Page 77 of Hollow Court
“You know, that was never strictly appropriate, but it’s even less so with my betrothal being finalized,” I told him, my voice colder than I meant to let on.
“Tell me what happened,” he said. “Is it your uncle? Because we can—”
“It’s not,” I interrupted him sharply, the concern in his voice making tears stab at the back of my eyes.
Was it feigned? Real? Was anything real?
Taking a deep, subtle breath, I continued in a milder tone.
“Honestly, we both knew what last night was.”Lie.“You don’t have to pretend otherwise for my sake. It’s not like I was planning on marrying you. I just…wanted a bit of fun before I had to go back to real life.” At his hesitation, I pushed harder. “Come now, Davin. We always knew it would end this way.”
His features shuttered, his posture going ramrod straight.
“I see. In that case, I’m glad I caught you in time to say goodbye.” There was something in his voice I couldn’t—didn’t want to—read. “For whatever it’s worth, I meant what I said.”
That prodded at my carefully held self-control. The hell he had meant anything he said.
“About the life debt,” he expounded when I didn’t ask.
“I doubt we’ll ever see each other again.” The truth of those words threatened to bowl me over, that everything ended like this.
I would never again see his smirk or banter with him on cold rooftops, or hear his low, sardonic chuckle.
It had all been lies to begin with.
“Well then,” he said, his tone as hard as his deep-blue gaze. “Congratulations, and…have a nice life, Galina.”
Pain lanced through my chest. “And you as well.”LairdDavin.
I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. Instead, I gently closed the door, waiting until his footsteps faded back down the passageway to finally let the tears fall.
TWENTY-SIX
Davin
Present Day
I wasn’tsure there was enough coffee in the realm to stave off the level of exhaustion I felt the next morning.
Only Blaine’s disapproving stare kept me from drinking directly from the carafe he had brought with my breakfast. Even then, I had to practically bribe him to bring more while he fussed over the healthy amount of caffeine for an able-bodied young man and how I was wildly exceeding it.
Despite his quibbling, my manservant watched me with concern etched into his aged features as we went through my schedule for the day.
Blaine had worked for my family for most of my life, and he had happily taken on the role of my manservant when I came of age. He could read me nearly as well as I could read him, and he was one of the few people I allowed to see my unguarded moments.
Or rather, I just hadn’t been able to hide them as well around him. Especially not when Mac died, or when Row left for Socair.
With a sigh, I stared at my cousin’s name on the parchment in front of me.
Her letter was next to my blank one, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over me as I penned a response.
Dear favorite cousin,
Now that you mention it, I did happen to leave Socair in parallel to someone who was also leaving Socair, of their own volition and choice. We then happened to, by complete coincidence, slip and fall into a betrothal arrangement only once she was a solid five or so feet into Lochlann.
We both know there are laws on a woman leaving a betrothal in Socair, whether she wishes to be in it or not, and I, for one, am horrified to find that I have inadvertently played a role in such egregious behavior. I am only happy that you were far enough removed from it all to avoid being falsely implicated.
Since, under the terms of the treaty, no one can force her to come back to Socair now, I suppose we’ll all have to lie in the bed we’ve made.