Page 124 of The Duke and the Disciple

“All is not lost, cub,” Rustan said, almost tenderly. “Pieter did what he could to save your projects, but this battle was unwinnable, even for him. But it does not need to end here, does it? Your passions can continue.” He nodded briskly. “Not just continue, but go further than they ever could have in the Cross.”

“Just tell her,” Imryll said, looking away.

“The stewardess is understandably upset,” Rustan said. “And we will make it right for her. As for you, Aesylt and Duke Rahn, the Reliquary has extended an invitation for you both to join their ranks, where you’ll be part of all future research efforts.”

Aesylt snorted and shifted her eyes toward the side. “Have they now?”

“That doesn’t ring true to me,” Rahn said. He squeezed his eyes closed, shaking his head. “If they wanted us to be a part of the research, they would have allowed us to continue as we were. This feels more like...” He clicked his tongue.

“Well, I wouldn’t go to the Reliquary and lick their boots if they held a sword to my throat.” Aesylt could hardly breathe.They know. They know. They know, and the whole dirty secret could come crashing down on us at any moment.

“No, you always have a choice, cub.” Drazhan rapped his knuckles on the table. “And I... I was wrong, for not listening to you when you told me what you wanted. I can’t protect you forever, and you don’t need it, do you? If you want to be a wife, then I will no longer stand stubbornly in your way.” He smiled—a phenomenon so rare, Aesylt knew whatever he said next would be the best or worst thing that had ever happened to her. “When Lord Dereham sent word to me, I was surprised. Not that he’s fond of you, because who could know my sister and not be?” His smile faded. He seemed himself again. “Lord Dereham has proposed a match between you and Pieter. You will be the next Lady Dereham, Aesylt. You.”

Aesylt slapped both hands onto the table. “I’m sorry,what?”

“He’s your childhood friend. He shares your interests. He’s a good, respectable man, and your children will inherit one of the greatest legacies in the kingdom. He can help you achieve what you want the most, to continue your research.” Drazhan bowed his head over his folded hands. “If you’re still thinking about Val?—”

“I neverwantedto marry Valerian!” Aesylt swung her gaze along the table, looking for an ally but finding only pity. “I made him a promise I never expected I’d be held to, because I wanted to keep him safe. That’s all!Yes,I wanted to marry, but that was before... before the scholar showed up, and everything changed.”

“Cub, you’re not seeing the full picture here. You can wed a man who shares your passions and, at least until he becomes Lord Dereham in his own right, can studyatthe Reliquary, where they have every resource imaginable.”

“Because they’re crown sycophants. It’s all crown gold,” Aesylt replied. Her spittle landed on the table, and she sat back down. “You,you,the man who sacrificed a decade of his life to bring them down, are the last person I would ever expect to be licking their boots.”

Drazhan’s mouth drew into a tight pinch. He scoffed and snapped his head back. “Aesylt, from the moment—from thevery moment—the Reliquary took over my wife’s work and invited her to ‘participate,’ I was ready to raze the cursed institution to the ground. But it wasn’t what she wanted. I have battled my own anger, set it grudgingly aside, because Imryll is one of the most brilliant women in this kingdom, and a hundred of their men couldn’t hold a candle to our one of her.” He inhaled an unsteady breath. “All of that, I could say about my little sister as well. If... Ifstudyingkindles your spirit, Aesylt, then I want that for you, even if it means holding my nose while you consort with their tainted ilk.”

Aesylt sank lower on her chair, lost for words. Drazhan truly believed he was doing right by her, and she couldn’t even argue with his reasoning. Pieter was an ideal mate in most ways. Highborn. A scholar like herself. A friend from childhood. And despite the way he’d played both sides, in his own way, he’d protected her and Rahn. He’d kept their secret, when he had no reason to.

Except hedidhave a reason. It wouldn’t do at all if everyone knew his future wife had been rutting around with other men.

Especially if my moon flow continues to evade me.

She whipped her head upward to see how Rahn was reacting to the shocking betrothal, but his eyes were fixed firmly on his own lap.

Pieter was doing the same.

Cowards. Both of them.

“What your brother isn’t saying, sweet cub, is that this arrangement would put an immediate end to the insurrection in Witchwood Cross. The moment you become a Dereham, it’s no longer up to Drazhan whether Wulfsgate gets involved.” Rustan clamped a hand atop hers with a quick, firm squeeze. “He won’t say any of this because it’s not why he did it. He wouldn’t sell you out to save your village, even to his ruin. He wouldn’t broker any marriage he didn’t think would improve your life. But I don’t need to tell you that, do I?”

Aesylt could only shake her head. Tears threatened, but she had no idea if they’d fall. The past few days had thrown everything into question, and she could be sure of nothing anymore. “Then prove it, Drazhan, and let this be my choice to make.”

“Itisyour choice,” Drazhan affirmed. “You don’t want this? Then we’re done here.” He held out his hands. “The only thing I will ask of you, Aesylt, is to sleep on it, so you can be sure you’re answering with a clear mind. Whatever your decision in the morning, we’ll consider it final.”

“Thank you,” she said, though she didn’t feel grateful.

“This is not some coup to corner you into something you don’t want, Aes.” Pieter finally spoke again. “I had no designs on marriage myself, which is why my poor mother had to bring another child along in her middle years. But a partner, one I could share passions with? An equal? A friend? That’s something I could look forward to.”

“Friends don’t... They don’t lie to each other.” Aesylt closed her mouth when an involuntary sob crept up. “They don’t deceive.”

“I thought I was helping you by acting as a mediator. I swear.”

“Quite helpful, Pieter, seeing as you got us thrown out of our own work!”

“I hope we haven’t misread the situation.” Rustan frowned. “I had spoken with Duke Tindahl before sending word to the Cross, to ascertain whether this would be an acceptable match.”

“You spoke to the scholar about this?” Aesylt was stunned.

Rahn tilted his head, shaking it. “My lord, I never said?—”

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