The moment the door closed, Roisin tossed the quilt aside. “Actually, make it twenty,” I shouted, catching her by the hips and dragging my giggling wife back to bed.
* * *
I filled my lungs with restorative sea air as the last of the ship’s supplies were loaded. Across the dock, Roisin hugged her mother, their words lost to the sound of water slapping the ship’s hull and the screeching caw of the gulls perching on the towering masts. A two-day voyage would bring Broderick and the small party of soldiers to the port in Tivelle. From there, it would be another two days on horseback before he reached the Black City. After a brief stopover, the captain would sail for Iodale to return Lady Seren and Lady Lowri to their homes.
I expected to feel a pang of jealousy at seeing the ship I’d planned to escape on finally ready to set sail without me. But for once in my life, I had no longing to be anywhere but here.
Beside me, Broderick toyed with the hilt of his sword, his boots shifting on the wooden dock. “Is something amiss?” I asked.
His lips flattened as he stared toward the horizon, where another ship was sailing out of port, billowing white sails catching the strong breeze. “I am nervous, your highness.”
“You? Nervous?” The man was made of steel. “Whatever for?”
“The last time I set foot aboard a ship, it did not end well.”
Of course. How could I fault him for not wanting to go after the trauma of that day? Someone else could be appointed to his position. Maybe Lord Devon would have a few suggestions. Although such a delay could be detrimental to our efforts. “If you wish to step down as emissary—”
“I don’t.”
I didn’t bother hiding my relief, earning a rare smile from my former guard. “Fear not. In a matter of days, you will be back on solid ground.” The wind tugged at my hair, loosening some of the strands and whipping them across my cheeks.
Fishermen in tiny boats bobbed in the bay, searching for their next great haul. One of the crewmen in a loose white shirt bellowed for passengers to board. Another two scurried up the ship’s rigging toward the tied sails.
Broderick bobbed his head once, his hand falling to his side before he bowed his head. “I will make you proud, my king.”
“I know you will, Broderick.”
He stopped to say something to my wife before climbing the gangplank. I turned and nearly rammed into my newly appointed guard, a dour-faced man twice my age with hawk-like features and eyes that never stopped scanning our surroundings.
Lady Lowri sauntered to the edge of the dock, dropping to a low curtsy when she reached me. “King Caiman.”
Roisin sidled up next to me, tears spilling through her long, dark lashes.
“Queen Roisin,” she added with obvious reluctance.
Roisin’s shoulders stiffened. “Goodbye, Lowri.”
I wasn’t sorry to see Lowri go. If only she’d take Kerrington away as well. “Will you miss her?” I asked once she’d boarded.
“I will miss the girl I once knew,” Roisin said, “not the one she’s become.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that but didn’t have the chance before Lady Seren approached, her smile as warm and welcoming as ever. She hugged her daughter once more, both of them sobbing, murmuring words of love. She let Roisin go, kissed her cheek, then stepped over to me.
“Take care of my daughter.”
“I will. I promise.”
She hugged me and whispered, “And let her take care of you.”
Roisin dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as we waved goodbye and watched the ship sail away on the morning tide. How difficult this must be for her, being left behind to rule a foreign land. Even the prize of a crown didn’t seem like enough when I thought of all she had given up to remain here with me.
Shewas never meant to be yours.
Thief.
Murderer.
The vile words beat like a war drum in my mind while acid churned in my gut. This happiness. This promise. This hope. All of it built on my brother’s grave.