“Emilia! Come in, come in.”
I try to keep my face clear of shock as I walk toward him, but it’s difficult to contain my emotions. At seventy-three, he’s never been the picture of health… but now, sitting there by the fire, he looks so terribly frail. So vastly changed from the man I met mere weeks ago.
“I’d get up to greet you, but…” He trails off with a cough.
I sink into the chair across from his, unsure what to say.
His eyes drift toward the door. “Charles, you may leave us. Unless…” He glances back at me. “Would you like tea? Coffee?”
I shake my head.
“Then that will be all, Charles. Please ensure we are not disturbed.”
The door shuts with a resolute click, leaving us alone. For a minute, the only sound in the room is the crackling of wood logs in the fireplace.
I clear my throat roughly. “You’re looking well.”
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “And you’re a liar.”
“No, I…” I trail off. He knows I’m lying. There’s little point continuing the facade. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a weak old man, if you must know.”
I grimace.
“Don’t waste your worries on me, Emilia. My health has been ailing for a long time. Far before someone decided to spike my champagne with a dose of curare.”
“Curare?”
“It’s a type of poison. Usually lethal. I got lucky.”
“Your definition ofluckyneeds some tweaking.”
His lips twitch. “True enough.”
“Still no leads on who might be responsible?”
He shakes his head. “Bane assures me they are actively seeking answers. But so far, they’ve come up empty.”
“Do they believe there’s any connection between the person who tried to kill you and the person who started the fire that killed King Leopold and Queen Abigail?”
“I think it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility.” He coughs again — a wet, wracking sound that makes his whole body convulse. I try not to flinch as I wait for him to continue. “If it is in fact the same person, I have no doubt they will strike again. The motivations are clear — to extinguish the Lancaster line, once and for all. And I must say… with my brother in the ground, Prince Henry still lying in a burn unit, and my own weakened state… they appear to have an alarming success rate.”
A chill goes through me.
“That’s why I called you here, Emilia.” His eyes narrow on mine. “I’ve spoken to Octavia—“
“Ah, this should be good.”
“Emilia. Please. I am not naive enough to believe that you and my wife will ever get along. However, I am hopeful that with enough time, you two will learn to respect each other. Albeit grudgingly.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you.”
“Despite what you might think, Octavia acts in what she believes is the best interest of this family. She’d do anything to protect the Lancaster legacy.”
“No matter who gets steamrolled in the process?” I shake my head. “The only member of thisfamilyshe cares about is herself. The things she’s done — to me, to her own children…”
His voice sharpens. “What has she done to you?”