His frame locked, weirdly, and his eyes bored into mine.
Then his lips stated, “You are extraordinary.”
Aww.
“What a lovely thing to say,” I replied.
“You mistake me, Lady Satrine Dawes soon-to-be Copeland. I have known many women, traveled near and far, and you are extraordinary.”
Holy fuck.
My heart leapt, my eyes remained locked to his, and my situation became even more complicated.
Because I was falling for this guy.
Fast.
This was because this guy was amazing.
Incredibly.
“Stop being awesome,” I warned, my nose stinging, my eyes getting blurry.
“I missed you,” he said softly.
“You’re being awesome,” I warned.
He gave me a gentle smile.
I drew in a delicate breath.
“We have more to discuss, my darling,” he shared.
“All right,” I said hesitantly, because he was messing me up, in good ways, which was bad.
“Tor is aware of our betrothal and wedding plans. One of the reasons I sent word to Father to delay the wedding was that Tor wanted the Derryman business out of the way in time for all of us to get to Dalwin Castle. He and Cora will be attending the wedding.”
“Yowza,” I replied.
“He’s also given me a choice, and I need to discuss it with you, for it affects you as well.”
Intriguing.
“That being?” I asked.
“He’s already offered me a seat on his council. He is not simply my king, I regard him as a friend, and he’s made clear he feels the same for me.”
“You are rocking my world, your grace.”
He shook his head, mouth twitching, and carried on.
“I suspect he needs advisors around him he can trust. He does his business in Bellebryn, which would not be a difficult place to live. It’s on the western coast, and it’s beautiful there.”
It seemed like it was beautiful everywhere, so I believed him.
“All right.”
“As an alternate choice, he’s also offered me an ambassadorship to anywhere of my choosing. Fleuridia, Lunwyn, even Korwahk or Airen or Wodell.”
Dad-not-Dad had a globe in his office. Mom and I had studied it acutely.
So I knew where all of these places were (Lunwyn north, Fleuridia south, Korwahk way south, on another continent, and Airen and Wodell were on the continent of Triton due west across the Green Sea).
“They’re both honors, am I right?” I inquired.
“Indeed.” He nodded. “Grand ones.”
“What do you want to do?” I queried.
“I have not been stuck in a secluded cottage in the Fleuridian countryside for twenty years. So rather, I’d prefer to know what you want to do.”
Well…
Hell.
I, too, had not been stuck in a secluded cottage in the Fleuridian countryside.
In fact, just two months ago, Mom, Keith, my friend Holly and I had rented a boat and sped and tubed and sunned and swam while spending a happy day on Lake Pleasant.
“It’ll be your work,” I punted.
“It’ll be your life,” he rejoined.
“Our life,” I corrected.
And that was when it happened.
It started with Loren saying this:
“Honestly, Satrine, I don’t care what I bloody do. None of that has any real meaning. Politics have been played millennia before us and will be played for millennia after, without the people seeing any real change. So it doesn’t matter. We could start in Wodell and make our way home. Hell, we could go to The Mystics and around the globe. Whatever you wish. But he’ll want an answer when he makes Newton.”
“At the joyous occasion of your return,” I started cautiously, “I hesitate to get into anything heavy, honey. But that’s a rather pessimistic viewpoint and I think maybe we should discuss why you have it.”
“Can you refute it?” he challenged.
“My father’s assets are currently frozen from his access because the new king gives a shit about right and wrong.”
He shut up.
I gave him another example.
“I want to learn to drive that phaeton Father has, and you’re going to teach me because I know in my heart that you know females can drive carriages, even if the men before you felt differently.”
“Satrine—”
“Can we have time together, just you and me, please?”
He glanced around the study, making his point.
“Mom will want to spend time with you now that you’re back. You’re marrying her daughter. We need to get to know each other. And she needs to get to know you. Maxine needs to get used to you. And I don’t know why Maitland is here, but I didn’t even say hello. Now is not the time for me to provide you with ample proof that, in the long run, the world is good.”
“Your father was a narcissist and a degenerate. Your whole life, you suffered for those personality flaws. And you sit before me and tell me the world is good?”
“I had my mom,” I whispered.
“Six years into your life,” he shot back. “And yes, let’s get together, just you and I, and you can share about those years where you were banished, as a baby, and onward, for more than half a decade, from your mother’s breast. You’ve spoken not a word about that time, and I sense I know exactly why you haven’t.”