Page 29 of Pawns of Fate
“I used to intercept letters and change his replies. I argued with him in front of the servants. I caused chaos at every social gathering we went to. It was fun,” she reminisced. “But we almost separated because of it. On the night that Idne told me he wanted to divorce, we were arguing in his office. I told him hedidn’t care for me because he only cared about the Dahtey clan. Idne looked like I’d slapped him in the face. I still remember that look.” She sighed. “Idne told me he cared for me deeply and gave me the most passionate kiss of my life. He put in more effort to make time for me, and I stopped causing him trouble after that. We were a good team, as it turned out.”
“That’s a lovely story,” Ava said. She and Rose had been hanging on every word.
“I miss him every day.” Lady Dahtey’s smile was tight-lipped but sincere. As if realizing she was showing any emotion besides thinly veiled ill regard, she cleared her throat and focused on Rose. “I hope my story shows you that just because a marriage is arranged for political reasons doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love. I worried that you were too meek and quiet for a persnickety fool like Nicholas,” —Rose barely kept herself from spitting out her tea— “but our conversation today has shown me that perhaps I was wrong. If you and Nicholas trust each other, love will grow.”
“I know what you mean, Miss Dahtey,” Ava said, finally comfortable enough to join the conversation.
Rose elbowed her and hissed, “Lady.”
“I mean, Lady Dahtey,” Ava corrected, cheeks flushing. “Rose and Nicholas are always taking care of everyone else. Rose is kinder than Nick, though.”
Rose blushed at the compliment and let her mind wander to Nicholas, the kiss they’d shared, the flowers he’d given her, even his interest in her magic. Could she dare to let a little hope for their relationship bloom in her heart?
“Precisely,” Lady Dahtey replied. “If they can trust each other, they’ll do very well.”
Chapter 9
ROSE
Things had gone better than Rose had dared to hope. Lady Dahtey had been a bit rude; Ava had made a few social blunders, mostly staring, but the gathering hadn’t devolved into all-out fighting. Rose had managed to smooth things over, just like Nicholas had asked.
Ava said as much after their tea time ended and they ran into Nicholas and York in the dark castle hallway.
“Lady Dahtey really liked Rose,” Ava reported cheerfully. “She was rude, at first. But Rose handled it well and won her over. Ylimia even told us a romantic story fromher youth.” Ava put her hands over her heart and sighed with contentment.
“Seriously? No trouble at all?” York said, his voice coated with disbelief as he glanced between the two girls.
“Well, I stared at Lady Dahtey,” Ava admitted sheepishly. “I couldn’t help it. She was so, so elegant and intimidating.”
“Ava…”
“She was fine,” Rose said. “Lady Dahtey generously excused any faux pas on our part. She was… kinder than I remembered from my stay with her clan last year.”
“That’s wonderful,” York said with relief.
Rose glanced at Nicholas, noticing he hadn’t said anything. She was surprised to see that he looked tense. Had things not gone the way he wanted? He’d asked her to smooth things over, and she’d done more than that.
A man wearing a long, black cape made of crow feathers stepped out of Nicholas’s office. Her betrothed stiffened, unable to make eye contact with her. Surprise stole Rose’s breath. Nicholas had been meeting with a leader of the Ojoh clan.
Rose’s giddiness at the afternoon’s success evaporated, and the headache that had lurked at the edge of her mind since yesterday crept forward boldly. She wasn’t ready; she needed more time to rein in her heart.
“I need to talk with you, Rose,” Nicholas gritted out as the man walked away.
“That’s fine,” Rose replied softly as she found that she wasn’t able to look Nicholas in the eye, either.
Ava and York made their hurried excuses to leave. Rose and Nicholas walked to the garden, tension twisting around, between,and behind them with every step. Rose felt a pressing need to gather her thoughts, but her head refused to stop spinning—refused to stop re-hashing the events leading up to this moment. Luanna’s birthday, meeting Ava, meeting Nicholas. The horse ride to Onanish. An ogre attack and a golden-eyed snake. Tea at the Red Dragon. Tea with Ava and Lady Dahtey. A midnight kiss in a moon-drenched garden. The memories swirled in her mind’s windstorm, and Rose needed an anchor.
If you trust each other, love will grow.
She clutched Ylimia’s words and let her memories of the conversation and tea party—which had gone so well, regardless of the current situation—guide her.
If you trust each other, love will grow.Ylimia’s words echoed through her mind. Should Rose follow her advice?
Did she trust Nicholas? In one sense, yes. Nicholas had been honest and upfront with her from the moment they’d met. He could have hidden the whole situation from her to avoid the conflict for as long as possible, so she at least trusted him to tell her the truth.
Did she trust Nicholas to love her, though? That was a more complex question to answer. Nicholas was a good lord who cared deeply for his people and even more deeply for his family. She trusted him to do what was best for them above anything else. It was why he agreed to marry a woman he didn’t know and use her as collateral, despite his apparent distaste for the situation. His family needed him to do it.
So, where did that leave Rose? Did he think of her as part of his family? Obviously, she hadn’t been when Nicholas agreed tothe marriage and its consequences. But what about now? He’d been kind to her. He’d kissed her. Yet he would still use her as a pawn in these negotiations, just as her uncle had done. Could she forgive him for it?
