“Over the wall. Attached to an arrow.”
“I thought of that myself. That was my idea. Added a bit of excitement and mystery.”
“Anxiety, my lord. It added a great deal of anxiety. I had no idea who it came from.”
He beamed at me. The man looked ridiculously pleased with himself.
“Wouldn’t it be simpler to deliver the invitation by courier?”
“You deserve the extra effort.”
That was neither here nor there. “You lied to me about who you were.”
“I did not. I am Earl Bellen on my mother’s side.”
“Your knight lied to me, also.”
“Oh?”
“When I visited the Citadel, I saw a knight in beautiful armor at the top of the stairs. I asked my escort if he was you and he said he was.”
“Felidor is an accomplished liar. A rather useful talent.”
“You are completely unrepentant.”
“It was a bit of harmless deception,” he said. “Should I beg forgiveness?”
Arvel andbegin the same sentence. Let me off this train . . . “Not at all, my lord. Although putting you andharmlessin the same sentence is a crime.”
“Have no fear, my lady. No harm will come to you in my presence. From me or anyone else.”
We started the second set of movements.
“You look exquisite tonight,” he said.
“My lord, I have to ask, what is it about me that ignited your interest? Was it because I warned you about harm to your cousin?”
“It was the way you spoke of the war,” he said. “Of what happens to those mangled by what their duty requires them to do.”
“I do not recall . . .” Berengur’s bodyguard. The giant man in the full helmet. “You were Lord Berengur’s escort?”
He nodded. “He has returned to the Citadel. You will be relieved to know that he did not disturb his brother’s quest for inner peace. His conversation with the abbot was fruitful and his hope for an eventual reunion is renewed.”
Yes. Excellent. I smiled without realizing it. He tilted his head, looking at me. I remembered where I was and killed the smile.
“Thank you for letting me know, my lord. I wish them only the best.”
“As I knew you would. I remember our first encounter with startling clarity, my lady. Things you said during that meeting touched my soul.”
“I only stated the obvious.”
We made a circle around each other. The move gave me a glimpse of the ballroom. Eliarde stood frozen like a statue. She didn’t seem angry. She seemed shellshocked and confused, like her brain couldn’t process what she was seeing.
“Surely there are many women who choose to serve as knights and who understand everything I said in much greater depth. I can only imagine the horrors of war, while they live through them.”
“You are right. Knights share many things. We are bound by our purpose and duty. But when I walk off a battlefield, I want . . . Something else. Someone else. Someone who understands yet isn’t stained by the same blood. A ray of sunshine after the storm.”
His blue eyes were so warm and there was just a hint of vulnerability in their depths. The shadow of longing.
