Page 41 of The Half King
Could that be the case? Had Cole Solon seduced Mama into betraying her husband? Kian’s mother had fallen deeply enough for Cole’s charms to betray her king. But despite that, Cerise couldn’t imagine that her mother had done the same. It just didn’t feel right.
During the first course, Cerise snuck glances at Cole. She didn’t know what the late queen had seen in him. The longer she studied Cole’s chiseled features, the less human he seemed. By the second course, she agreed with Kian’s prior assessment of Cole as aslippery bastard. Flattery slid like oil off of Cole’s tongue. He complimented Daerick’s beard (something no one would do), remarked on Lady Champlain’s “healthy glow” (clearly a means of fishing for pregnancy news), and praised the way General Petros filled out his dinner jacket. It wasn’t until the general growled in annoyance that Cole finally returned his attention to Cerise.
“My lady,” Cole said to her as he buttered his dinner roll, “I admire how well you seem to have adjusted to palace life. It must have been a shock, leaving your temple.”
She nodded in agreement. “It was.”
“Well, clearly you were destined for court.” He delivered a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re a natural, my dear.”
She barely managed to stifle a laugh. If lies were gold, Cole Solon could build a palace out of coin.
“How are you settling in to your duties as emissary?” He lifted an apologetic hand and added, “Please forgive me for broaching such a vulgar topic as politics at the dining table. It’s just that our beloved Mother Strout left us far too soon. As much as we miss her, it’s a comfort to know that you’re here to carry on her legacy.”
“I can’t say that I’m carrying on her legacy just yet,” Cerise said. “I’m still learning what my responsibilities are. It certainly helps to have her journal as a guide, though.”
Cole paused, his dinner roll halfway to his mouth. He recovered quickly, but the slip hinted that she had revealed too much. For some strange reason, both Cole and General Petros had reacted to Mother Strout’s journal. Cerise couldn’t imagine why. She had read the whole thing from cover to cover and found not a word of interest. But regardless, Father had told her to say as little as possible, and she had failed him before the dessert course.
She would have to do better.
She wished Kian could be there to distract the group in that bold, scandalous way of his. Though she wouldn’t enjoy watching him escort Delora to dinner, not to mention flatter her with endless compliments, he would make up for it by telling a funny story. She smiled just thinking about it. She had come to crave his company more than she’d realized.
For the rest of the meal, she answered each of Cole’s questions in no more than a word or two. She could hear how rude she sounded, and she sensed Father Padron’s chiding gaze on her. She avoided that, too, by refusing to look up from her plate. Finally, Daerick asked if she was all right, and she used a heat migraine as an excuse to leave the table.
Away from the group, she felt free for the first time all evening, as though a boulder had been lifted from her chest. On her way back to her suite, she stopped at the kitchens for a bowl of water and a plate of congealed chicken blood. Then she asked the groundskeeper to lay a length of sod on her balcony for housetraining. After that, she returned to her chamber to spend the evening with the only creature that had never lied to her, criticized her, or vexed her in any way. Her puppy.
Truly, the world of men didn’t deserve dogs.
Remarkably, her pup was advanced well beyond his age. She was even able to teach him a few basic commands. As she did so, she tried to think of a fitting name for him. The answer came during a game of fetch, when she noticed a streak of color peeking out from between the folds on his back. She parted the loose skin to reveal a blotchy indigo birthmark.
“I have a birthmark, too,” she told him. “But mine’s pink, not blue.”
The pup rolled onto his back and hugged her wrist between his front paws—a move the brilliant rascal had learned would result in a belly rub.
“Blue,” she repeated, testing the name as she used her fingertips to tickle his skin. “What do you think? Do you like it?”
Eyes closed, he made a contented sound that she took as ayes.
“ThenBlueit is.” She leaned down, rubbing noses with him. “We’re a family now, Lord Blue Solon. And that’s forever.”
When he opened his dark eyes and looked at her, she could swear that he had understood every word. Something seemed to pass between them: an unspoken promise that neither of them would ever feel alone again. For the first time in her life, she could say that her heart was truly full.
At bedtime, they snuggled on their sides between the linen sheets, Blue’s head tucked beneath her chin. He licked her neck once as if to say good night, and then they drifted into dreams.
The next morning, when the sun was no more than a purple stain on the curtains, Cerise awoke to a growl and a shrill bark. She opened her eyes and found Blue standing alert in front of her pillow, his dark eyes focused on something she couldn’t see. She didn’t think much of it at first. She assumed Blue had caught sight of an insect or a lizard. But then she heard theclickof her suite door closing, and she sat bolt upright, peering all around.
Someone had just been in her room.
The intruder had left, but that didn’t stop her heart from racing. She must have forgotten to lock the door last night when she returned from dinner. It was a mistake she wouldn’t make twice. She hated to imagine what could have happened if Blue hadn’t barked at the intruder and scared them away.
“Good boy,” she praised Blue while rubbing his head. “You’re my tiny hero.” Only he wasn’t as tiny as she remembered. Picking him up, she noticed that his rump no longer fit within the palm of her hand. “Let’s go find this growing boy some breakfast.”
Her miniature protector scampered alongside her in the corridor, his stumpy tail wagging and his head held high…until he approached the top of the staircase, where he halted as though he had reached the edge of the world. Cerise picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. They ate a breakfast of scones and sausages in the garden, then played hide-and-seek in the hedge maze until it was time to meet Daerick in her office.
Leaving Blue behind simply wasn’t an option, so she fashioned a sling out of an old scarf and tucked Blue inside it to rest with his head near her heart. By the time she reached her office suite, the motion of her footsteps had rocked him to sleep.
The door to her suite was already open. Beyond the sitting area, a male figure stood as still as stone in front of the window, peering out at the palace lawn as if deep in thought. He must have recently come in from outdoors, because he wore a cloak of gauzy linen to protect his head and his shoulders from the sun.
Cerise recognized him easily. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” she whispered so as not to wake Blue.
