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Well, at leastsomeonepaid attention to her well-being.
Before she could answer, Sera leaped from her seat and began pouring a fresh cup anyway. “You must stay hydrated in this heat. And eat as many sweets as you like.” She shoved the plate of cookies a little closer.
Breah scowled at Sera, but the other girl paid her no heed.
Sera batted her lashes. “What else do you need, Majesty?”
Ever since Cora had taken up confinement, Sera had returned to Mareleau’s side. It seemed the girl was now desperate to prove she was indispensable. Her efforts, though, bordered on annoying more often than not.
Ann, not wanting to be left out of whatever competition was brewing amongst the queen’s ladies, stood from her chair. “How about a bath, Majesty? I saw a tub in one of the wagons. I can boil water for you and scent it with oils. Oh, and wildflowers from the meadow!”
Mareleau didn’t want to encourage their petty rivalries, but seven gods, a bath sounded divine. She already felt filthy after this morning’s journey, not to mention the sweat caused by the afternoon sun blazing through the open sides of the tent. Additionally, a bath meant privacy. Time alone. Some semblance of peace and purpose in her boredom.
“Very well,” she said to Ann, which earned the girl dark glowers from both Breah and Sera, “you may draw me a bath.”
* * *
Larylis wasnothing more than raw nerves dressed in human flesh as he rode through the forest toward his destination. A page in Lord Kevan’s livery led the way, guiding him from Ridine Castle to some undisclosed location in the woods nearby. Apparently, the signing of the peace pact would take place on a royal hunt. Thankfully Larylis wasn’t alone, otherwise his imagination might have carried him away to the worst possible scenario. However, it wasn’t Lord Hardingham at his side, calming him down with cool logic; it was King Verdian.
Verdian had been the last person Larylis had wanted to meet on the road, but two days ago, Larylis’ small entourage had caught up with Verdian’s much larger one. Larylis had no choice but to tell his father-in-law of Cora’s strange letter to explain why he’d left his retinue. He’d expected a barrage of insults at having acted so recklessly, and Verdian certainly had a few choice words to say, but after reading Cora’s fading letter a time or two more, the king had calmed down. He’d still insisted the letter was simply the result of a lovers’ quarrel, but his subsequent actions had belied his confident words. Like Larylis had done, Verdian had selected a small group to ride with haste to Ridine.
Thus, Larylis earned his unwanted companion.
He had to admit the king steadied his nerves somewhat. He hoped with all his heart that Verdian was right—that Cora’s letter was the culmination of a simple quarrel and nothing more.
“We’re here,” the young page said, guiding their party into a wide clearing. A sunlit meadow stretched ahead, filled with several pavilions. At the edge of the meadow, a group of men on horseback entered the woods. Larylis thought he could make out the figures of King Dimetreus and Lord Kevan. Closer, another group mounted their horses. Lord Ulrich was amongst them, and…was that Teryn?
Larylis hadn’t recognized his brother first, for his back had been facing them. But now that Teryn turned, Larylis saw his face beneath a tricorn hat. Larylis frowned. Since when did Teryn wear tricorns on a hunt? He didn’t think he’d ever seen his brother don a hat.
Teryn tugged his horse’s reins and faced the approaching party. “Brother. King Verdian. I’m glad to see you’ve arrived early. We were just about to depart for the day’s hunt. Will you be joining us?”
Larylis frowned. That was Teryn’s voice, but his tone was too formal. The hat cast Teryn’s face in shadow, but Larylis was almost certain his cheeks appeared thinner. Paler.
Verdian said nothing to Teryn and rode straight for Ulrich. Larylis watched as the brothers spoke in hushed tones, their horses side by side. There was something smug about Ulrich’s countenance, and he gave only short answers to Verdian’s questions, most of which were too quiet for Larylis to hear.
He forced his attention back to Teryn, who remained seated on his horse. Keeping his voice casual, he said, “Are you well, brother?”
“Quite. And you? How were your travels?”
He was too polite. Too stiff. He was acting different, but that didn’t suggest anything outright sinister. “We met no trouble on the road. Where is Princess Aveline?”
“She’ll be with us shortly.” He shifted in his saddle and pointed to the other end of the meadow. “Your wife is in the last tent.”
Had that been…a diversion? If so, it worked. Larylis’ eyes locked on the elegant pavilion. He recognized Mareleau’s lady’s maids chatting outside the closed front flap. From the ease of their postures, the animated manners in which they spoke to each other, he sensed nothing amiss. Nothing to suggest Mareleau was in danger.
He returned his gaze to Teryn and saw his brother smiling back at him. It was a familiar grin, as comforting as a warm embrace. Larylis was starting to believe he really had overreacted.
“She’s missed you terribly,” Teryn said, lowering his voice. His previous air of formality was gone. “I’m sure you already knew that.”
Verdian broke away from Ulrich. “I’ll see my daughter at once.”
“I believe she’s bathing, Majesty,” Teryn said, prompting a flush of color to rise to the king’s cheeks. “At least, that’s what I’ve guessed based on the many buckets of boiled water I saw one of her maids dragging into the tent for the better part of an hour.”
Teryn was back to that formal tone again. Was it simply an act he was putting on in front of Verdian?
Larylis glanced back at his wife’s pavilion, heart pulsing with longing. While he had many questions to ask Teryn, he needed to see Mareleau. Needed to confirm she truly was safe.
“Why don’t you stay here, brother?” Teryn said. “Verdian, you should join us on our hunt. We have much to discuss regarding the peace pact, and what better time to start than now? If we are to take advantage of the daylight, we must leave at once. Dimetreus and Kevan already have a head start.” He nodded toward the edge of the woods where the first party was now hidden beyond the trees.
