The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1)(17)

The surprise in his voice was fair. If a Coroan was going to visit anywhere, Isolte was the easiest place to go . . . though perhaps not the most welcoming.

“No. My father is always working, and if he travels, he prefers to go alone or with Mother. I’ve asked to go to Eradore—I heard the beaches there are breathtaking—but it’s never happened.” I didn’t want to say that I’d stopped asking ages ago, when it became clear they wouldn’t have minded my company so much if I’d had the common sense to be born a boy, or at least have come after I had a brother. But that didn’t happen, and I didn’t know where the blame for that belonged, but they decided it was mine.

I had Delia Grace anyway; she was better than a long ride in a stuffy carriage, regardless of the destination. That’s what I told myself.

He hoisted the bag back up onto his shoulder. “Well, I’m sure His Majesty will take you anywhere your heart desires. It sounds as if he’d do anything for a lady he rescued from a freezing river.” He made a teasing face.

“That happened before you even got here! And it wasn’t frozen! And I was defending myself from an onslaught of berries. If anything, I didn’t do enough.”

“I’d have liked to have seen that,” he commented playfully. “The ladies back in Isolte don’t even bend to touch their hands to the water, much less risk slipping in.”

“Probably for the best. That river claimed a very dear pair of shoes.”

He laughed, kicking at the stone floor idly. “Well, I suppose I should find Sullivan. The staff was kind enough to find a space for us to work, and it’ll be nice to feel . . . useful.”

“I know what you mean. Which reminds me, have you seen a seamstress’s or dresser’s room back this way? I’m looking for thread.”

“Yes,” he answered enthusiastically. “Take the next stairway to the second floor. There isn’t a door on the room, so you should be able to see it.”

“Ah. Well, thank you very much, Silas.”

He nodded his head. “Anytime, Lady Hollis.”

He hurried on his way, and I walked back to the stairwell, thinking that it was much darker back here than I was used to. As I climbed the stairs, I thought upon the countless visits of kings and dignitaries, of emissaries and representatives that had happened since my family made Keresken Castle our primary residence. I’d seen people from all over the continent. And yet, speaking in the hallway with Silas Eastoffe marked the first time I’d ever spoken to a foreigner.

I was surprised to find he was not so different from me, not so difficult to see at home within these castle walls.





Eight




THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE KNOCK came right on time.

“Which do you think it is?” Delia Grace wondered aloud. “Either gifts from His Majesty or another lord coming to seek your favor?’

I avoided her eyes, unsure how this would unfold. “Neither.”

“Lady Nora Littrell,” the maid announced as my guest rounded the corner.

“What’s she doing here?” Delia Grace asked under her breath.

“I invited her,” I clarified, standing to greet my guest. “Thank you for coming, Lady Nora.”

“Happy to be here. What can I do for you?”

I swallowed, knowing the following statement would shock Delia Grace. “I’ve asked you here to offer you a position in my household.”

Sure enough, Delia Grace looked positively aghast as she sputtered, “What? Why her?”

“Because she was lady enough to apologize when she did something foolish, and gracious enough not to hold my own foolishness against me.” I looked back at my dearest friend. “Our reach at court is limited. Lady Nora knows people we don’t, and she’s bright. As you’ve pointed out, I need all the help I can get.”

At that Delia Grace dropped her head, blushing, looking as if she were crushing her teeth together behind her lips.

“Granted, my place isn’t official yet,” I began again, looking back to Nora, “but if you want it, I’d like you both to be in my entourage. Delia Grace, of course you will be primary lady-in-waiting, and Nora, if you want to join us, you can be a lady-in-waiting as well. If things continue like they have been, and Jameson proposes, I will ask for your help in assembling the rest of my household, so that we can assure that it is the happiest it could possibly be. And, naturally, any favor that comes upon me, I will gladly share with you.”

Nora walked over, taking my hands. “I’d love to be your lady! Hollis, thank you!” Her smile was genuine, and any resentment she’d harbored toward me for winning Jameson’s heart was clearly gone. Maybe it had never even been there to begin with.

Delia Grace, however, was still fuming.

I stared evenly at her. “This will only work if the two of you can cooperate. You are very different ladies with different personalities and gifts, and I don’t know how I’m to get through this without you both. Please.”

Delia Grace’s arms were crossed, her expression unmistakably telling me I’d just betrayed her in the deepest way possible.

“I was always going to have to get other ladies. You suggested it yourself,” I reminded her.

“I know. I just didn’t think . . . She’ll answer to me, right?” Delia Grace asked.