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“Sure dear, what is it?”
“Privately?” His eyes darkened as he glanced back to me- before returning to his mothers. “It’s about...”
“Yes, yes, just a minute Kas.” She waved him away. “I will be with you in a moment, and we may talk. But I am sure Serra is unbothered by your need to speak to me about Cressida.”
My heart sank.
Cressida Finkley. A politician’s daughter.
I’ve only seen her a handful of times. It was rumored she wasn’t allowed out much, too busy with her studies and her father’s desires to be governor. Kaston’s eyes brush over my face, a glimpse of glee in them at his mother’s slip of tongue. Of course, Cressida would be the right choice, a lady bred for this, for nobility. The right lady for marriage. He’d wooed her, he’d courted her properly and then very likely would request for her hand from her father.
Because that is how it is done.
I was just a fling; I was used then tossed aside by this man. But it was okay for the men to mess around before marriage, take what they wanted with no consequences, it was what they did. And no one batted an eye at them.
Except...Nona...
Nona. My sweet loving Nona. I’d forgotten about her. A pang of guilt and regret hit me like a wall of water. I remembered now. I fought back the tears that threatened to fall as I felt the love and care she had given me all my life. The anger and loathing she had for the man in this room. The man that had soiled me. Left me alone in the Ebony Woods. She’d gone on a rampage after I had arrived back at the cottage. My bed having been empty with no sign of me.
She later told me she had feared I’d been stolen away. Stolen away to where and by whom, I did not know. And when I showed up with my eyes red and face streaked with tears she had relaxed, knowing I was safe. But she had demanded answers even when I could not give them. All I could say was I was used and when I refused to give her his name, she had gone off on a tirade mumbling some nonsense about curses and wicked boys.
Nona had cleaned me up, gave me the tonic to prevent pregnancy and then sent me to bed. Never once shunning me or my actions. The same could not have been said about the villagers. The jabs and sneers as Nona and I walked past days later were distasteful. I had caught her mumbling once about heirs and princesses. How the whole village was ungrateful and would see the truth someday.
The look on her face when she had caught me staring was alarming. I knew then that there was more that she wasn’t telling me. And when pressed she changed the subject, warning me to stop making wishes and speaking of those who should not be spoken about. Nona had gone out of her way to reassure them that everything was okay, that it was all hearsay. I remembered now that she was gone. No longer a part of my life, no longer there to pick me up.
An ache bloomed in my chest.
“Mother.” Kaston’s voice echoed in my head. His hand tightening on the back of her chair, a warning that this meeting was over.
“Yes, alright Kaston.” Lady Conwell signed, turning towards me. “I will have a coach sent to you on the eve of the ball. I do look forward to your attendance Serra. It’ll be marvelous.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes on her and offering her a shy smile. Never once glancing back at Kaston.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She beamed. “Perfect!”
“Bastion will see you out, Serra.” Kaston said cutting her off. The tight line of his smile signaled I was done here. Dismissing me before his mother could. But his eyes gave him away. The danger there. Even with the relief I felt to get away, to be done with this and go home. To process everything that I had just recalled.
Without hesitating I rose and skirted around him. Avoiding him and any contact. At the door outside the butler, Bastion, waited. I could hear Lady Conwell and Kaston talking, not entirely concerned that I was still within earshot. “Kas darling, I do not understand why you are kicking around the bush. Just ask Lord Finkley already. Why would you not? She’s divine.”
“Mother, it is not that simple-”
I could not hear the rest of what Kaston had said, the door closing behind me. As Bastion lead me to the front and out the door, my thoughts turned to back to him. What was he up to? I only paused for a moment watching Bastion open the door for me. Ushering me out and hurrying down the front steps as the large mahogany doors boomed closed behind me.
The fact that Lady Conwell was unaware or unbothered by her son’s tryst with me was baffling. Either she ignored the rumors, or she was so disconnected from everything and so caught up in her own schemes that she truly had no idea.
Still reeling from the encounter, the invitation and the forgotten memories. I hurried home- haunted by the lady in white and the forgotten time with Kaston.
I did not notice the black raven escorting me.
ChapterFive
THE GOBLIN KING
Isoared above the shipping port village of Rothnia, my wings propelling me higher into the sky. From above, I could see the hustle and bustle of the market below. The salty sea air mixed with the aroma of spices and fish from the merchant stalls that lined the streets. The colors of the various stalls and banners were vibrant and inviting, even from up here.
The wooden docks were teeming with activity as crew members loaded and unloaded cargo onto the vessels. The sails of the ships were varied and colorful, each bearing a unique emblem or design. The harbor was alive with the sound of creaking ships, bustling sailors, and barking dogs. The sea itself shimmered under the sunlight, beckoning to all who dared to venture out.
