The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1)(63)

“Promise me you won’t go before the dessert. Lady Eastoffe has ordered apple cakes, and apparently it’s Isolten tradition for one to be crumbled over my head for luck.”

Mother laughed, and I counted that rare event as a wedding gift. “You’re going to be covered in crumbs?”

“Yes. But I figure I get to eat some of the dessert before anyone else, so I can’t complain.”

She shook her head. “Always looking on the bright side.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before speaking again. “I wish I’d been able to appreciate that more.”

“There’s still time,” I whispered.

She nodded, tears in her eyes. I could see she was still broken from everything that had happened, but it also looked like she wanted to move forward. I hoped there was still room for me in her heart.

“We’ll stay for the apple cakes,” Father promised. “But after that, we really do have to go. There are . . . things we have to tend to at the castle.”

I nodded. “I understand. Will you tell the king how happy I looked? And that I wish him the same happiness?”

Father let out a long breath. “I . . . I’ll say what feels appropriate in the moment.”

That wasn’t the answer I’d wanted. I’d hoped for a better future for the king, for his blessing on mine. Apparently, my parents didn’t think this was a possibility.

I curtsied and let Silas lead me away. “I wanted them here, but that was hard.”

“Everyone’s adjusting,” he assured me. “Trust me, this will smooth itself out.”

“I hope so.”

“You can’t frown like that, Hollis. Not on your wedding day. If you don’t cheer up, you’re going to force me to ruin the surprise.”

I pulled him to a stop, watching that satisfied smirk on his face. “Surprise?”

He started humming.

“Silas Eastoffe, you tell me right now!” I demanded, pulling on his arm. He laughed until he decided to end the suspense.

Turning to me, he took my face in his hands. “I’m sorry I can’t take you to Isolte. But . . . I can take you to Eradore.”

I sucked in a breath. “We’re going? Do you mean it?”

He nodded. “I have to turn in two hunting knives by the end of next week, and once they’re done, we’re setting off for the coast.”

I flew at him, draping my arms around him. “Thank you!”

“I told you, I want to give you everything I can. This is only the beginning.”

“Hollis, might I borrow you for a moment?” Lady Eastoffe asked, coming up behind me.

“I can go greet more guests,” Silas offered.

“You’re going to have a very spoiled wife,” I warned him.

“Good!” he called, walking cheerfully to greet the closest couple.

“My Lady Eastoffe,” his mother greeted me, and I giggled with delight.

“It’s true! I’m finally an Eastoffe.”

“Just as you should be.” She wrapped an arm around me. “Before things get too hectic in here, I wanted to talk a moment. Would you join me outside?”

“Of course.”

She nodded her head toward the door, and we made our way into the garden. The sections toward the back were still a little overgrown, but anything a guest might see looked pristine. The tall, thick walls of shrubs made a perfect place to wander and think, and I had spent much of my time out here in the sun over the last two weeks. Now that very sun was setting over the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful shade of purple.

“It does my heart good to see you and Silas settled. Now no one can argue over your place, and I think it helps us, too. We’re tied to Coroa forever,” she said with a smile.

“It felt like such a tangled mess to get here, like it was going to be impossible. But look! It’s done. And people came to witness it, to be friendly. My parents are here. . . . It’s unbelievably perfect.”

“It is,” she agreed. “And I hope you remember this moment for the rest of your life. Marriage can be challenging, but if you can always come back to this place, to the love, to the vows, then everything will work itself out.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

She smiled, stopping. “Anytime. Now, the wedding makes things official, but there are other traditions that need to be honored as well. And it’s good luck to have something old, so I’m passing this on to you.”

Lady Eastoffe reached down to her right hand and slid a large sapphire ring off her finger, holding it up in the fading daylight. “This ring was once worn by a great man in Isolte. It was given to his fifth-born child—his third son—and it has been passed down through the Eastoffe family for generations. I know our past means little here, but it is deep and rich. One day, I will sit and tell you all the old stories. For now, you must wear this, and you must wear it with pride.”

She had stories for me. And I suspected Silas had tales of his own. Soon, they would be woven into my life as our histories became intertwined.

My fingers trembled as I reached out for this ring, one more thread in the tapestry. “It’s beautiful. But are you sure? Shouldn’t Scarlet have this?”

“I have other things to pass to her. But you are the wife of my eldest son, as I am the wife of an eldest son. It’s a tradition. And we Isoltens are nothing if not traditional.”