To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)(36)
Yavi rested his hands on his hips, sighing. “I agree. There is no need for Graciella to go, unless you wish me to accompany you as well. In that case, we shouldn’t leave her here at the palace alone.”
Yajna shook his head. “No, brother, stay here at the palace to keep watch over it and Darpan. Jiandra and I will take a small guard detail in case of trouble on the roads.”
“Good, then that’s settled,” Yavi said.
Jiandra turned to Yajna. “How soon can we depart?”
§
Graciella hugged her cloak around her shoulders as she stood by Yavi, bidding her sister and brother-in-law farewell.
Jiandra squeezed her hand. “We’ll return in two or three days.”
“Safe journey, Jia.”
“The stone protects me.”
Graciella smiled. “Well, then, keep Yajna safe.”
Jiandra grinned at her husband over her shoulder. “Will do.”
“Godspeed, brother.” Yavi clasped Yajna’s wrist, and Yajna returned the gesture before helping Jiandra into the coach. Two guards led the coach on horseback, and two more rode behind as they set off.
Once they had disappeared through the main gate, Graciella glanced up at Yavi.
He offered her a taut smile. “Well. Shall we go back inside, get you in out of the cold?”
She nodded, shivering, and followed him up the steps. He didn’t offer her his arm as he normally would, perhaps distracted or in a hurry. Once they were inside, Wolfan shut the heavy wooden door behind them.
Yavi inclined his head to her. “I must see to some palace business.”
“Of course.”
“Please let me know if you have need of anything.”
She nodded, and he turned to go. When he was out of sight, she smiled. Two or three days alone with Yavi in the palace, albeit under grim circumstances. Still, it was a golden opportunity, and she would definitely take advantage of it if she possibly could.
§
“Emperor Yavi, Miss Stovy requests your assistance in the kitchen,” Tinni said, bowing.
Yavi looked up from his book on warfare tactics. He’d managed to avoid seeing her all afternoon, and was determined to stick to his vow of not visiting her in the kitchen while she cooked. “What’s this about, Tinni?”
“She wants to ask you some questions about making your mother’s Talún.”
Bloody hell. He could not say no to that—it was a well-meaning gesture on Graciella’s part. He closed his book and sighed. “All right, Tinni. Tell her I’m on my way.”
§
Graciella placed the jar of garlic all the way at the back of the top shelf, then climbed down off the tall crate with the step stool and pushed the crate to the back of the larder. She placed some sacks of flour on top of the crate, arranging them casually, then stored the step-stool by the door and went back into the kitchen to stir the lentils. She’d sent Wilten to the solar to cut a bowl full of the thyme that was growing in pots there, hoping the girl would tarry long enough for Graciella to be alone with Yavi a moment.
The kitchen door swung open, but she pretended not to notice, stirring her pot of lentils instead.
Yavi cleared his throat. “You sent for me, Miss Stovy?”
She glanced over her shoulder. His expression was stern.
“Yes, ah, I was hoping you could tell me the list of ingredients in your mother’s Talún once more, so I can make sure I have it right.”
“Yes, of course,” he answered curtly, unsmiling.
“I know it’s made of lentils, and I have them boiling now.”
His expression softened a bit as he moved a closer to peer down at the beans in the kettle. “She boiled them with onion quarters and sprigs of thyme,” he murmured softly, not making eye contact with her.
“Oh, let me cut up an onion then. Wilten went to get some thyme.” She turned to her worktable and quickly quartered three onions, adding those to the pot and stirring them in.
He watched her work. “She cooked finely chopped carrots with garlic and oil in a skillet. And it has rice. You mix the rice in to make the loaf hold together.”
“All right, I’ll start the rice in a minute.”
Wilten appeared with a bowl full of cut thyme sprigs and curtsied to them both before setting it on the worktable. Yavi spoke to her in Nandalan, and the girl curtsied again, grabbed another empty bowl, and left. He turned to Graciella. “I told her to go cut some sage and oregano as well. As I recall, those go in with the cooked lentils and rice at the end.”
“So I’ll need some garlic…” Graciella went into the larder and pretended to search for garlic. “Oh, I think it’s way up high on the top shelf,” she called over her shoulder, moving the step stool close to the foot of the shelves.
Yavi appeared in the doorway and watched as she positioned the step stool, climbed up to the top, then stretched as far as she could reach, tiptoeing up on one foot to reach farther. The step stool teetered a bit.
“You’d better get down and let me do it,” he scolded, coming a little closer.
“No, I’ve almost got it.” Almost. She just needed him to move a tiny bit closer.
He did, so she wobbled on the step stool again. “Graciella…” he warned, holding out his arms.
She pushed the step stool with her toes just enough to make it topple, and right on cue, Yavi caught her. She managed to land with her arms around his neck, buoyed up against his firm chest as he held her with his arms tight around her waist.