Page 45 of Within the Hollow Heart

“And the fae queen will sit upon the throne,” said another.

“But—” Jules began.

The oldest stood, reaching forward to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We have been touched by the queen’s magic, sister. You have not. You are the best hope for this kingdom. Your heart is honest, just, and true, and we have faith in you above all others. Trust that we have not made this decision lightly.”

Jules swallowed. “Then I will do my best. You have my word.”

The others stood, their mood resolved and decidedly more hopeful.

Nickolas felt as if he’d just stepped off a swaying ship. “I—so this means you’ll be queen.”

Jules’s gaze snapped to his, her brows drawn together. “It does.”

He drew a shallow breath, unable to tolerate more, and gave a small nod. “When do you leave?”

“Nickolas, you mustn’t—are you saying you won’t come with me?”

Nickolas did not know what he was saying, only that it hurt very much to speak, and he felt a bit light-headed. He rubbed a palm over his chest. It must have been the cakes. Honey cakes had never agreed with him.

“You will come, won’t you?” Jules asked.

“I—do you want me to come?”

“Of course.” She let out a shaky breath. “It is not as if I could do this without you.”

“Of course,” he repeated. He’d no deuced idea what she meant by not being able to do it without him, but he wasn’t about to disagree with her. Wherever it was, whatever she needed, he would be there.

Gideon released a low oath then whispered, “Do we tell him?” before Etta replied just as quietly, “Best let him work it out on his own.”

“It’s been a very long day,” Jules told the room. “Perhaps we should discuss the rest tomorrow.” She gave a gentle squeeze to Nickolas’s hand. “Lord Brigham, won’t you walk with me in the courtyard?”

“Of course,” he said again. They stood, then he turned once more to Etta. “What’s to happen to my mother?”

Etta rose from her position on the desk. “She will remain a prisoner until the council makes their judgment. If you would like, you may offer a statement in her defense before the trial.”

Nickolas nodded. He understood well enough what the council’s judgment would be. Lady Brigham would receive no leniency when it was revealed that she’d both committed a crime and made a bargain with the fae, no matter what Nickolas had to say on the matter. “Then, I will have guardianship of my sisters, it seems.”

Jules slid her hand through his arm. “They’ll be no bother at all. We can find a lovely place for them. Did I tell you, Lord Brigham, of the courtyard gardens I played in as a girl? The most beautiful roses and violets grow there, right around a fishpond stocked with trout. Do you fish? I’m afraid I’ve never asked you.”

He stared down at her as she spoke, aware that he was being drawn from the chancery office and through the unlit corridor, but Nickolas could not make himself care. Not when Jules’s arm was locked with his, the pair of them finally safe from harm.

They walked through several corridors before Jules drew him into a lesser-used passage that came out nowhere near where he might have expected. His steps slowed, and she slowed with him.

He said, “This is Carvell’s wing.”

“As a matter of fact, the Carvells have gone away for a bit.” She tugged him back to her. “The marshal’s office discovered the family had ties to a crime. Something about forgery and extortion.”

“Extortion,” Nickolas repeated.

Jules hummed in affirmation. “I believe Lord Keller has already inquired about purchasing the grounds. He plans to install several water features in the courtyard.”

A choked laugh came from Nickolas just as they neared the arched doorway outside said courtyard.

Jules reached for the lever, meeting his gaze. “I thought it might be nice to visit once more. This time, without interruptions.”

His heart woke again, swelling to the walls of his chest, and when he took a lungful of the cool predawn air, Nickolas felt more like himself. But that was not right, because it was a version of himself that was free from the burdens of debts, secrets, and the sense that time was running out. Nickolas was alone with Jules in a lovely garden, and he did not have a single other place he wanted to be.

She kept hold of his hand, drawing him with her over the stone pathway, through violets and poppies and the statuary he had forgotten was nearly all nude. At a bare spot of grass, she stopped and asked for his jacket. He removed it and spread it over the ground, and the pair of them settled, backs to the low edge wall, to stare up at the stars.

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