“Oh, that.” Theo relaxed a little. “At the palace at home in Sindon, all of our fountains are infested with anzu birds.”
She stared at him, amusement trickling in to leaven her embarrassment. “Infested?”
He smiled, although his eyes still didn’t crinkle. “Inhabited would be a politer term, wouldn’t it? They’re much admired—and they know it—but personally, I find them a nuisance.”
“Why?” she demanded, fascinated.
She’d never seen an anzu bird, as they were primarily found in Siqual, but she’d seen pictures. They were a bit bigger than cats, but only their heads resembled that creature. The rest of their bodies bore the shape of birds. They were creatures of magic, naturally—no mundane animal would boast such an illogical configuration of form.
“You know how all anzu birds spout either fire or water?” said Theo, answering her question with another.
Elowen nodded. “So I’ve read.”
“Well, they make quite a show of it,” Theo explained. “The castle ones, at least. They’ve become very tame, and they expect an audience. It can be tedious, because if people don’t stop to admire them when the fancy takes them to put on a display, they get cranky and make a fuss.”
“What kind of a fuss?” Elowen asked, trying and failing to picture Theo breaking his purposeful stride through his own castle to politely applaud a display by a conceited anzu bird.
“Generally they set things on fire,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s a terrible inconvenience.”
Elowen stared at him. “Why are they allowed to keep living in the castle, then?”
“We’ve become used to them, I suppose.” Theo shrugged. “They’re beloved—most people seem to enjoy their displays. Besides, if we tried to remove them, I imagine there would be a great deal more setting things on fire.”
“Goodness.” Elowen didn’t quite know what to say. All she could think of was her private thoughts earlier, wishing that Theo had shown some admiration for her the night before, when she’d been all dressed up to impress him. Had she been preening, like the anzu birds he described? Would he findhertedious if he knew her thoughts?
“Elowen.” Theo’s voice had turned more serious, and Elowen’s eyes flew up to his. “I came early in the hope of some private speech.”
“So did I,” she said quickly, and she thought he looked pleased.
“It’s a little awkward, isn’t it?” His voice was the softest she’d heard it. “There’s inevitably a lot of pressure on our meeting.”
Her smile was rueful. “Yes. I suppose there is.”
“I don’t know how to avoid that,” he said frankly. “But I hope you won’t let it trouble you. We’ll be married in a matter of weeks, and—”
“Hold on.” Elowen raised a hand to stop the flow of calmly confident words. “Who says it will be within a few weeks? The wedding date isn’t set yet.”
Theo frowned. “I understood that was merely a practical matter, with arrangements waiting for my arrival. I anticipated that the date of the wedding would be set as soon as the betrothal ceremony is complete.”
Elowen lowered her eyes, her courage failing her under his scrutiny.
“I haven’t heard talk of a specific date.”
“Elowen.” She felt compelled to look up again. “Be plain with me, please.” Theo’s eyes searched hers, and even with the edge ofhardness that had entered them, it was an immersive sensation. “Is Torrens reconsidering the alliance?”
“No,” she said quickly, swallowing. “I swear we’re not. The practical details are yet to be finalized, but we remain committed to our alliance, as agreed.”
He frowned, his expression giving her the impression that he was trying to read her thoughts. Of course he was confused. He was no fool, he must be able to tell she wasn’t being entirely open.
“Princess…and Your Highness.”
Elowen barely held in a sigh at the drawling new voice, as her least favorite viscount appeared behind Theo. The drop in respect from the tone of the first title to the second was marked.
“Lord Bertrand,” she said tightly, giving the viscount a nod.
Sophia was only a step behind him, and Elowen greeted her friend with much more pleasure. At least until she got a good look at Sophia’s face and saw the concern lurking there. Abandoning Theo and Bertrand, who were eyeing each other coolly, she went to her friend, dropping her voice.
“Are you all right?”
