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“What—” Weylind turned to her, then froze as she leaned down and kissed him. Right on the lips.
Ryfon dropped his fork. Brina’s mouth fell open. It was probably the first time the two of them had ever seen their parents kiss.
Edmund’s job here was done. He’d orchestrated bonding experiences for Weylind, Rheva, Essie, and Farrendel. And if this all turned out as he hoped, everyone would be too distracted to notice if he and Jalissa slipped out of the room in a few minutes for a stroll along the lake in the starlight.
Investigating
Jalissa kept her practiced smile in place as she surveyed the crowded ballroom of Lord Etchworth’s townhouse. Escarlish ladies in shimmering skirts twirled on the dance floor in the arms of the suited and styled Escarlish gentlemen.
Across the way, Edmund was disappearing down a hallway in the company of a group of the noblemen. Good. It hadn’t taken him long to talk his way into a private conversation over a brandy in the nobleman’s study. It was doubtful Lord Etchworth would leave anything incriminating just lying around on his desk, but most people wouldn’t anticipate the things Edmund could spot as clues.
Time for her to get to work.
She swept gracefully around the edge of the ballroom where she would not draw attention until she could quietly insert herself into a group of the older Escarlish ladies. The conversation paused as the ladies eyed her, but Jalissa plastered on her perfect, serene princess smile and that put the others at ease. Soon the conversation continued, and it only took a few discreet questions by Jalissa to steer it toward politics.
She observed as she listened, staying in the background as best she could so that the others would talk freely around her. Once she gleaned as much as she could from that group, she infiltrated another group of ladies and repeated the process.
A few more conversations. A few more observations. All hidden behind her mask. Just as she had done for every party she and Edmund had attended since returning from Lethorel.
As she glanced around to find another group, she found Edmund strolling toward her. The curls in his hair were combed as neatly as possible tonight while his jacket and waistcoat hugged his frame, somehow hiding the derringer and daggers that she knew he had stashed on his person.
He bowed and held out a hand. “May I have this next dance, my princess?”
Finally. Investigating was important, but the evening would be a failure if she did not get to dance with him. The one dance they had shared when they arrived had not been nearly enough.
Her smile genuine now, Jalissa took his hand and let him sweep her into the crowded center of the ballroom. As the first notes of the new song filled the air, she smirked. An Escarlish waltz. Edmund had impeccable timing, as always.
He pulled her as close as was proper and spoke in a lowered voice, his elvish guaranteeing that no one but her would understand. “Did you learn anything?”
“It seems we have succeeded in making ourselves the most sought-after couple in society at the moment.” Jalissa’s smile twisted as she fought to keep it in place. “As for politics, any outcry against the alliance with Tarenhiel is fading. The reassurance of a second marriage of alliance between us has convinced the Escarlish nobility that Tarenhiel is indeed an ally at this point. They seem eager to turn it into a vacation destination.”
Edmund shook his head. “Your brother will need to figure out how to handle that. Your elven society isn’t designed to handle gawking tourists. But tourism would be a boon to Tarenhiel’s economy, and if even a few Escarlish come away with a deeper appreciation of the elven people and culture, then it would be worth it.”
Jalissa nodded, trying to picture the streets of Estyra packed with hustling, bustling, loud humans. It was definitely going to take a bit of an adjustment to open their borders to visitors.
She shook herself. That would be Weylind’s worry, not hers. She had more to report to Edmund. “There remains skepticism about the new defense treaty with Kostaria. The rumor is already going around that Julien intends to marry a troll, due to his current visit there. The nobles do not seem to know that a marriage alliance is a part of the treaty. But the matrons with eligible daughters are especially put out that the one Escarlish prince they always assumed would be up for grabs might be married off to someone from a foreign kingdom.”
“It probably was too much to hope that his marriage of alliance could be kept secret.” Edmund did just as good a job of hiding his grimace behind a practiced smile. If anyone glanced their way, they would assume they were having an innocuous, romantic conversation rather than one about politics. “The noblemen, too, seem to think Julien would be better off looking elsewhere, if he were to seek a marriage of alliance. They think an arranged marriage with Mongavaria’s princess would solve all our problems, and they’re hoping her upcoming visit results in just that. We would end these new tensions with Mongavaria, Julien would eventually be the prince consort of Mongavaria’s queen, and we wouldn’t need an alliance with the trolls to do it.”
Jalissa kept her expression smooth. “Better a human than another race, is that it?”
“Yes, that prejudice is definitely a big part of it.” Edmund’s distaste glinted in his eyes even if he did not allow it to color his expression. “But they would be right that a marriage alliance between Julien and the Mongavarian princess would be the normal way to go about ending these tensions. It worked for Escarland and Tarenhiel, after all, as well as Kostaria and Tarenhiel. But…”
“But Mongavaria’s recent actions make you wary.” Jalissa studied him, knowing that Edmund’s instincts were rarely wrong when it came to these kinds of things.
“They executed our spies.” Edmund’s jaw clenched for a moment, a reaction too strong for even him to hide. “Escarland wasn’t even given the chance to negotiate for their release. As a spy, you know that you’re on your own if you’re caught. But Escarland returned Mongavaria’s spies—most of them, anyway—in a show of good faith. Any kingdom that was willing to negotiate and end tensions through a marriage alliance would have done the same. Rharreth did just that, after all, when he caught me.”
“You are a prince of Escarland. Even if you were caught spying, it would be an international incident if you were executed.” Jalissa swallowed, working hard to keep her imagination from going there. Edmund had not been executed. There was no sense in torturing herself with what-ifs.
“Yes, but I’m not sure that would have stopped the Mongavarian king if he’d been in Rharreth’s place.” Edmund’s jaw worked again, his eyes distant as he stared unseeingly past her. “I got the sense from the little time I spent in Mongavaria that their king would have made a big production of my execution, just to send a message to Averett. That’s not a king with whom I want to make an alliance.”
“I am thankful that your brothers are of the same mind.” Jalissa resisted the urge to shudder. “Now that our kingdoms are so closely allied, Escarland’s actions and alliances affect Tarenhiel. Strange as it sounds, I trust the trolls more than I trust Mongavaria.”
With Melantha and Rharreth on the throne of Kostaria, the trolls were quickly redeeming their honor in the eyes of the elves. Perhaps their two peoples would someday be kin once again, as they had been thousands of years ago.
“So do I.” Edmund blinked and turned back to her, the smile returning to his face. “But that is enough talk of politics. I’m simply going to enjoy dancing with the prettiest lady at the ball.”
Jalissa raised her eyebrows, even as the tips of her ears heated. “Flattery. What scheme should I be worried about now?”
