Page 89 of Ties of Dust

“As you wish,” he said, with the air of one washing his hands of the consequences. “But I make no guarantees about your safety or your welcome in the capital.”

“Home sweet home,” muttered Flora.

The day was too far advanced for them to travel all the way to the capital, so they stopped for the night in the nearest town. Fortunately Cassius and Flora were able to secure rooms next to one another, so that the tether could go unnoticed. Guards accompanied Flora everywhere she went, two standing outside her door all night. They seemed more like wardens than protectors, and Cassius slept uneasily, not trusting her to these strangers.

The following day’s journey was smooth and swift. Dernan was considerably smaller than the surrounding kingdoms, and they were comfortably able to reach the capital of Dernanford before nightfall in spite of the increasingly rocky terrain. The air was cold all day—the weather had been mild and sunny in Torrens, but in Dernan, the sky was overcast.

Not just the sky. The closer to the capital they got, the more subdued Flora became. By the time they rode into Dernanford, she hadn’t spoken for at least an hour, and the bruises on her face stood out starkly against her pale cheeks.

“Are you all right?” Cassius asked as they were led up the castle steps.

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

It wasn’t convincing. Cassius had never seen her self-conscious about her attire before, but he noticed her smoothing out the skirt of her unusual guard uniform, and trying to rub dirt from the long sleeve of her tunic.

He knew that a messenger had gone ahead of them, and he’d expected the king and queen to greet them at the entrance to the castle. But instead, they were met by a servant and shown into a small audience chamber. Two guards took up positions in the hallway, but once the door was closed, they were alone.

Flora met Cassius’s eyes with a strange expression then abruptly lurched toward him and grabbed the flaps of his jacket. She pressed her lips to his with a definite flavor of defiance. Cassius pulled her close, not about to reject the gesture, confused though he was.

“Just in case,” Flora told him when she pulled back.

He frowned in bemusement. “Just in case of what?”

The door opened, and two men and a woman strode in, their steps agitated.

“Mother, Father.” Flora’s barriers were up again, perhaps even more than they’d been when Cassius first met her. “And my dear big brother. You look very heir-like.”

“Floriana.” The younger of the men eyed her coldly. “You’ve returned, then. I confess I didn’t think you would.”

“I didn’t plan to,” she said frankly. “And I won’t be here for long. I’m going to live in Carrack.”

The simple words sent a shot of satisfaction through Cassius, but they didn’t have the same effect on the others in the room.

“You are certainly not.” The woman, presumablyDernan’s queen, spoke with no more warmth than her son had done. “You will remain here, where you belong. Your flight was unacceptable behavior.” She paused, then, with the air of one making a great concession, added, “But you made the right decision to return.”

“Have you missed me, Mother?” There was a wistful note to Flora’s voice that made Cassius’s heart ache.

“I have missed having the support of a dutiful daughter,” the queen said.

Not a yes. There had been the smallest flicker on the queen’s face before she spoke, but it wasn’t enough to soften Cassius’s thoughts. He found his indignation growing on Flora’s behalf.

“You have certainly grown, Floriana,” the king said, his voice long-suffering as much as disapproving. “But apparently not in wisdom. You appear to have come to us immediately after some kind of brawl.”

“It’s a long story,” Flora said. “I’m injured, it’s true, but I don’t think there will be any lasting damage.”

“If only the same were true of your reputation,” her mother said, her tone pained. “We shall have a great deal to repair.”

“I’m not interested in repairing anything,” Flora said tensely. “As I said, I’m not staying.”

“You are fortunate indeed,” the queen continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “that the earl to whom you were betrothed has not yet taken a wife. It is possible that he will be willing to honor our original agreement.”

Cassius shifted forward, scowling his disapproval at anyone who might look his way. No one did.

“That would open a whole section of the northern cliffs to us,” the crown prince was saying excitedly. “The mining efforts in that area have been seriously hampered.”

“I’m not marrying the earl,” Flora said, her face still paler than Cassius was used to.

“You will do as you’re told,” her brother informed her. If the king and queen held a hint of hidden softness for their erring daughter, the prince showed no sign of sharing it.

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