“A girl,” Kaiden said.
“Did she say anything else?”
“She said that she hoped you bought some shoes.”
That’s what I thought. Something had happened at the Garden and now Galiene needed a favor.
Serendipity. For once Kair Toren had come through instead of biting my ankles to trip me. Judging from the way things had gone so far, this was probably some sort of timeline trap that would result in all kinds of problems. That was fine. I would handle them, and I would figure out how the Garden had found me. I had a good guess.
Everard would want to come with me, and I had to avoid that at all costs. Not only were people still looking for him, but after last night, I needed to reassert my independence. I could simply get ready and have the Shears escort me, but that would result in an argument. A better move would be to leave quietly, without giving him a chance to protest, as if he didn’t even factor into this equation. I had to pull off sneaking out without looking like I had resorted to sneaking out.
“Clover, I need to go to the Garden.”
Her eyes widened. “TheGarden?”
“Yes. We’re going to do the usual lady outfit.” I turned to Kaiden. “Are the Shears still hanging out nearby?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
“Please tell them that I’m leaving for the Garden in one hour and if their head doesn’t want a certain someone to escort me and run all over the city, he needs to come and pick me up. I will meet him in front of Taryz Teahouse.”
“What about His Grace?” Kaiden asked.
“What about him?”
“He won’t like it.”
“Kaiden, His Grace and King Sauven signed a treaty called the Accords. Because of that, Everard cannot enter Kair Toren unless he is invited. If he is discovered in the city, Sauven will kill him. His Grace doesn’t like to be told what he can and can’t do, so we need to protect him from himself. That’s why in exactly one hour you’re going to find a way to distract him and keep him occupied in the basement.”
He made a face, shrugged, and took off. I rinsed my cup and headed upstairs. I had to get dressed and do my hair and I needed to get it done quietly, without Everard discovering what I was up to.
I stood on the corner in front of Taryz Teahouse wearing my lower-tier lady outfit, with my hair done up and secured with silver jewelry. I was also holding a basket, which no self-respecting lady of my social standing would be caught dead holding. Etiquette dictated that I should’ve brought Clover, but this was a clandestine operation.
Considering Hreban’s attack last night, going out alone wasn’t the best plan, but I had the protection of the Shears. Solentine must’ve taken a dim view of Hreban’s goons attacking our house, because he had beefed up our security. Two Shears agents tailed me from the house all the way to Taryz and a third one was already there, waiting for me.
A carriage rolled up the street and stopped in front of me. The door swung open and I saw Solentine inside.
I abandoned all propriety and climbed in before he had a chance to exit and load me into it. I shut the door, landed on the bench across from him, and the carriage took off.
My newly minted cousin took in my winning ensemble and my basket. His eyebrows crept up.
Solentine was channeling a prince of rogues today. He wore brown pants, boots, and a cream shirt with wide sleeves. Over that he had put a sleeveless tunic of cinnamon-colored leather, decorated with golden designs and featuring a deep V-neck, and then added a formfitting black jacket with short wide sleeves, embroidered with a golden vine bearing two white flowers on his right shoulder. The jacket was open, and a black leather belt crossed his body diagonally from the right shoulder to the left side, buckled in place just above his waist. He’d tossed his cloak on the bench and the leather belt with sheaths bearing his two daggers was on full display.
He’d also shaved and brushed his deep auburn hair. The signs of fatigue from yesterday were gone, as if they had never even been there. The curtain of the carriage window was pulled back slightly, and the golden sunshine slanting across his face set him aglow. He was like a living painting.
Talk about a thirst trap. Luckily for me, I was immune.
“My dear cousin,” he said. “Where is your maid?”
“Covering my escape. Would you have preferred picking me up at the house so you could spend the next hour saying things like ‘The Conquerors are still looking for you’ and ‘Please don’t be difficult for once’?”
He gave me a narrow smile. “I appreciate your care for my sanity.”
“Of course. You are my favorite cousin.”
The carriage rolled on. We were headed straight north. It would be a short trip, fifteen minutes or so. The Garden was up by the north wall and the teahouse was an almost straight shot south.
“What is your relationship with Ramond?” Solentine asked.
