Page 45 of Pretense

Sarya would occasionally give them food on her rounds, as if she were a passerby helping a hungry couple. In the morning, one of his colleagues at the Intelligence Office would relieve them.

Assuming Edmund and Jalissa weren’t called on to tail anyone. If that happened, the plan was out the window, and they’d have to adapt.

When they reached the street in front of the Times building, the large brick building glowed. The clatter of printing presses filled the air, running through the night to get the morning edition of the paper out first thing.

Edmund settled along the wall of a building, pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and settled into as comfortable of a position as he could.

Jalissa settled in next to him, her hood also over her head. “What happens now?”

“Now we watch and wait.” Edmund leaned his head against the brick wall behind him. Something damp and squishy was oozing through his clothes from the wall and the street. The stench of something rancid wafted from all around him.

Jalissa glanced at the slimy brick wall behind them, then at his shoulder. She sighed, her eyes even darker in the shadows. “I suppose it would be best if I leaned against you. For our disguise.”

“Yes. Our disguise. That’s the only reason.” He let himself relax with a chuckle and lifted his arm. Inviting her but waiting for her to make the first move. “So glad my shoulder is preferable over grime-covered bricks.”

“Do not flatter yourself. Your shoulder is the lesser of two unpalatable options.” She held his gaze with a pretend frosty look for a moment before a hint of a smile played around her mouth.

“Ouch. Right in the ego.” Edmund couldn’t help but grin, even as an ache settled into his chest. This was what he loved about Jalissa. Beneath that serene princess mask, she had a wit sharp enough to match his.

But this moment couldn’t last. Once they caught the assassin and the scandal of Farrendel’s parentage died down, he and Jalissa would quietly go their separate ways. Worse, he would watch as she moved on and married someone else. When that day came, he would lie through his teeth and tell her that he was happy for her, if that was what it took.

Tentatively, Jalissa eased her head onto his shoulder. He adjusted to get her more comfortably situated against him, trying not to think about how right she felt against him.

For several long moments, they sat in silence. The street in front of them remained dark and empty, but farther away the distant sound of a horse’s hooves clopping on stone and the murmur of voices filled the night air. Even at this late hour, Aldon was never quiet.

“Is this what it is always like? Spying?” Jalissa’s voice was soft, her head heavy against his shoulder.

He had never been able to talk frankly about this part of himself except with his family. Often, not even then. Only Averett knew most of what he’d done over the years.

But his cover had been well and truly blown in Tarenhiel. There was no sense hiding everything, though he could not give her specifics.

“Tarenhiel was much cleaner.” Edmund also kept his voice low, testing out her reaction to his words.

Jalissa stiffened against him, but she did not pull away. After a long moment, she gave a tiny sigh. “Of course our forests are much cleaner. And smell better.” She gave a little shiver. “I guess Kostaria was colder.”

“Yes, it was.” Pressed as they were against the damp brick and cobblestones, tonight would be chilly, even huddled together as they were.

They lapsed into silence for another long moment before Jalissa spoke even quieter than before. “This is why this courtship can never be anything but fake.”

Edmund breathed through the stab of her words, all the more painful because they were the truth. “I know.”

He had spied on her kingdom. He had a secret past that would damage the deepening alliance between Tarenhiel and Escarland if it came to light. Not to mention, the truth was even worse than Jalissa knew.

“But I do wish…” Jalissa trailed off, shaking her head against his shoulder.

He knew exactly what she meant, but he didn’t say so. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer. “Don’t worry. We’ll invite all those young elven noblemen here to Escarland and find you the perfect one. You’ll fall head over heels for him and forget all about me.”

“I doubt that.” Jalissa gave a little sniff.

Edmund swallowed, not sure what to say. He wanted to tell her that she was a beautiful person. Clever and dedicated and loyal. The picture of the perfect elven princess, and yet she was here, sitting in the filth of an Escarlish street because she was that determined to catch the person who had shot her sister-in-law and tried to assassinate her brother.

But if he said all that, the depth of his feelings would come through in his voice, destroying the lightness of the moment.

Jalissa yawned, her muscles relaxing against him. “I think I might fall asleep.”

“Go ahead. Even if you don’t sleep, resting your eyes will be helpful.” Edmund fixed his gaze on the building in front of him. “You can spell me later.”

Jalissa murmured something, but he could tell she was already fading into sleep. It had been an exhausting day.

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