Scarlett sniffed and pulled back. “I want to check on Beni.” Her throat was thick, like she had a cold.
“He spent most of yesterday in bed, same as you. How about I check on him while I’m down there, and if he’s awake, I’ll see if he wants to come up?”
“Thank you.”
“Dark roast coffee? Can I bring you breakfast?”
The image of her dad that was burned into Scarlett’s brain appeared in her mind’s eye again.
“I’m worried I’ll puke if I try to eat.”
Manon clasped her hand. “I understand, but you won’t have much in your stomach to heave up, and food might make youfeel better. I’ll bring a tray so you can try to take a few bites.”
Scarlett nodded. Her grandmother was probably right.
“Brayden and Lachlan are in the mirror, so don’t go in there unless you want to say hello.”
“Already? It’s early.”
“There’s some disturbing news out about Sigur Viður and Evory, and they want to discuss it with me after I’ve finished checking on you and Beni.”
Sigur Viður, the country she’d been planning to go to first on her embassy tour. What an idyllic alternate reality she’d been living in where her father was still alive and her biggest concern was convincing him to let her leave.
“Oh.” It was all she could manage without risking tears.
Manon gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze. “I’ll be back soon.”
Her grandmother closed the bedroom door behind her.
Scarlett stood still in front of the door. She could handle seeing Brayden like this, but it would be awkward having Lachlan Maddox, his dad, see her in her current state. She’d known Lachlan for a long time, because he often talked to Manon through the mirror, but he was her father’s age.
Still, the draw to see Brayden was strong whether his father was there or not, so she crossed her arms over her chest to hold herself together and strode through the dressing-room door. Scarlett lifted her gaze to the huge gilt mirror. She’d stood before Brayden a thousand times, but never like this.
Brayden rose to his feet when she came in. She’d never seen him look so serious. The hint of a smile she often saw on his lips was absent. As he took in her expression, worry was all she could see.
“Scarlett. I’m so sorry about your father. I wish I were there. I wish there was something I could do.” His voice was deep and warm, but it barely reached her.
Lachlan stood too but remained behind his large mahogany desk. His dark eyes bore into her from a distance. “Yes, we’re so sorry for your loss, Scarlett. It’s a huge loss for the world, but most of all for you.” Like Manon, he was already pristinely groomed and ready for the day in his freshly pressed Clair de Lune military uniform. His salt-and-pepper hair was parted on one side and combed. It was a normal day for him.
Scarlett swallowed thickly. “Thank you.” She looked up at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry.
Brayden came close enough for her to see the depth of concern in his warm brown eyes, butneverclose enough to touch. She put her hand on the mirror anyway, and he put his hand up against it. She could almost imagine his body heat coming through the glass.
“I’d come stay with you if I could. I hate that I can’t be there for you in person,” he whispered.
“I know. I wish you could be here too,” she said, tears spilling over onto her cheeks. If only. She stared at him, sure there was raw pain radiating out of her and not caring, because he was her closest friend. The only one she didn’t have to censor herself for. Who never expected her to behave a certain way. He cared for her just as she was.
Of all the times she’d wished Brayden could come through the mirror into her dressing room, this moment topped them all. She wanted him to hold her. But it was impossible for him to be there, just like it always had been. She’d have to continue to live without him. The trip to Clair de Lune would be impossible now.
She dropped her hand as she heard two sets of footsteps coming into her bedroom.
“Scarlett, my love? Beni is here, and we have breakfast!”
This was her grandmother’s warning to get out before Beni came inside and caught her using the magic mirror.
“I have to go,” she told Brayden in a low voice.
“I’ll be around later if you need me.”
