Page 79 of The Dragoneers of Longbourn and Pemberley
Valeraine wanted this. She wanted the nests here at Pemberley estate, full of dragons and care. She even wanted the impossible Mr. Pemberley.
That was the tragedy: she couldn’t have any of it. She wouldn’t give up racing. She wouldn’t give up Lelantos. She and Pemberley would never fit together.
The door opened, and Valeraine turned to look, expecting a servant.
It was Miss Nedine Nethenabbi. “I’ve heard a terrible rumor, and I must confirm its falsehood,” Nedine said. Her dress was impeccably tailored and draped on her. It was a rich and lovely yellow, the kind of gown that was fine enough that Valeraine would have saved it for a ball, and unadorned enough thatNedine considered it appropriate to wear to a dragon nest. It was one more line between them: the rich heiress and the poor one.
“Hello, Miss Nedine,” Valeraine greeted. She carefully stood up, trying to not disturb Lelantos.
“You know the rumor which I refer to. Don’t play dumb.”
There were many rumors circulating around the estate. The one that had certainly caught Nedine’s ire was that Mr. Louhan Nethenabbi would propose to Miss Alyce Longbourn any day now. She said, “You overestimate my cleverness; I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“You are an impossible girl. Don’t toy with me. Is it true, or not?”
“You can see with your own eyes that your brother is courting my sister, and they’re both mad with happiness and love.”
“That! Is another problem,” Nedine spat. “I’m putting a stop to that. Louhan pretends it’s a reasoned business decision, but he is only motivated by infatuation. There are much better matches for him, from houses that will impress the Kinellan dragoneers.”
“They are a good match. They’re both from dragon houses.” Valeraine was finding it difficult to stay civil in this conversation.
Lelantos shifted in his sleep, picking up on Valeraine’s growing agitation. The last thing this conversation needed was a grumpy dragon, so Valeraine took a deep breath to calm herself. Nedine could sabotage Nethenabbi’s courting of Alyce, and it wouldn’t be wise to provoke her.
“Don’t dance around the subject,” Nedine said. “Is what I’ve heard about you true?”
It seemed Valeraine could not avoid provoking her. Best not to even try, then. “How can I deny something you’ve not yet specified? I don’t have your prowess at jumping to unwarranted conclusions.”
“Are you engaged to Mr. Pemberley?”
Valeraine’s heart skipped a beat. Had the news of his proposal spread? Or was it merely his apparent friendliness that had sparked this?
Valeraine had been silent too long, and Nedine took it for evasion.
“You are! But it cannot be. He would never thus pollute the shades of Pemberley. He and I are destined to wed.”
“You are engaged to Mr. Pemberley?” A few months ago, Valeraine would have celebrated the match, certain that the two unpleasant people deserved each other. Now, her heart cracked with an unusual grief.
“Our houses have been allies for decades. It’s only logical we wed. He wouldn’t throw that all away for someone likeyou.”
Valeraine’s anger surged, and Lelantos came awake. He stood, his protective hostility rising. Valeraine turned away from Nedine to put a restraining hand on the dragon.
Valeraine needed to end this conversation before someone attacked Nedine (and she wasn’t sure it would be Lelantos). She faced her and said, crisply and evenly, “I am not engaged to Mr. Pemberley.”
“And do you promise you’ll never marry him?”
“I will give no such promise.”
“I knew it from the moment I saw you: you dig for status you could never achieve,” Nedine said. “You conspire for his heart. Pemberley will never have you. He’s not so stupid as to fall in love with such a wretched girl.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Your family is poison, and I will not have it touching mine. My brother and I will leave today, and I will tell him never to see Miss Alyce again.”
“The Longbourns will return home soon,” Valeraine said, baiting the monster. “I wonder how often Mr. Nethenabbi willcome calling. You cannot keep your brother on a leash. You can keep me even less.”
Lelantos, as if on her cue, growled. His sinuous neck brought his teeth closer to Nedine.
Nedine fled the nest.
