Page 21 of Ties of Deception (Tethered Hearts)

Chapter

Twenty-One

T he next morning, I stayed in bed longer than I should have. Ethen hadn’t visited last night, despite my waiting up late into the night. He’d said he would come, unless he had meant our brief encounter in the olive grove. It was silly—I knew he couldn’t always come—but this was the first time it stung like a rejection.

I couldn’t help revisiting the way he had cast his eyes over me with utter indifference. The real Ethen wasn’t like that, yet seeing him so cold and indifferent—it was as if everything between us had been an imagined fantasy. He was so convincing.

Over breakfast, I read a letter from Pris saying how she had started courting the brother of her friend. She was so excited, the writing was almost illegible. I was happy for her, though my life in that villa was starting to feel distant. I wrote a congratulatory reply wishing her happiness and wondered when I’d see her again. Sweet and naive as she was, I didn’t want to drag her into the games of the palace.

After lunch, I walked to Patience’s rooms. She’d seen Prince Sebastian last night. Maybe she could give me some tips on how I could make a good impression at tomorrow’s breakfast. I chose some fresh figs and a pot of honey to take as a gift. People often spoke more freely when they were distracted by eating. Once Flavia had explained the way, I decided to go without her, wanting to spend a few minutes alone with nobody but my own thoughts.

The corridor was bright with sunlight gleaming off the white and yellow stone. There was a strong breeze from the sea this morning, causing the gauzy curtains to waft inward across the quiet passage. It was a beautiful, rippling, disorienting effect.

I turned the corner and almost walked into Charity. I started back half a step as her eyes widened slightly at my sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”

I stared directly into her eyes, not caring if I was being reckless. It was good to concentrate on something solid again. “I was visiting Patience.”

She sneered, her eyebrows contorting into a look that despaired of my stupidity. “I wasn’t asking what you were doing in this corridor. I was asking why you’re here in the palace. You suddenly appeared in the gardens at just the right moment. I’m not stupid. You should have stayed in Yienna. You’ve barely been alive, and you’re out of control. Do you wish to be retired?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re easily threatened, aren’t you? How old are you? Thirty years? Forty? Yet you worry about somebody who has barely been alive stealing your chance to wed Prince Sebastian?”

She looked at me for a moment and then burst out in genuine laughter. “Oh, you silly girl. Do you think that is what I worry about? You couldn’t marry a prince, not even after a hundred years.” She snorted as she brought her mirth under control. “You’re nothing but a pawn under Constance’s control, and I don’t like being outnumbered.” She shook back her hair. “But I won’t be for long. Patience is no longer here. You won’t find her in her room.”

Her words brought me up short. “Why? What happened?”

Charity’s smile was unpleasant. “Her after-dinner walk with the prince didn’t go well. She left the palace and headed back to her home straight after. I don’t think she’ll show her face here again.”

Patience was gone just like that? “But what happened?”

Charity shrugged. “How should I know?” Although the malicious look in her eyes showed me she already did. She leaned in close. “If you wish to save yourself some embarrassment, go home now. You have nothing to gain here. This competition is between me and Constance. Anyone else is collateral.” She grinned, then strode away, her form quickly swallowed by the layers of billowing curtains.

I released a long breath, trying to still my heart. What had she done to sabotage Patience? And was she planning to do the same with me? Or was this an empty threat to make me worry over nothing and lose confidence? Either way, I wasn’t backing down.

I turned to walk back toward my rooms, wondering if Flavia would be able to get any more information. The servants were always gossiping and were always present when the prince formally met with a Grace.

I walked down the corridor, my mood even lower than before, despite my determination. The stress of the last few weeks was getting to me. I rubbed my forehead. If I couldn’t get my emotions in check soon, somebody might notice I wasn’t Blessing everything I passed, and then I’d be in trouble—worse trouble if I lost control and broke something. The empress would have me gone in a heartbeat. I straightened my back and tried to walk with more self-assurance.

A long, heavy velvet curtain to my right rustled, and a hand reached out and grabbed my arm. I managed half a scream before I was yanked behind the fabric and a hand clamped over my mouth.

I was about to knee my attacker between the legs when he stepped back in the sudden gloom, his finger on his lips—Ethen. “It’s me, it’s just me.”

I panted to catch my breath. “You scared the life out of me.”

He grinned with an apologetic tilt to his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was trying to be romantic.”

“How is grabbing me and pulling me behind a curtain romantic?” Even as I said the words, he stepped forward again. There was little space between the curtain and the wall and he took up most of it. A large fern in a planter behind him shielded us from any light peeping from the other side.

“Well, I missed you. Being close to you and ignoring you is hard. I could tell you didn’t enjoy it yesterday either.”

I folded my arms. “Do you have to act quite so cold?”

He grimaced. “I do. They can’t suspect a thing, especially after the incident on the balcony where you cracked the palace.” He tapped me on the nose. “I also have to make up for your terrible acting.”

My mouth fell open in indignation. “I’m not that bad.”

He grinned and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers whispering over my skin. “When I left, you practically glared at me. And you certainly weren’t Blessing anything.”

I looked down, deflated. He was right. I could easily ruin our whole facade if I continued to let myself feel like this. “I’m sorry. I’ll manage my feelings better next time.”

He shook his head, his grin just as wide. “It was actually quite reassuring to see how much it bothered you when I ignored you.”

I opened my mouth and then closed it again, annoyed at the observation but unable to deny it or think of a witty retort.

His smile softened. “You have always been somebody who feels deeply, Purity, and that isn’t a bad thing. You are a woman of action, honesty, and empathy. The life of a Grace was never going to suit you. This is not where you belong. And you are doing a great job at helping me find out what is going on here. I’m grateful.”

I took a deep breath. “Still. I won’t glare at you next time.”

He stepped even closer and hooked a finger under my chin, lifting my face to meet his eyes. His expression was serious. “Just remember, what I show out there isn’t real. This is real, even if I can only remind you behind drawn curtains. I’m devoted to nobody and nothing as much as I am to you.”

My lips parted as his words stole the oxygen in my lungs. I couldn’t look away from his eyes, my body completely frozen. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the wall to either side of my head, caging me in—his lips stopped half an inch from mine as if waiting for permission. My heart was thudding hard enough to bruise my ribcage. “I want you to be sure, Purity.”

Everything about him overwhelmed me, and yet I still wanted more. I tilted my chin forward and our lips brushed. The contact was brief and tingling, but a surge of sensation crashed through my whole body. I was suddenly acutely aware of every part of me and every part of him. I lifted my hands to his broad shoulders, then his neck, amazed that I was doing this. I was the one courting the fearsome and handsome god of death when anyone else would be running in the opposite direction. But he was…everything. Intoxicating. And I couldn’t deny how attracted I was to him.

His eyes didn’t leave mine as I pushed one hand into the thick, cool strands of his hair and pulled his head back down, wanting to kiss him again. This time our lips met hard enough to push me back against the wall. He came closer, his hands moving up the wall until they were above my head and he was leaning on his elbows, reducing the space around us—between us. My chest tightened with strange yet pleasant sensations at the sweetness of a kiss I never wanted to end.

But he broke away and stepped back. I almost pulled him back to me, but he caught my hands and instead brought them to his lips, placing a tender kiss on each finger. I stared at him, entranced by the gentleness that cut such a contrast to his obvious strength.

Then I saw the fern behind him and gasped. The large fern had died, but dozens of new ferns had risen in its place, crowding out the dead leaves with healthy shoots, far too many to fit in the planter. As I studied it more closely, I noticed that some of the new ones had withered too as tiny new offspring crowded their base. Whole life cycles of life and death had occurred when we kissed.

He followed my attention. “Hmm, I think life and death were pretty evenly matched here.”

I stared at it a moment longer. “Your powers of death…are they controlled by emotion like mine? It just seems strange that things would die when you’re happy. Depressing really. Anything you took joy in would die.”

He chuckled, but the sound was only half there. “No. My powers of death are constant. Everything in the world is slowly dying all the time.”

I grimaced. “That’s hardly less depressing.”

He tucked my hair back behind my ear as if he couldn’t help but touch me again. “I control my powers. I suppress them constantly unless I intend for something to die. However”—he grinned and inclined his head to the plant—“clearly, I lose some of that control around you.” He shook his head, his amusement fading. “Before you became a Grace, I had to be extremely careful to stay completely in control. And from your life here, you know how exhausting that is. I worried about you all the time. But now…it feels so good to not have to care about the risk of each touch. To finally not feel like I’m just something that’s killing you.”

The pain in his face made me wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in the dip beneath his shoulder. “You weren’t killing me. I am alive, aren’t I?”

His arms wrapped around me and one of his hands tangled itself in my hair, pushing me more tightly into him. His breath warmed my scalp as he pressed his lips to the crown of my head. “Yes. You are alive, and I am so grateful for that. But you suffered, Purity. You died because of me. I don’t want to cause you pain again. And I never want to have to see your lifeless body again. I don’t intend to smother you, but I’m here. And I always will be in whatever capacity you choose. Whatever you see or feel out there, believe in me.”

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time you do your deadly death god glare. Though”—I didn’t meet his eyes as my cheeks warmed—“I do also appreciate the helpful reminder.”

He let out a breathy laugh. “I’ll do my best. But I must admit, although I want to kiss you—very much in fact—I still feel guilty doing it when I remember everything, and you still can’t remember what you went through. It feels unfair.”

I frowned. I didn’t like that he was experiencing a negative emotion when everything I’d felt had been wonderful. “I wanted you to kiss me, Ethen. Even if the only context I have is my life as a Grace.”

His lips curled up in a small smile. “I know.” He visibly gathered himself. “Now you have something in your bag.”

I frowned and looked down at the small cloth bag filled with figs and honey. I opened it and saw another cloth bag inside, this one sewn shut around the edges. I fished it out. “I didn’t put this here.”

He took it and smelled it. “No, Charity did. I was watching your exchange. She slipped it in when she was talking to you.”

I narrowed my eyes at it. “It looks like a large scent pouch.”

He nodded and grinned as he kneaded the cloth a little. “Talesheart. A scent meant to cloud judgement and attract men. All you have to do is crush the contents between your fingers at an opportune moment to disperse it.”

I frowned. “Why would she plant that on me? Does she want to cloud my judgement? Or make it look like I’m trying too hard to woo the prince and make Constance my enemy when it’s conveniently found?”

He huffed a laugh. “Either way, it’s probably best if this is not in your possession. Then hopefully we’ll have dismantled whatever plot she had to disrupt your breakfast date with the prince.” He slipped the pouch up his sleeve.

Thank goodness he’d seen it. I needed to be more careful and keep some distance between me and Charity the next time I saw her or Liberty or any of her servants. “Do you know what happened to Patience last night?”

He tilted his head. “It was easy to watch undetected from the shadows, since there was little moonlight. Her dress fell half off, and she ran away in embarrassment.”

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. “It fell half off? You mean…”

The corner of his lip tilted up. “Well, she was wearing some sort of shift beneath. She grabbed the bodice and managed to cover most of herself. I think it was some clever tampering with the brooches that gathered it over the shoulders. Just the smallest amount of pressure and they gave. Catching the hem with her foot when she stood up from her seat was enough to pull them free. And the hem was certainly too long.”

I looked down, thinking about my own dress. “That means Charity must have had control over Patience’s servants.”

He pursed his lips. “One of them, anyway. But if you just let Flavia arrange your dress, you should be safe. Be sure to double-check every part of it before breakfast.”

I nodded. “I’ll stay alert. And you’ll be nearby, won’t you?”

He grinned. “I’ll be out of sight but watching. Besides, I wish to know exactly what goes on at these meetings.”

He chuckled, but my reaction was serious. “You still don’t mind me spending time with the prince, do you? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

He cupped the side of my head, ruffling my hair slightly. “I know it’s an act—just as mine is. And moments like this make it worth it.” He raised his eyebrows in an earnest expression. “I trust you.”

I couldn’t help my broad smile. “Thank you.”

He dropped his hand. “Now we should probably both be on our way before anyone spots your absence. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He checked to see if the way was clear, and I stepped from behind the heavy curtain back into the corridor. Ethen seemed to melt away into the gauzy curtains billowing in the breeze from the largely open wall on the other side. I walked back to my rooms, trying to hide my smile. Why had I been letting this place get to me?

I turned the corner and stopped in surprise to see an Amazone and Prince Sebastian waiting outside my door. The prince was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He pushed himself forward when he saw me, smiling but clearly uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry about this, Purity, but where have you been?”

I straightened, trying to imagine what Charity might have accused me of. “I went to visit Patience but only got half way before learning she’s left the palace. I had hoped we could be friends.”

He nodded, though the unease in his expression deepened. “Do you mind if I check your bag? You’ve not got any pockets, have you?”

I shook my head and handed over my bag of figs and honey. Without Ethen, I would be in a great deal of trouble right now.

He rummaged through and relaxed. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Purity. I know it’s rude of me. Something from Patience’s rooms has gone missing and we’re trying to work out where it could have ended up. Charity said she passed you. We checked her, so thought it was only fair to check you too.”

I took back my bag and stepped back with wide eyes as if this was all a surprise. “What are you looking for? Can I help? Did Patience leave something behind? Is she all right? I’m worried that she left without saying goodbye.”

His expression softened. “It’s really nothing. One of the maids saw some herbs in Patience’s room. Herbs she…probably shouldn’t have had. When she went to bring them as evidence, they had disappeared. We’re trying to work out the truth. It might simply be the servant making things up to discredit Patience. We just wanted to make sure nobody else decides to use them.”

I frowned. “Herbs? I doubt Patience would have done anything wrong deliberately. She’s so sweet and earnest.”

He nodded. “She is. Please don’t let this trouble you, and I’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow. I apologize once again for having to do this unpleasant task.” He bowed, far deeper than appropriate and walked off with the Amazone.

I blew out a breath and went into my rooms to double-check my dress.