The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)(71)
“Thank you.” I pushed a little, to study her reaction. “I’m so looking forward to spending more time with you and Lady Chey in the solar. I’ve missed our talks.”
Her expression was nothing but politeness.
Tobiah cast an uninterested glance and turned to murmur something to James. The lieutenant grinned, first at his prince, then at me.
Meredith and I exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Melanie and I were dismissed.
Several more lords and ladies and prominent merchants wealthy enough to keep the king’s attention were announced, and the ballroom grew stiflingly hot.
Melanie leaned toward me, her voice low. “Meredith seemed delighted to see you.”
“An act, I’m sure. She’s probably annoyed that when I join her in the solar, she and her ladies will have to stop gossiping about me. I wonder what they say. Did you go while I was ill?”
“I’m not important enough to go without you. But we could bribe some of the guards to repeat conversations. No one ever notices them, let alone important ladies.” She wore a pleasant smile as she gazed around the room. “Oh, the prince is watching you.”
I glanced over my shoulder, catching the prince’s eye before he leaned toward James again.
“Careful, there.” Melanie gave a low chuckle. “Meredith seems nice, but if she thinks you’re interested in him, I bet she’ll find a way to remove your head.”
I nodded with exaggerated seriousness. “She’s fiercely good with a needle. I wouldn’t want to anger her.”
Melanie grinned.
We mingled with the other guests until the music began, then took our partners in the lines of dancers. I still didn’t feel as confident in my dancing as I’d have liked, but this time I knew more of the steps and kept up with my partner, a count from another region of the kingdom.
He rambled on about his control of sheep farmers and wheat mills, and I responded where appropriate, but my mind kept wandering. A tree, maybe, or a rooftop. Somewhere dark and dangerous. In my mind, my partner was a boy in all black, and our music was the clashing of blades. Our dance was leaping and cutting and pulling the other back to their feet.
After the first dance ended, Tobiah helped his mother and father stand and the room fell quiet.
“Thank you all for joining me tonight.” Terrell’s voice wasn’t quite feeble, but he was certainly struggling to make himself heard. Several people in the back of the room shifted forward, and others began repeating his speech for those who couldn’t hear. “There are so many people to be grateful to: firstly, my wife, Francesca, and my son, Tobiah. I wish I could say they are my life, but as a king, that hasn’t always been true. There have been so many times when my wife and son have come second, or third, or worse. Nevertheless, they’ve stood by me, and now my son prepares for his marriage and eventual reign as king. As a father—and as a king—I couldn’t be prouder.”
Francesca and Tobiah gave Terrell warm smiles, and the audience clapped politely. The applause didn’t last long; the king continued, and everyone had to strain to hear again, if they were interested at all.
I spent the remainder of his speech observing the guests. There were many I didn’t recognize. Perhaps I’d be able to pry James from Tobiah’s side and receive a bit more of his gossip.
The speeches went on. Tobiah and his mother each spoke, droning about how much they loved and appreciated Terrell, what a great king he was, and how hard he worked to serve the people of the Indigo Kingdom.
The crowd grew restless and, from across the room, I caught James’s eye. He quirked a smile and subtly scratched his ear with his smallest finger. At the rude implication, I hid a chuckle under a fake cough. The bodyguard’s smile widened.
Melanie elbowed me. “Stop it.”
I signaled for James to dance with me once the speeches were over. His eyebrows lifted, but he nodded.
From beside his father, Prince Tobiah frowned in my direction.
At last the speeches were finished and the music began. I tried to catch James’s eye again as dancers began pairing off, but Tobiah had him cornered. Melanie had already accepted someone’s invitation to dance, so I wandered alone toward the terrace. The glass doors were closed against the night chill, and it was too bright inside to see anything outside, but I pretended I was studying the stars, while really watching the reflections of dancers behind me.
“Your Highness. My lord,” I said as they appeared on either side of me. Tobiah offered a glass of wine, which I accepted. “Thank you.”
“I must caution you about venturing outside,” said the prince. “It’s cold, and you’ve been ill.”
“But Lady Julianna was wise enough to bring a shawl and gloves. We won’t keep her long.” James pushed open one of the large doors, and a gust of wind made all the candles flicker, but we were all three outside a moment later.
The terrace faced west, toward the wraithland. The odd scoop of the Midvale Ridge stood silhouetted in the night sky.
I walked ahead of the boys, past the glass tables and cushioned chairs, hardly realizing I was moving. I held my shawl closed with one hand, and rested my wineglass on the twisted iron railing.
What had I done in that desolate place? I couldn’t have brought the wraith to life; my magic didn’t work like that. The life it gave objects wasn’t true life. It was just . . . temporary animation. A temporary compulsion for otherwise inanimate objects to do my bidding.