“No.” Lorne regarded the piles. If he didn’t help her in some way, she’d never finish. “But you could talk the less sensitive stuff over with me. Like that whole thing with the bridge and the roads. I can be your sounding board. I do, after all, have some experience with government.”
He couldn’t tell her just how much experience. Far more than a lowly lord would have. But even a normal lord in Lalsacia would have a good idea of politics and how the government worked.
Adeline’s smile widened, her posture straightening, although with less tension than when she’d been facing the two lords. “That would be wonderful. Perhaps I wouldn’t have this overwhelming sense I’m doing everything wrong and going to fail if I can talk the decisions over with someone.”
“You arenotgoing to fail.” Since Lorne sat across the desk from her, he didn’t hold out his hand. But he held her gaze for a long moment before he waved a hand at the papers. “Where would you like to start?”
“This stack.” She grabbed the largest of the stacks, sliding it toward her rather than picking it up. At his look, her smile took on a wry tilt. “I sorted the paperwork by category. This is all the various requests fromnobles, towns, merchants, etc. While Thaddeus can assist me with tax stuff and I can’t show you anything regarding the war, there shouldn’t be any problem talking over the items in this stack with you.”
“Then let’s get started.” Lorne grinned and eased deeper onto the cushioned seat, careful of his healing ribs.
As frustrated as he was by not being able to send a message to his father, he needed to be patient. Gaining Adeline’s trust would go a lot farther in ending this war and bringing about real peace than pushing too hard now.
Adeline tookin her desk and the stack of finished paperwork. Thanks to Lorne’s help, she’d gone through the whole pile of requests and either approved or rejected them, giving solid reasoning for each. There were those who would still complain about her decisions, but at least she felt more confident in them after talking everything over with Lorne.
That left only one small matter she had to take care of. With a glance at Lorne’s seat, now empty since she’d sent him to rest, she pulled out a fresh sheet of paper.
It took her some time to craft the right words. Despite what she’d told Lord Lorne, she intended to send a letter to the Lalsacian king.
She didn’t want to promise anything or mention too much about Lalsacia’s envoys, but she also neededto make this first gesture of peace. Kelverny had been behind this whole war—from her parents’ deaths to the latest atrocities committed against Lord Lorne and his men—and thus the burden of peace rested on her.
As she was finishing up, there was a knock on her door. When she called out for the person to enter, Thaddeus stepped inside. He bowed. “I’ve finished going over the audit with the clerks and accountants. The castle finances, at least, appear to be in order.”
“Thank you, Thaddeus.” She gestured at the chair across from her. “I appreciate all the extra work you’ve been taking on.”
He really should be contemplating retirement, not pulling even longer hours.
“It’s my pleasure, Your Majesty.” Thaddeus eased himself into the chair, a grimace betraying him. His knees must be hurting him. “And it has been encouraging, talking to more of the castle staff. There is hope in their eyes. They are beginning to believe in you, and that will go a long way toward gaining their loyalty.”
“I hope so.” She dropped her gaze to the paper before her, drew a deep breath, and pushed it toward him. “Could you please read this over?”
Thaddeus took the paper, his thinning gray eyebrows raising as he read the first few lines. But he read the whole thing without comment and stared at it for a long moment before he lowered it to look at her over it. “This is well written.”
“You think so?” She twisted her hands together in her lap.
“Yes. Diplomatic but to the point. AdmittingKelverny’s wrongdoing in the war without groveling or lowering our dignity.” Thaddeus regarded her over the top of the paper. “But you don’t mention your marriage to Lord Lorne?”
“No.” She couldn’t fully explain her reluctance to mention it nor to have Lord Lorne involved in the peace process. Peace had been the reason she married him, after all.
But she didn’t want to use him as a bargaining chip. Nor did she want to trap him. He’d been in an impossible situation, and she’d given him the options of more torture or marriage. That was hardly a choice.
And if she used him as her pawn for bringing about peace, he would remain trapped in marriage to her.
It hadn’t bothered her that she was using him before. But now that she knew him…now that holding his hand strengthened her in a way nothing else had before…she couldn’t do that to him. She wanted him to choose her. Not for peace. Not for their kingdoms. But for her.
Foolishness, she knew. Neither of them would ever have that kind of freedom. But perhaps she could spare him, somewhat.
Thaddeus was still looking at her, as if waiting for her to elaborate. She drew her shoulders straighter. “I’d like to hold off on mentioning Lord Lorne or our connection just yet. That can be an additional bargaining tool if we need it. My grandfather’s treatment of Lord Lorne and his men was abominable, and admitting that won’t do our bid for peace any favors right now.”
“I see.” Thaddeus spoke the words slowly, the look in his eyes saying that he, indeed, saw far more than she wanted him to see.
Adeline took the paper from him, signed and sealed it, rolled it, and sealed it again. Only then did she hand it back to him. “Could you please ensure this is handed off to an officer we can trust? Give him instructions to approach the Lalsacian lines only after the tensions are cooled enough that he thinks he will be heard under a flag of truce instead of filled full of arrows on sight.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Thaddeus tucked the roll of paper into an inner pocket of his jacket before he stood and bowed.
As he left, Adeline released a long sigh. It would be weeks before she heard anything in reply from the Lalsacian king. It might take the officer weeks to dare approach the Lalsacians, then weeks more before the enemy king sent a reply.
But she’d taken the first step. Perhaps peace was achievable.
