stopped, and Lyndal stepped back from the king and curtsied. Instead of retreating to the nobility section, Borin took hold of her hand and displayed her before the now applauding crowd. Astin looked around at the smiling merchants and farmers, and a cold sensation crawled up his spine.
Lyndal had not remained at Eldon Castle for her cousin’s sake, nor for Queen Fayre’s amusement. She was a pawn in a game she had no idea she was playing. Shewasthe bridge. Kind, generous, achingly beautiful. Shining brighter than any sun these people could remember.
Half merchant.
Half noble.
If people did not know her name before, they would know it now.
‘Lady Lyndal,’Queen Fayre had called her.
Astin swallowed down the acid rising in his throat.
As Lyndal looked around at the applauding crowd, her eyes stopped on him. He saw the uncertainty, the confusion. It was enough to make him want to march over there and usher her away. Instead, he was forced to stand idle and watch her life begin to unravel.
Chapter 15
When King Borin finally released her hand, Lyndal took a relieved breath. What in God’s name was going on? People were applauding. Queen Fayre was watching them with an expression bordering on maternal pride. The bland stares coming from the nobility were the one thing preventing Lyndal’s head from exploding.
‘Are you coming?’ Borin asked her, impatient to flee the crowd.
She shook her head. ‘In a minute.’ She needed to see her family more than she needed air.
Borin strolled off, and her uncle followed, his eyes so loathing she thought he might go up in a bonfire of hatred. Lyndal caught sight of the backs of Kendra and her aunt as they retreated also.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she gasped. It was Blake.
‘What in God’s name is going on?’ Her sister was not one to beat around the bush.
Eda and her mother were standing behind Blake wearing the same worried expression.
Lyndal forced a smile. ‘What was what?’
‘That,’ Blake said, pointing in the direction of the king. ‘You and the king. All cute together.’
‘It was just a dance.’ But it was not just a dance. It was a test of some kind—one she had apparently passed with flying colours.
Candace brought a hand to her forehead. ‘They are already lighting the bonfires for the ceremony. We do not have time for these games.’
Lyndal shook her head. ‘What game is that?’
‘That man will ruin any chances of you finding a husband,’ her mother continued. ‘He will use you up and discard you the second he feels the slightest bit bored.’
It took Lyndal a moment to register the conversation. ‘What exactly are you asking me here?’
‘How could you lie with that man?’ Blake blurted. ‘Have you forgotten that he once locked us up, starved us, then shot arrows at us?’
Astin appeared at her side, his presence dominating the space. ‘Easy,’ he said to Blake. ‘It’s not what you think.’
