Page 58 of Stars May Fall

She met my eyes, and I could see many conflicting emotions in hers. But she merely squeezed my hand in response before letting it go.

She straightened, and her voice became strangely bright as if she were forcing it. “While we wait for Venerick, have you ever shot a crossbow?”

I almost dropped my mug at the sudden change of topic. “A crossbow? No. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything with a weapon.”

Annabelle stood. “You should. Things might become violent, and you should be able to defend yourself. It’s easy. You don’t need to be as strong as if you were shooting a normal bow. I have one here. I practice shooting a target across the room when I'm bored. Of course, Father doesn't know I use it inside. But since we’re sharing secrets, here’s one more.”

It seemed to me that Annabelle got bored very easily.

My eyes widened as she pulled a scarred target from under her bed and hung it up over a priceless painting. Then she fishedout a crossbow from her wardrobe. It was far larger than I had expected; I’d never seen one up close before. She said it was easy, but that thing looked heavy.

She grinned at my expression. “Come on. I’ll show you. This is my lightest one, though it’s still good exercise for your arms. You’ll be surprised how fun it is.”

VENERICK

My schedule dictated it was time to call on Annabelle, and I had been nervous about it all morning. I straightened my steel grey jacket as I shifted between my feet outside her door. I’d changed my jacket and trousers especially for this meeting. One could tell with a mere glance that Annabelle was somebody who cared about appearances. She was always immaculate. She was also stunning enough that I found it hard to say the right words around her.

I muttered a curse when I spotted a small ink stain on my shirt and pulled my jacket sleeve lower to cover it up. I had been writing legal documents all morning. Some of them had been mind-numbingly long. It was a wonder that I hadn’t spattered more ink than I had. I really should have changed my shirt as well, but I’d thought with my jacket buttoned up she wouldn’t see it.

I blew out a long breath and straightened my back. I didn’t want Annabelle to pick up on my nerves. I wanted her to think me calmly competent. Our relationship was still static despite my help with Sir Halfield. She had given me nothing more of substance. She was polite rather than curious. All delightful smiles and sweet touches, but no trace of vulnerability.

And I craved that side of her. The real side that nobody else saw. I was certain she was so much more than she appeared. Her unexplained presence negotiating between Lord Lyrason and General Kasten had proved my suspicions.

I knocked on the door, and her maid, Hetty, opened it. She bobbed a curtsy. “My Lord High Chancellor. Please come in.”

I thanked her and walked into the tidy, richly decorated sitting room where Annabelle liked to entertain personal guests. I was surprised to find I wasn’t the only guest present. And Lady Sophie Batton wasn’t somebody I was aware Annabelle regularly associated with. But I supposed, if she saw General Kasten as her brother, she would see Lady Sophie as her sister. And that would explain why Annabelle had wanted me to expedite the banishment of Lady Sophie’s father to protect her.

Annabelle cared about her. And that meant I had to make a good impression on Lady Sophie. If only I knew a little more about her. Normally, when I was to meet new nobles or people of importance, I thoroughly researched their backgrounds first. Today I was caught off guard. But I was intrigued, nonetheless—very intrigued. Was Annabelle testing me by having Lady Sophie here during our scheduled meeting? Did she want to see how I reacted to her?

I’d researched Lady Sophie when Annabelle had asked me to help with her situation but hadn’t gone much further than her relationship with her father and the circumstances of her two marriages. I had dug far deeper into the previous affairs of Sir Halfield, which gave me no qualms about recommending his banishment as quickly as possible. I also knew the lord who her half sister had married—I had, in fact, suggested him to the king—but Lady Sophie herself was still largely an unknown. I would have to trust my observation skills.

I bowed to both Annabelle and Lady Sophie as they stood to greet me. Annabelle appeared relaxed, her hair in a complexstyle. Lady Sophie appeared shy, a slight flush to her cheeks. Her dress was lighter as if designed to fade into the background.

Annabelle smiled. “Venerick, please let me introduce Lady Sophie. We were having a pleasant conversation. I thought she could join us for a time.”

I bowed to Lady Sophie again, deeper than needed, and placed a kiss on the air above her hand. “It is an honor, my lady.”

Lady Sophie didn’t seem to be expecting my greeting and returned it with a bright smile. “Oh no, it is my honor.” Her curtsy matched my bow. She was quite charming.

Annabelle didn’t seem to be watching and was pouring goblets of spiced wine. She handed one to each of us.

I smiled in thanks. “How were the envoys, my dear? I saw you a few times from a distance, and you seemed to be performing an admirable job.” She’d been calm and elegant as if she had done it hundreds of times before. A natural. I’d admired how effortless she made these momentous occasions seem.

Her face had a slight glaze to it. “I managed thanks to help from the merchants’ guild. I’m honored that my father has chosen to give me more responsibility.”

I widened my smile in encouragement. “Thatisexcellent news.”

Lady Sophie was watching the exchange more intently than our conversation warranted. It made me suspect that she was used to a different side of Annabelle and was trying to work out the rules of our relationship so she could join the conversation appropriately.

An unpleasant twinge of jealousy moved my gaze away from her. I would get there, I just had to put in the work. And I was no stranger to hard work and patience. But seeing that she trusted a lady from a family who was out of favor with everyone in court over me stung a little. James absolutely hated Kasten’s guts. But then, James was hardly a good judge of character. I dreaded theday when the things he was up to came to light, whatever they were.

There had to be more to people’s dislike of Kasten than met the eye. And I always loved to dig beneath the surface.

I turned to Lady Sophie. “I’m sorry about your sister Irabel’s passing. I read the coroner’s report. Terribly tragic.” Her face fell, and I saw more than just sorrow there. Guilt? I hurried on. “Your other sister, Claribel, asks after you often.”

She perked up at once. “You’ve seen Claribel since her wedding?”

I smiled and took a sip of the wine. “I have. She’s a sweet girl and she’s settling in well. Their house is not grand by Adenburg standards, but Jakobe is a kind man. I’ve known him since we were boys. I can arrange for a letter to be sent from you, if you wish. Claribel mentioned she wasn’t sure if you would want to hear from her.”

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