“You didn’t have to. It’s all in the blush.” With a wink, she added, “Continue.”
Sienna pulled her hands loose and held them to her face, attempting to cool her burning cheeks. “He’s got blonde hair and blue eyes—not dark blue like Papa’s, but bright like the sky. I think he might have a nice smile, but I haven’t really seen one. He’s very serious.”
“So he’s broody on top of mysterious. No wonder you jumped at an engagement.”
“I thought you didn’t approve.”
“I’ve decided to keep an open mind.”
“Really? Just because he’s nice to look at?”
“No, because he did that to your face.” Devri gestured in a circle around Sienna’s flushed cheeks. “I haven’t seen you so affected by a man since, well ever. Not even Erik made you blush like this.”
“He’s only here for a week,” Sienna reminded her, echoing Casper’s words from the day before. “It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him or anything.”
“I don’t know,” Devri answered in a sing-song voice. “It sounds like you’ll be together most of the time. A lot can happen in that many hours.”
Sienna rolled her eyes. “I think I liked it better when you were cynical and suspicious.”
Devri laughed and linked their arms again. “Now tell me, does Captain Mysterious and Brooding have any friends?”
“There you are.”
Casper’s unexpected voice caused Sienna to jump, holding a hand to her heart. She and Devri had parted ways a short timebefore, and she was making her way back to the lighthouse. The steep cliffs loomed in the distance, and the path up the rocky incline that led to the top lay just ahead.
“Do you often go around sneaking up on young maidens? You were so quiet, you might as well have been a ghost.”
He flinched slightly at her words, but it was gone before she could stop to really analyze the reaction.
“I’m sorry.”
The conversation leading up to his proposal the day before had been the most words she had heard from him since. He seemed determined to communicate as little as possible, and in as few words as necessary. His face was either scowling or impassive, especially after Jem left early that morning with her father. For all her blushing responses to Devri’s questions, Sienna was truly befuddled as to what had caused the change.
“It’s fine. I’m sure my heart will return to beating as normal eventually.”
He fell into step beside her, clasping his hands behind his back. “You didn’t alert me that you were going out.”
“I thought you were my fiancé, not my jailer.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “I didn’t know I had to tell you.”
“You don’t,” he conceded after a moment. “But the whole purpose behind my presence here is for your safety. If I don’t know where you are, I can’t do that.”
“Do you worry this much about each member of your crew, as well?”
Casper’s unfocused eyes stared straight ahead. “I’m their Captain; of course I worry.”
Sienna sensed that a small piece of the puzzle that was Casperion Helmrud was at hand, but she couldn’t quite figure out how it fit into place.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I was with Devri, and Erik wouldn’t dare pick a fight with her. She’s a Siren, forone, and everyone knows you should never anger a Siren when you’re within sight of the sea. For another, she owns the best bake shop in Nivem, and he’s much too fond of his caramel and sea salt cookies to risk making her mad. And third, her twin brother Doryss is one of Erik’s newest business partners, and he wouldn’t want to risk making Doryss angry by picking a fight with his sister.”
“Doryss?” There was a hint of interest in Casper’s tone that hadn’t been there before.
“Yes. He’s in the fishing business, like Papa.”
Casper nodded slowly. “And has he always been involved in fishing?”
Confusion scrunched Sienna’s face. “Yes. Is there a reason why you’re so interested in my best friend’s brother’s livelihood.”
He was silent for a long moment, still staring at the ground in front of them. He gave his head a small jerk, as if shaking himself awake. “No.”
