“Took over one of the libraries for my studies?”
“You can have the big one.”
“What about last night?”
Caspian looked her square in the eye. “You defended yourself.”
Keira nodded heavily.
When she didn’t say anything else, Caspian began to fix plates for them both in silence.
“I can’t live here all the time,” Keira said, popping a strawberry into her mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I just like to be out. I haven’t spent this much timein,well, in forever.”
“You can leave anytime you want.”
“For how long?”
Caspian cocked his head, troubled. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if one day… I had been thinking that if eventually I was partially responsible for…all this….” Keira got tangled in her own thoughts. Was she being utterly presumptive? “being away for a month at a time would be an inconvenience for you and…”
He nodded, following her trail of assumptions until she was blushing. “I’m the lord of Northall, and I enjoy the responsibilities that entails. I like looking after the people. But even if we were married, that doesn’t shoulder you with my responsibilities. It is also common for lords to take holidays, during certain seasons. I assure you that Lionel is perfectly capable of running this house without me in the way.”
Keira nodded thoughtfully.
“I still have to meet your party, remember?”
A smile spread over her cheeks at the image of Caspian at Grimlocke House.
He shared in the levity before then his expression sobered once more. “Today is a day where I have an unfortunately large number of obligations.”
“The festival,” Keira said, nodding in understanding.
“Will you come down with me?”
Keira swallowed a mouthful of bacon. “I’m not ready yet.”
“Of course,” Caspian said, standing. He placed a hand on her cheek before leaning in to kiss her hair.
“I will come tonight though, at least I’ll try. I just- Being around so many people again…. I need some time.”
He watched with understanding, though beneath was a glimmer of disappointment. “Take the time you need, Keira.”
Yvette
Yvette stood shivering in Victor’s shadow. He’d insisted they be a part of the small gathering of nobles that had accompanied Lord Caspian into the village for the festival. She didn’t understand why. As much as he was trying to hide it, she could see he was clearly miserable. He’d always hated anything he felt was common, feared it even, as if it would infect him with its inferiority.But he loves me anyway, a small and sparing voice in her head reassured her.He’s never looked at me like that,and there had hardly been a more common figure than herself when he had found her.
Even though she was now dressed the lady, that part of her which had sheltered in gutters and begged for bread still existed. Normally it huddled in a dark corner of her mind, but now it perked up, surveying the Holly Festival.The children look happy here. No one is starving,it thought. It marveled at the smell of sweet loaves in the air and the boughs of holly that decorated the town square.Perhaps if we had lived here, it would have been different.
Yvette hardened herself against the thought. She still didn’t understand how that pitiful memory of herself was such a hopeful creature.Of course nothing would have been different,Yvette scolded.We would have been the same.It retreated to its dark corner as Yvette straightened, bringing herself back to thepresent. Even as she tried to turn her thoughts away, she could still feel its weeping.
“Straighten up, sister,” Victor said.
Priscilla was standing at his side, dressed in a gown of icy blue with white fur trims. Pink rouge had been set on her cheeks to give them a winter kissed look. Her blonde hair was worked into a tight braided bun. What lovely bait.
