Page 35 of Stolen Princess's Secret

‘I now have a great deal of sympathy for that owl. I’d be confused too if this baby turned out to be a duckling.’

Alya squeezed tight and then gently stepped away. ‘Rug up and come back to the feast, at least for a little while. Let’s celebrate new beginnings and the peace and prosperity on the horizon. I won’t even mention your part in the negotiations if you don’t want me to. You can watch me try and fail to catch Ildris’s attention. It’ll be like old times.’

‘He’s taken a position in Cas’s court.’

‘I know.’ For all that Alya tossed those two words around lightly, there was heartbreak behind them. ‘Don’t remind me. I too am not all that happy with reality today. Shall we face it anyway?’

This was the attitude that had guided her way. Try, and know that failure was part of that process. Be honest, with yourself if no one else.

‘I want Tomas to be with me because he wants to be, not just because there’s a baby. I’m afraid he’s going to offer marriage and I’m going to say yes, and I’m never going to know how he really feels about me.’

‘I get it. You’re screwed. He’s screwed too. But, whatever happens, I say this baby is going to be incredibly lucky to have you for a mother, because you have so much love and passion to give, and you’re strong and fierce and capable of making life better for everyone around you. Forged in fire and all that. Be proud of your remarkable journey through life in search of your happy place. One day you’re going to find it. You’ve got this.’

‘You make me feel better than I’ve felt in weeks.’

‘That’s because I know what you need.’ Alya stood and linked her arm around Claudia’s. ‘Come outside for a while and let us love you.’

‘One hour, and then I’m coming back in.’

‘One hour,’ the other woman agreed. ‘And I’ll bring you breakfast in the morning.’

‘I don’t do breakfast any more.’

Alya’s glance was full of concern. ‘When do you breakfast, and what will tempt you to eat?’

‘Around eleven and soup is good. Thin and brothy.’

‘Have you seen a midwife? Let’s do that tomorrow.’

‘Tomorrow,’ agreed Claudia, relaxing just a little bit.

Maybe things would be better tomorrow.

Claudia lasted an hour, and then another, with Alya at her side, bubbling over with festive good humour and cloaking Claudia’s forced enthusiasm. She was glad to be back, even if she knew in her heart that her status here had changed and there was no going back to her old life. Not easily. She had become a creature of politics, with the same pressure here as the one she felt in her brother’s court, namely that she couldn’t please everyone all the time. And what then? Who would even want her?

Bleakness had bled into her bones and she didn’t know how to reverse the condition.

She’d settled before the open fire, Ildris to one side and Alya on her other as the celebrations continued and the fire began to show a hint of embers. There were a million stars above her head, a cloudless sky and a waxing crescent moon. She had shelter nearby and warmth on her face and there was simple comfort in that.

Take the simple, fleeting moments of comfort and security and be grateful, Claudia.

Make every breath, every moment, count. Just like old times.

She didn’t know at first why Ildris rose to his feet so suddenly. It was late, she was weary, and she’d begun to let her mind drift.

But a woman was heading towards them and behind her strode Tomas, big and solid and contained as only he could be. He wore ordinary outdoor work boots and trousers and a warm winter jacket with wide cuffs made of leather. The firelight did little to soften the sharply drawn planes of his face and jaw, and his eyes were narrowed and not just against the smoke from the fire. He was set against Ildris, regular observation had told her that much, but he was usually somewhat better at hiding it. Hostility had a hold on him now, though. And then he saw her, and his hostility increased tenfold.

Maybe Ildris wasn’t the problem after all.

‘Well met, Master Falconer, Lord Sokolov,’ Ildris began. ‘What brings you amongst us?’

‘I’m here for what’s mine, mountain lord, and you can object to my claim, but know that I’m already disposed to think of you as my enemy. My grievance spans decades.’

Alya squeaked, Ildris crossed his arms in front of him and held his ground as Claudia scrambled to her feet and stepped between the two foes. ‘Have you lost your mind?’ she demanded.

‘Not yet. Have you?’ The next minute, she was viewing the world upside down on account of being slung over Tomas’s shoulder, bottom up and head down, as he strode away from the fire, the crowd parting for him like butter, with him the hot knife.

‘Are you kidnapping me?’

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