Page 49 of Tashama
His heart increased its pace as he tugged at his tunic. He didn’t want her to see how much her body could affect his, even as he stood two feet away. A light scent of jasmine drifted in the air…her scent. She was more beautiful than anyone inhis kingdom. He was the ruler of all Maldovia after all. Why shouldn’t he have such a prize to call his own?
“So you’re going to ransom me.” Tashama looked down at the floor.
He wanted to pull her from the chair and hold her close, to feel her warm breath against his neck. “You want to go home. We’ll help you return there.”
“Good.” Tashama ran her hands over her satin skirts. “Sooner, than later, I would hope.”
“As would I.” Aleron turned to leave. How could he say such a thing, when he meant just the opposite? She brought out the worst in him without even trying.
He walked out of the room as Listra walked in and closed the door. “Did he scold you much?”
“Of course not. He loves me. That’s why he gets so perturbed with me. I don’t share his sentiments,” Tashama said, then, seeing the strange look on Listra’s face, she added, “I don't have the same feelings for him that he has for me. It angers him. His fiancée won’t like that he feels this way for me, I’m certain.”
“Fiancée?”
“The woman he’s to marry.”
“He hasn’t decided on one yet, though Carissian has urged him on several different occasions to make a choice.”
“And the lady he was walking with in the gardens?”
“Lady Daveal.” Listra nodded.
“Devil. So who is this woman?”
Listra hooked the drapes to the wall. “If you’re not interested in the prince, why are you interested in knowing about Daveal?”
“I’m sick of not being able to get around. A little court gossip would be welcome.”
Listra sat down and lifted her needlework to her lap, but said nothing further.
“She’s a member of a royal family, I take it?”
Listra still said not a word as she concentrated on her work.
A blue fabric caught Tashama’s eye as she turned to look through the window. A young man crouched next to four-foot-high shrubs.Jaran, the youngest thief from the prison tower.He motioned for her to come to him, but she shook her head as she pointed to her feet.
Tilting his head down, he showed he understood. He held his hands together and rested his cheek on them as he closed his eyes. She nodded. He waved, then darted down the path.
Tashama turned to Listra. “So what are you embroidering?”
Listra smiled as she showed her the tapestry. Tashama touched the green shimmering-scaled tail of the mermaid reclining on a moss-covered boulder while the surf splashed spray into the air. “It’s lovely. Where will you display this?”
“The tapestry is for the prince’s coronation. He will be crowned king of Maldovia in two days. I’ll make it into a pillow to add to the rest of his collection.”
“Oh.” Tashama turned her attention back to the window. “He’s already so full of himself, he’ll never be able to fit into his crown, unless it’s as big as the circumference of his lake.”
“You say the oddest things.”
“Yes, but they’re true.” Tashama ran her fingers through her silky hair.
Listra set her needle in a pincushion. “They say you’re quite taken with the appearance of the prince.”
“He’s different than my kind. That’s all.”
“There are many who are intrigued by your fair coloring. I heard one of the guards say he couldn’t get enough of that blond hair. That’s why you must wear a veil.”
Tashama reached back to braid her hair. “Do you have something to tie this with? A ribbon or some such thing?”
