Page 50 of Kiss of Ice

“I said, have you forgotten something?” Kam’s tone was bored but when he met Salaq’s eyes, they were pure flint. “Protocol, perhaps?”

“I’m not sure I…”

“Lady Morenna is the future Empress of Nush’aldaam. You will bow.”

Salaq stilled.

“You seriously expect me to…”

“Yes, I do. Bow, Lord Salaq.”

There was a long pause. Ren looked from one to the other, the tension between them palpable. She opened her mouth to speak, to say she didn’t needanyonebowing to her, least of all her father. But then Salaq bent his head.

“Apologies for the oversight, my Lady.” His voice was tight with anger. “I must leave, in fact. I only came to wish you a happy engagement.”

“Father, please stay!”

“I cannot. But do feel free to visit me occasionally.Ifyou can find time in your busy social calendar.”

Salaq turned on his heel and left the ballroom. Ren watched in dismay.

“Why did you do that?”

“You’re my wife-to-be. The future Empress.”

“And he’s my father!”

“I don’t care who he is. No-one disrespects you, Ren. No-one.”

Kam turned as yet more nobility approached and Ren was left with a curious mix of emotions. Indignation that he’d spoken to her father like that. And disbelief that he’d stood up for her.

“I… I’m going to circulate,” she said stiffly. He nodded, appearing to dismiss her from his mind.

Ren forced herself to smile as she moved about the room, sipping her wine as she glided from one group of well-wishers to the next. She knew what was expected of her. Master Zelen had provided detailed instructions.

No more than two minutes with each guest or it could be construed as favouritism. Less than one minute and it would be considered an insult.

It was exhausting to remember and she spent so much time smiling at strangers that her face began to ache. She was relieved when the orchestral band struck up their music. It meant the formal part of the evening was over.

In an instant, the restrained atmosphere changed to something more noisy and joyful. A space was cleared for the dancefloor, and the damask curtains at one end of the room were drawn back to reveal a buffet table groaning with food. With a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, people started gravitating towards it.

Ren watched the dancing for a while, envying the grace of couples whirling effortlessly across the floor. She glanced over at Kam, deep in conversation on the other side of the ballroom, and wondered if she’d be expected to dance with him.

An image of him holding her in his arms rose unbidden in her mind. She decided it was a good time to get some air and slipped away into the cool of the night.

Twenty One

The stars were bright, but the Gilded Palace was brighter. She had to go deep into the gardens before she could make out the constellations. She looked into the sky, feeling pleasantly mellow and a little hazy. Thank the gods for whoever had invented alcohol. That, and Ruth’s potion, had got her through the evening.

Music from the ballroom floated out into the night air and she found herself swaying in time to it. Like most noblewomen, she’d been taught how to dance from a young age. But she didn’t dance often, and definitely not in public.

She was afraid she’d look awkward and ungainly. She’d learned the hard way that if she didn’t concentrate, she tended to trip over her own feet.

Plus, most men were shorter than her. At the few official balls she’d been to, when she’d been asked to dance by men toadying up to her father, she’d had to pretend she didn’t notice the height difference. But it was embarrassing when it looked like she was resting her chin on their heads.

Out here though, with no-one to watch her, she could pretend she was being whisked gracefully around a ballroom. She closed her eyes and twirled, imagining she was dancing with someone tall and handsome. Someone like…

“There you are.”

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