tales of the latter kingdom 08 - moon dance (14 page)

She gave a dubious nod, but she did subside enough to take her seat, and sit quietly while Jax, one of the footmen, poured her some tea.

It seemed that my uncle’s assessment was correct, for only a few moments later Janessa and my cousins appeared, all of them freshly scrubbed and in their second-best gowns, their hair gleaming. They uttered a chorus of “good mornings” before going to sit down and have their tea.

Aunt Lyselle relaxed visibly, her approving gaze moving from one of them to the next. Her eyes rested on Adalynn the longest, and I saw her mouth curve in a small smile. If I were her mother, I supposed I would have been proud of Adalynn as well, for she did look very beautiful in her gown of deep turquoise silk with its gold embroidery. Her hair hung in shining ringlets almost as intricate as mine, although I knew hers must have had some help from the long iron her maid utilized to create those perfect spirals of hair.

And I thought I glimpsed also the most subtle use of rouge on Adalynn’s lips and cheeks, although I was not sure whether my aunt, who tended to be somewhat near-sighted, had even noticed. Perhaps my cousin had been looking rather wan after her latest foray into the nighttime woods, and so her maid had thought to remedy the situation. Certainly it would not do to be looking pale and lackluster upon greeting one’s future husband and in-laws.

None of the other girls showed any signs of that kind of artifice being used, so perhaps they had fared better. I made a mental note to ask Reynar about that when I saw him again this evening. Was it possible that the spell somehow taxed my eldest cousin more heavily than the others?

This morning I paid more attention to the conversation about the wedding preparations than I might have the two preceding days, merely because I recalled my resolve to keep myself busy and therefore, I hoped, away from Lord Mayson as much as possible. When she mentioned that she was not sure the amount of roses that had been cut were quite sufficient, I hastened to say, “Oh, I do not mind going out and cutting more for you, Aunt Lyselle.”

She shot me a grateful glance, although at the same time she appeared rather troubled. “Are you quite sure, Iselda? It would not do for you to spend too much time in the sun, especially in one of your good gowns.”

“It is no problem at all,” I replied. “For I will wear my hat, and if I go out directly after breakfast, then the sun will not yet be too hot.”

“Thank you, then. Because it seems all the maids are occupied, and your cousins — ”

I wasn’t sure what she intended to say then. Perhaps that it was more important for my cousins to remain looking neat and tidy, whereas I was more expendable? No, my aunt would never utter such a thing, even if it was only the truth. I saved her from her floundering by saying, “Everyone has a great number of matters to attend to this morning, and so I would not expect you to ask anyone else. I always enjoy going in the garden.”

Those words seemed to convince her, for she smiled then and picked up her teacup. “Thank you so much, Iselda. For yes, there is still a great deal to do.”

The meal was quiet after that exchange, as everyone ate quickly — presumably so they could get on with all their very important tasks. Once I was done with my bread and fruit and eggs, I excused myself from the table, then ran upstairs to my room so I might fetch my hat. As I did so, I cast a wary glance outside, trying to gauge whether I had overreached by saying that the sun should not be any trouble at all.

But some high, thin clouds had drifted in during the past hour, making me think that it would not be so very difficult to spend a half hour or so outdoors. If the clouds could only hold until I was done….

Tying the ribbons of my hat under my chin, I went back down the stairs, then out the nearest doorway that opened onto the gardens. Against the opposite wall, mostly obscured by a hedge, was a small shed that contained gardening implements; from there I fetched a pair of clippers and a basket. Then I went back out into the sun and began walking down one of the paths, eyes roving from side to side in search of the most likely specimens. Since Aunt Lyselle had not specified a certain type or color of rose, I was not all the discriminating, and only made sure that I snipped off flowers which were nearly at their peak.

Because the summer sun had been warm and the nights mild, I found an almost overwhelming number of worthy blooms. My basket began to fill up very quickly, and I thought I should be able to get indoors before I had even been out here a half hour.

“Iselda.”

My heart sank, but I arranged a smile on my features and turned to face him. “Lord Mayson.”

His gaze moved to the basket of flowers I held. “Let me take that for you.”

“It’s really not necessary — ”

“I insist.”

I subsided then, for I knew there was not much point in arguing. He would do the chivalrous thing, and despite our friendship — and the new intimacy of that shared kiss — I understood that it was not entirely wise to argue with the son of an earl.

So I surrendered the basket, saying, “I fear that poor Aunt Lyselle is rather in a state, what with so many guests about to descend upon the castle.”

Mayson chuckled. “Yes, she is not her usual calm self. But I suppose it is not every day that one sees their eldest child married.”

“True.” I feared the topic of marriage was fraught with pitfalls, so I hastened to say, hoping I could steer the conversation elsewhere, “Do you think it will rain? For it seems that more and more clouds have begun to gather?”

One corner of his mouth went up in the lopsided smile that had become so familiar to me over the past few weeks. If his amusement stemmed from my obvious attempt to change the subject, he gave no sign of it. He replied, his voice grave, “Perhaps. But rain will cool things down for everyone, and your aunt does not have anything planned for out of doors, does she?”

“Not today,” I said, relieved that he had decided to play along. “But tomorrow she intends to have an evening reception here in the rose garden, after more guests arrive.”

Mayson tilted his head to look up at the sky. At that angle, the lines of his jaw and throat were thrown into sharp relief, and I had to force myself not to stare. He really was such a fine-looking man. Why, then, was I so reluctant?

I did not have the chance to puzzle out that particular conundrum, for in the next moment he turned back to me and said, “If we are to have any rain, I doubt it will stay with us long. Perhaps some brief showers this evening, but certainly not enough to inconvenience your aunt or her guests.”

“That is good to hear.” Whether he truly was one of those gifted at reading the signs that indicated whether rain would fall or move past without gracing us with a single drop, or whether he was merely trying to reassure me, I did not know. And perhaps it did not matter so very much. Even if we had a torrential summer storm move in, my aunt could always change her plans and have the reception moved to one of the great salons within the castle. It was not as if we lacked the space.

We had been moving slowly from spot to spot so I might stop here and there to clip off another rose, but Mayson stopped then and looked around, a small smile touching his lips.

“Do you know where we are, Iselda?”

Confused, I glanced from side to side, attempting to locate something that appeared out of the ordinary, but I could find nothing. “Other than in my aunt’s rose garden, no, I fear not.”

He shook his head at me, but when he replied, his tone was mild enough. “This is where I kissed you.”

Oh, dear. Surely he was not going to attempt the same thing now, not when it was bright daylight and anyone might see us. True, it seemed the rest of the family — and the castle’s servants — were occupied elsewhere, the entire reason why I was the one out in the rose garden with the basket and the clippers. Even so, I found myself praying that he would not forget himself in such a way. If he were to kiss me, and were anyone to witness it, then we would be as good as betrothed. No one would allow me to be compromised in such a way. My family might have had its own disgraces, but I was still a young woman of good birth, one whose virtue had never been questioned.

“Why, so it is,” I said with a silly little giggle, one that sounded very unlike me. But I was so fearful of what he might do next that I was not quite in possession of all my senses.

“Have you thought of it since, Iselda?” he asked. His voice was soft, persuasive, but he made no move to come closer to me, which was something of a relief.

Of course I had. However, I could not admit such a thing to Mayson, for then he would believe that I recalled his kiss because I desired another one, and that was simply not the situation at all.

“I — ” 

He took one of the roses from the basket and held it to his nose so he might inhale its fragrance. “So very sweet,” he said, “but not as sweet as the taste of your lips.”

In that moment, I wished someone would come into the garden, for Mayson had not kissed me yet, and perhaps the presence of another person would help him to guard his emotions. But of course no one appeared. I was left to manage him myself.

“I do not think this is an appropriate topic of conversation,” I said primly.

Those words only made him laugh outright. “Oh, do not take that tone with me, Iselda,” he returned. “For I think I know you well enough now, and while you are many things, priggish is certainly not one of them.”

No, I supposed not. Perhaps I had erred in being open and friendly with him, but I had not thought I would see such a shift in his demeanor, especially since only a few days earlier we had both resolved to be friends and nothing more. Could one kiss change a person so?

“Not priggish,” I said, “but cautious. Forgive me, Mayson, but your sudden ardor takes me aback somewhat. At any rate, I do not think this is the time to be discussing such things. There is far too much happening to worry about whatever it is that you think you and I have shared. After the wedding is over — ”

His eyes lit with sudden hope, and I realized I had said the wrong thing. “So once this is all done, we can go to your aunt and uncle and let them know this house will soon be blessed with another wedding?”

Even if I had truly wished to marry Mayson, I did not think Uncle Danly and Aunt Lyselle would be overjoyed to hear of such a match. They would be glad for me, of course, but their happiness would have to be tempered with disappointment, since they had wanted the heir to Bellender Rise to be their daughter’s husband, not mine.

I did not look at him as I said, “That is not what I meant. I only meant to say that all is now in an uproar, and perhaps the very idea of marriage is preying more on your mind than it usually would. This is not the time to be making any decisions.”

His hand tightened on the handle of the basket he held. The gold and ruby ring he wore on his little finger seemed to wink up at me like a baleful eye, and I selected a stem at random and snipped it, then deposited the yellow rose with its edging of deep coral along with the rest of the blooms already resting in the basket.

A silence fell, one too heavy and uncomfortable for such a mild summer day. A finch trilled away in a tree off to one side from where we stood, but the sound was certainly not enough to break up the pregnant pause.

At last Mayson said, “I cannot pretend to understand your reticence, but I will respect it. Only promise me one thing.”

“What is that?” For I had read far too many stories to ever blindly promise anything, even if I was making that promise to Lord Mayson of Bellender Rise, and not some witch I had met at a crossroads.

He seemed to wince at my caution. When he spoke, his voice sounded almost too even, as if he was holding his anger in check. “It is a simple enough promise. All I ask is that, once the wedding is over and Adalynn has departed with her husband, you will meet with me here again in the moonlight. Let me kiss you once more, Iselda, and see if that will not change your mind.”

Did he really think I was so easily swayed that a single kiss could make me alter my opinion of him? But his expression was so pleading that I relented, and said, “Yes, Mayson. I will make you that promise — if you will promise me in return that if my mind is not changed, then you will abandon this subject forever.”

“I will make that promise,” he said. “For I do not fear its outcome.”

Perhaps he did not…but I thought I rather did.

CHAPTER 8

The Earl and Countess of Delmayne arrived just before noon, bringing with them a sizable retinue, as well as their son Coryn. I had met him previously and thought him to be amiable enough, although not particularly handsome, with his long nose and rather close-set eyes. However, his smile did a great deal to improve his countenance, and it was clear from the way he looked at Adalynn that he thought himself very lucky to have been betrothed to her, even though his family outranked hers by a good deal.

Settling in these august visitors and their attendants took a good deal of time, and so we did not all sit down for luncheon until well after one in the afternoon. No thought of using the smaller, less formal dining chamber for such a function; we all gathered in the great hall we used for grand events, even though the table there could easily have accommodated more than twice our number.

As usual, I was relegated nearly to the foot of the table, and so, since our group had swelled to nearly double its normal count, I was even farther away from where Mayson sat. As Coryn’s equal, he had been placed across from the other one-day Earl, with Adalynn at Coryn’s side.

The separation relieved me, for it gave me time to gather my thoughts and sit quietly as I ate the delicious food that had been set in front of me, the cold pheasant and the melon salad with its dressing of mustard and honey, and all manner of other dishes that had been selected for both their flavor and their ability to prevent any of us from becoming over-warm in the heat of the day. All around, the roses I had brought in bloomed from a number of vases, filling the air with their sweet scent.