Page 32 of Beneath the Haunting Sea

“Why?”

His owlish eyes bore into hers. “Because hecan’t see or hear the things I can. He thinks I’m mad, at best. Malicious, at worst.” “Are you?”

“No.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Miss Dahl-Saida. I get too caught up in my music sometimes, trying to capture the melodies in my head, the cadence of the sea. It can be somewhat of an obsession—my father and Caiden don’t understand. I don’t mean to be cryptic or rude—and I don’t want you to hate me.”

She considered that, trying to see things from his point of view. “Then what do you want?”

“To be your friend, I hope.”

She didn’t know how to respond. The betrothal might not be his fault, but he could have warned her or objected orsomething.And his continual niceness was almost grating—she’d liked him better yesterday when he’d cursed like a sailor. “I can’t promise that right now.”

“Fairenough.” He slipped his spectacles back into his pocket. “In the meantime, how do you feel about breakfast?”

Talia and Wen ate alone in the dining hall. Caiden wasn’t back from his ride yet (she tried to tell herself she wasn’t disappointed), and the Baron remained upstairs. Wen told her that happened quite a lot.

Wen was quiet and fidgety and wouldn’t stop looking at her, obviously wantingto talk more, but she had no desire to pick up the threads of their conversation. She was too restless for company—she needed to be alone.

She excused herself as politely as she could after her second cup of tea, and slipped back out into the vestibule, to the front door.

“Can I help you, Miss Dahl-Saida?”

The voice made her jump, and she wheeled around to see Ahned standing in the hall. TheBaron’s steward was dressed the same as yesterday—stern dark suit, black-and-silver hair tied back at the nape of his neck.

“I thought I’d go for a walk.”

Ahned took a few paces toward her. “I can show you the garden.”

“I’m going down to the shore.”

Ahned raised an eyebrow. “The sea is forbidden, Miss Dahl-Saida.”

“Why? Who forbids it?”

“The Baron.”

“And why does the Baron care where Iwalk?”

“Because it is his house, Miss, and it is his rule.”

“Am I just supposed to wander around inside for the rest of my life?”

“You may walk in the garden, or go to the stables, or follow the road down to the village. But the sea is forbidden.”

She jutted out her chin, refusing to let him rattle her. “Why?”

“Miss Dahl-Saida, if you cannot be trusted to obey the rules, you will not be allowedout of the house at all. Is that understood?”

She glowered at him. “Perfectly.”

“And can you be trusted?”

“Of course.”

He wasn’t convinced. “Swear by the gods you won’t go down to the sea.”

Why could she never seem to escape the gods she didn’t want to believe in? She swallowed and forced herself to maintain eye contact. “I swear by the gods I won’t go down to the sea.”

He nodded. “Whatwill it be then—garden or village or stables?”

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