Page 64 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 2
I look down at my black and red dress, trying to decide how I feel about that. I don't need an entirely new wardrobe when I come to the royal apartments, but I can understand why she would think it was important for me to wear the royal colours. "I'm certain some of my dresses can be altered to include blue and gold, rather than needing an entirely new set of clothing."
She nods curtly, and I'm not entirely sure if I've given her a good impression of me or not.
Linc catches my eyes and smiles, making me think that it might not be so bad. I hope he's right because I'm going to have a long time ahead of me of having to get along with the Queen, and I don't want it to be a difficult living situation if I can help it.
THIRTEEN
The fire rages in the drawing room, filling the air with warmth and the crackle of flames. Pip is stretched out in front of it, a little too close for my comfort levels, but she's ignored me every time I've asked her to move back a little bit, so I know there's no helping it.
I flip the page of the history book Linc gave me, grateful that it's much more interesting than the one my tutor gave me, even if it's not what I'm supposed to be reading. Luckily, I have no reason to think Lord Fallmartin will even notice. And so long as I learn what it's talking about, I don't think it's going to be a problem. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any easier for me to actually understand the letters on the page, and I have to re-read each page several times to make sure I've properly understood it. I'm sure that in a hundred years or so, I'm going to be a lot more relaxed about this kind of thing, and not even remember how difficult it is for me to read right now. I just wish I could skip to that level of proficiency.
Bastian lets out a frustrated groan from the other bench and throws down his pencil. "I'm never going to get this."
"You will," I assure him. "You just have to practice."
"I don't want to practice. Why can't I just know how to do this already?" His face is full of frustration and I don't really blame him for it. I was just thinking the same over reading, and that's not that much different from his frustration over arithmetic.
"I wish that too."
He looks surprised. "You do?"
"Of course. I don't want to be struggling with something that seems to come so naturally to everyone around us, but we didn't learn how to do this when we were younger. Isn't it better that we learn now than still be struggling in ten years' time?" Or a hundred, but I still find that a little strange to think about, so I try not to.
He sighs. "You're right."
"I know I am," I respond. "But it doesn't change the fact that I wish it could be different."
"I do too. I'm sorry I didn't think to insist we learned this stuff before we came here," he says.
"It's not your fault, Bash," I assure him. "You didn't even know we were coming here until not long before we did. When would we have learned? And without tutors?"
He lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I suppose that's true." He turns his attention back to the sums in front of him, a deep expression of concentration passing over his face as he does. I'm not sure if anything I've said has actually helped him, but he seems to be in a slightly better space.
I look down at my book and start re-reading at the top of the page again, already having forgotten what I've previously read. I'm finally back into the flow of reading when the door opens and Lord Fallmartin steps inside.
"Studying on the eve of your wedding, Beatrice?" he asks as he makes his way into the room.
"It seemed like the right thing to do. Prince Lincoln gave me this book." Maybe that will make it seem less strange that I'm sitting here reading it instead of whatever else he thinks I'm supposed to be doing. From some of the things he's said, I suspect he might want me to get a head start on making sure no one can question the validity of my marriage to Linc.
"Well, I'm glad you're here. I have a gift for you," he says, giving me a box and going to sit on the chair opposite.
Bastian sits up, no longer paying attention to his sums. There's a strange expression on his face, but I don't know what's causing it.
"Thank you," I say, knowing better than to reject a gift, especially one coming from my father. Slowly, I open the box, revealing a small dagger inside with roses engraved on the hilt and rubies shining from several places. "It's beautiful."
"It's been carried by members of House Rothorne for over five hundred years," Lord Fallmartin says.
Bastian lets out a small sound, but I ignore him.
"I gave it to my first wife on the day of our wedding, and she wore it every day to protect herself." Lord Fallmartin's voice softens as he says the words, surprising me somewhat.
"Your first wife?" I can't help but ask the question, especially when he seems to be in a talkative mood.
"Lady Evangaline Carlough," he responds. "Her House no longer exists, but it was in a position of power when I first came to court. Even then, House Rothorne had our enemies, so I gave her this to carry with her when she was away from me. To protect herself."
"How did she die?" I ask softly.
"Childbirth." His face shows a brief flash of pain. "Our daughter died too."
