Reyn nodded and turned back to Giorden.
Reyn had disappeared. Velario had finished his dance with Alenna, but when he looked for Reyn—hoping they could retire to the card room, even if they couldn’t leave for the night yet—she was nowhere to be found. He scanned the entire crowd on the dance floor, prowled around the refreshments table, and poked his head into the card room. He didn’t see her anywhere.
When he entered the card room for the third time, standing by the door without going in any farther, Danten excused himself from his game and made his way over.
“What has gotten into you tonight?”
“Have you seen Reyn?”
“When I danced with her, but not since.”
Danten had danced with Reyn before Giorden. “Giorden is besotted with Jianna, right? He wouldn’t do anything to make her doubt him, would he?”
“You don’t think Giorden and Reyn . . .”
“No.” Velario closed his eyes. He didn’t think Giorden would try anything with Reyn. He had seen the other man around her before, and whatever the lure in Reyn’s voice, it didn’t seem to affect Giorden much. His eyes were only for Jianna of late. Velario knew Reyn could handle herself, too, if he had completely misjudged Giorden.
He opened his eyes. “Just keep an eye out, will you? If you see Reyn, tell her I’ve been looking for her.”
Velario returned to the ballroom. Maybe he kept looking in the wrong places at the wrong times, and sheer bad luck had prevented him from crossing paths with Reyn. He planted himself near a wall with a good view of most of the room and waited.
Not two minutes passed before he saw her, entering the ballroom from a door that led deeper into the house, on Giorden’s arm. A mix of worry and jealousy held him frozen.
He still stood next to the wall, fighting the urge to snatch Reyn from Giorden’s side and shout that she was his, when they made it across the room.
“There, delivered directly to Lord Velario’s side, as promised. Thank you, Lady Reyn.”
Reyn inclined her head. “My pleasure. Now go return to your lady’s side.”
Giorden nodded at Velario, but didn’t waste time exchanging pleasantries—thank the heavens.
“What were—”
Reyn pressed a finger to Velario’s lips, shushing him. “I was hoping you’d go for a walk with me in the gardens. We can speak there.”
“The gardens? It is freezing out.”
“It is also private. But don’t worry. We won’t freeze. Giorden told me there is a greenhouse, kept warm even in the depths of winter.”
Velario recalled the greenhouse. It was close enough to the back doors of the ballroom that they could dash across the space before getting too chilled. If Reyn wanted to go somewhere private before they spoke, he wouldn’t argue.
They slipped out of the ballroom and ran to the greenhouse. Velario searched for the latch to the door in the darkness while Reyn shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms. When he got the door open, she jumped inside. He followed and closed the door as quickly as possible.
“Come here.” Velario took off his jacket and swung it around Reyn’s shoulders, pulling her against him in the same motion. He should have offered her his jacket earlier, but he had been too intent on getting them inside the greenhouse.
“I’m fine,” Reyn said, but she burrowed closer anyway.
“So, where did you go with Giorden?”
“Don’t trust me?” She didn’t sound angry.
“I trust you.”
“Don’t trust Giorden?”
“I trust him, too.”
A hint of laughter gave Reyn’s next words a husky edge. “Jealous?”
