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Yes, he would be all right. He was a grown elf. She didn’t have to babysit him. Besides, she wouldn’t stay up that much longer. She was nearly as tired as he was.
Easing out the door, she closed it behind her and made her way down the narrow hallway past the sleeping compartments, across the swaying connection between the sleeping and sitting cars, and entered, timing her steps to the rhythm of the wheels on the tracks.
Gaslights flashed by outside the square windows behind the plush benches lining the sitting area. A marble-topped, low table sat in the center of a cluster of upholstered chairs. If not for the clacking wheels, chugging boiler, and swaying rhythm, it could have been a sitting room in Winstead Palace.
Edmund lounged in one of the chairs, cradling a mug of coffee. How he managed to sleep after consuming coffee, she would never understand.
Another mug waited on the table in front of the chair across from Edmund. Essie sank into the chair and picked up the mug. Its warmth seeped into her hands. She breathed in the rich, savory smell of chocolate. “I missed our late-night talks. And hot chocolate. How I’ve missed hot chocolate.”
“They don’t have hot chocolate in Tarenhiel?” Edmund leaned back in his chair.
“Not that I’ve seen. Elves live in the trees, and they tend to only eat hot meals once a day. I think they don’t like making cook fires any more than they have to.” Essie sipped at her hot chocolate, closed her eyes, and gave in to a small moan. “Oh, this is good. I wonder if they have a way to enchant something to heat up a pot of water. I would love to have my cup of hot chocolate in the mornings.”
“If the elves can’t figure it out, I’m sure Lance Marion might be able to do something.”
Lance, a local inventor, worked with Averett frequently when trying to pair magic and machines. If anyone could think of something, he could.
“I’ll have to stop by his shop while I’m in Aldon.” Essie sipped at her hot chocolate, closing her eyes for a moment at the sheer bliss of the warm drink.
“I’ll make sure you are supplied with all the chocolate you need.” Edmund eyed her over the rim of his coffee mug. The light tone dropped from his voice. “Seriously, Essie. Anything you need. I will get it for you.”
“I know.” Essie stared down at the mug in her hands. Edmund would be able to do it, too.
This small talk was nice, but she could feel its sharp edges. Was Edmund waiting for her to open up to him? Or was he figuring out a way to tell her something important? She couldn’t quite read the message in his silence.
She took a fortifying swig of the hot chocolate, set it on the table, and met Edmund’s gaze. “If you have something to ask, then go ahead and ask it. We’ve never been the type of family to tiptoe around.”
Edmund set aside his coffee. “I’m not sure how to ask this. You and that elf seem to be getting along well, and I don’t want to ruin anything between you. Yet...”
“What are you getting at?” Essie tried not to tense.
“After I learned you’d married him, I did some digging. In my way. You know.”
“You did some spying and all that.” Essie rolled her eyes. Edmund could be so secretive when the entire family knew exactly what he did. As a member of the intelligence office, he had the means to dig up all the facts he wished.
What had he found about Farrendel? There were secrets Essie preferred they didn’t know, for Farrendel’s sake.
“I reached out to my contacts and hung around some of the border towns.” Edmund didn’t smile.
Essie’s stomach tightened. What had Edmund learned? Had he found out Farrendel’s secrets? She didn’t dare ask, in case Edmund hadn’t found out everything yet.
“There were a few things I learned.” Edmund rubbed at his palm, huffed, and shook his head. “I don’t even know how to go about asking this. If you don’t know, I don’t want to wreck anything. But it’s something I think you ought to know.”
Edmund could dance around the topic all night if he wanted to. If he had been in the border towns, he’d probably heard Farrendel’s worst secret. After all, it wasn’t like the circumstances of Farrendel’s birth were a secret in Tarenhiel. The fact that he was the illegitimate son of the late elf king was the biggest scandal the elven court had seen in hundreds of years. The only reason it wasn’t known in Escarland was because elves kept their scandals to themselves. “If you’re asking if I know about the...timing of Farrendel’s birth, then, yes. I know.”
Edmund’s shoulders sagged a moment before he met her gaze. “I wasn’t sure the elves would tell you.”
“Actually, Farrendel’s grandmother told me the whole story the first week I was there. She seemed to think I ought to know.” Essie leaned forward and didn’t continue until Edmund met her gaze. Something fierce beat inside her chest. “Maybe I needed to know to understand him, but, please, Edmund. This isn’t something Avie needs to know. It does nothing to help the alliance between Escarland and Tarenhiel if Avie were to find out he’d married me to the illegitimate elf prince. Farrendel was fully recognized as a part of the elven royal family. As Laesornysh, he has earned himself a respected place in their court. And if the scandal of his illegitimacy still plagues him there, I don’t want it to follow him here. He should have at least one place where he isn’t defined by it. Please, Edmund.”
Edmund leaned his elbows on his knees. “He will have a hard enough time in our court without this hanging over him as well. I will quietly bury my file on this, if that’s what you wish. I see no reason why anyone else needs to know. But, Essie? If this ever does get out, I’ll be sure to get ahead of it.”
“Thank you.” Essie picked up her mug of hot chocolate again. She would never take her brothers’ loyalty and love for granted. They had protected her for her whole life, and they were still looking out for her now, even if she was in a different country.
Edmund also reclaimed his mug. “You are falling in love with him, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Essie grinned and gulped down her hot chocolate now that it had cooled. “You know me. I was bound to fall in love quickly. I am too determined to be happy to spend time moping around. Estyra is beautiful, and Farrendel is so sweet. I know he doesn’t look it. He puts on that hard, warrior mask and doesn’t let people in easily. I’m hoping he will relax enough that all of you will see the real him instead of only his mask.”
“Maybe. But I’m not surprised. You always were the sunshine in our family.” Edmund reached over to tweak her nose like he used to when she was little. He glanced down at her tunic and trousers. “You’re wearing trousers.”
