“Oh?”
I nod, tugging at my bottom lip with my teeth.
“There’s only so much of the city I can see from the back of a carriage. I was hoping to get a more …in-depth feelfor the city.”I peek up at her from beneath my lashes, shrugging. “If you know what I mean.”
Realization widens her eyes before a smooth smile brightens her face—dazzling and full of mischief. “IknewI liked you.”
* * *
From my spot close to the sheer curtain covering the window, I watch tawny-haired children dash into the streets, leaping up and down and throwing flower petals as our carriage clatters along—an insatiable attention magnet that dredges up a fresh swell of onlookers with every turn we take.
Faces appear through the small gap in the curtain, eyes bright with expectation. I cringe at their attention, hugging the corner of my seat.
With two guards sitting behind the driver’s box, two on the rear boot, and Kolden following behind us on horseback, we’redrowningin guards.
“I’m nervous,” I murmur, breathing deeply to loosen my tight lungs.
“Don’t be.” Gael peeks out the window. “I reckon we’ve been out long enough. We’ve circled past all the major social spots, so the geese will gaggle about seeing the carriage.” She shifts seats, sliding a little latch at the front of the cab and dishing the driver a bunch of directions that make no sense to me.
“That worked?” I ask when she sits back down.
“I can beverypersuasive,” she tells me, waggling her brows. “This should buy us a few hours of freedom.”
“So … what are we going to do?”
She brushes a piece of long hair back over her shoulder—something I’ve noticed she does a lot. “What do youwantto do?”
“Are there any markets today?”
“I don’t think so, no.” She frowns, tapping her finger to her lips. “No, just the night ones in the market square. There’s a monthly one on the esplanade that runs during the day, but that’s not until next week.”
My heart drops in synchrony with my shoulders.
Damn.
“In that case, I have no idea …”
“Well, what do youwantto do? For you?”
“Forme?”
“Yes. What does yourheartwant?”
To not care for a bit.
To let go.
I look at my hands for a long moment, up again. “Freedom,” I whisper, the word my own horrific secret offered to her in place of her own.
She gives me a soft, knowing smile and nods. “Then I havejustthe place.”
The horse that was trailing behind us canters forth, and Kolden hollers for the crowd to thin. The carriage begins to roll faster, bumping around so much I have to grip hold of the handrail.
Restless rebellion wrestles in my chest as we take turn after turn, moving into the shadow of the wall, then along the side of the river, allowing me a broad view of the rippled stretch of water. Of small piers that house clusters of rowboats and the odd larger ships with various shades of sail.
I look out the window, see a big, ornate gate being swung open—access to what appears to be an opulent community.
We trundle across polished cobblestones, past manicured gardens hosting large, bejeweled homes with windows mosaiced in slivers of bright color, their pitched roofs capped with gold shingles. The air turns salty as we finally slow, edging toward the sea sparkling in the distance, pulling up beside a large house bearing so many windows it’s more glass than stone.
