“Then it’ll be all the easier. I’ll petition the prince that the soldier is just a soldier and was never set out to be a lord in the first place, and ask that my ancestral lands be returned to me to govern properly. If he holds some objection to joining the two houses, then Priscilla can hold the seat here in my stead. After all, we both have Northall blood in us, the late lord was my mother’s elder brother.”
“You really think you can make her leave?”
“If not, we can always resort to your methods.” He waved a flippant hand.
Yvette shuffled.
Victor came to her, pinching her chin delicately. “You did very well, my darling.” Her heart swelled at his praise. His breath tickled her lips. “Make sure to wear something breathtaking to this dinner tonight.” He released her and turnedtoward the door. “And fix your hair. We can’t have you looking like a common whore.”
And then he was gone.
Yvette pulled the fur tighter around her shoulders. It was an imperfect man whom her heart had chosen to love. He was impatient, and she knew his cruelty got the better of him at times. But she had also seen his capacity for great kindness, the way he cared for and defended her and his sister. She shuddered to imagine returning to the life from which he’d pulled her out of. Victor was their protector, that position put pressures on him, she knew. And he tried.
She pulled her knees in and hugged them close. That’s what love was, seeing past all the ugly and terrible things about a person and loving them for the good.
Caspian
“The Redfield party should be arriving soon,” Lionel informed him, matching his stride as Caspian crossed the great hall.
Caspian nodded absently. His mind was scattered with nerves. He hadn’t seen Keira since they’d arrived, but he’d assigned a pair of maids to make sure she had everything she needed, including a dress for tonight. Where they’d find one was beyond him, but they’d seemed enthusiastic enough when he’d told them to spare no expense.
After he had washed away the days of travel and dressed in fresh clothes, his time had been spent catching up with all the matters that had required his attention while he was away. That had eaten away what remained of the afternoon, and there was still more to be done. Ordinarily, he would eat his meal alone as he worked through them all, late into the night if need be, but not tonight.
“You should be aware, sir,” Lionel continued in a lower tone, “that Lord Redfield was quite aggrieved by your absence when they arrived.”
Caspian sighed.
“You would do well to make him feel welcome tonight. He is eager to begin the betrothal arrangements.”
He shook his head. “No, there will be no betrothal.”
“Sir?” Lionel stopped, looking at him in uncharacteristic shock. The expression lasted only a moment before he righted himself, though still a gravity weighed on his features.
“I cannot go through with it, not anymore. I need to find a way to-” Caspian rubbed his brow.
“I feel I must caution you against any hasty decisions, my lord,” he warned.
“There is nothing hasty about it,” Caspian said surely. “If anything, it is long overdue. I just- I don’t know how to go about things to avoid resentment or embarrassment… for either of us.”
“If you are intent on backing out now, it will have to be managed with care…” Lionel paused thoughtfully. “May I make an assumption?”
Caspian nodded, much preferring he spoke his mind plainly.
“It stands to reason that this sudden change of course would be due to your newest guest?”
Again he nodded as they entered the dining hall. The room was dominated by a polished oak table. The Northall coat of arms hung on the far wall, lest anyone forget whose keep this was. Caspian was meant to sit beneath the bear’s gaze, which always gave him the eerie sense that it was watching him, measuring him against his predecessors. He avoided eating here unless he was entertaining guests, which was also a habit he avoided. The heaviness of the evening’s expectations settled on his shoulders again, eased only by the thought that Keira would be there.
“It might be prudent to send her elsewhere, until the matter with the Redfields is resolved-”
“No.” The word came out harsher than he’d meant it, though no softer than he felt about the idea. He could hardly stand having her out of his sight. Sending her away- It was untenable.
Lionel sighed. “Very well, my lord. Would you like my further guidance in this matter?”
“As long as it doesn’t involve Keira, yes.”
The steward nodded, his reply silenced as the Redfields entered the hall from the opposite door nearest the East Wing. Victor was dressed in a black doublet embroidered with blood red vines stretching across his chest. His red half cape was fastened with a pin in the shape of a silver hound.
Priscilla looked up at Caspian shyly from her brother’s side. Her golden hair was half up, allowing the rest to fall over her shoulder in buoyant curls. Her dress hung from the very edges of her shoulders, exposing the skin down to her collarbones. The gown itself was red velvet with another lighter material making up the low hanging sleeves that fluttered about her with every gesture.
