Page 43 of A Glimpse of Music

And shock nailed her feet to the floor.

“Father,” she breathed.

Fifteen years older than she remembered, her father’s white hair seemed even whiter, now cut to his ears rather than past his shoulders like Bastien’s hair. Burdened, silver eyes gazed up at her from where he sat in a wooden wheelchair pushed by her brother. Father’s eyes misted, eyelashes frosted with teary dewdrops.

“You look exactly like your mother last I saw her,” he rasped, hands shaking in his lap. They continued to shake as he lifted a trembling hand to his face to cover his eyes as he began to weep. “I miss her so much. I’ve missed you so much.”

The high, fortified walls surrounding her heart wavered as they threatened to crumble. This was not what she’d been expecting upon meeting her father.

“May we come in?” Bastien asked, brows raised.

“This is your house,” she reminded him, stepping aside to let them in.

“Not while you’re here. For now, it’s yours.” He rolled Father inside, and her gaze remained glued to the frail man in the chair long after she shut the door behind them. Her father used to be strong, confident, and even fearsome. What had happened to him?

Without preamble, Bastien started a pot of tea, none of them speaking until he poured three steaming cups of earthy liquid into wooden mugs. He glanced toward Joel, who continued sleeping on the sofa, before putting one of the cups back into the cabinet.

She inhaled the earthy aroma of the forest with a hint of spice, gazing through the steam at her brother. He was twenty-two years old now, with a strong jaw, high cheekbones, serious eyebrows. But the mirth playing around his lips reminded her of their mother.

Laughter from her children upstairs broke them out of their wary trances, followed by more giggling and thumping as if they jumped on a bed.

“Cute children,” Bastien said, nodding toward the stairs before lowering his voice. “I’ve only seen them from a distance. That was breaking enough Attleglade laws as it was.”

Nyana’s eyebrows furrowed as she glanced between her father and brother. Slowly, she set her tea down and turned to find her father already watching her. “What do you mean? Was it illegal to see us?”

Her father blew out a long breath, sadness lingering in his eyes. “How much do you remember? You were only ten years old when the family broke apart.”

“Don’t you mean when you left us?”

The men exchanged a look before Bastien motioned for him to speak. He crossed the small kitchen and leaned against the counter, staring into his tea.

Joel’s heavy, labored breathing filled the charged silence until her father spoke. “Marrying your mother was illegal. They don’t allow outsiders to live in Attleglade, and she was a Sun Fae. For over a decade, I lived away from the forest with her. The best years of my life.” He wiped a tear from his face. And then another. “My father died. Your grandfather. The council gave me a choice. To take my father’s place as chief or be put to death and have someone replace what was my birthright.”

The tremor in his hands worsened, tea sloshing over the sides of the cup as he took a slow sip. “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. Either way, I would be leaving your mother, so we decided I must return to the forest. Your mother begged me to take the two of you back with me to give you a better life, as we were poor and often went hungry. But the council wouldn’t allow me to take both of my children, as you, my dear Nyana, resembled the Sun Fae far too much. They only allowed me to take Bastien. Although he is half Sun Fae, he doesn’t look it.”

An ache formed in Nyana’s temples, and she closed her eyes, massaging to ease the pain. “Mother remarried.”

“I know.” A deep sadness escaped on his breath.

“She also died a few months after. Of heartbreak.”

A swallow. And then her father rasped, “I know.”

When her father began tearing up again, Bastien continued for him. “Someone on the council caught Father watching out for you in Heulwen. They’d made it clear that there would be consequences should he try to make contact with you.” He nodded toward the wheelchair. “They maimed his legs as punishment.”

Overwhelming emotion crashed over her, and she buried her head in her hands to hide it. She’d had no idea the severity of Attleglade laws. They were much worse than Killian Graves had hinted at.

“Have I endangered you both by coming here?”

More silence. She lifted her head to find her brother staring into his tea, swirling the liquid within the cup. Finally, he answered. “Your status as the previous queen of Heulwen will give the council pause to do anything rash. That and the parentage of your firstborn child.”

Her entire body tensed up, her jaw clenching as she stared back at her brother. “What do you mean? They are both Liam Everdon’s children.”

Bastien lifted an eyebrow, giving her a disbelieving stare. “Despite it being against our laws, I kept tabs on you in secret, Nyana, when Father couldn’t. Maisy was born a month early.” He put the word “early” in air quotes. “Perfectly healthy baby. Anyone who is paying close attention can connect the dots.”

Her jaw ached from the strain of clenching it. “You have no proof of anything.”

“No.” He shrugged one shoulder. “But I saw you and Calle together when he was a prince. I think that’s enough proof. And then I told the wrong person, and now everyone in Attleglade knows.” He winced. “Sorry.”

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