by Kiera Cass
“Your Majesty,” Uncle Reid greeted him, falling low to show his respect. Following suit, fighting every instinct in my body, I curtsied before that monster.
“Lord Northcott,” he addressed Uncle Reid, his voice bored. “You seem well. Who is with you?”
“My wife and my son, Etan. Then our relatives, Lady Eastoffe, Scarlet Eastoffe, and my newest niece, Hollis Eastoffe.”
At that, a hopeful blonde head peered around Uncle Reid’s, and I met eyes with Valentina, seated on her throne. She’d seemed so imposing the first time we met, so determined to leave a mark, good or bad, on anyone who passed her. Now she looked young and scared. She was trying to hide it, of course, as she’d grown accustomed to. Maybe it was seeing the face of a friend that brought her true feelings to the surface. She offered me a small smile, and I couldn’t help but smile in return, so happy to finally see her alive and well. She adjusted herself on her throne, so she could keep me in sight, and I just kept staring at her, wishing I could break every rule I’d learned so I could run up and embrace her.
But it didn’t take me long to realize that Valentina wasn’t the only one staring at me; Quinten was as well.
“Well, well. I’d heard that Jameson had lost his bride, but I didn’t think she’d end up in my court. What in the world are you doing here, child?” His voice, even painted in boredom, was menacing, and I had to take a steadying breath before answering.
“I am here with my family, Your Majesty. I am an Eastoffe now.”
He sat back in his throne, looking upon us with confusion. I couldn’t tell if he seemed thrown by the fact that I’d married into the family he’d tried to kill, or just that I hadn’t been slaughtered along with them. Whatever it was, he looked as unsettled as I felt.
“Are you to tell me you left a king for a craftsman? And a traitor to his kingdom, as well?”
“Silas Eastoffe spoke highly of Isolte all his life, Your Majesty. He was pained to leave it.” The diplomatic statement didn’t even require me to lie. Isolte was close to Silas’s heart. The land, the food, the customs . . . it was all still in the very fabric of his soul. The only thing here that drove Silas from his much-beloved home was the man speaking to me.
“Really?” Quinten asked in disbelief. “And if he is so fond of his homeland, why does he not dare to show his face now?”
That beast. He was going to make me say it. I looked around, noting all the curious eyes of his court, waiting for an answer. I willed myself not to cry.
“He’s . . .” My voice broke, and I took another breath. Etan’s thumb was there, rubbing on my hand where he held my arm aloft. Not alone, it said. I tried again. “He is dead, Your Majesty.”
Whatever his many weaknesses might be, King Quinten was quite the actor. His brow stayed furrowed as he took in the party of six, noting that there were several members who ought to be there but weren’t.
What’s more, the room was in shock as they took this in. A few people had silenced themselves as our conversation with the king went on, and now they were tapping those who were still talking on the shoulder, hurriedly whispering the news in their ears. There were only a few isolated murmured conversations happening as Quinten went to speak again.
“And Lady Eastoffe? Is your husband gone as well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Him and all three of my boys.” Her voice cracked on the last word, but she held herself together beautifully.
He sat there, studying us, and I couldn’t tell if he was pleased to see us here, honoring his son as he’d wished, or if he was disappointed to find his work was unfinished. Genuinely, his face was a mask of surprise.
It was such a cruel manipulation that I couldn’t look at it anymore. I turned my eyes away, and I caught sight of a man with a short graying beard and a hairline falling into retreat. His lip was trembling as he took in the news. Beside him, a woman was shaking her head as she whispered to her husband in disbelief. I knew Lord Eastoffe to be a good man, and I knew his sons to be followers of his footsteps. Even for people as chilly as the Isoltens, the loss of such fine men was a hard one to take.
“You were right,” I whispered to Etan. “No one knew.”
He pursed his lips, seeming displeased with this, and, quite suddenly, King Quinten was back to business.
“Widow Eastoffe, I gave your former quarters away when you left for Coroa, as was fitting for your behavior. But the Northcotts’ apartments are unchanged, and I think they will suit your number just fine. You may leave us.”
I curtsied and looked up at Valentina one last time. She nodded, seeming to want to comfort me with absolutely no way to do so. Etan began to turn, so I followed, switching hands in the process.
Etan quickly led us from the room, only slowing once we were in the hallway. I turned at the heartbreaking sound of Mother weeping behind us.
“It’s all right, Mother. No one will call you that, I’m sure,” Scarlet said comfortingly. It did little good.
Mother had her head tilted backward at an angle that looked rather painful, resting on Aunt Jovana’s shoulder. “Widow Eastoffe. I can’t bear it. I can’t.”
“Excuse me? Lady Eastoffe?”
Our eyes traveled to a man rushing from the main room, trying to catch us.
“Lady Eastoffe,” he said again, his voice pained, taking her hand. “It can’t be true?”
She offered a sad smile to this man. “Lord Odvar. I’m afraid it is.”
He shook his head. “The boys, too? Silas?”
She nodded. Before, I might not have noted how he singled Silas out. Now that I knew people once had their hopes tied to him, it made sense. There might still be people who had been waiting for him to return.
Lord Odvar turned to me. “And you? You’re young Silas’s widow?”
Oh, Mother was right—how that word cut. It labeled you with loss, taking everything else away. Forget lady, forget bride. I was someone who’d been robbed.
“I am, sir.”
He came over and extended his hand. Hesitantly, I offered him mine. He raised it to his lips and kissed it. “I would suppose you were a unique lady if you were truly once on the arm of a king.”
I ducked my head. “I was, sir. Once.”
“I won’t lie. I’m far more compelled to know you as the woman who stole the heart of a man like Silas Eastoffe. Welcome to Isolte.”
Thirteen
ETAN WALKED DECISIVELY DOWN THE hallways, which were so snug it was hard for two ladies in their full gowns to walk side by side. They were also much more mazelike than what I was used to, with branches breaking off leading to goodness knows where. I started studying the limited artwork, hoping I’d be able to find my way on my own if I mastered a few landmarks.
My hand still felt warm from where my new and unexpected friend Lord Odvar had taken it. It seemed, even in his death, Silas was making things better for me.
“Just here,” Etan said, ushering us all around a corner.
The stewards were already placing trunks inside the rooms, knowing without instruction where we’d be.
“Careful with that one,” Uncle Reid instructed as they moved his trunk. It was the last one, and thank goodness, because I needed all the eyes of this castle to disappear for a minute.
The entryway was spacious enough, if dim. I could see that the apartment, instead of going on and on like my last quarters at Keresken, simply led to four bedrooms.
“You have this one,” Aunt Jovana insisted, pointing Mother to what must have been the largest room, their room.
“No, no . . . I won’t put you out any more than I already have.”
“Then this one,” Etan said, moving her to what I assumed was his room.
“Girls, you don’t mind sharing, do you?” Uncle Reid asked. Scarlet and I smiled.
“We prefer it,” Scarlet answered for us.
“Excellent.”
Etan wordlessly claimed the room on the far right of the apartment, so Scarlet led us into the one left of it, and I was pleased to
find a large poster bed, several of those thin windows allowing light into the room, and an unlit fireplace against the wall that we shared with Etan.
Scarlet and I went to putting our things away: trunks at the foot of the bed, bags in the corner, dresses hung up to air out. I brought what I had, which was to say dresses more suited to the Coroan court than the Isolten one. But I knew Scarlet would share, and it was only a few days.
“Girls? Etan?” Uncle Reid called. “Come on out when you can.”
Etan beat us out into the main room, where Uncle Reid and Mother had their heads together and Aunt Jovana was smiling at them, seeming to admire their tenacity.
“Ah, here you are,” Uncle Reid greeted us. “We’ve made it through our arrival, and now we need to prepare for the next event: dinner. Tonight, the goal is open ears. Hollis was right that this is probably the best place to find undeniable proof that the king has done something treasonous. Talk to families that live here, see if anyone has heard anything.”
He paused, clearing his throat before he went on. “And . . . I think we need to acknowledge a secondary goal. If we’re truly endeavoring to topple the crown, and those in this room are the only ones living with any right to take it, then we need to shore up our support. Speak, console, charm. Do what you must. If we prove Quinten to be in the wrong but have misjudged the people’s willingness to revolt, then this will all be in vain.”
I could tell he was very serious, but this was the least of my worries. If there was anyone who I’d want to rally behind, it was Reid Northcott.
Scarlet pulled my hair up in the typical Isolten fashion, plaiting it into several braids and looping them in a pretty nest on the crown of my head. It felt heavy, but it was a simple way to show my aim was to bend to my hosts’ will, and I worried about standing out for Uncle Reid’s sake.
“And this will complete everything,” she said, lacing blue jewels across my blonde hair, a shade closer to hers and Valentina’s than to nearly anyone back in Coroa. The dress was an almost-yellow color, not quite the gold I used to wear, but close enough to feel familiar. The blue was decidedly new.
“Thank you.”
“Can I tell you something?” Scarlet asked. “You’re the only one I can say it to.”
“Of course,” I replied, getting up so she could take my place in front of the mirror.
“I remembered something else today,” she whispered as she settled. “I remembered there were flames on the curtains before I saw the vase flying. So the fire happened sooner than I thought.”
I shook my head. “How do these things come to you?”
She opened her mouth a few different times, trying to begin an explanation and failing. “I don’t know. It’s like the whole painting of the moment is there, but then I turn my head and focus on one part of it. And when I do? It’s vivid and clear. I keep hoping that once it’s all put together, I won’t think about it so much.”
I placed my hands on hers. “I’m still listening, Scarlet. Anytime.”
She gave me a tired smile. “I know.”
I worked on pulling her hair up, doing something similar to what she’d done for me.
“You don’t need to be so nervous,” she said, likely noting my unsteady hands as they worked.
“I’m worried people will discount Uncle Reid, given his association with a Coroan who abandoned her country.”
“A Coroan who married one of the best men in Isolte, you mean.”
I smiled. “He really was. Still, I wonder if I should simply stay away.”
“Uncle Reid asked for a united front. You and Etan are doing wonderfully so far, and that speaks volumes for the strength of our family, despite how small it is. And besides, the animosity between our countries is exaggerated. Trust me. It’s like when everyone came to visit the Coroan court. Did it seem so bad?”
I squinted, remembering. “No. It wasn’t blissful or anything, but it seemed like there were some genuine friendships that reached across the border.”
“Because there are. The kings like to talk, and there will always be people who are prejudiced against foreigners. For Quinten, I think it’s part of how he maintains power—the illusion that we need someone like him to protect us from someone like you.”
I giggled. “I am pretty threatening.”
“But you’ll see. People who feel like that are in the minority.”
I hoped with all my heart that was true. I knew these people existed, but maybe, just maybe, they were dwindling.
I hung my head, suddenly feeling the need to confess. “Would you hate me if I told you I was in that minority once?”
She smiled. “Not at all. Past tense. Done and gone.”
I kissed her cheek. “Let’s go.”
We walked into the main room where everyone was waiting. Mother was pacing. Uncle Reid and Aunt Jovana were talking quietly by the fire, and Etan was lounging in a large chair.
At the sight of us, he sat up a little taller. His usually sullen face transformed for a moment into something that looked almost pleased.
“Oh, girls,” Mother said. “You both look lovely.” Beside her, Aunt Jovana looked so pleased to see us that her eyes were brimming with happy tears.
“That’s everyone. Are we all ready, then?” Uncle Reid asked.
Scarlet and I nodded, and Etan hopped up to come and escort me to the feast.
“You know,” he began, “you could almost be mistaken for a lady.”
“It’s a shame that no amount of velvet could make you look less like a scoundrel.”
“A scoundrel?” he replied, testing the word. “I can live with that. Here,” he said, offering me his arm, that hint of a smirk still on his face. I took it, falling into our place as the last of the family members to walk out the door.
“Listen,” I began quietly, “I know Uncle Reid wants us all together, and Scarlet loves me too much to tell me to stay behind, but I trust you to be honest. If you see I’m getting in the way, say so, and I’ll go.”
He looked down at me soberly. “I would. You know I would. But I think Father is right. Quinten tends to motivate by fear; it would be refreshing, I think, to see that people could be motivated by something else. Hope, kindness, common human decency.”
“Wait . . . you possess common human decency?”
“In very small quantities, so I don’t use it often,” he teased. And, because it was funny, I laughed. “Just follow our lead, stay with me, and be as friendly as you can. After that, all you have to do is eat and dance.”
I chuckled. “Ah, finally, something I’m good at.”
Etan’s smile was wide as we walked into the Great Room, and I found myself gripping his arm tighter for support. The thing about a minority of people disliking you was that there was no way to tell on sight who fell into that minority. So, to not walk into a situation I’d have no hope of escaping on my own, I had to act like everyone was in that minority until proven otherwise.
Our seats were incredibly close to the head tables, which made sense, as the Northcotts and Eastoffes were the only blood relatives of Quinten’s in the room. The only ones in the world, as a matter of fact. It left me feeling exposed, and I wished there was a way to wrap all the fabric dripping from my arms around me like armor.
“Etan Northcott, is that you?”
He and I both turned to a woman staring across the table in wide-eyed wonder.
“Lady Dinnsmor, Lord Dinnsmor! It has been too long!” Etan’s face was bright, such as I’d never seen it. He reached out to take her hand, and she gripped it in both of hers.
“The last we’d heard, you were at the front again. I didn’t think we’d see you here,” the lady gushed.
“I did go back,” he clarified, “but then my father sent for me. I’m sure you will have heard that my uncle, Lord Eastoffe, and his sons were recently . . . they died. It was my job to fetch my aunt and cousins.”
He said this so calmly, linking me in with Scarlet seamlessly.
; Their faces said what we already knew: this was news.
“How did they die?” the gentleman asked somberly.
“They were murdered. A raid at my cousin Silas’s wedding in Coroa. Allow me to introduce his widow, Hollis Eastoffe.”
Their hollow eyes came over to me. “You poor girl. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you, my lady,” I replied, taking in her genuinely sympathetic eyes.
“Silas was such a clever one, a peacemaker,” she commented.
I thought about that, about how Valentina had once told me that Silas just wanted people to think, how he walked into a swordfight without anyone’s colors on, how he never seemed to flinch. No wonder people rallied behind him; he’d been made for peace.
“He was. I count myself lucky to have loved him. And to have gained a new family because of him.”
She smiled, looking me over. “So, you’re from Coroa, then?”
I swallowed. Minority or majority, minority or majority? “I am.”
“And yet you braved coming here with your in-laws?”
“My parents were also killed in the raid. Lady Eastoffe and Scarlet are my only family now.”
They didn’t seem to be put off by my otherness, only saddened on my behalf. If I hadn’t known to look for it, I might not have caught that it happened, but, as sure as the sun rises, they looked to one another . . . and they glanced up at the throne.
“I’m sorry for your loss. It’s too much for someone so young,” the gentleman said.
“Thank you, sir.”
He moved his eyes to Etan. “Do we know?”
“Nothing we can prove.”
“Silas,” he said, shaking his head. “He hated Silas.”
“He did.”
The gentleman sighed heavily, almost angrily. “Once you’re certain, alert us.”
Etan nodded, the Dinnsmors turned to speak to someone else, and we moved so we could take in the rest of the room.
“How do you know them?” I asked quietly.
“I mentioned a Micah on the way here, a friend I lost at the front. Those are his parents.”
I looked over at him, gaping.
“They send me things sometimes. Notes and trinkets. A whistle once. I think treating me like a son helps make up for the fact that theirs is gone.” His jaw went tight. “It should have been me.”