“Burke, shut your mouth. Georgie has a well-formed gut. She’s rarely wrong.”
The princess smiled. “Yes, I can trust myintuition—better word there, Hil—but that doesn’t mean I have to trust him.”
“So youdon’ttrust him?” Dunstan scowled.
“I trust him enough that I think we need to let him out. If heisthe earl, we’ve taken a foreign noble hostage. If he’s not, he can have a few days’ reprieve until my correspondence gets replies, and we’ll handle things from there.”
“You mean we’ll mindmold him and send him back to his homeland?”
George sucked her teeth. Burke wasn’t wrong, but she really didn’t want to consider that option.
“Well...” Hildy chuckled as she produced a pair of keys from her pocket and tossed them over.
Even though Georgie wasn’t expecting it, she only flinched the slightest bit as she caught the flying metal.
“Go free your lord.”
Grinning at her best friend, she bounced to her feet. “Anyone want to come with me?”
Both men looked tense. Dunstan, usually relaxed, had his hands balled into tight fists as he worked his jaw. Burke’s knees bounced with anxious energy, and Hildy worried the hem of her short tunic with frantic movements. The three of them kept sharing glances that spoke of a private issue. It didn’t have to do with her. If it did, someone would have said. They were close, with bonds forged over many years, through many shitty situations. Whatever was going on here wasn’t her problem.
Raising his brows, Dunstan said, “If he’s as safe as you say...?”
George rolled her eyes. She’d be fine. Plus, they clearly needed to talk to one another. They wanted her gone, and she had places to be.
Pausing in the doorway, she turned back to them. “We’llallspeak overcenathis evening.”
“Really? With our new friend? With Elio, and Greta too?” Hildy’s forehead wrinkled.
“You’re that ready to trust him?” Burke’s knee stopped jiggling for a moment.
“What did you do?Kiss him?” Dunstan’s question was for George, but his gaze landed on Hildy, who blanched.
Burke cleared his throat awkwardly.
She could’ve cut the tension in the courtyard with a knife. George would need to get the full story from Hildy as soon as possible. “No, I don’t trust him. But we’re not going to let him get away, anyway. And if he tries, we’ll shackle him again.”
“Youcamebackforme, George.” Isahn’s voice was low and gravelly as she entered the dark cell. He lay on his side upon the flimsy cot, eyes closed tight.
A pleasant shiver trickled down her spine. “How’d you know it was me?”
“I can smell you.”
She frowned, setting her candle on the shelf. “And what do Ismelllike?”
“Fresh, warm, and a little bit spicy.” Lord Yaranbur swung his feet off the bed and stood. The chain around his ankleclankedonto the floor, bouncing off the toe of his boot. He winced.
“Ooh, I’m sorry.” George hurried over.
He cocked his head. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I feel bad,” she said with a shrug.
The corner of his wide mouth tugged up in an alluring smirk, and it made her stomach quiver. This man was a potential enemy of the Crown.Sure, his story had been relatively believable. Sure, Elio said he was the Earl of Midlake. But hecould be an expert liar. A double agent. George had met enough ofthosein her twenty-three years to last a lifetime.
She squatted before Isahn, and he peered at her. “You’re certain it’s safe to be so close to me?”
She popped to her feet and nearly tumbled into his big blue eyes. “You tell me,” she retorted.
