“Yesss.” Ataht spoke through a smile.
Together, the happy trio bounded through the halls, the children’s bare feet slapping the floors.
Today, she didn’t enforce the “quiet in the library” rule, in any way, shape, or form. After an hour of research and memorization, she directed the twins to the small fire in the hearth, lit for their use.
“This is an important lesson,” she said. “Not only will we be creating functional instruments, we’ll have to sustain them while we march in the parade. We’ll also be sharing the chaos from this fire. And, most importantly”—she paused for a moment to ensure the twins were paying attention—“we must have fun!”
They cheered raucously, and Nesrina was rewarded by a muffled cough of frustration from the duke’s study.
Making herself a set of sleigh bells, she walked the children through crafting their own instruments. Ataht settled on a drum that he beat mercilessly with two mallets. She commended him for making three objects and sustaining them with ease. Adella made a wildly twisted horn that came more from her imagination than any image in the books. Nesrina praised its complexity.
“What are we celebrating?” Ataht asked as they lined up for their miniature parade.
“Hmm.” She looked out the windows at the rain cascading down onto the already saturated entrance yard. “Appia.”
“What’s that?”
Nes laughed. “Sheis an ancient goddess of water and life. Ask your history tutor for stories about the old gods. He’ll be excited to tell youmore, and it might get you out of a boring lesson!”
“Happy Appia Day!” Della screeched, and Nesmighthave heard laughter from the duke’s study.
They marched off to follow their planned circuit: out of the library, up the long gallery, through the central parlor to the grand room, back to the main foyer, right, up the north gallery, then they took itnice and slowas they finished the parade with a final hurrah, strategically placed outside Akkas Kahoth’s office door.
Latethenextafternoon,with her damp braid slung over her shoulder, dressed in dry clothes after a swim in the stream, and balancing a dinner tray on her right arm, Nes arrived at the duke’s office door. Smoothing the pleats on the bosom of her new yellow and blue dress, she took a moment to fix a few that had been tugged flat by the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Then she tapped on the wood softly, little more than a scratch, the way she’d heard the servants do many times.
She waited, as quiet as a mouse.
He opened the door. The servant angle was a success.
Their eyes met, and they glared daggers at one another. She could basically hear the clash of steel on steel. His pupils were huge, jaw ticking. And her face... She hoped she looked angry, but to be perfectly honest, she was distracted by the duke’s chest, dusted in a smattering of dark hair, it stared at her from between the open V of his tunic. One of his shirt laces had clearly gone for a swim in a pot of ink; now tipped black, it left a blotchy stain over his heart. He was far more underdressed—undressed—than she’d seen him before. The hard lines of his pecs beckoned her to follow where they disappeared beneath the fine linen.
“What are you doing . . .?”
“Here?” she finished his question for him, unsure she could answer without the added qualifier. Her eyes flicked up to his face. Nesrina refusedto tilt her head up and instead peered at him through her heavy lashes. “I’ve brought you dinner.”
“Don’t you have something better to do?Anythingother than distract me from my project?” He gestured vaguely at the desk across the room.
“Mmm...” She pretended to think and released one hand from the tray to raise a finger to her chin, tapping in an exaggerated fashion. “Icouldthink of better things to do. Iwouldhave better things to do, but you sent away myplaything.”
He moved toward her, letting loose a low growl.
Her heart raced, but she couldn’t stop herself from carrying on. “Now I have nothing...” She raised a hand to her mouth and coughed. “Sorry,no onebetter to do.” Nes punctuated the saucy comment with a dramatic shrug.
In an instant, he stepped toward her, and she yelped, pressing herself against the wall. She thought for certain he was going to pin her there, either with his much larger body or perhaps with his air magic.
He did not.
Instead, the duke huffed, “He’s not a good man,” and yanked his office door closed while reaching for the lunch in her hands. Dishware clattered as Nesrina tried to release the silvered tray to him. But his own much larger hand had grasped over top of hers, holding her there, sandwiched between the cool metal and throbbing heat of his palm.
He didn’t move, just looked down at her through hooded lids. For a solid thirty seconds he stared in silence, gaze unreadable.
Nes wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss her or curse at her.Perhaps he doesn’t know either,the errant thought fluttered through her mind, causing a pulse between her legs.
“Kalalitani,” he finally grumbled as he used his other hand to take the tray from her and removed the one that had held her firm.
She stood, back still pressed against the wall, chest rising and falling in time with her shallow breaths.
What does that mean?She wanted to call after him, but he was already gone. She’d figure it out.
