My mind remains with my sister, with Kay. It isn’t right, leaving her again, not when I promised the Retterheld would be the last time, but it’s either leave or be the reason we all lose our lives. There isn’t a third option here.
‘So when do we go?’ Benny asks.
‘Soon,’ I reply.
Before I can lose my nerve.
Chapter 14
There’s a massive part of me that would like to get going that very night, but it would be foolish. We need to be prepared: horses, food, and whatever maps Caz can find for us.
And then there’s the other issue.
The one that Jonas reminds me of when he comes back downstairs an hour later and finds me alone in my father’s study.
‘I was speaking to Kay,’ he tells me as he takes a seat. ‘Can you at least wait until after the ball to leave? Until King Korvane announces our marriage? It would mean the world to Kay to have you there for that, and we can use the opportunity to plant the seeds of your Etta pilgrimage. It’ll only delay you by a couple of days.’
So now he’s an intermediary between my sister and me. Wonderful.
It irritates me that he thinks he needs to add in the pilgrimage as a sweetener, like Kay’s request alone isn’t enough. I entered the Retterheld for her, risked life and limb for her, so yeah, I can wait two days for her.
‘Fine,’ I tell him stiffly, though I hope Kay knows I’ll be doing it for her and her alone.
Just thinking about being in the same room as King Korvane is enough to make me feel nauseous, but hopefully Kyor will have thesense not to be there. Not at an event that will include the announcement of my family’s news.
I continue before he can burble on. ‘When I’m gone, you’re going to need to move William in here. I don’t care what you have to tell your father, as long as it’s not the truth. I need to know he’s safe.’
He nods. ‘That’s all I’ve ever wanted too, Rose. To keep him safe. Perhaps I went about it the wrong way, and I know technically he’s not my blood, but heismy brother. In all ways that matter.’
As much as I want to remain mad at him, I can hear the truth in his words, even without Benny or Caz there to confirm it for me.
‘You should head home,’ I tell him. ‘It’s late.’
‘Right …’ He bites down on his bottom lip, his gaze shifting to the floor. ‘The thing is, Kay and I are married.’
‘Yeah,’ I scoff. ‘I remember.’
‘Well’—he scratches at the back of his neck—‘it’d be strange if I was sleeping back at my father’s, don’t you think? Unless she was there too? So maybe it’s just?—’
‘You are not having sex with my sister while I live here!’ I snap. A flurry of ice encircles the chandelier above him, causing the glass to crack and creak.
‘No, no!’ Jonas jumps from his seat and moves away from the light-fitting, his eyes warily darting upwards. ‘I thought I’d just sleep down in one of the reception rooms. Or in a spare room if Summer can make it up. The pregnancy’s going to start showing soon, so I wanted to make it look like … you know …’
He’s right. Of course he is.
For this to be believable people need to think there’s actually a relationship between them.
So much for thinking there were more rooms in this place than we’d ever fill.
‘I’ll get Summer to make you up one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor,’ I tell him.
‘Thank you. And I can tell Kay that you’ll be here for the ball? Like I said, I think it’ll really mean a lot to her.’
I suppress a sigh. ‘We’ll leave after theball,’ I confirm.
A slight smile flickers on his lips as he moves towards me, almost as if he’s going to hug me, but he steps back at my icy glare.
We’re not there. Not yet.
