Page 16 of Hollow Court
This time, she was determined to be my undoing.
I stood to pour myself a drink, less out of desire than because I needed a moment away from her endlessly icy gaze. There was half a bottle of red wine left, along with the rest of the vodka.
Wine, it was.
I poured us both a glass, taking my time uncorking and recorking the bottle while I sifted through my options.
I could tell Galina no. But even if I hadn’t owed her a life debt, she had come to me asking for my help—in her usual highhanded manner, but asking, nonetheless. Could I really leave her trapped in a life she hated, even after everything?
Aside from that, I did owe her a life debt. I had made an oath.
On the other hand, when I returned to Lochlann with a whirlwind betrothal that lasted a couple of weeks, I would ruin any chance I had of winning the vote to keep my estate.
If I was right about my not-quite-cousin’s ties to the rebellion, letting him get his hands on the resources of Lithlinglau was not a chance I could take.
Blowing out a sigh, I considered potential solutions.
I couldn’t ask Gallagher to take on my life debt, or to betroth himself to a stranger, even for a short period of time.
Rowan had complained endlessly about the limitations to her power on the throne regarding the backward-arse Socairan laws, so I knew that wasn’t a possibility.
That left only one real option.
I turned around to face Galina. Her features were carved into careful nonchalance, and she sat with unnatural stillness. For a moment, she looked almost fragile.
Then her eyes snapped up to meet mine, full of the same unyielding strength I had come to expect from her. I returned to my chair, fortifying myself to make my counter proposal as I handed her a glass of wine.
“I can’t be betrothed to you for two weeks, then call it off,” I began.
She froze, and I held out a hand to stay her response.
“I’m not saying no,” I assured her. “But there are more things at play than you realize. I don’t know if you’re aware of the situation in Lochlann with the rebels. They would target you just for the land you came from, let alone trying to marry one of their own.”
“Are they worse than the Unclanned here?” she asked without inflection.
I considered that for a moment. While the Unclanned bore their mark on their foreheads and were completely ostracized from their clans, the rebels back home were more insidious. Otherwise, they were probably about the same.
“Not necessarily,” I allowed.
She made a gesture for me to get to my next point, and I went on.
“We’ll need to make sure this can’t come back on Rowan.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Galina said smoothly. “Since I left the ball a bit early tonight, my father is sending me home to recuperate. By the time anyone notices I’m gone, it won’t have anything to do with the queen or the palace.”
I took a long sip of my wine. There was only one more real issue, but I was starting to think it wouldn’t sway her.
I could hardly make sense of the fact that we hadn’t spoken in over a year, and now we were here, and I was about to make an offer I couldn’t take back.
“Then we need to plan on doing this for six months,” I told her. “That’s time enough to get me past an upcoming issue regarding my estate, and long enough that we won’t look unstable when we call it off, which will be better for you as well.”
She swallowed, scanning the room for several heartbeats before returning her attention to me. “Won’t it make it harder for me to find another match, betrothed to you for that long?”
I scoffed. Already, I could imagine how the vultures would descend. Galina was gorgeous, titled, and accomplished. With my family’s support, it would be no problem finding her a marriage, even if she couldn’t secure her dowry.
Being betrothed to me would only help that cause.
I ignored the part of me that rebelled against this entire plan, knowing it was the most feasible one.