Surely, if whatever was between Soren and Briseis was anything serious, one of them would’ve said something by now. Maybe it was only Briseis who felt something; from the way Soren spoke of it, he didn’t seem inclined to have any sort of romantic partner at all.
Somehow, that made Maeve feel even worse. Poor Briseis. She was sweet and kind. Honestly, the type of match that would likely suit shy Soren well.
I knew coming back home was a bad idea.
Sighing, Maeve rested her chin in her hand, trying not to fret too much. This wasn’t worth worrying about, really. Eventually, she’d leave here, and then maybe Briseis and Soren could rekindle…whatever it was they had together.
The thought didn’t fill her with the reassurance she’d hoped.
The afternoon quickly cooled, and Maeve peered up at the sky, watching as the last curve of the sun disappeared behind a cloud.
Or, perhaps, he truly did want to remain alone. No companion in Briseis nor mate in Maeve—just…alone.
That thought didn’t reassure her, either.
10
Maeve put all her skills of observation behind figuring out whether or not there was—or had been—something between Briseis and Soren. Over the next few days, she watched carefully for any kind of clue, her dreadful curiosity gnawing away her attention for other things.
Of course, those two didn’t help by being the subtlest, shiest creatures in the world.
After watching them, Maeve felt fairly confident thinking there wasn’t anything between them that had manifested. That didn’t mean there weren’t feelings and affection, just that neither had acted upon whatever they might feel yet. Honestly, if left to their own devices, it might take years at this rate.
Should I…nudge them along?
It would be the noble thing to do, surely. While she might be Soren’s fated mate, they both knew she was leaving. Maeve didn’t want to take with her the guilt of stealing away any chance of happiness for kind Mister Soren. Knowing he and Briseis might have a chance together would make her glad.
Except, it absolutelydidn’t.
Neither did guessing that they hadn’t acted upon any supposed feelings for each other. Because that only led to an even more horrible line of questioning—whatdidthey feel for each other? And even worse—why did she care?
She didn’t want to. She didn’t mean to or need to.
She couldn’t afford to.
There was enough to sort out for herself without also helping the hapless Mister Soren. Lady Aislinn hadn’t yet responded to Sorcha’s letter inquiring about possible positions for Maeve; Connor was still sleeping outside, and Blaire was still walking on eggshells around her; and her mother and Sorcha were beginning to make plans for how Maeve could help around the estate now that she wasback home.
So much to do. A downright headache.
She didn’t realize she’d sighed until Soren asked quietly, “Are you all right?”
“Oh, yes.” Clearing her throat, Maeve said, “My mind is just busy.”Mostly because of you.
She had far too much to worry about, and yet the quiet manticore beside her had come to dominate her thoughts.
I should just ask him. Maeve rarely had an issue being forthright—be clear, be direct, that was her mindset.
And yet, quite unlike her usual self, she found herself…wavering. As if she…didn’t want to know his answer.
Asking directly also might make him uncomfortable. He was already so embarrassed about what he did when he lost his feather—how might he react if she touched the soft spot of Briseis? No, perhaps best to observe a little longer.
Instead, Maeve changed the subject. “Kiri is doing well as always. I may run out of things to teach him before the year is up.”
Praising Kiri was an easy way to get the otherwise taciturnSoren—if not talking then at least in a good mood. His whiskers twitched, and he ducked his head, as if he could hide how proud he was to hear it.
“He’s very bright,” Soren said. “Always taken to learning.”
“Since he’s the oldest and the most advanced, I may start giving him some of my old university materials to work on.”
