A Lady Under Siege(73)

“Then how about this? Thomas! No more talking to Meghan, or even about Meghan, when you’re with Sylvanne. You hear me, pal? Looking into her eyes and telling her you see someone else in there—that’s a total non-starter. That’s pretty much guaranteed to turn her off, my man. If you want to win the poor girl’s heart, do not even say the word Meghan. You hear me?”

“I think that would be good, actually,” Meghan said. “Yes. She’s just so weary of him constantly talking at her, rather than to her. So I agree—give her a break, Thomas. No talking to me. Talk to her.”

“See? Once in a while I have a good idea,” Derek said.

“Once, anyway.”

“Here’s another one. Thinking only of you and Thomas, of course—there’s another way to get you two unrequited lovebirds together.”

“Don’t.”

“No really. Come on. If you and I were to hook up, even for a casual thing, it wouldn’t be casual for Thomas, or for you. The two of you tried to get together through Sylvanne, and it didn’t work out, because Sylvanne wasn’t part of the coalition of the willing. Well I am! Hell, I’m volunteering right now. Sign me up!”

“It wouldn’t feel the same,” Meghan objected.

“Don’t reject it outright. Why don’t we ask Thomas what he thinks about it? You sleep on it, then let me know what he has to say. Let him have the last word.”





36





Mabel never returned to Sylvanne’s room in the morning. The meal was brought by a young guardsman, who placed a plate and cup inside the door, and lingered there, leering at her, until she screamed at him to get out. Then she was alone again, lying in a fetal curl on the bed, obsessing over every pain and emanation from her body.

She must have slept most of the day, for when she awoke again the sun was streaming into her bedroom as it did in mid-afternoon. She opened her eyes to see Daphne standing beside her bed, peering down at her.

“You haven’t been to visit me today. Are you unwell?” the young girl asked her.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sylvanne answered flatly.

“It does to me. You’re my friend. Truly my only one.”

“Then you have none. My friendship was a falsehood. It was an act, meant to gain me favour with your father.”

“That’s a lie,” Daphne cried.

“I’m not a monster. I do like you. You’re an innocent in this, and I feel sorry for you. But my sympathy doesn’t change the facts.”

“I need your friendship,” the young girl pleaded, moving close and touching Sylvanne’s sleeve. Sylvanne pulled her arm away and sat up in the bed.

“You can’t have it. Leave me alone just now. Go. Please. Get out.”

Daphne seemed rooted to the spot. Sylvanne slid her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. Daphne came to her, wanting to embrace her, but Sylvanne shoved her away so roughly that the young girl stumbled and fell to the floor.

“Now look what I’ve done,” Sylvanne murmured. “Please just go. Today it seems I am a monster.”

“You break my heart!” Daphne cried. She pulled herself to her feet, her face streaming tears, just as her father appeared in the doorway.

“What are you doing out of your bed? You’re not well enough to be wandering alone,” he scolded her.

“I wanted to see Sylvanne,” she whimpered.

“Perhaps she doesn’t wish to see you just now.”

“She doesn’t want to see me ever!” she wailed. She pushed her way past her father out the door. As the sound of her sobs faded with her retreating footsteps, Thomas glared at Sylvanne, the anger in his eyes tempered by self-blame for the whole sad fiasco.

She stood before him defiantly. He brought his temper under control, and reminded himself why he had come. “I don’t want us to be enemies anymore,” he said softly. “Last night I slept fitfully, and in my sleep, communication came from Meghan. I have something of great import to tell you, Sylvanne. Meghan has made me promise—she has made me swear to you that what I attempted to do to you last night will not be repeated. You have nothing more to fear from me. I came to apologize, you see—it was your beauty that truly beguiled me, and I made you suffer for it. From today forward, after these few moments, I will do my best to leave Meghan aside, and speak only to you, and you alone. But for one last time I need to speak to her now. May I?”