Page 60 of The Shadows Between Us
Oh dear.
What have I done?
I fall into bed. Despite how terribly wrong everything is going, I can’t help but lose myself to exhaustion. Boxing, combined with the late hour, practically drags my mind away into oblivion.
But just before I go, the skin about my blackened eye warms. Not with pain. Not from the memory of the kiss pressed there.
But at the ghost of a gloved hand.
MY HEAD THROBS ASsoon as I’m awake. It’s a wonderful combination of too much ale and a poor night’s sleep.
And on top of that, everything has unraveled.
What choice do I have but to follow up on my threat and order the servants to begin packing my things? The words burn through my throat as I give the orders, and I snap at two different footmen who move too slowly for my liking.
After a moment, I realize this is a job that will take hours. There’s no point in my waiting around to watch them finish.
I should try to go about my day as normal.
Rhoda and Hestia hold a conversation while I stare at the empty seat at the head of the long table in the great hall. Kallias isn’t there.
Will I see him again before I leave?
And why the devils am I waiting for my things to be packed before leaving? They will arrive at my father’s estate whether I accompany them or not.
Actually, I suppose I’m not going back to the Masis estate. How can I after insisting I didn’t need Father?
And honestly, I’d rather not see his face too soon. No, I’ll go to an inn. Stay on my own for a while until I can rethink everything.
That chair remains empty during the entire luncheon. Of course he doesn’t want to see me.
I’ve lost him. I’ve lost a throne, a crown, the admiration of a kingdom, the power of being a queen.
I take my time returning to my rooms after spending the afternoon in the sitting room sewing. As though some brilliant plan to salvage everything will come to me if I just have enough time.
What am I going to do? Am I really letting myself lose everything?
First, I should probably take a look at my eye to see if the face powder is still doing its job to cover my bruise. Then—I don’t know what will come next.
If my room is all packed, I’ll leave. If not, I’ll dally a little longer.
I let myself in, dreading the fact that I don’t hear the flurry of feet. They must be done! But as I walk through my rooms, I find the unexpected.
It’s as if I’d never ordered anything’s removal. The room has been cleaned. The bed made. The furniture dusted. But the wardrobe is still full of my clothes. The vanity holds all my cosmetics.
Nothing is packed.
Those lazy, horrible servants. I stomp back out into the hallway, eager to find someone to yell at, and am instantly hailed down by a servant.
“My lady,” he says before I can utter a word. “The king requests your presence. Would you care to follow me?”
Yes, I do care very much. Has Kallias more to say about last night’s jaunt? Does he want to publicly banish me from the palace? Cast me out for attending an outing with his once friend?
But if there’s even a chance that he wishes to forget the argumentand have things go back to the way they were, I must take it. I can seduce a king even if I only see him for a half hour two or three times a day, surely? I can get over attending parties where no men will talk to me. It’s only for a short time. Until I can secure the king in marriage and then kill him. Then I can have all the male companionship I want.
But blast, why does Kallias have to make everything so damned difficult?
The servant leads me to the first floor, taking me out a back exit of the palace. He stops before a simple carriage and holds open the door for me.
