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He watched me—expression unreadable.
I froze as if not moving would stop him seeing me. What was he thinking? Was he mad he caught me asking after Fintan’s welfare? If he was, too bad. I got the poor man thrown out of a window. The least I could do was apologize.
“We don’t need that siren,” he said. “The beauty of your voice would bring any man to his knees.”
He walked away, leaving me blinking and shaking in the snow.
Alisdair was right. This was the deadliest game I’ve ever played, and I couldn’t tell whether I was happy or sad... that I was losing.
Chapter Ten
“Forgive me for giving you such terrible advice, my lady.”
Eadaoin accompanied me on another stroll through the village. One of the traders in the market said they’d show me the inside of their greenhouse. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say I’d never been more excited.
“Terrible advice? What do you mean?”
Her shoulders slumped. Eadaoin was a mask of misery. “I told you to make our lord jealous. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have embarrassed yourself by clumsily flirting with Fintan, then getting him thrown out of a window.”
“Clumsily? I wouldn’t say that—”
“He told me everything, my lady. I almost hid my face out of shame for you.”
And to think, I was having such a pleasant morning. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’ll recover... in several months.”
“Full recovery?” my guilt asked hopefully.
“I didn’t say that.”
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I can’t apologize enough. I should’ve known Alisdair would not take kindly to my giving attention to another man—whether I touched him or not.”
“No, it’s my fault. I didn’t realize you were completely new to the ways of love, sex, and seduction. I mean...” She waved a hand over me. “Look at you. How could so beautiful a woman be so naïve.”
“You’re cramming a lot of insults into this apology,” I gritted, then sighed. “But it’s true. I don’t know what I’m doing. Iactually already planned to use this walk to ask you for help. How do I do this, Eadaoin? How do I get him to open up and allow himself to feel for me, while keeping my own heart out of it?”
“Is your heart in it?”
“No.” I didn’t hesitate. “It can’t be.”
“All right, I understand,” she said easily, surprising me. “I do have another idea for you. One that will not get anyone else thrown out of a window. Today, you’ll finish lunch early and then I’m taking you somewhere. Somewhere you’ll learn all about the ways of seduction.”
Several hours later, I was standing in an impossible place.
“It’s... It’s hot...” I got out, then my voice failed me.
“Mhh hhh.” Eadaoin peeled off her shawl and coat. “It’s the only room in the castle that is, because it’s right on top of an overground hot spring.”
“Hot spring.” Palm fronds tickled my cheek, the first to welcome me when I stepped through the door. My gaze darted everywhere at once, trying to take it all in. Palms, lilies, violets, orchids, birds of paradise, and the stunning, painted faeriken stretched out among them—basking in an eden of summer and flowers. “That explains it.”
I stepped down into a sunken living room and all eyes turned to me. The room wasn’t unlike my bathroom with its chaises and marble. The only thing it was missing was the bathing pool. My bathing chamber also didn’t have a dozen faeriken women who were so gorgeous, their duck, fox, leopard, and bird faces did nothing to diminish it.
“Welcome, my queen.” Eadaoin swept out her hand, beaming. “It is my pleasure to introduce you to the royal companions.”
“Royal companions?” I repeated. “Royal as in—”
“Our lord’s companions,” finished a white fox faeriken. She was draped across a chaise and basking under the shade of a potted palm tree. She laughed. “You needn’t make that face. He hasn’t laid a finger on us since he brought you to the castle. We’re all quite bored as a result.” She shuddered. “The orgies used to go on for days.”
