Page 45 of All the Pain of Promises
It was interesting how so many nobles had already seemingly forgotten that Narissa was now married to a lord of House Celestine. Or perhaps they heard the rumors of their smallwedding ceremony and chose to dismiss it as nothing worthy of note. Or maybe they simply forgot.
“I am.” Narissa nodded once. “And you’re Lady Aria Skyhelm.”
“Indeed.”
Lady Aria’s perfectly manicured nails, sharpened to a point and painted a pretty nude shade, tapped the table between them. Her eyes flicked to the female accompanying her and when she made no effort to introduce them, Narissa assumed the stuffy female was either a lady’s maid or a chaperone. Though the latter seemed unlikely, as it had been some time since any lady of Aeramere had been required to have a chaperone. Still, Narissa could have sworn she’d seen the lady’s maid somewhere before, she just couldn’t remember where.
“I had no idea you were visiting Galefell. Are you here with Lord Marintide?” There was nothing malicious or spiteful in Lady Aria’s tone, in fact, she seemed genuinely curious.
But Narissa chose then to politely correct her assumption, as she did not care to be incorrectly relegated to a lifetime of spinsterhood. By the tides, she wasmarried, and everyone should know it.
“Actually, I’m on honeymoon.” She offered Lady Aria a dazzling smile of her own, hoping it was enough to disguise all the hurt and pain staining her heart.
Lady Aria blinked, her thick lashes fluttering. “Honeymoon?”
“Yes. With my husband.” Narissa dipped her chin at Lady Aria’s look of confusion. “Lord Solarius Starstorm.”
“Lord Solarius?” Her dark brows rose in surprise, and without warning, she reached out and squeezed Narissa’s hand. “Oh, how delightful! Calfair failed to mention your engagement, so I had no idea you were even betrothed!”
Narissa bit back on the urge to snort with derision, and she was thankful for her own self-control because Lady Aria’ssincere kindness was overwhelming, easing some of her inner turmoil.
“Well done, Lady Narissa.” She winked then and gave her hand another squeeze before leaning back. “Lord Solarius is quite the catch.”
There was no quip. No insult. No backhanded compliment.
Just pure, unaltered kindness.
Lady Aria tossed her head once, so her curls and braids of silky black hair glinted like obsidian in the morning light. “So, tell me, Lady Narissa, are you enjoying your stay?”
“We’ve only just arrived last night.”
While Lady Aria’s smile did not falter, her lady’s maid stole a doubtful look in Narissa direction before turning her attention once again to where she kept her hands folded in her lap. Only then did Narissa realize how it must look for her to be out and about without Solarius by her side.
“I just figured I would come into the city from Windsong to see if I can find any flowers or herbs not readily available to me in Azurvend. I didn’t want to bore Sol with my genteel hobbies.” Narissa held up the cherry tart. “But then I was distracted by this delectable treat.”
Lady Aria’s laughter filled the air, reminding Narissa vaguely of satin and smoke. “I don’t blame you in the least. You simply must try the sunrise meringues before you leave Galefell. They are positively divine.”
“I will be sure to do that.” Narissa pinched off a piece of the cherry tart and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly, still unsure why Lady Aria was taking the time to converse with her.
Lady Aria leaned forward, propping her elbows upon the table, and gently twirled one finger through the air.
At once, the scent of wisteria, sun-drenched lilacs, and orange blossom wrapped around Narissa, clinging to her skin like the warm heat of summer. An incandescent bubble of magic,an imperceptible glamour, encompassed her and Lady Aria. The soft music floating throughout the cafe was muffled, the already quiet conversations of other patrons were dulled to near nothingness, while everything within the bubble was amplified. Her breath. Her heartbeat.
She stretched one hand out slowly, but her palm did not penetrate the iridescent barrier. It was like pressing against a solid globe of glass. She was trapped.
Narissa sucked in a breath, her gaze meeting Lady Aria’s benevolent eyes.
“Don’t worry, Lady Narissa. No one can hear us anymore.” Her nose crinkled in distaste when she looked over at her lady’s maid. She huffed once, then bit the corner of her bottom lip. “I find myself in need of a potion. Or an elixir of some sort.”
Narissa instantly relaxed.
Ah.
So, Lady Aria was in need of her services…she wasn’t trying to humiliate or demoralize her. She just didn’t want anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation. A rather clever tactic.
With her interest piqued, Narissa took a sip of her tea, then asked, “What sort of potion?”
“I have it on good authority that Calfair is attempting to match me with one of the Starstorm brothers.” She inspected her nails as though she couldn’t be bothered with such nonsense.
