Page 115 of Brighter Than Gold

“Oh.” I flushed, a little embarrassed. “It was a late night, I take it.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“All right, well can you please let him know—”

The door opened then; the gloved hand of another footman pulling it open from the inside, and behind him, stood Tanna.

I swallowed down my sudden surprise at seeing her.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” she said with a clumsy curtsey and a startled look.

“Good morning, Tanna.”

There was a tense, awkward moment as we looked at one another, surrounded by horrified maids and butlers.

“Let me walk you down,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Oh, that isn’t necessary, Ma’am, I—”

“I’ll walk you down.” There was a heavy pause.

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

I wrapped my friend’s arm around my own, much to the shock of the staff, and headed towards the staircase.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” I said quietly to her.

“Oh?”

“You’ve always been honest with me, Tanna, but you’ve held back certain details about your time with my husband.” The woman on my arm looked slightly panicked, her emerald eyes widening. “I’ve always assumed that you do not share the same type of relationship as Charlotte and I do with Kaspian. And I want to know…is it the opposite with you?”

She tipped her head to the side. “The oppositehow,Ma’am?”

“Does he bind you?”

Tanna hesitated before she answered me. “No, Ma’am.”

“Strike you?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“Force or punish or intimidate you in any way?”

Tanna glanced over at me as we continued descending the tower stairs.

“No, Ma’am.”

“Do you do those things tohim, Tanna?”

She walked along silently for a while looking concerned as I guided us in the direction of the South Wing.

“My husband told me a story a little while back, about meeting a woman named Meloria. Do you know about Meloria?”

“I do, Your Grace.”

“So you know about the night he stumbled into her establishment and was introduced to her…particularways?”

“Yes.”

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