“What’s happened?” Callum asked. Amos gave him a quick rundown.
“And you think Paul is behind it?” he clarified.
“Yes. I can’t prove it, but I know it’s him.” Amos picked up his water and chugged it, wishing it was something stronger. “We have to leave after the wedding, but I don’t want Amelia to know why.”
“She can handle it,” Callum said. “There’s nothing weak about that girl.”
Amos snorted. Yes, she could. “I know, but it’s her wedding day. I’m not going to ruin it by telling her that her brother and best friend are riding off into battle.” He met Callum’s steady gaze. “Because that’s what this is. When we get home, we’re going to war.”
“Do you think she’ll hate me?” Clover asked Amos as they dressed for the coronation dinner.
“You’re her best friend,” Amos reminded her. “She could never hate you.”
Clover didn't believe that. Amelia might view her deception as betrayal, and if she were honest with herself, no matter how she justified it, it was. It wasn’t that different from what her family and Amos had done to her. She’d give anything to take back how she’d acted.
To ignore him for four years was beyond petty. The situation with Jennifer exacerbated it, and he deserved her ire, but cutting him off was extreme. Her actions disgusted her, and she hatedherself even more that it took her being in this same position to understand it.
“I’m sorry for ignoring you for four years,” Clover said, swallowing around the knot in her throat. “That was a selfish thing for me to do.”
Amos turned to her, brows drawn. “You were a teenager changing from a child to a woman. Kids that age have a hard enough time regulating their emotions on a normal day. You experienced something traumatic, and I don’t blame you for how you reacted.”
“You were also a teenager with the responsibility of a kingdom on your shoulders. I aged out of childhood during those four years, yet I gave you no grace.”
“You forgave me,” he countered, “and that’s all that matters.”
“Will you forgive me?” She moved closer to wrap her arms around him. “I’m not above groveling.”
Amos wiggled his eyebrows. “In that case, I have a few ideas.”
Clover sat at a table on a large stage in the royal dining hall beside Fawn, the maid who’d shown her to her rooms. The group at the table adored Amelia, and Clover sent a silent thanks to the gods that her friend had found a family here.
Clover watched the door, waiting for Amelia to walk in. Amos would be here soon too. Her friend strode through the door on Rennick’s arm, and Clover slowly got to her feet when Amelia’s eyes met hers.
“Clover?” Amelia’s voice carried, and people started to stare. Clover didn’t care.
She and Amelia moved at the same time and came together in a fierce hug. Clover begged the gods that Amelia was a better person than she was and forgave her.
“I knew you were my friend,” Amelia croaked against Clover’s shoulder.
She hadn’t known for sure they were friends? Clover pushed her back, devastated that she’d ever made Amelia feel that way. “You thought we weren’t friends?”
Amelia waved her off. “It’s an inside joke I had with myself. You rarely spoke, and sometimes I thought you were simply too polite to tell me to leave you alone, but deep down, I knew that wasn’t the case.”
Clover laughed, relief rushing through her. “I don’t like to talk, but I like to listen. You always had a lot to say.” An understatement.
“Did you get my note?” Amelia asked. “I dropped it in your mail slot at the house.” Clover must have made a face because Amelia’s brows lowered. “What is it?”
She decided not to tell Amelia that her brother had kidnapped her. “I moved home,” she replied, choosing her words carefully.
Amelia’s hand flew to her mouth. “You left without saying goodbye?”
Clover’s hands twisted together as she took in Amelia’s crestfallen expression. She decided not to grovel later tonight. The look on Amelia’s face was punishment enough. “I knew where you’d be and had planned to visit after you settled in,” she explained.
Amos approached them, his eyes glued to Clover. “We need to take this somewhere private.”
Rennick agreed and shuffled them through a side door that led into an elegant sitting room.
“What is this place?” Amelia asked, surveying the room. “Why would a gaudy sitting room be connected to the dining hall?”
