“Well, for a man who felt threatened by me, he certainly did enough to try and gain my attention.”
“You were the only woman he ever encountered who would not give him the time of day. It was a challenge to him. In the end, I believe he resented you for it. And in turn, also resented Feolan and I, under the false impression that we somehow had something to do with it.”
“I was a child,” Leyna laughed. “My thoughts could not have been further from romance. I knew nothing of men. The first time I even really saw a man with his shirt off was the night of my birthday at Malic’s.” She thought it over, considering whether or not to speak further on the topic. Consciously, she made the decision to keep it to herself, though the wine caused the words to tumble from her lips. “But alas, for this birthday, I do not think I will be seeing you with your shirt off again.”
Thade’s head cocked to one side in amusement, a faint smirk visible on his face. Leyna felt her insides clench. How could she have said something like that to him? She wanted to duck behind the hedges and never come out.
“I do not think I will be seeing you with your shirt off this evening either, so perhaps it is a loss on both our parts,” Thade mused.
Her? Leyna struggled to recall what he was implicating, the alcohol affecting the clarity of her thoughts. She paused in the middle of the path, turning to look at him in bewilderment. “You consider it a loss to miss removing my clothes?”
He opened his mouth to speak, seeming to suddenly become aware of what he’d said. No words came at first, his expression revealing obvious embarrassment, a tint of red forming over the pale skin of his cheeks. “I believe I might have worded that in a manner which I did not intend –”
“I am teasing you,” Leyna smiled, pushing him playfully. Deep down she couldn’t help but remain curious what had led to such a blunder in speech, but she didn’t dare press the issue. “Besides, I am older and clearly more capable of handling the wine. I do not feel intoxicated enough to remove my garments in front of you the way I so shamefully did back then.”
“Ah, I thought perhaps it was a new method you were considering in your seduction of me.”
“Here is hardly the place,” she laughed, rolling her eyes at the remark. Twirling around, she took in the sight of the elaborate garden surrounding them. A gentle scent of flowers grew more fragrant as they moved deeper into the midst of the garden, the colors of the blossoms vibrant in the light of the full moon overhead.
The scene was like a painting. Everything was perfectly in its place. No detail of the garden had been overlooked in the layout, forming a complexity of geometric shapes with the cobblestone paths winding through the trees and flowerbeds. Torches were burning at various points along the way, casting a flickering orange hue along the ground. Overhead, the sky was clear, twinkling stars glittering like diamonds.
She realized, in that instant, just how lucky she was. Through all the hardships, she still had this moment in time. This beauty that many would never see in their lives, and that many others took for granted, never truly appreciating the splendor. Had the wine not relaxed her, she wondered if she would have overlooked it herself.
“Maeri would have loved this place,” she sighed. “We should see that she and Feolan have an opportunity to visit sometime.”
Leading her to a well-crafted wooden bench at the side of the path, Thade helped her down onto the seat, positioning himself at her side. “They will be rather busy for some time, I suspect,” he smiled. “Feolan confided in me that he intended to ask for her hand in marriage while we were away. They will have very little opportunity to enjoy much of anything while planning the ceremony. If all went according to his plan, they will have already performed the engagement ritual by the time we return.”
“Marriage?” Leyna gasped. So soon? It seemed only weeks had passed since Maeri had first spoken of their attraction. They wasted very little time with the courting process. “I would have expected Feolan to require more time. I heard what happened with his last marriage. It sounded absolutely tragic.”
“He has been seeking to move past it. Over the years he has courted many ladies, but none have struck him quite the same as Lady Diah has. I think she will treat him well.”
“But what of you? Have you ever been struck in such a way?” Damn her mouth. She was quickly becoming aware again of the reason why she had sworn off alcohol.
He looked thoughtful, contemplating the question. “Not any of the women I have courted, no,” he said simply. “But I have a very particular taste in women, I think. None of the ladies at court possess any of the qualities I so desire. I find them dull. Lacking.”
“What is your taste in women that makes it so impossible to find a suitable match?”
“Oh, that is a tricky question,” he chuckled. “Most men simply require beauty. They fear free will; the concept of a wife having opinions and carrying on intelligent conversation. But to me – I want my wife to be able to form her own opinions, and to not be afraid to voice them. To stand up for what she believes. I like a woman who is not afraid to take chances. Not frightened of getting a bit dirty.”
Leyna laughed quietly at the thought. He was describing a woman she didn’t believe existed. With standards that high, he was sure to lead a very lonely life. “I have never heard of a noblewoman who was not afraid of getting a bit dirty. They are not exactly brought up to play rough. That was one thing Lady Faustine strictly forbid.”
“That is true,” he nodded. “But I detest the thought of sitting around all day, sipping wine, and chattering absently about the weather. I want someone at my side who will challenge me to think. And above all, she has to have an open heart. I cannot tolerate selfishness.”
“You will be hard-pressed to ever find a woman who fits that mold.” Suddenly uncomfortable, Leyna stood up from the bench. She was feeling the familiar fluttering in her stomach at being so close to him. She didn’t trust herself. Not with the way she’d already been behaving, against her better judgment. “But there are plenty of beautiful women for you to choose from at least. Even Princess Chlora still seems attracted to you.”
Rising swiftly to his feet, Thade turned his gaze heavenward. He was silent for a moment, searching for the words to say, the struggle visible on every gentle line of his face. “The Princess does not fit any of the requirements I have listed, and there are still so many more which remain unspoken. The negotiation attempt at joining her and I was a long time ago, and met with many objections. Several of which were from me.”
“I am surprised they did not try to arrange a marriage between her and one of Queen Vorsila’s sons. That would have been more advantageous, I assume.”
“Yes.” He looked bemused by the notion, lowering his eyes to stare at her calmly. “Yes, however, she dislikes Prince Enaes. And given the precarious nature of Queen Vorsila’s family line, her other son is not permitted to marry until Enaes has been suitably joined with a wife. Any acceptable woman would be paired with Enaes instead. An heir is far more important to the family than love. Even if Queen Vorsila had not been predisposed to denying Princess Chlora simply because of her Mialan heritage, the arrangement would be a marriage to Prince Enaes – or no one at all.”
“That is awful.” Leyna was discomfited at the thought. She no longer could blame the young Prince’s lack of interest in the women at the masque. Why would he want to risk losing his heart to someone, only to then have her torn away and given to his brother?
“That is also the reason I have been avoiding telling Prince Enaes of your whereabouts.”
Leyna’s attention was immediately pulled away from her scattered thoughts. What did Enaes’s marriage have to do with her whereabouts? “I do not understand…”
“For all you have done for the royal family, Queen Vorsila conceded, even with the question of your family line, that if Enaes desired to take you as a wife, she would allow it. But he does not deserve you.”
“Deserve me?” she breathed. “T
hat does not matter. I have no desire to marry him. He is the perfect example of everything I despise in a man. Attractive, yes, but his personality makes him hideously repulsive.”
Thade clasped Leyna’s hands in his. His gaze was almost desperate. “I could not bear to see you marry someone like him. It is part of the reason why I had hoped to see you out of Faustine’s care. I did not want to see you married off to some mindless nobleman to spend the rest of your days as his silent trophy wife. You are an intelligent woman, capable of so many great things! You deserve a husband who will actually appreciate you. Enaes would not. I doubt he understands the concept of love.”
They stood silently, locked in each other’s gaze. It was all so much to take in. How long had he known? Enaes had no doubt been knocking down his door at every opportunity in search of some clue of Leyna’s whereabouts. And Thade had lied to him. To the Crown Prince of Tanispa, he lied about knowing where she was.
But why had he never before told her he felt that way? She’d been unaware he thought so highly of her to risk hiding her from the royal family. It seemed traitorous. And to what reward? If Prince Enaes was not worthy of her, who did he think was?
An unusual tension had formed between them, as if out of nowhere. She didn’t understand it. Something in his eyes – the way they glowed so brilliantly at her in the night – swept her away. She thought she would lose herself completely in their depths. It wasn’t until she noticed his head move in closer to hers that she realized what was happening. Her entire body trembled in excitement. Nervous. If he kissed her, she didn’t know how she would react. But there he was, his lips slowly lowering to her own.
At the last instant, Thade’s eyes lifted up to gaze off over her shoulder, narrowly missing her lips with his as he pulled his head away. She was mortified. Had she imagined it?
She wanted it. Every part of her wanted to take him in her arms and press her lips to his. She feared that even thinking about it would lead to a catastrophe with her altered level of consciousness from the wine. In her mind she could see herself doing it. But she had to hold back. She couldn’t give in.
“What is wrong?” she whispered.
“We cannot,” he replied quietly, his eyes lingering on whatever it was he caught sight of behind her. “It is not right.”
“I am not fifteen anymore, Thade.”
“Yes. But I have had too much wine. And so have you.” Stepping away, he released her hands, putting a gap between their bodies. “I have to be up early tomorrow for a meeting with King Osias before we make our way back to the ship. I bid you farewell for the evening.”
“Thade –” She hated how desperate she sounded.
He cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand. “You should stay and enjoy the party. It is still your birthday, after all.”
In a graceful maneuver around her, Thade walked away. She watched as he moved down the cobblestone toward the veranda, her eyes stinging with the sensation of tears that threatened to fall. She couldn’t cry. She couldn’t face the people inside the ballroom again with smudged make-up and puffy eyes. It just wouldn’t be proper.
There in the distance, she caught sight of a familiar face gazing out into the darkness from the arching palace doors. Chlora. Had she been what Thade was looking at? It was strange that he’d been so comfortable with her and then suddenly tensed. Something had distracted him. As if he was afraid of something. But what? Of hurting her? Or was he still afraid someone would see them together and start stories of a scandal?
She knew very little of Chlora. From the way Thade spoke, he didn’t care for or trust her. To see her standing there watching them – she had to wonder if he was right. For a member of an allied royal house to witness Thade with Leyna could prove disastrous. And they were already teetering on a fine line as it was.
Her heart ached to think about it, watching Thade drifting further away. Chlora was greeting him. The smile on her face was almost devious. What could she have possibly seen? They’d done nothing. But from their distance, it would have looked like much more to the unsuspecting observer. The angle. From the veranda, Leyna’s body had obscured the view of Thade’s face. It was possible Chlora already assumed more than what was true about what transpired between them. She would have been unable to see that their lips never touched. Though, oh, how Leyna wanted them to!
Thade looked rigid in his motions around Chlora. He was on guard, cautious about every move he made. Leyna could see the discomfort in his mannerisms. By the time he managed to break away to return inside the crowded ballroom, Leyna felt her senses returning, slowly. It was a lot to take in. Whether or not Thade loved her was still debatable in her mind, but he had said a great deal which proved that he cared about her deeply, concerned for her happiness and well-being. That meant more to her than she ever would have thought. It had always been easier to simply assume he saw her as nothing more than a colleague.
And to hear that Queen Vorsila had approved her as a suitable wife for Prince Enaes! It tore at her very insides to think of the possibility. She didn’t love Enaes. Nor did she think she ever could come to. He loved women almost as much as he loved the power of his position. Never would he be capable of being true and faithful to a single woman. She knew all too well how much it hurt to be tossed aside by someone she thought loved her. Kael had shown her it wasn’t anything she ever wanted to experience again. And with Enaes, it would be a far more public scandal. Everyone would know of his infidelity, whispering about it behind her back, laughing at her, assuming she was completely unaware of his nighttime escapades.
No. She forced the unpleasant daydreams away. She wouldn’t let that come to pass. Enaes couldn’t be allowed to find her until Vorsila had chosen a different wife for him. Their need for an heir would make it necessary to arrange a marriage soon. Once he was no longer a bachelor on the prowl, she could relax again, knowing she would not be out of line to turn him away if he attempted to proposition her.
Straightening back up proudly, she patted her cheeks self-consciously, making sure no tears had fallen without her notice. This was to be her final night at court in Mialan. She couldn’t let a single hiccup ruin her evening. There were still plenty of songs to be danced and people to meet. She would have time to dwell on the intricacies of the unwelcome drama in her life after the party ended and sleep had cleared the fog from her head. With a final glance around the garden, she bid the beauty of the night farewell, hastening her steps back toward the palace and into the fray once again.
The next morning Leyna awoke to the sound of a chambermaid bustling around the room, laying out a gown for Leyna to wear. Her head ached. She had no desire to be roused so early from her slumber, the wine from the previous night having left her feeling ill. “Milady, I’m sorry to wake you, but we must get you dressed,” the woman urged gently.
Leyna gazed up at her through sleep-filled eyes, confused by what was being said. Why did she need to be dressed so early? The carriage to the dock wasn’t supposed to be called until mid-afternoon. “It is still early,” she murmured, rolling over to bury her face in the soft pillows. She didn’t want to leave the bed. It was warm. Comfortable. Under the blankets she didn’t have to focus on the awkwardness which lingered over her at the memory of the previous night. She didn’t want to see any of the courtiers from the party, and most of all, she wasn’t ready to face Thade.
“Milady, please,” the chambermaid pleaded, drawing the blankets away from Leyna, exposing her to the chill in the room. “The Consul is expecting you. We can’t leave His Grace waiting.”
Sitting up on the bed Leyna hugged her arms to her chest for warmth, eyes blank from the surprise at the woman’s words. The Consul? But he was supposed to be in a meeting with King Osias and Queen Adalyn. Unless something had happened. Could Chlora have gone to them about what she saw in the garden? Leyna quickly rose from the bed, ignoring the cold floor against her bare feet. She needed to get to Thade. If they had somehow angered the King and Queen, he would ne
ed her there to explain the truth.
“How long has he been waiting?” she asked, arms lifted to allow the woman to remove Leyna’s nightgown, a thin white chemise being arranged in its place.
“Only a few minutes. He asked that you be dressed appropriately for an audience with the King. We have very little time, so we must hurry.”
Leyna’s mind was utter chaos. Audience with the King? Oh, it must be bad. There was no other circumstance which would merit her presence with the King. None that she could think of, at least. Thade was perfectly capable of handling the meeting on his own. Leyna was of no importance to their discussion.
Inhaling a deep breath, she felt the chambermaid wrap a corset around Leyna’s waist, attaching the clasps and tugging hard on the laces. The sensation was familiar, yet unpleasant. Her hope had been to not wear another corset for the remainder of their trip, if she had any say in the matter. The time she’d spent at the party was enough to last her a lifetime. Another pull fastened it tighter, restricting her movement, her body jerking with every yank of the strings. “That is tight enough,” she gasped, still groggy from sleep. It was too early in the morning to feel so restricted.
“Just a little more, Milady,” the woman tugged again, nearly knocking Leyna off her feet. Regaining her balance, Leyna gestured toward the dress laid out across the bed.
“I assure you, the corset is fine. The dress, please. Hurry.”
With an obedient nod the woman retrieved the gown. She struggled to pull it over Leyna’s head, the fabric heavy and thick, falling in waves of glittering gold around her body. It fit snug to the curves of her figure, the silver brocade accenting the elegant design. Fewer jewels adorned it than that which she’d worn the night before, though the quality of the garment made embellishments unnecessary. Tiny pearls edged the neckline, draping off Leyna’s shoulders, adding the only hint of flash to the dress.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 68