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‘I will leave the herbs with you.’ Bellona reached for her reticule, opened it and pulled the other knife out so she could reach the little pillow she’d made and stuffed with the dried plants.
‘Good heavens,’ the duchess gasped. Rhys tensed, his hand raised and alert.
‘It is only a knife,’ Bellona said, looking at her, flicking the blade both ways to show how small it was. ‘After the pirates attacked our ship, I have always carried one.’
‘Pirates?’ the duchess asked, eyes widening.
‘I am not truly supposed to call them that,’ Bellona said. ‘I did know them, so they did not feel like true pirates, only evil men, and Stephanos was...’ She shook her head. ‘I am not supposed to speak of that either.’
‘You are the countess’s sister?’ The duchess’s voice rose, becoming a brittle scratch. She sat taller, listening.
Bellona nodded. ‘We’re sisters. She’s more English than I am. Our father was not on the island so much when I was older. I hardly knew him. My second sister, Thessa, wanted to go to London. I did not. I like it, but I had expected to always stay in my homeland. But my mana died. Melina—the countess—had left and started a new life with her husband here and with Thessa determined that we should leave Melos I had no choice. The evil fidi would have— I could not stay on my island without either being killed or killing someone else because I was not going to wed.’
‘You are the countess’s sister?’
Bellona smiled at the duchess’s incredulous repetition.
‘Does she carry a knife?’
Bellona shook her head. ‘No. I do not understand Melina, but she has the children and she did not have the same ship journey I had. She did not see the things I saw. I really am not supposed to speak of them.’ Bellona bunched the things in her hand together enough so she could pull the pillow out.
Rhys reached out. ‘I’ll hold that,’ he said of the knife.
She slipped the blade back inside and pulled the strings of the closure tight. ‘I’m fine.’ She gripped the ties.
Walking to the duchess, she held out the bag of herbs. Rhys followed her step for step and her stare directed at him did not budge him.
The duchess took the pillow, keeping her eyes on Bellona. She pulled the packet to her nose. ‘Different,’ she remarked.
‘At night, you are supposed to put them near your head and then your dreams are to be more pleasant. I have one. It doesn’t work for me. But my mana promised it worked for her.’
‘I do not think it will work for me either.’ The duchess sighed, letting her hand rest in her lap.
‘The dreams. The dreams are the worst part,’ Bellona said.
The duchess looked at the cloth in her hand, squeezing it, crushing the centre, causing the herbs to rustle. ‘I know.’
‘Some nights,’ Bellona admitted, ‘I dream my mother is alive and for those moments she is. But I dream she is the one being attacked by the men and I cannot save her. Those dreams are the worst. And they only grow and grow. I cannot breathe when I wake.’
The duchess nodded, eyes downcast. ‘Do not talk of this to me.’
‘No one wishes to hear it,’ Bellona said sadly. ‘I cannot talk about it with anyone. And not to be able to talk with Mana makes it so bad. I did not think I would live when she died, but my sister Thessa started slapping me when I cried. That helped.’
The duchess stared at Bellona. ‘How unkind.’
‘Oh, no. No,’ Bellona insisted. ‘I would get angry and I would chase her and chase her and want to hurt her. I will always love her for that.’
The duchess looked thoughtful. ‘Child. Perhaps a pat or hug would have been better?’
Bellona squinted. ‘That would have done no good. I would have cried more.’
A chuckle burst from Rhys’s lips. A light shone in his brown eyes that she’d never seen before in any man’s gaze and she could feel the sunshine from it. Her cheeks warmed.
‘You might as well sit,’ the duchess said. ‘You’ll make my neck hurt looking up at you.’
While she stood there, unable for the moment to think of anything but the duke’s sable eyes, he slipped the reticule from her hand.
‘Find me in the library when you leave so I may return this to you,’ he said. ‘I have some work to finish and I will have tea sent your way.’
He strode out through the doorway.
‘Do not dare slap me,’ the duchess warned.
‘If you need it, I will,’ Bellona replied.
‘Do not try it. I will not chase you,’ the duchess added, studying her rings, before indicating Bellona sit beside her. ‘I would send servants.’
