“I think you scared them,” Tawny remarked.
The Maiden took a drink, and my eyes narrowed at how her hand trembled slightly. I stiffened, glancing at the door.
“Poppy.” Tawny touched her arm. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, placing the cup on the table. “Yes, I’m just…” She seemed unsure what to say in those moments.
I imagined that Dafina’s and Loren’s careless words had made her think of Keal. My jaw flexed.
“I’m okay,” the Maiden continued, her voice low. “I just can’t believe what Loren said.”
“Neither can I,” Tawny agreed. “But she’s always been…amused by the most morbid things. Like Dafina said, she means nothing by it.”
She nodded.
Tawny leaned toward her. “What are you going to do?” Tawny whispered.
“About the Dark One possibly being in the city?” The Maiden sounded confused.
“What? No.” Tawny squeezed her arm. “About him.”
“Him?”
Me?
The Maiden’s head tilted in my direction.
“Yes. Him.” Tawny let go of her arm. “Unless there’s another guy you’ve made out with while your identity was concealed.”
Okay, this was a far better conversation.
“Yes. There are many. They have an actual club,” the Maiden replied with the dryness I’d heard in her voice at the Red Pearl. “There’s nothing for me to do.”
“Have you even spoken to him?” Tawny asked.
“No.”
“You do realize you will have to actually speak in front of him at some point,” Tawny informed her, and yet again, she proved she was my favorite person in the kingdom.
“I’m speaking right now,” the Maiden argued, and I swallowed a laugh. She was speaking so low I knew she believed I couldn’t hear her.
Tawny called her out on that in the next heartbeat. “You’re whispering, Poppy. I can barely hear you.”
“You can hear me just fine.”
Tawny shook her head. “I have no idea how you haven’t confronted him yet. I understand the risks involved, but I would have to know if he recognized me. And if he did, why hasn’t he said anything?”
“It’s not like I don’t want to know, but there’s…” She trailed off, her veiled face turning to mine.
Again, I felt that stare, and the odd prickle at the nape of my neck worked its way down my spine. And as crazy as it all sounded, I didn’t see that damn veil. I saw her: face bare, stubborn and proud, with her chin lifted.
Left uneasy by the intensity of that vision and irritated with myself for standing there thinking idiotic things, I looked at the entry when I heard someone approaching. One of the Duke’s Royal Guards appeared. He gave a curt lift of his chin. Glancing over at the two women, I quickly made my way to the doors.
“His Grace has summoned the Maiden to his offices on the fourth floor.”
“Understood.” I turned from the Royal Guard, wondering what the Duke could want.
“He’s just doing his job,” the Maiden was saying. “And I…I just lost track of what I was saying.”
“Is that so?” Tawny replied, tone as dry as the Wastelands of the east.
“Of course.” She smoothed her hands over the lap of her gown.
“So, he was just making sure you’re still alive and—”
“Breathing?” I suggested, coming to stand by their table. Both jumped slightly. “Since I am responsible for keeping her alive, making sure she’s breathing would be a priority.”
The Maiden stiffened.
Tawny lifted a napkin to her mouth, appearing as if she were attempting to smother herself. “I’m relieved to hear that,” she managed.
I grinned at her. “If not, I’d be remiss in my duty, would I not?”
“Ah, yes, your duty.” Tawny removed her napkin. “Between protecting Poppy with your life and limb and gathering spilled crystals, you’re very busy.”
“Don’t forget assisting weak Ladies in Wait to the nearest chair before they faint,” I added, glancing at the Maiden and in no hurry to answer the Duke’s summons. “I am a man of many talents.”
“I’m sure you are.” Tawny returned my grin.
“Your faith in my skills warms my heart.” I looked at the Maiden. “Poppy?”
Her mouth clamped shut so quickly, I wondered if she cracked a molar.
“It’s her nickname,” Tawny explained. “Only her friends call her that. And her brother.”
“Ah, the one who lives in the capital?” I asked of her—the Maiden.
The tension in her jaw eased a bit, and then she nodded.
“Poppy,” I repeated. “I like it.”
The corners of her lips turned up. It wasn’t much of a smile, but it was something.
“Is there a threat of stray crystals we need to be aware of, or is there something you need, Hawke?” Tawny asked.
“There are many things I’m in need of,” I said, giving the Maiden a grin. I was immediately rewarded with a faint flush spreading across her jaw. “But we’ll need to discuss that later. You’ve been summoned by the Duke, Penellaphe. I’m to escort you to him at once.”
I hadn’t been around the two that long, but I noticed their moods change immediately. Tawny’s teasing vanished, as did her grin. The Maiden had stilled again for a few heartbeats, and then a smile appeared as she rose. A tight, practiced smile.
“I’ll await you in your chambers,” Tawny told her.
Their reactions had alarm bells ringing as the Maiden eased past me. I followed behind and walked slightly at her side as we entered the foyer. Her hands were twisting once more, but no servants moved about as we neared the staircase. The alarms continued going off.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
She nodded.
I didn’t believe that for one second. “Both you and your maid seemed disturbed by the summons.”
“Tawny is not a maid,” she responded and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
She hadn’t meant to respond to me.
I hadn’t expected her to be so defensive regarding her companion. Her friend. I thought of how the Duke had claimed the Maiden had a habit of not setting boundaries. I was really glad to hear that was apparently the truth. It made things easier for me. But why in the whole wide realm of fucks did it matter if the Maiden had a friend?
Either way, I wanted to shout in triumph that I’d gotten her to speak to me and now knew how to get her to respond.
Irritate her, and that tongue of hers would move.
I kept my expression blank as I asked, “Is she not? She may be a Lady in Wait, but I was advised that she was duty-bound to be your lady’s maid.” I had been told no such thing, and I also knew the difference between a maid and a lady’s maid. The latter held rank. The other didn’t. “Your companion.”
“She is, but she’s not. She’s…” She turned her head in my direction as the staircase curved. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing is wrong.”
I looked down at her, a brow raising.
“What—?” Her foot snagged on the gown, causing her to misstep. I caught her by the elbow, steadying her. “Thank you,” she muttered.