Who knows, perhaps the memory will come in handy. I can use it to alter my emotions next time I want to strangle the prince. Which I’m sure is likely to happen any moment now.
20
FRANCO
Today must go perfectly. If I am to convince my sister my efforts with the princess are genuine, I need Maisie—orEmas we’ve agreed I should call her—to not hate me. While I can’t have her falling in love with me, it’s imperative she at least pretends to tolerate our courtship. So far, things are going far better than I expected. She’s kind today. Smiling now and then. She’s even managed not to completely shut down when I try to act anything other than boring.
Outside the palace, I see exactly what I hoped to find—one of my best coaches parked at the bottom of the palace steps with two moon mares hitched at the front. The princess and I descend the steps and are almost to the bottom when I find her suddenly rooted into place.
“What are those?” Em asks, a tremble in her voice. Her hand slips from my arm.
It takes me a moment to realize the source of her fear. I cast a glance at the moon mares before returning my gaze to her. “Donna and Dominus? They’re my babies.”
“Yourbabies? They’re…they’re…”
“Beautiful?” I say with a chuckle.
“I was going to say terrifying,” she mutters.
I look back at the creatures. While I see only the two most adorable fillies ever to have been born, I can sort of see why others would find them frightening. Moon mares are slim and skeletal with a cover of thin, pale, velvety skin over their bony frames. Their eyes are ruby red, and their mouths are lipless, leaving perpetually bared teeth. Instead of a mane, they have a row of spines along the back of their necks. “Don’t be alarmed by their appearance. They’re as harmless as puca—or maybe a kelpie is a better comparison.”
“That isn’t comforting.”
I quirk a brow. “Do you not employ puca for your own carriages?”
“Oh…yes, of course I do,” she rushes to say, eyes flashing toward me, “but I’m not in charge of handling them.”
“Well, then, let me show you how harmless they are.” Keeping my eyes on her, I make my way to the moon mares and place a hand on each of their noses. They nuzzle against my palms, releasing guttural snorts in request for more pets. I stroke the sides of their faces, an idiotic grin tugging my lips in response. “Donna and Dominus are the sweetest creatures you’ll ever meet. They’re just over two years of age. This is their first year pulling our coaches. They listen to me. Maybe not as well as their parents.” I say this last part under my breath and give them each a kiss on the muzzle.
When I next glance at Em, I see she’s taken a few steps closer, some of the terror gone from her eyes. “I suppose they are sort of adorable,” she says, but her attempt at a smile looks more like a grimace.
I give Donna and Dominus each a final pat, then turn to Em. “Shall we?”
She stares at the moon mares a few moments more, then reluctantly follows me to the coach. Once we reach the doors, I help her inside and take the bench across from her. She seems to relax a bit as she settles into her seat, smoothing the folds of her skirt. I tap the wall behind me and make a clicking noise in the back of my throat. The coach starts forward, and Em splays her arms out wide. “Wait. Isn’t anyone else coming? Footmen? Guards? Where is the coachman?”
“For one, I’m the driver. The mares listen to me. They know where I want them to take us. For another, we can manage perfectly on our own. You’ve got me, after all.” I offer a wink, but she pointedly ignores it. Not that I thought it would work on her. “Besides, you said no chaperones.”
Her mouth falls open before she speaks. “I only said that to my…my lady’s maids. I didn’t want them coming with me.”
“Ah. Well, forgive me for misreading things. How do you like them, anyway? The maids, that is? Will they suffice?”
A wave of agitation ripples off of her. “I wasn’t expecting new maids at all.”
“Neither was I, but apparently I already said yes.”
“What do you meanapparently?”
I huff a laugh. It was Augie who approved Brother Marus’ request to give the two human girls positions at court. Marus approached him at the ball, having no clue Augie wasn’t me and asked if Princess Maisie was in want of a pair of lady’s maids. The ambassador relayed the conversation this morning when he came to return my glamour. Not that I wanted to touch the string of beads after whatever dark deeds it witnessed overnight. Needless to say, I promptly burned the glamour, both for my sake and the safety of my kingdom. A glamour that allows one to impersonate a royal is a dangerous thing to leave lying around.
I realize Em is still waiting for an answer, but that would require me to confess my glamour shenanigans. Instead, I ask, “Would you like me to send the girls home? I could dismiss them. I believe their entire family has taken up residence at the palace, and I wouldn’t mind giving them the boot.”
Her expression shifts, brows knitting together. “They would have to leave the palace? Couldn’t you just give them…other positions?”
“Do I sense a soft spot for humans?”
She taps her fingers against the sides of her thighs—an anxious gesture. For not the first time, I get the sense she’s hiding something. Her words come out slow. “I think you should allow them to stay for the social season.”
“As you wish.”
