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“We are more tolerant of public displays of affection. There are limits, of course. But we do allow much more than you elves.” Essie kissed his cheek for good measure. The expression on his face was too priceless to resist.

Paige waited at the door. “Ready?”

Farrendel nodded and hurried toward her, Bertie still sleeping against his shoulder.

Essie sank onto the settee in Paige’s place, sighing at the relief of sitting on the soft cushion. She could handle sitting on the floor for a while, but now her tailbone had gone to sleep. With a glance around the room, Essie braced for the questions. Mother, Averett, Julien, and Edmund were all focused on her.

Mother patted her knee. “You look happy.”

“I am.” Essie relaxed into the cushion. How she’d missed cushioned seats with backs. Elves tended to either have hard-backed chairs or cushions on the floor. Nothing in between.

Averett pushed off from the doorway and sat on the floor in front of her. “Should I be worried about sending my wife and children off alone with that elf husband of yours?”

“No, of course not.” Essie blew out a breath. “You saw how gentle he was with the boys. I know it’s going to take you a while to believe me, but he isn’t as scary as the title Laesornysh makes him sound.”

“Are you truly all right?” Averett’s gaze lifted to hers, his eyes filled with the torment he’d been putting himself through the past three months.

“Avie, I’m fine. Please stop beating yourself up for the marriage alliance.” Essie leaned forward, hoping her sincerity came through in her voice. “Farrendel might not be the person I would’ve picked to marry under normal circumstances, but he’s the one I should’ve been looking for. He listens when I chatter and dotes on me to the point I’m pretty sure all the gossips in Estyra have been talking about it. You should’ve seen the way he stood up to his family for me several times.”

Averett’s forehead still furrowed. Julien rubbed at his palm. Mother looked about ready to hug Essie. Only Edmund remained relaxed. Thanks to the train ride, he’d had a few hours more of interaction with Farrendel. Not that those hours would count for much, especially since Edmund knew more of Farrendel’s secrets than the rest of them.

She needed to be vulnerably honest to convince her family. “I love him, and he loves me. I know you probably don’t believe me, but could you please try to be welcoming? We can’t stay long, and I don’t want to spend all of it filled with tension.”

“We will.” Mother sent a glare to each of Essie’s brothers.

Edmund grinned. “We’ll play nice.”

Essie didn’t believe that. Her brothers hadn’t made their minds up about Farrendel yet. Things would be interesting until they did.

HIS HEAD POUNDING dully, Farrendel strode down the darkened hallway, carrying Essie’s nephew and matching his stride to Queen Paige’s. Was he supposed to say something? He tried to think of something, anything, but even if he could think of something, he would not be able to force it out.

At the far end of the hall, two guards paced back and forth. They stopped and glared at him, though they did not reach for their weapons. Probably due to Queen Paige’s presence beside him.

“What do you like most about Essie?” Queen Paige glanced at him before focusing on the hallway ahead of them.

It was the best—and worst—question he had been asked all evening. It was rather personal, but it was also Essie. He could talk about Essie. “I like her smile. I like that she talks.”