Page 4 of Legacy of Thorns (Kingdoms of Legacy #3)

Finley

“ I could certainly take you to him,” Finley said, adding silently, if I had any idea where he is.

“Is he not in Klympton?” she asked. “Has your uncle moved?”

“From what I’ve heard, he was traveling when the accident happened.” Finley repeated the gossip Nisha had managed to pick up. “He’s in a small hamlet near the crash site.”

“Oh, how awful.” Daphne’s hand came to her mouth, her eyes full of sympathy.

They were lovely eyes, too—green with flecks of gold, framed by long dark lashes and distinctive brows. Paired with her button nose and luscious lips, she was undeniably stunning. But Finley couldn’t afford to get distracted by a beautiful face. Archie couldn’t afford for him to get distracted.

So he maintained his charming smile and tried not to flinch at the lies. Despite the practice he had accumulated in the last six years, Finley had never liked lying.

“I was actually already on my way to join him this afternoon,” he said. “You’d be welcome to accompany me.”

Daphne’s brows rose slightly, and she regarded him with an assessing gaze.

Finley grinned at her. “Not just with me, of course. We’ll be traveling with two of my grandfather’s associates, who are hoping to be of assistance to him.”

He definitely didn’t imagine the look of relief on her face. He must be losing his touch if she felt that unsure about him.

“I was just dropping off some papers.” He gestured toward the desk. “And now I’ll be on my way to meet them.” He stepped toward the door before looking back over his shoulder with a perfectly calculated grin. “Are you coming?”

She looked back at him with a level gaze, her eyes hard to read. “Yes, I think I will.”

He faced forward again, hiding his look of triumph. It wouldn’t do to get overconfident. For a girl who didn’t look much over eighteen, Daphne was astonishingly cool and collected. He was going to have to work hard to keep her on the line.

She collected a pack from the hall near the back door and followed him outside. When he shut the back door behind her and strode toward the yard’s front gate, she didn’t follow. He paused and glanced back.

She was watching him with a frown. “Shouldn’t you lock the door? The housekeeper might not be back for weeks.”

“Oh, yes.” He walked back to the door. “Foolish of me. I’ve been so distracted.”

She seemed to accept the excuse, but she kept her eyes on him as he fumbled in his pocket and drew out a key. It wasn’t the key to the house, of course, but he angled his body so she couldn’t see the keyhole as he pretended to put it in.

When he turned back to her, his smile was perfectly calculated—relaxed but a little sheepish. She smiled back and finally followed him out of the yard.

Nisha stepped out of the lane to join them. “Who is that?” she asked in her usual blunt way.

“This is Daphne. Daphne, this is Nisha. She’s one of those associates of my grandfather’s that I told you about.”

Nisha turned a blank expression on him, and he directed his next words at her, trying to give her a significant look as he did so.

“Daphne is Grandfather’s goddaughter and has just arrived to stay with him, not realizing he’s out of town.

We ran into each other in the house. I’ve offered to be of assistance. ”

Nisha’s brows shot up. “You mean she’s?—”

“My godsister, of sorts, yes,” Finley said quickly. “And she’s coming with us to see Grandfather. I hope you don’t mind.”

Nisha blinked several times and shut her mouth. After a moment, she nodded solemnly, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Dissimulation wasn’t Nisha’s strong suit. She usually left that to Finley and Archie.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Daphne smiled at Nisha, seeming calm and confident although he suspected she was relieved at the early proof that his claimed companions did, in fact, exist.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me traveling with you?” Daphne asked as they led her through the streets of Ethelson. “I would hate to be an imposition.”

“Of course not!” Finley said. “The more, the merrier.”

They walked on in silence for another minute before Daphne asked abruptly, “Why is Lorne’s housekeeper traveling by coach instead of going with you?”

Finley kept his expression steady as his mind raced. The housekeeper had been on her way to join the old man? Blast! That explained the bag. Daphne had mentioned her leaving in a rush, so the woman must have been hurrying to catch the coach.

He laughed easily. “Perhaps I should have mentioned that we’re walking. I hope that won’t be a problem?” He phrased it as a question, but he had no doubt she would assure him of her capability.

“Walking?” Unexpected disdain dripped from the word. “How dreadfully fatiguing! Whatever for? Why didn’t you take the coach with the housekeeper?”

Nisha gave a snorting laugh. “The coach? That wouldn’t work for us. You’ll understand when you see Morrow. We’ll be meeting up with him in a few minutes.”

Daphne’s eyebrows rose. “You see me besieged with curiosity.” Her tone sounded closer to boredom—with a hint of suspicion—and Finley regarded her from the corner of his eye.

She filled him with curiosity, sparking an interest he couldn’t afford to indulge. He’d never met someone quite like her, though, so he couldn’t entirely suppress it either.

Despite her claim of being easily fatigued, she kept up with them despite Nisha’s determined stride. But her dismay at learning they were to walk had seemed genuine. Should he hire a cart and horse?

He blinked. Where had that thought come from? He wasn’t one to use coin so carelessly. It wasn’t as if she’d said she wouldn’t accompany them on foot.

Of course, if she did refuse to walk, he might be forced into hiring a cart after all. Whatever happened, he couldn’t let her slip through his fingers.

“We’ll meet Morrow just out of town,” he told her, uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen. “He took our packs ahead while I detoured to Grandfather’s house.”

Daphne nodded and made no demur as he led her through the outskirts of Ethelson and onto the road that led southwest through the forest. They found Morrow just outside the town, sitting on a small mound of packs. He lumbered slowly to his feet at the sight of them, his eyes fastening on Daphne.

“This is Daphne,” Finley said quickly. “I met her at my grandfather’s house.” He gave Morrow a warning look. “She’s a friend of his and is eager to see him, so I’ve offered for her to come with us since we’re going to him anyway.”

Morrow took the new information in stride more easily than Nisha had. Despite his appearance, he had always been more attuned to emotional nuance than she was.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Morrow held out his hand to Daphne, and she took it slowly.

“And you.” Her eyes traveled up and down his vast bulk, and she gave a sudden laugh.

The musical sound made Finley smile involuntarily.

“I can see why we aren’t traveling in the public coach,” she said.

“Ha!” Morrow joined in her laughter with an easy smile. “I would have to buy out all the seats, and then where would my friends be?”

“I heard you’re an associate of Lorne’s,” Daphne said. “Are you a traveler like him? My parents were also, which is how I came to know him as a child. But they found it too difficult and returned to Glandore twelve years ago, so I’ve been living there ever since.”

“Glandore?” Nisha shot a look at Finley. “I thought you were from Sovar?”

He glared at her. It was still early days and any questions needed to be handled with finesse. Daphne wasn’t easily charmed, and they all needed to tread carefully.

Finley did want to know the answer, though. If he’d brought the wrong girl, they’d have to find a way to shake her off. And then they’d be back where they started—worse than where they’d started, in fact, because at least they’d started with the hope of finding Lorne’s houseguest.

“Glandore is my home,” Daphne said, “but I’ve been in Sovar for the last six months.

My family has an unusual history of traveling between kingdoms—my grandfather was originally from Sovar before he moved to Glandore and had my mother.

Then when she was grown, she decided to move to Oakden.

” Daphne shrugged. “It didn’t stick in her case, but I was born during the ten years they spent here.

I always intended to come back after I turned eighteen, but I made an extended detour to Sovar on the way at the request of my cousin, Olivia.

She and I have always been close, despite living in different kingdoms.”

“Ah, Princess Olivia that would be,” Morrow said with enthusiasm.

“Yes.” Daphne shook her head. “I’m still getting used to that.” She gave Finley a sidelong look. “It seems Lorne made particular mention of that part.”

Finley grinned apologetically. “Apologies. I hope you don’t mind that I told them about you. Grandfather was very proud to have a royal guest coming to stay.”

Daphne snorted. “I’m not royalty.”

Nisha and Morrow exchanged worried looks that Finley hoped Daphne didn’t see.

“Royalty-adjacent, then?” he suggested with a grin. “Close enough by my book.” That’s what he was counting on, at any rate.

“If you say so.” Daphne sounded like she certainly didn’t say so but also couldn’t be bothered arguing the point. “Are we starting out immediately?”

“Food first!” Morrow declared authoritatively, and Daphne brightened.

“You’re a sensible man with excellent priorities,” she told Morrow gravely and put her pack down next to their pile.

Finley felt a ridiculous pang of jealousy. Why did she seem to approve of Morrow more than she did him? New acquaintances always liked Finley—he’d worked for years to ensure that.

He tried to tamp down the feeling while he listened to Morrow and Daphne discuss the food supplies. Apparently Morrow had already prepared a meal and was refusing all Daphne’s efforts to contribute. Finley’s spirits lifted somewhat. The portions were always generous when Morrow was on food duty.