“Nobility. Fine. But you’re also a distant relative of my mother. I’m certain my father would–”
“Svana.” We stopped again and he touched my arm. “Yes, likely. Your father might consider it. It’s notyourfather I’m concerned about.”
“Hers?” I asked.
He checked around us. “Mine.”
“Yourfather?” I asked.
Willoughby nodded. “There’s a reason I’m a knight, Your Highness.”
“What? What reason?”
He picked up his pace.
“Cousin, I’ve never seen you so bothered. What is it?” I asked.
Then he sighed. “I… I took the vow to avoid the wife my father chose for me,” he said.
“You were engaged?” I asked.
“Not by choice,” he told me. “And not really. I never declared myself to her. She was a title chaser.”
“But you weren’t the Viscount?” I said. “And you wouldn’t be? She should have wanted a brother.”
“Yes, but they were already spoken for and despite my birth order, I was still Lord Willoughby,” he said.“And, let’s not forgetthat my father was your mother’s cousin. There is appeal there in that.”
“I’m confused,” I said. “You don’t take a vow of celibacy when you are knighted. Knights marry all the time.”
“No,” he agreed. “But you do accept a total life in war, which is a particularly nasty thing, and something the lady did not much care for. She was socialite; she wanted to show me off at parties to her socialite friends, which, with my service, was not something I could provide for her.”
“Oh...Oh!That’s…actually quite genius.”
“I was seventeen,” he said. “I enlisted right before my eighteenth birthday to avoid an announcement.”
“Your father would’ve announced it?” I asked. “Without your permission?”
“Yes.” He met my eyes. “My fear now is that he will catch wind of my intentions for Miss Jocelyn, and…”
“And what? Andhurther?” I asked.
“No. He's a different kind of monster. He’ll pay her off,” he said. “My father’s a man of coin.”
“Pay her off? Josie?” I asked. “No. No, she would not accept money in exchange for hurting you.”
“Gold and copper convince plenty of people to do plenty of things,” he said. “I've seen it and I know my father. I know the effect that money has on him. On others. Besides, she owes me nothing. Why shouldn’t she accept his offer? He would see to it that she would be very well settled.”
“I… I can’t agree with that, I’m sorry,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“It’s…It’s not my place to tell you why, but I do think you should talk to her,” I said. “She wouldn’t accept copper in exchange for… for whatever it is you think she would accept it for.”
“Maybe,” he told me. “And maybe I’ll talk to her one day. But not today. Let’s go see your ostler instead.”
“Not ostler. Mr. Evergreen,” I said, correcting him. “We should call him Mr. Evergreen.”
He cocked his head but then agreed. “Alright. Mr. Evergreen,” he said. “You aim to put distance between each other? Or protect him?”
