“None of that, I’m Lady Corliss only, my daughters are LadyMaxine and Lady Satrine.”Corliss pierced Carling with her gaze.“We are familyhere now, Carling.At long last.”
There were some sniffles amongst the crowd and Carling’svoice was thick when he said, “Indeed, Lady Corliss.”
She drew breath in through her nose and addressed them all.
“Thank you for your time, and all of your hard work.Please,now, enjoy a cup of tea and have your discussions with Carling.”
Loren pulledSatrineout of theway so they could file out.
The last to go was Carling, and he closed the door.
Satrineand he turned back toCorliss when she spoke.
“Ansley told me that the household will run as if Edgar werehere, regardless if we are, also regardless of what might happen to him.It hadto be done because it had to be done, but there was no time to waste.The bookswill be adjusted before I’m cast out, and the household will be managed as thebooks are set at that time, especially if Edgar has no idea I’ve meddled.Soall will be well with the staff.”
“You rock, Mom,”Satrinesaidstrangely.
“I know, honey,” Corliss replied.
They started giggling.
Maxine giggled with them.
Loren looked to his sire, who was gazing indulgently down atCorliss.
Yes.
He had no idea what to do with any of these women.
Women who had been held down, abused, neglected, exploited,and ended that taking pains to see to people they did not know and giggling.
And for the first time in a very long time, Loren hadreservations about his own decision.
BecauseSatrineDawes was grit andgumption, and he was blood and death.
And Loren was thinking she deserved better.
ChapterThirteen
Future to Discuss
Satrine
I was in a new day dress, and so was Maxine.
I was curled into a corner of the settee with a cup of teaand a plate of biscuits (in other words cookies, delicious ones), reading abook.
The book I was reading was about the war betweenLunwynandMiddlelandthatreunited both countries toLunwyn.
It was a book I sought at a local bookstore (needless tosay, to catch up on things, Mom and I had been doing a lot of reading) becauseAnsley had told me, in his role in the king’s service, Loren had spent sometime in formerMiddleland(now againLunwyn).He’d been routing out conspirators who would notonly see the restoration ofMiddleland, but alsoattempt to regain the territory they conquered years before fromHawkvale.
Maxine was sitting in front of the window at her easel, theplethora of paints Mom bought her scattered around, painting a picture of thepretty park that was across the street from the house.
My sister, by the way, was a really good painter.It lookedimpressionistic, what she did.I was no expert, but I’d seen things in museumswhich weren’t half as pretty.
In front of me, scattered on the table, waiting for Mom’sreturn, were a bevy of huge sheets of thick-stock paper on which were drawn avariety of flower arrangements we were to look through and settle on for mywedding.
I was ignoring them because I was engaged with what a dickKing Baldur ofMiddlelandwas and wondering how onearth he could have any followers at all, much less ones who wished to restorehim to the throne after he was deposed.
