‘He has formally requested your hand in marriage.’
Just my hand? I have an urge to giggle, and glance down at the limb in question. I’d rather chop it off and gift it to Patrus than marry him.
‘And,’ the king continues, ‘I strongly advise you to accept him. He is anxious to celebrate your union as soon as possible, and since we are already arranging one wedding, I see no reason why he should wait. Yours can take place the following day.’
‘I thank you for your concern, uncle, but –’
He pushes himself upright. ‘Let me be clear, Aderyn. Your behaviour at court has left much to be desired.’
I freeze, gripping the arms of my chair tightly.
‘First you seem to be unable or unwilling to fly. Then you show that you can fly, but you also begin this … this liaison with Lord Siegfried.’
‘I have not –’
‘Do not attempt to deny it. I had it from one of his lordship’s own servants that you were with him last night.’
My blood burns beneath my skin, as if even my own body wishes to accuse me.
‘Now –’ the king picks up a glass of wine from the table and takes a sip – ‘much may be excused by your youth and inexperience. But that is exactly why you should marry Patrus. He will provide Atratys with a steady hand. And you will provide him with heirs to both Atratys and Brithys. He has been singularly unfortunate in his choice of wives so far.’
Wives? I knew Patrus was a widower, but not that he’d been married multiple times. I swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
‘But you are young,’ my uncle continues, ‘and attractive, and there is no reason to doubt your ability to bear children.’ Another sip of wine. ‘You may not be aware of this, Aderyn, but there is a Decree that allows Convocation, together with the monarch, to remove a Protector in case of mental or physical incompetence. It has not been invoked since before the War of the Raptors. It would be a great pity if a need was found for it to be used again.’
He’s smiling at me, watching me like a cat with a trapped mouse. Fury loosens my tongue.
‘May I ask a question, uncle?’
‘Indeed.’
‘Which parts of Atratys has Patrus promised you in return for me? How many ports? Which mines? As you say, I’m young and attractive. I know Patrus wants to add me to his list of possessions. I do hope you drove a hard bargain.’
The smile fades into a sneer. ‘Impudent girl. I’ll give you twenty-four hours –’ He breaks off, coughing and hacking, clutching at his chest. ‘Twenty-four hours to come to your senses, or face the consequences. Your father underestimated me once; don’t make the same mistake he did. Now leave me, and send the servant back in.’
Lucien is waiting for me as I return to the waiting room, but I don’t stop for him.
‘Your Grace? What happened?’
‘Wish me joy, Lucien,’ I snap. ‘I’m to be married.’ The air inside is stifling. I hurry down some stairs that I hope will take me to the gardens.
‘Married? To whom?’
‘Patrus.’
‘But why? When?’
‘Because Patrus has bought me from the king. And soon: the day after Odette’s wedding. Unless I refuse. But then –’
‘My lady, will you slow down –’ he makes a grab for my arm – ‘and talk to me.’ I stop and glance around; we’re outside now, nearly at the little garden near my rooms.
‘Come with me.’ I lead him into the green-hedged space. The pink flowers of the sweetbriar roses are fading, scarlet hips swelling in their place; the summer is coming to an end. ‘The king says my behaviour is unsatisfactory. He thinks I’m sleeping with Siegfried, or he says he does. And he claims there’s a Decree that allows Convocation to remove Protectors who are unfit for office. I’ve never heard of a Decree like that. Have you heard of it?’
‘Yes – it’s in one of the Charter Rolls dating from the Audax period. Though it hasn’t been used for over three hundred years.’ Lucien sees me rolling my eyes – I can’t help it – and hunches one shoulder, looking defensive. ‘What? I’m your clerk. I’m supposed to know these things. But the point is, he’s bluffing. Even if you are sleeping with Siegfried –’
‘For the love of the Creator, I’m not!’
‘But even if you were, Convocation would never apply the Decree in these circumstances.’
‘What if he forces them?’
Lucien paces up and down, running his fingers through his raven hair until it’s sticking up on end. ‘The other Protectors won’t want to see Patrus gaining control over Atratys as well as Brithys. He’s already choking off the supply of timber and iron from his own territories, which is artificially inflating the price.’ He swings back to me. ‘You need to say no. Force the issue. I’m certain Convocation will support you.’
‘Even if they do, won’t the king just find some way of accusing me of treason?’
‘If he does, we’ll find a way to deal with it.’ He puts a hand on my shoulder.
I shrug it away. I can’t help it: my feelings about Lucien are so … tangled.
From Lucien’s expression, you would think I had slapped him a second time. He opens his mouth – shuts it – turns away. When he faces me again his expression is more composed, though there’s something like anxiety lurking in his eyes. ‘The morning we left Merl, I promised my father I would look after you. I wasn’t lying. I repeat that promise now, my lady. I’m not going to let the king hurt you. And I know you’re brave enough to stand up to him.’
I gaze up at my clerk, trying to reconcile this Lucien, who is suddenly kind, who has actually complimented me, with the Lucien who told his servant he would kill me if I threatened the well-being of Atratys. Sighing, I reach up to touch his hair, half expecting him to step away from me. But he doesn’t. ‘You need a comb.’
One side of his mouth quirks upward. ‘I’ll be sure to amend my appearance in time for dinner, Your Grace.’
Lucien escorts me back to my apartment. I don’t tell Letya about my planned wedding: I don’t want to upset her, or risk having her sacrifice herself by stabbing Patrus with her knitting needles. Instead, I decide not to think about it, and we go for a ride together. I want Letya to see the sacred lake where Odette and her attendants will be spending the night before her wedding, but it turns out to be far too high up the mountain for us to reach before we have to return to the palace. There is another banquet tonight. I don’t want to dress up for dinner – I can’t stand the thought of Patrus looking at me, thinking that he’s going to own me – but Letya has planned the evening’s outfit carefully, so I go along with it.
Lucien takes me down to the great hall as usual. On the way there, he advises me to say nothing tonight; he is going to write a response for me to send to the king in the morning. So, when Aron accompanies me up to the high table, and makes jokes about my planned marriage, wondering aloud whether I’ll last longer than Patrus’s other wives, I force myself to ignore him. I’m seated as usual between him and Patrus, who sickens me with empty compliments – completely ignoring what happened in Deaufleur – while telling me about the new suite of rooms he is having decorated for me at his castle, and how well I will look in them. As if I am a painting he’s going to hang on his wall. When I remind him that I haven’t actually accepted him, he just laughs and turns the conversation to Atratys and his plan to inventory the entire dominion. It takes all the self-control I have not to pick up my knife and stab him.