Page 3 of On Silver Winds
“Oh, fuckoff.”
She crumpled the parchment into a tight ball and lobbed it at the fireplace, but managed instead to hit the little pewter stand to one side. The stand wobbled dangerously, and a tangle of fire pokers and tongs clattered to the smooth stone hearth, the echoing crash of metal on tile making Adeline flinch and scowl. The racket was enough to stir up a familiar set of footsteps from the living room.
“Everything alright in there?”
On the other side of the door, Gerard’s voice was amused, rough with sleep and just wry enough that Adeline caught herself, mid-scowl. He was good at that; she could never take herself too seriously with Ger around. It was half of what had drawn them to one another in the first place. Life felt lighter when they were together. Brighter.
She glanced around at the mess she’d made in her lapse of temper, and had to laugh despite it all.
“Just muttering idle treasons,” she called. “Don’t mind me.”
His answering hum was a knowing one.
“What does she want?”
Adeline stooped to retrieve the little parchment ball from the hearth. She smoothed it out, let her eyes flick once more over the three curt lines of neatly curving ink, and resisted the childish urge to crumple it again.
“You know what, I’ll let you read it yourself.”
The door handle twisted and Adeline squawked indignantly, dropping the letter to clutch at her half-open robe.
“Ger! You can read it in aminute, I’m only half-dressed.”
She heard the soft brush of his shoulder and the creak of the old wooden frame as he leaned against the door; could almost picture the sly grin, too, as he crooned: “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Nothing you’ll ever see again,” she shot back, though she was sure he could hear the laughter framing every word.
He laughed right back.
“Your loss, Princess.”
When she opened the door a crack to thrust the letter at him, Ger flashed his broadest smile, all faded freckles and bright eyes. The effect was only somewhat undercut by the faint scent of whiskey and the golden scruff on his jaw that confirmed he hadn’t been home since she’d last seen him.
“Late night?”
“Can’t complain,” he smirked. Then, softening, he leaned into the gap in the doorway. “You should have stayed, though.”
They’d got a head start on the celebrations last night, since Ger would be on duty for New Winter’s Eve. It had been fun at first, as it always was when they were together. Laughing and loosened with wine, sampling the most outrageous tourist-trap cocktails and dancing to the rousing, rowdy music in the packed little tavern. But when she’d spotted Captain Doran and his latest victim, the night had taken an unexpected turn – as had her tender wrist. As far as Adeline was concerned, she’d left at precisely the right time.
She gave Ger a look, then nudged him back so she could shut the bedroom door between them.
“I think we both know I shouldnothave stayed,” she called out. “Besides, if I’d been out drinking til all hours of the morning, I might have missed thatdelightfulNew Winter greeting in your hands.”
Ger just grunted distractedly, so she left him to his reading and turned away from the door. Her hair was a mess, the humidity of the tavern and her scorching bathwater working together to create a storm of dark curls exploding around her face. She’d have to find a way to tame it before tonight, but for now she twisted it atop her head and pulled on her softest woolen day dress, not even bothering to lace a corset over the top. Might as well spend a bit of the day in comfort, while she could get away with it.
Ger was still frowning down at the sheet of parchment when she opened the door, her mug cradled in her good hand.
“Well?”
“Well,” he said. “It’s short but not all that sweet.”
He glanced down at the letter again, reading off the parchment.
“'Adeline, you will recall that you are expected to attend to your duties at the palace tonight.'That’s it.And then I think she drew you a cute little abstract snake. That’s nice at least.”
“That’s her signature, love.”
Adeline patted his shoulder, then immediately winced at the dull throb in her wrist. She brushed past before Ger could notice, heading for the living room and speaking over her shoulder to him as she went.
