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The woman had dismounted but her eyes remained lowered. She strode into the stables, swift and sure, and the horse and dogs followed. Whoever she was, she didn’t lack confidence. And then she raised her gaze and her eyes said it all.
The woman had eyes the same shape and colour as Casimir’s. The same eyes as Sophia. The eyes of the royal family of Byzenmaach.
‘Hello Casimir,’ she said and her gaze flickered sideways for a moment. ‘Tomas. You’re the falconer here now?’
‘Yes,’ said Ana when Tomas appeared incapable of speech. ‘He is.’
The woman smiled gently. ‘I thought so.’ And then her gaze returned to Casimir and her expression grew a whole lot more complex. ‘Brother. It’s been a long time.’
Cas too seemed incapable of movement or speech. ‘Guess she’s not dead, dead either,’ Ana muttered in Russian because he needed a push and was fluent in the language and boy were they going to have words about that later. ‘Welcome her home.’
And then Cas was striding across the sawdust and pulling his sister into an embrace that left no room for air, and if anyone could have ever doubted his love for his sister, the depth of his loss or the extent of his joy at seeing her alive, they couldn’t possibly doubt it now because it was written all over his face.
‘Lord Ildris,’ Ana said, forcing the man’s attention. ‘You must be weary after your travels. We have a bathhouse here I think you’ll like. And refreshments and rooms available for your use. Come.’ She was beginning to understand why Casimir used that word a lot. ‘Let us leave others to their reunion , shall we? We shall meet up with them again for a meal soon enough.’
She waited until he’d joined her and then headed for the fortress. The walk would take several minutes. They could chat along the way. She could wring his neck.
The four-man security detail surrounding them probably wouldn’t stop her.
‘I hear you have a daughter,’ Lord Ildris said when they were halfway through the gardens.
‘Yes, and I do hope you like wolfhound puppies because we currently have eight of them.’
‘I too keep wolfhounds,’ he replied easily. ‘Perhaps we can arrange an exchange.’
‘Exchanges do seem to be your forte.’ He could take that any way he liked. She waited until they’d reached the steps that led from the garden to the patio before mounting her next offensive. ‘Why now?’ she asked. ‘After all these years, why return her now?’
‘You disapprove?’
‘I’m new around here. I barely know which way is up. But I do question the motives of a man who would remove a child from her family only to produce her again twenty years later.’
‘I’m afraid that’s a question for Claudia to answer.’
‘Are you her lover?’
‘No!’ His eyes snapped ice. ‘Claudia has not been misused by us. Not as a child. Not as a woman. Which is more than I can say for her own family. She stayed with us because she wanted to stay and returns of her own free will. That is all I have to say on the matter.’
Protective. How very interesting.
She led him to a suite of rooms that were often used by various aides who overnighted at the fortress and opened the door for him. ‘Do you or Claudia have any dietary requirements I should know about? I’d hate to poison you by accident.’
‘I have no special dietary requirements and neither does Claudia.’
‘Excellent. We dine at seven. I’d suggest a tour of the aviaries beforehand but my falconer’s currently having a meltdown at the unexpected arrival of his long-lost childhood friend. Perhaps next time.’
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘May I be permitted to congratulate you on your engagement?’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Go right ahead.’
‘A woman of humour is a rare asset for a king,’ he said. ‘Ms Douglas, mother of the young duchess of Sanesch, future consort to the king of Byzenmaach, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.’
And she’d thought the UN was a diplomatic circus. ‘Rest well, Lord Ildris. The belongings you parted with earlier will be brought to your room. Some of them, at any rate. The rest will be held in safe keeping until your departure. We’ll see you at dinner.’
