“They shouldn’t be playing here,” Bertrand said dismissively. He eyed his sister. “Speaking of people who shouldn’t be here…Sophia, how did you end up on the prince’s escort today? Princess Elowen is one thing, but you shouldn’t be riding out of the city with a troop of guards. It’s not seemly.”
“I was invited, Bertrand.” Sophia frowned at her brother, although she spoke without much heat. “Elowen wanted me to come.”
“Of course I did,” said Elowen firmly. “Sophia and I rarely get the chance for a decent ride, the opportunity was too good to pass up.”
“Say no more.” Bertrand swept an elegant bow, his narrow face split by a grin as he straightened. “You know,dearest princess, that I would never want to stand in the way of your enjoyment.” He took in her disapproving expression, his smile only growing as he added, “Even if you may not always know your best interests. You can do better than Sophia for a companion in your adventures, you know.” He sent her a wink.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” she said stonily.
He considered her face with an indulgent air that set her back up.
“Tell me the truth, Princess, is this outing a last snatch at freedom? Doesn’t your dashing foreign prince arrive tomorrow?”
He said the words with a hint of disdain, and Elowen felt a flush rise to her cheeks. To her annoyance, Bertrand had clearlynoticed it. He looked much too pleased with himself as he went on.
“No, I’ve got that wrong, haven’t I?” he asked lazily. “Crown Prince Xavier is supposed to be the dashing one. Rumor says Prince Theodore is the stiff, dull brother. Let’s hope that for once, rumor is wrong, and he lives up to the high standards we Torrenese expect for our princess.”
With a final smirk that stopped just short of a wink, he sauntered away.
Elowen waited until he’d rounded the tower before letting out an irritated huff. She wasn’t in a hurry to comment on his mocking words about her upcoming betrothal, but his disparagement of his sister she couldn’t let pass.
“Do better for a companion? As if I wouldn’t prefer your company a hundred times over his.”
Sophia smiled at her indignant tone. “Don’t mind Bertrand’s jokes. He’s too charming for his own good sometimes, but I know you love us in spite of it.”
Elowen hardly knew what to say to her friend. She understood the impulse to defend her brother, but did Sophia really think that Bertrand’s manner was charming?
“I loveyou, Sophia,” she settled on. “I tolerate Bertrand.”
“Oh no, that’s not true.” Sophia turned to her in distress. “You know it’s not.” Her eyes strayed in the direction her brother had gone, her forehead pinched in concern. “He walked around very close to the tower, didn’t he? Do you really think it’s unstable enough to just collapse by itself?”
Sophia looked around, her eyes falling at once on a slight, sandy-haired young man who’d just moved forward from where he was hovering beside their horses.
“Do you want me to check that Lord Bertrand is all right, Lady Sophia?” the man asked respectfully.
“Yes please, Simeon.”
Sophia looked relieved, and Elowen understood why. Simeon was reliable—he would see that no harm came to the over-confident young viscount. He’d been a quietly consistent presence beside his employer for years. Elowen was surprised Bertrand had gone off without him—he usually kept the servant close at hand, for ready access to his magical capabilities. Simeon was unusually skilled at the craft of magic.
The two girls watched him go, Elowen half wishing Sophia would see sense when it came to her brother, and half regretting her words. She shouldn’t speak so critically of the son of a duke, no matter how accurate her complaints were. She just wished that both Bertrand and Sophia would take the hint that she didn’t find his charm at all charming.
“I’m also surprised you were allowed to come,” Sophia commented. “With the Siqualian delegation arriving tomorrow.”
“I didn’t ask permission,” Elowen admitted. “Well, I did from Patrick.” Her eyes strayed to her brother, sitting astride his horse and talking to the castle’s head builder next to the crumbling tower. He looked every bit the confident crown prince. “He just assumed I’d cleared it with Mother and Father, and I didn’t correct him.”
Sophia’s laugh was a little pained. “I wish I had your courage, Elowen.”
Elowen just shrugged, not in the mood to celebrate the minuscule win against the constant restrictions of her life. Small skirmishes like this one mattered little when she was about to surrender the whole battle and enter a bloodless marriage.
“Let’s ask Patrick what he’s going to do about the tower,” she said, walking forward with her friend beside her.
There was no need to ask, however. As they drew close, she could hear her brother giving instructions to the builder.
“Yes, it will have to be pulled down, the local masons were right. And we shouldn’t delay. I’ll initiate the processimmediately for formal royal approval to dismantle a historic building. It’s a shame, but there are other sites that can serve as a monument to our victory in the war against the continent.”
Elowen glanced idly up at the watchtower, then froze.
“Patrick! Look!”
