Ashes of Roses (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 4) (19 page)

A quick swallow of wine seemed my best recourse then, and I remained silent, tasting the rich, heavy savor of the unknown grape. With a shake of her curls, she leaned over and murmured something to Lord Senric, but I could not make it what it was. No matter. My entire attention was consumed by watching Torric make his circuit of the dance floor, those agonizing moments of waiting until the dance was finally done and he came straight toward me, ignoring all the women who attempted to approach him as if they were not even there.

“My Lady Ashara,” he said, stopping a foot or two away and bowing from the waist.

I curtseyed at once, as did Gabrinne, while the Duke bowed as well. “Your Majesty,” I replied formally, all too aware of their watching eyes.

Torric seemed to perceive my diffidence, for he said, “My lady, if no one has claimed you yet, I would be honored to have you as my partner for the
verdralle
.”

“No, I am newly arrived, and so have no partners as of yet.”

“Then consider yourself claimed…for this dance.”

I curtseyed again, and he waved to a passing servant for his own goblet of wine. The man rushed over at once and handed off the last vessel on his platter. Torric drank deeply, then gave the goblet back to the servant.

“And if you are done, my lady? I think you will find it difficult to dance whilst holding on to that goblet.”

“Oh, of course,” I said, even though I had not drunk even half the vessel’s contents. But I gave it over as well. If I had need of more later, I had no doubt Torric would procure it for me immediately.

I could not help but feel Gabrinne’s eyes upon us during this exchange, as if she were attempting to see something between us beyond the polite, empty words. But then the musicians played a chord, signaling that it was time for those who wished to dance to take their place upon the floor, and she and Lord Senric also handed off their shared goblet to the serving man, so they would have their hands properly free as well.

Torric wrapped his warm fingers around mine and led me out of the crowd and into the center of the room so we might begin to form the circle of dancers required for the
verdralle
. As we stood there, waiting for the music to begin, he bent toward me.

“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he murmured.

“So are you,” I replied frankly, and he laughed.

“Well, then, I suppose that makes us well-matched. Are you ready?”

“Why, yes. I have been practicing my steps.”

Those amazing sooty lashes swept down over his eyes, concealing them. “That is not what I meant.”

“Then yes, I believe I am ready for that, too.” In that moment, I knew I could face anything, as long as I could do it by his side.

And then the music began, and he pulled me into his arms, and I let myself be swept away, knowing we were moving toward our future, and all was beautiful and right and perfect.

T
orric

B
y the gods
, I did not know what I had done to deserve her, but I would not question their wisdom in putting such a woman in my arms. When my gaze first fell upon her this evening, I could not quite believe it was my Ashara. True, it was her sweet face, that fall of russet hair I admired so much, but she was garbed more elegantly than either my mother or my sister. I had not even stopped to wonder how a baronet’s daughter could possibly have afforded such finery. My only thought was,
There is a true Empress.

And now she was here, moving about the polished floor as if it were no great thing to be dancing in the heart of the palace, to be the center of all eyes, for all her deprecating comments about practicing her steps. She smiled up at me, those beautiful lips curving as if in pure pleasure, and I fell in love with her a little more, when I had not thought it was possible to love her any more than I already did.

“You were late again,” I told her, after we had taken a few steps.

Her amber-green eyes laughed up into mine, reminding me of the autumn wood where we had shared our first kiss. “It does seem to have become rather a habit of mine. I assure you that in general I am quite prompt…when my stepmother isn’t delaying me.”

“Well, she shall delay you no longer. I hope you prepared for this night by packing your things, for as soon as I make the announcement, I will send men over to fetch them so you need not spend another night under her roof.”

An unreadable expression passed over her lovely features. “Oh, I have not that much to pack, I fear.”

I let out an unbelieving chuckle. “I find that difficult to believe, if your wardrobe of this week is any indication.”

For a few seconds she said nothing, although her pretty white teeth caught on her lower lip, as if she were not sure of the best way to respond. Then, “I would say that this week has been an exception, Your Majesty. Most of the time I am not nearly so grand.”

Had her family done the thing I had feared, and gone into debt to ensure that she made a fitting impression on me? But no, that did not jibe with her remarks about her stepmother not showing her much favor. Frowning, I tried to work at the puzzle, and then decided to abandon it. After all, it did not matter one way or another. If they had gone into debt, I would make sure those debts were cleared, and if not, well, I would soon have a wardrobe fit for an empress constructed for her.

“You are quiet,” she said, and I caught a trace of worry in her tone.

“Only thinking of our future together, my love,” I told her.

Her face brightened. “That is something which has been much in my thoughts as well.” She cast a quick glance around the crowded ballroom and added, “How I wish this evening were over!”

“Indeed?” I inquired dryly. “I will admit that I am not the empire’s best dancer, but I did not think I was that bad.”

“Oh!” A quick flush stained her cheeks. “Oh, you know that is not what I meant. You are a very fine dancer. It is just the thought of you dancing with all those other women for the next few hours…”

“Believe me, I am not looking forward to it all that much, either. But it is only for a few hours, my dearest, and then I promise you I will never dance with another woman again, even if it causes a huge scandal.”

She smiled a little then. “Now you are teasing me, I think. I realize that I cannot always keep you all to myself. Perhaps it is just that I feel as if I am bursting with our secret, and holding on to it for even a few more hours seems so very difficult.”

Ah, I well knew that sensation. At the moment I wanted nothing more than to tell the musicians to stop, and to take Ashara up to the dais where they were playing so I could announce to everyone that she was the woman I had chosen for my wife. Or, failing that, at least steal her away to a quiet corridor so I might kiss her again, taste her sweet mouth, this time go further and touch my lips to her perfect white neck, follow a trail to her collarbone and then onto the enticing curve of her breasts where they showed above the neckline of her gown.

My groin tightened, and I immediately forced my thoughts in other directions, ones not quite so arousing. Yes, I would make her mine in every way possible, and as soon as was feasible, but in the meantime I did not want to frighten her with my desire. She was an innocent, I could tell; a passionate one, that was clear enough, but I knew that mine was the first kiss she had ever tasted. There would be many more firsts, each more pleasurable than the last.

But that was certainly not the best way to get my mind running in more innocuous paths. “Not so long now, my love,” I said, then went on, “Do you know, that is the third time in a row that Lady Gabrinne has danced with Lord Senric? I was going to ask her, as she is your friend and seems like a lively dance partner, but I fear she is not going to give me the opportunity.”

Ashara laughed then and shook her head. “You are probably right. And I am wondering if the Duke has asked for her hand already, for earlier she addressed him by his first name alone, and called him ‘darling’ right in front of me. Now, because it is Gabrinne, perhaps that was just her way of trying to shock me, but since he took it in stride, it seems there could be more to it than I first thought.”

High time his lordship got himself another wife, although I couldn’t help thinking he would have quite the handful in Gabrinne Nelandre. Perhaps that was what he needed. A good man, and one of the steadiest in all of Sirlende, but sober and quiet. He might appreciate the shaking-up she was sure to provide.

“Look at us,” I said, and grinned, even as I turned Ashara under my arm and spun her around before drawing her close to me once more, so I might smell the perfume of roses that seemed to rise from her masses of copper curls, so close in color to the astonishing gown she wore. “We sound like a pair of matchmaking grannies — although I will freely admit that I am probably the worst of us two, as I have also been doing what I can to encourage the connection between my sister and the Duke of Marric’s Rest.”

“Oh, yes, I think I saw him speaking with her earlier. He is very handsome.”

“Are you trying to make me jealous?” I growled.

“Certainly not. But Lord Sorthannic is very handsome, and your sister is very beautiful, so if they admire one another, then it sounds like it should be a good match.” She stared up into my face, one eyebrow lifted. “I am rather surprised you are not marrying her off to some foreign prince, though. Is that not what usually happens with princesses?”

“It is,” I admitted. “And if there were anyone suitable, then perhaps that would be her fate. But as there is no one suitable, she is safe to follow her heart and stay close to home, which I must confess I find a far more attractive proposition. For you must know that I am a selfish man, Ashara, and it suits me better to have my sister here in Sirlende than off in Purth or Farendon or even South Eredor.”

“I don’t think you are selfish,” Ashara replied. “I think you love your sister very much, and so of course it is natural that you would not want her to be thousands of miles away.”

“Do you always see the good in people?”

I had asked the question in a joking manner, but she appeared to consider it quite seriously, her lashes half concealing her eyes as she thought it over. “I would like to see the good in people — and in general I think most people are quite good, or at least try to be. But there are some who seem to have very little good in them, who seem to enjoy hurting others, or belittling them, or taking advantage of them. So I am not sure I am quite as naïve as you think I am.”

This remark had to be about her stepmother…or at least I could not think of who else it might be applied to. Perhaps Brinda Aldrenne, for I was not so blind or deaf that I had not overheard some of her spiteful remarks about Ashara, or seen the way she was so quick to cut down anyone she saw as a possible rival.

While some part of me wanted to press the issue, I decided that was not a good use of the last few moments of our dance. I knew this was the only one we would share, as I had to make the effort to partner as many of the ladies as I could over the course of the evening. “I think you a very perceptive young woman…and a lovely one, and a strong one. And I think you will make a very great Empress.”

Her eyes seemed almost suspiciously bright, and she nodded and tightened her fingers around mine, as if she could not find the words to reply. And so we finished the rest of the dance in silence, concentrating only on the feel of being in one another’s arms, the sweep of the music and the sensation of knowing that this was so much more than merely a dance, but a chance to reaffirm our need for one another.

When the music ended, we paused and performed the customary honors — I bowed to her, and she curtseyed to me, then thanked me in a somewhat breathless voice for the dance. I had to force myself to remain where I stood, to allow her to walk away and disappear into the crowd. How much better it would have been if I could have kept her by my side, said to hell with convention and let her be my only companion for the rest of the night.

But it would be foolish to cause such an uproar this late in the game. My gaze flicked to the enormous carved clock mounted on the far wall. Only a few more hours to go. Surely I could survive that long.

I
began
to ponder the wisdom of that decision, though, after I spent the next three dances with young women whose names and faces I could not have even recalled, for they left my memory as soon as we had done the honors at the end of the dance and also melted away into the crowd. One good thing about having to make the rounds, as it were — at least that way I did not have to suffer any of them for more than a single dance.

This fact was brought home to me more than ever when I found myself partnered with Brinda Aldrenne very late in the evening, after she all but elbowed another girl out of the way so she might claim me for a dance. My only consolation was that at least it was for “Grey Mare,” a lively piece that did not require the close contact of a
verdralle
. I feared I could not have stomached having to hold that nasty young woman in my arms for such an extended period of time.

Even so, she looked as smug as if she had just been crowned Empress herself, and made quite a show of curtseying as low as she could, so that I might get an eyeful of the bosom exposed by her low-cut gown of scarlet silk. Never in my life had I possessed less of an inclination to gaze on a woman’s body, but I summoned a smile from somewhere and then was heartily glad when the music began so she was forced to concentrate on the quick-paced steps of the dance.

Despite that, she commented, “Surely you must have made up your mind by now, Your Majesty? Why, I think it is most unkind of you to keep us all waiting until the last moment!”

This remark was delivered in a teasing tone, one she probably thought was flirtatious. Underneath it, though, I could hear her criticism. My first instinct was to rebuke her for being so forward with her Emperor, but I knew that was the wrong approach. So I merely lifted my shoulders and replied, “My Lady Brinda, the announcement will be made at midnight — less than an hour from now. Surely you can contain your anticipation until then.”

“If I must.” She pouted, but could not maintain the expression for very long, for the dance’s exertions required her to open her mouth to take a breath. “But you cannot give me one hint? Not a single one?”

“That would not be fair, as I have said nothing to any of my partners this evening.”
And even if I had, I would not extend you the same courtesy.
“But at least you know that soon the waiting will be over.”

She did not reply, but frowned and said nothing for the remainder of the dance, which I found to be a welcome relief. Surely if she possessed an ounce of perception she would have recognized the distaste I felt for her, but as was often the case with self-absorbed people, she had very little awareness of the sensibilities of others.

It was with a great sense of liberation that I bowed to her at the end of the dance and went my own way, glad that I would not be burdened with her company again. And it was then that I encountered my sister, who had just danced once more with Lord Sorthannic. She smiled at me, but ruefully, and said,

“You might want to wipe that sour expression off your face, my lord, for it’s a little too obvious how happy you are to be relieved of the lady’s company.”

“I did not know I was being so transparent.” I signaled to one of the servants to bring us some wine, and almost at once the man was handing me a full goblet, and then another to my sister. He bowed and left, and I added, “Truly it seems as if the hours are lasting longer and longer as the evening wears on. Surely it must be midnight already.”

“Soon enough.” A corner of her mouth quirked. “It is not only wearing on you, Torric — Mother cornered me a while ago and demanded that I tell her who your choice was. I said that I did not know, that you were being very secretive about the whole thing, but I fear she did not believe me.”

“It does not matter much whether she believes you or not. The important thing is that she does not know for sure, although of course she must have her suspicions. I did not hide my regard for Ashara soon enough, although since then I think I have done fairly well at not showing her any particular favor.”

“Very well for how besotted you are.” Lyarris sipped her wine and gazed around the ballroom, as if looking for Ashara, although I could not spy her myself. “She does look rather astonishing this evening, does she not? And her father was a baronet? They must have some other wealth in the family for her to have the means to procure such a gown, and such jewels.”

“She mentioned an aunt once. It sounded as if she might be a wealthy woman in her own right, and so perhaps she is the one who has been assisting Ashara with her wardrobe.”

“Ah, that would make sense.” A small pause, and then she asked, “Are you nervous?”

“Of course not,” I replied immediately. Fine words. An Emperor could not admit to nerves…not even to his sister. But there was an odd sensation somewhere in the pit of my stomach, one which, if not precisely nervousness, was something closely related. Anticipation? Perhaps. And while I wanted to announce to everyone that Ashara Millende was the choice of my heart, I knew there would be many disappointed young women surrounding me, and that would be difficult to bear in its own way. True, I did not much worry about breaking the heart of someone such as Brinda Allende — if she even possessed such an organ, which I somehow doubted — but there were many fine girls here who had nothing wrong with them…save that they were not Ashara.