AYLETH

Ayleth sat before the mirror in her chambers while the maid dressed her hair. Her Ladies in Waiting were already prepared for the dinner and gathered around the tables and lounges behind her in the sitting room.

Ayleth was glad this was just a dinner, not a feast, or a ball. She'd be free after the meal to return to her room and rest and read. While she loved her Ladies, and had been looking forward to the rush of balls and feasts before she met Etan, now she found if there was no chance of talking to him, or touching him, the events had lost their appeal.

How was she going to see him again? And what would Falek decide? The blasted man still hadn't given her his verdict about going to her parents. Though she suspected the further they got from the event, the less likely it was. It had been almost two days. If he were to go to her father now and tell him, the first question would be why had it taken so long for the man to come to his King? Ayleth grinned, yes, it was unlikely she needed to be concerned about that. For now, at least.

But how was she going to get time with Etan if she couldn't go to the stables? There was another Ball the following night to herald the summer solstice. Everyone would be drunk again. It would be the perfect opportunity to—

"—heard that Lady Playn rode out with him today," Cordyla was saying behind her. Had Ayleth heard— historical

"Lord Summit? Truly?"

She had.

Ayleth tensed and Trayn looked at her in the mirror. She shook her head, she was fine. But her attention was caught now.

"Yes, and apparently they're riding out again tomorrow!"

The Ladies made various sounds of scandalized glee. "Two days in a row?"

"That's what Lady Joyse said—she was with them today, though against her will. But tomorrow they go alone."

"I cannot believe any of the women would even consider such a brute," Dayce said with a frown that didn't suit her cupid's bow mouth. She shivered.

Trayn turned from Ayleth back to the others. "Many Kingdoms on the Continent are not in blood feud. Summitras is powerful in its own right. He would be a strong ally for some," she said carefully.

Dayce snorted. "You're always so.. moderate, Trayn. Surely even you can see that the man is constantly on the verge of violence? Who would want to be allied with that?"

"His brutish ways could make for an enjoyable affair," Cordyla said slyly. "All that tension to unleash."

The ladies laughed and giggled. Ayleth swallowed and turned her attention back to the maid and her hair. But Cordyla wasn't done.

"Did you watch the fighting? He is a fine figure, and clearly strong—and he carries himself as a man who knows what he's about. I'd gladly take a tumble with him—but dear Lord, someone tie his mouth shut."

The cackles and hoots that rose at that would have scandalized the Court if they'd heard them. These Ladies made efforts to appear serene and controlled in public, but Ayleth knew them to be mischievous and.. well, not always the picture of decorum.

She knew if they spoke this way of any other man, she would have gotten involved and asked questions. As the only remaining virgin the room, she was always teased for her ignorance. So, steeling herself, she asked Cordyla without turning, "You say his fighting gave you information about his.. prowess? How?"

Cordyla laughed and the others put hands to their mouths. "Highness, the more experience a man has the more he seems to know his body. Good dancers are often good kissers. And good fighters usually make good lovers. It isn't a foolproof measure, of course, but.. yes, I would expect Lord Summit to know his way around the bedroom—and the lady within it."

The Ladies shrieked and Ayleth blushed, remembering that night in the loft with Etan—who did, indeed, seem to know his way around such things.

"Surely no one could measure that better than yourself, Ayleth. You put your hands on him in combat!" Cordyla said breathlessly. The Ladies were still half-scandalized to have learned Ayleth's hidden skill. "Tell us what it was like to be in his grip?"

"We weren't gripped, we fought," Ayleth said through her teeth.

"And he punched you!" Dayce said with a shiver. "Brute."

"He didn't know I was a woman. I won because the moment he realized he refused to put a hand on me," she ground out.

"I find that difficult to believe—but regardless, you saw him up close, moved with him. What sense of his.. prowess, did you gain?"

The ladies all giggled, but hung, waiting on her reply.

"I think you play to vex me because of my ignorance," she said waving the maid off so she could turn on her seat. "Speak truth to me, please: Is there any way to know whether a man is.. practiced, without actually.. practicing with him?"

Dayce's eyes went wide and the others around her hushed. Cordyla had that catlike smile that Ayleth hated, but it was Trayn who answered.

"Highness, there is no way to know for certain. However, a man who is very confident in his dealings with women will likely prove to be quite.. practiced, as you said."

"Confident," Ayleth said, as if she considered the word. "You don't mean pleasant?"

"No," Trayn said carefully. "Confident. Someone who has no hesitation. A man who is unwavering. Generally, that man is confident because he knows his ability to.. follow through."

All the Ladies, including Cordyla hooted at that one, but Trayn didn't smile. She held Ayleth's gaze, a hint of sadness in her own. Ayleth wondered what she was thinking about.

"Was there a particular man on your mind when you questioned, Ayleth?" Trayn said. The others went quiet very quickly.

Ayleth blushed, thinking of Etan, but she looked down and smiled. "I rode out with Trystan today and it was.. much more pleasant than I expected."

All tension went out of Cordyla and she rolled her eyes. "That troll? What a slab of beef, he couldn't be good for anything, surely? Has he the brains to even hold a conversation?"

Ayleth flashed a glare at her Lady. "He is very astute and aware, Cordyla—I would warn you against underestimating him. He may surprise you in unpleasant ways."

She shrugged, unflustered. "Unlikely. I wouldn't let him get close enough to use his strength against me. The man gives me shudders."

"Just as well you aren't the one riding out with him, then," she said through her teeth and turned back to her mirror. And caught Trayn staring at her strangely in it. But she turned away when Ayleth caught her looking.

The conversation eased, but Ayleth's mind turned back to what had started it.

Etan had ridden out with Lady Playn.

He had to do things like that. Just as she did.

So why did it make her stomach sick?

She bid the maid to hurry. She needed to get this meal done and over with so she could lose herself in a good book. She needed silence.