Everyone sat up, murmuring. Meg turned the oil lamp up.
“Lord Draw?” Lu asked. Her red curls were tied up in a silky handkerchief.
“Good evening, ladies.” For once it seemed he was at a loss for words.
“You have to sell it a bit,” I muttered under my breath. Then more clearly, “He came to protect us.”
The women glanced at each other uneasily.
Finally, Meg said it. “But he’s not a knight.”
Lord Draw darted a nasty look at me. “If the enemy comes to this door, I can negotiate with them.” He cleared his throat and looked down. “I shall avert my eyes.”
“Listen, it’s fine.” I turned to the room. “He’s our good luck charm for the night. The witch said to keep him close.” I felt Lord Draw’s eyes on the back of my neck but the other women seemed to accept my word.
“Let’s just sit and wait for news,” Draw said, pained.
I didn’t know how long we sat there. The only sound was breathing and the occasional shift of a mattress. Some of the women even fell back asleep. Maybe soldiers storming the castle was a common occurrence.
I noticed Ariana’s empty bed. She must have left after I did. Perhaps to attend the queen when she heard the commotion
Draw stood at one of the thin windows, looking out. After some time, I went and stood by him.
“Naught to see,” he whispered.
I made a noise in my throat. “How long do these things usually take?”
“With Ironclaw involved, not long.”
“That reminds me,” I said. “Can’t you tell your cousin we’re on the same side?” Ironclaw’s threat that I be locked in at night was oddly severe. I was going about this all wrong. I should have claimed to be a simple trader or something.
“What would possibly possess you to look for a knight in the dark, the night of an attack?”
“I’ve heard a lot about him,” I said carefully. Inside I was pouting. Sorrel had better not send me home after one night.
He shook his head, making sure to keep his voice low. “I knew it. I had you pegged from the moment you saw him. Let me guess—you’d like just one night with the hero of Landsome.”
What did it matter if Draw knew? All this was imaginary.
“Maybe two,” I murmured.
“It’s wild what hair that long on a man will do for a woman.” He shook his head. It was clear he’d seen it all before. Many times.Toomany times.
“It’s not just how he looks. Remember the time he left the sacred Circle of Azel to save that little girl? I mean,” I stuttered as I tried to make my insider knowledge plausible, “the whole queendom was talking about that.”
He squinted. “Word certainly gets around.” I thought the conversation was over until he said, “It’s just...he’s quite daft you know.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Ironclaw?”
“He thinks the sky has a hole in it.” A corner of Draw’s mouth twitched. “That’s how we see the sun.”
I snorted, trying not to laugh.
Ironclaw, a himbo? I had to admit, it had a ring of truth to it. He was certainly turning out to be different in real life. Or imaginary life, as it were.
After that, we sat quietly. I could tell Draw was restless by the way he studied everything around him, save the sleeping women. His eyes were on me often—looking at the make of my boots, even the tiny scar just below my ear.
Finally, he stood. “I’m going to go look.”
