“Then Velario and I cannot wait to attend,” Reyn told Fideo.
Velario smiled and nodded.
He was going to give Selona the worst jobs imaginable at the bank for the next year for forcing him to pretend to court Lady Reyn. He’d put her in charge of dealing with the people who insisted they should have access to their Families’ accounts. No, Selona might actually like setting those fools in their places. He’d make her refill all the stamps—the ink stains would infuriate her. And there were always more stamps to be refilled.
Reyn had toadmit, needling Velario when he couldn’t retaliate was fun. She had never expected her shield of inanity to prove useful in quite that way, but watching him struggle to keep up when he couldn’t resort to overt insults was a pleasure. She knew exactly how she would get through this ruse with her sanity intact.
She had been nervous when they first entered the park. She knew she could pull off the act, but she wasn’t sure if Velario would even try. Reyn did not want to go out and make moon-eyes at Velario while he belittled her. But he hadn’t. He hadn’t exactly doted on her, but he was civil. If anything, she had come out ahead.
Still, it was a relief that this first excursion was almost over.
Velario was steering them back toward the entrance to the park. They had probably been seen plenty for the day. Of course, deciding that they had done enough did not mean they could escape without further encounters. Before they were even halfway across the park, Velario stiffened.
Reyn looked off to the right, where Velario’s eyes had darted before he began staring straight ahead. Ah, Lord Enzi, Velario’s future competition for the throne. Reyn had to admit, she did not much care for the other lord, either. But unlike Velario, she did not antagonize those she disliked. Well, not unless antagonizing them served a purpose. Or amused her.
She was grateful that Velario’s presence would keep Enzi away. Despite the amusement she had enjoyed at Velario’s expense this afternoon, she was not in the mood to deal with another man she had to don a polite, charming mask for. Not that there were many men or women she felt comfortable being herself around.
Unfortunately, Reyn judged the situation incorrectly. Lord Enzi did not share Velario’s preference for avoiding those he disliked. Or maybe her presence at his rival’s side was enough to draw his curiosity. Whatever the reason, Enzi made a beeline for them and intercepted them well before they could escape the park and the social expectations therein.
“Lady Reyn and Lord Velario, what a surprise to see you two out and about this afternoon.”
Reyn felt Velario tense. She hurried to respond before him and hoped he’d let her take the lead in this conversation. “Lord Enzi, whatever can you mean? I come to the park almost every other afternoon.”
“But not with Lord Velario.”
“Well, no. You and Velario are both so busy with important matters, it is a wonder that you should both be out today. But Selona couldn’t accompany me today, and Velario could, and I am so glad, for I have had a positively delightful afternoon.”
At this point, Velario could not seem to hold back his antipathy any longer. He patted Reyn’s hand where it rested on his forearm and his voice was an icy-toned gauntlet. “Yes, my cousin truly did me a favor today by suggesting I take Reyn for a stroll. We’ve discovered we have far more in common than I previously suspected. I doubt she’ll have to stroll around the park by herself much in the future.”
Reyn wanted to groan, but keeping in mind the ruse they needed to maintain, she smiled shyly at Velario instead. Then she turned back to Enzi. “Did you know Velario loves to sing, just as I do? I can’t wait to hear him.”
Velario’s smile didn’t waver, but Reyn knew he would make her pay for that comment somehow. His eyes sparked with threat. “I told you, Reyn, you’ll have to wait until we are in private. I don’t like audiences. I’ll make an exception for you—but only you.”
Time to shift the focus of the conversation—she couldn’t push him too far. “Do you sing, Lord Enzi?”
“I fear I lack the skill, but I admire those who share their talent with the world. Perhaps I shall host a musicale for you to make your Lhanaperan debut, Lady Reyn.”
“Oh, that would be delightful. I look forward to it.” Reyn didn’t mention Lady Dachsi’s musicale, which she had already volunteered to sing at. She knew better than to think Enzi would organize any such event—it required too much planning and work he’d find tedious, even if he hired people to take care of all the details.
Enzi bowed. “Then I will make the arrangements.”
Reyn smiled, confident that he would do no such thing.
Velario apparently shared her estimation of Enzi’s interest in organizing a large-scale event. He snorted. Quite audibly.
Enzi’s eyes narrowed. “You have something to say, Ferrini?”
Velario shrugged. “No. I look forward to getting the invitation, of course.”
“Of course,” Enzi said. His smile looked suspiciously like a grimace. He nodded at Reyn, turned, and walked further into the park.
Velario waited until Enzi had gone beyond hearing distance, then raised an eyebrow at Reyn. “I hope you don’t actually expect him to organize a musicale solely for your benefit.”
She rolled her eyes. “He wouldn’t organize a card party for anyone’s benefit. The most he’ll do is mention it in passing to his mother.”
“Who also won’t do such a thing, because she will have heard that you are going to sing at Lady Dachsi’s musicale.” Velario led them out of the park and onto a road narrow enough that the buildings blocked the wind completely.
Reyn flexed her fingers, which felt a little frozen in their grip on Velario’s arm, even with her gloves. “Even if we had never spoken to Fideo about such a thing, she wouldn’t organize a musicale for Enzi. I don’t know Lady Sablon well enough to guess if she might help Enzi if he told her his reasons for wanting to host an event, but he wouldn’t do that. He’d merely say something out of the blue and expect her to understand that he wants her to take care of the details.”
