Missing Lily (Tales of Dalthia) (24 page)

“I still don’t know how Rosamond is going to take it when I tell her who you are.”

“It’s a mess, I know.” I looked out over the hills, wondering how he expected this conversation to go, wondering what to say next. “I miss her sometimes.”

“She misses you.” He looked down at his fingers drumming his knee. “I was surprised that Lorraina found your friendship with Rosamond laughable.”

I almost pitied him in that moment. I loved Raina, but her attitude during our last ride had not been surprising to me at all. “Lorraina believes in very firm boundaries between the classes.”

“And yet she’s willing to marry me?”
 

That was a subject I was not willing to discuss. “We should go back.”

His eyes searched my face before he turned his horse, and we trotted back the way we’d come.

Tobias and Lorraina were exactly where we’d been when my horse had bolted. They faced each other, speaking—no, arguing— with one another. Was Tobias incapable of ever being pleasant? Before we got close enough to hear anything, they spotted us and ceased all communication. Lorraina gathered the reins, sat up tall, and walked her horse forward.
 

She gave me a look of concern. “Are you all right, Lylin?”

I blinked. “Perfectly well. Willow was only startled.” I looked back and forth from Lorraina to Tobias. Though they had been conversing not a moment before, they were studiously ignoring one another now. It was disconcerting and made me even more suspicious of Tobias.

I kept to myself for the rest of the ride. I rode in front or stayed behind, unwilling to make myself part of our little group.

Upon returning to the palace, we all went our separate ways.
 

During lunch, my father informed us that his main reason for inviting Tobias was so that he would be present at the ball my parents would be throwing in only a few days. My stomach clenched in response to his announcement. Having to deal with the situation in the relative privacy of my home was one thing; having to deal with it when the nobility of Dalthia would be watching left me queasy.
 

Chapter 17

T
HE
MOMENT
E
LLA
arrived, I took hold of her arm and dragged her up to my room, leaving a befuddled Gavin holding Guinevere in the front hall.
 

“What has gotten into you?” she asked as I shut the door.

“Do you know why we’re having this ball?”

“Mother’s letter said it was to introduce the man Lorraina is to marry. And I would very much like to meet him myself, so why did you drag me up here?”

“It’s Lord Fallon.”

Concern filled her eyes. “What about him? Have you seen him again? Did you ever send the letter?”

I gave a furious shake of my head. “No. The man Lorraina is going to marry
is
Lord Fallon.”

A look of deep sympathy overtook her face. “Oh, Lylin.” She wrapped me in her arms and I fought to keep my tears from falling. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say, I’m just...I’m so sorry.”

Pulling back, I forced a deep breath in and out. “It’s fine. It’s just been awkward, and now his wretched brother is here and I feel like I’m barely keeping myself together.” I hugged her once more. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“So am I,” she said before leading me to sit down. “Now, tell me the whole of it.”

***

The guests in all their finery milled about, conversing with one another while waiting for the dancing to start. The anticipation in the room grew as my parents took it upon themselves to start the dancing, looking regal and refined. Others soon joined them and I was happy to watch from the sidelines until the atmosphere shifted and a hush fell over the crowd. I looked up to see Lorraina and Rhys taking the dance floor. Even those already dancing paid less attention to their partners as they focused on the princess dancing with her partner.

My father had intended for this ball to ease the couple into the public eye—just to give everyone a glimpse, to put the idea of Lorraina and Rhys into their heads so they would have time to get used to it. But I could see that this was turning out to be much more than a glimpse. The crowd was hushed as the significance of the moment settled in the air.

The moment hit me with more force than it should have. I found myself struggling to take deep, calming breaths. I was supposed to be able to ease into the idea of them being together along with everybody else. Instead I watched as they glided around the room, already looking like the perfect couple. Lorraina was stunning in a deep blue gown that made her eyes stand out. Rhys was far too handsome for anyone’s good, and far too many of the women present were watching him.

I was on the verge of turning away from the spectacle when a gentleman’s hand extended toward me and I found Tobias before me, asking for a dance.

His actions left me frozen, stunned, and I made no move until he took my hand, guiding me onto the dance floor.

I pulled on my hand, “You cannot be in earnest, Mr. Fallon.”

“On the contrary, Princess. I am doing us both a favor.”

His response left me confused, and I did not regain my wits until after he had pulled me into the dance. It was too late. I would have to endure it.

I put all my focus on moving my feet across the floor, refusing to look over at Lorraina and Rhys, refusing to look at Tobias. I expected him, at any moment, to start hissing veiled insults and unpleasantness in my ear. Instead he remained quiet, danced well, and maintained an appropriate distance. I was so surprised that I chanced a glance at his face. His eyes were riveted on his brother and Lorraina. I kept quiet, wanting only to finish this dance without any unpleasantness.

The dance ended and Tobias executed a perfectly formal and not at all sarcastic bow, then made a beeline for his brother.

I watched as the brothers spoke, and the tension in each of their stances suggested that it wasn’t as pleasant as they pretended. It ended with Rhys handing a somewhat pale Lorraina over to his brother and walking in my direction with a tight smile.

“Ah,” I heard from behind me and turned to see my father observing the interactions between siblings. “That’s not a bad idea,” he mused. “Lord Fallon.” Father caught his attention as he was about to pass us by. Rhys looked up and smiled politely. “I like this idea of your brother’s. Why don’t you take a turn with Lylin, make it a proper switch.”

Rhys blinked twice before shifting his focus to me. “It would be an honor.”

I reached for his hand without hesitation, knowing I should be more reserved but unable to pass up the opportunity to be close to him. He moved me into the dance and I relaxed in his arms. I was warm and comfortable there.

We didn’t talk. I couldn’t say why it was he made no attempt at conversation, but my reasons were relatively simple. I refused to make idle chitchat, and anything else I could have said would only complicate our situation. Instead I put my energies toward maintaining an appropriate distance when my body wanted nothing more than to move closer. I tried to enjoy the comfort of being in the arms of a friend, but couldn’t help feeling the tension in his arms, the way he held himself rigid. The hand on my waist kept tightening and then relaxing in what must have been an unconscious gesture. I glanced at his face a time or two, but like me, he seemed to be avoiding eye contact. I wondered if our reasons were the same.

The dance ended and I tried to smile as he bowed. Then he looked at my face. “It was a pleasure, Princess.” He touched his lips to my gloved hand and escorted me from the dance floor without another word. I felt cold as soon as he left my side.

“How are you able to stand it?”

I turned to Ella, reading the concern in her eyes, and shook my head, my fists clenching in an attempt to chase the numbness away. “It’s just…what I have to do.”

“Don’t you think you should say something?”

“I want to. I do, but…this was all planned and arranged so long ago. It was his parents’ wish.” And they were dead.

“Still,” she said gently. “Will you really be able to live with it if you never speak up?”

It was a question I’d asked myself many times.
 

“You were right about his brother,” she observed as Tobias bowed to Lorraina before leaving her side. “There is something not right about that man.”

The remainder of the ball was relatively painless, but emotionally draining as I tried to come up with some way to address the glaring problem in front of me. I did my best to keep up a bright smile as I bade the guests good night, waving from the front stairs as the last carriages rolled away.

I rested my hands on my unsubstantial hips and sighed in relief before making my way back into the ballroom. I needed to find my mother, see if she required anything further before I retired. Ella and Gavin had already excused themselves, and I hoped to do the same shortly.

I leaned against a pillar, more than a little exhausted, and couldn’t help resting my head against it as I watched Lorraina and Rhys speaking with my father on the other side of the hall.
 

Footsteps approached from behind, and I realized it was Tobias when he stopped behind me, standing too close. I didn’t acknowledge him until he spoke, his words hitting the back of my neck. “I told you I was doing you a favor.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” My voice was flat, not wanting to know what he was talking about. I didn’t care.

He laughed softly, only inches from my ear. “You’ll see. I’ve got it all worked out. In fact, my talking to you now should move things along quite nicely. You know how possessive Rhys is.”

I pinched my eyes shut, wanting to block out his presence.
 

“See. Here he comes now.” Tobias’s triumph was for my ears only.
 

My eyes snapped open. Sure enough, Rhys and Lorraina had extricated themselves from the conversation with my father and were coming straight for us. I stood up straight and stepped away from Tobias. When they stopped before us, Rhys’s eyes were on me, but he said nothing. He didn’t seem to know what to say, and I wasn’t in the mood for a conversation, especially not with our cozy little group.

“Lovely evening, wasn’t it?” Tobias commented cheerily from behind me.

Lorraina cleared her throat. “I’d say it was a success, wouldn’t you, Lord Fallon?”

Rhys pulled his eyes away from me to look at Lorraina and managed to smile at her. “Your parents outdid themselves. In fact, we should find your mother so that we can thank her properly.”

“Surely you can spare a moment for your brother and sister,” Tobias said in a low voice. “We’ve hardly seen you all evening. You wouldn’t want us to think that you were purposefully avoiding us, would you?” The fake cheer was entirely gone. The brothers stared at each other, making me more than a little nervous. I didn’t like Tobias including me in his rant.

Finally, Rhys’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have time to deal with one of your outbursts just now, Tobias.”

Tobias’s face turned horribly ugly as his anger came to the surface. I wondered if they were about to come to blows and desperately hoped that wasn’t the case since I stood just between them. I shrank away as Tobias stepped out from behind me. His voice was deadly calm as he said, “Make the time,” before turning and stalking away.

After a tense moment Rhys gave a fake smile and bowed. “If you’ll excuse me.” He walked after his brother.

Lorraina and I looked at each other before deciding silently to follow. They had gone through the double doors leading out to the terrace. Lorraina and I stopped in the doorway, unsure if we should be there or not. Tobias leaned heavily on the railing, his shoulders tensed. Rhys approached him, pulling a hand over his face. “Let’s have it, Tobias.”

Tobias turned to him and sneered. “Whatever could you mean, brother?”

Rhys grabbed Tobias’s shoulder and pulled him away from the railing. “Quit the act.”

Lorraina and I stepped onto the balcony at the same time. We stopped several paces from the brothers, not knowing how to approach the situation. We had no experience with brotherly dynamics.
 

They had both turned to look at us, no doubt startled by the intrusion.

Rhys muttered under his breath and turned his back to all of us.

I expected Tobias to tug on his clothing and turn on the charm. Instead he let his venom out. “Oh look, Rhys. We have an audience. Join us, ladies, by all means. Rhys and I were only having a brotherly disagreement.”

“Tobias,” Rhys scolded with his back still turned, and Tobias turned on him.

“Don’t.” The word was scathing.
 

Rhys looked to Tobias and slowly pulled himself up. “And what have I done, Tobias?” Rhys opened his arms, gesturing to the world in general. “What horrible misdeed have I committed that so offends you?”

“I cannot begin to name them.”

“Then why not tell me why you are angry tonight?”

“Because, once again, you’ve stolen something from me.”

Rhys breathed deeply, trying to maintain his calm. “I’ll ignore the implication that I’ve stolen in the past and simply ask what you think I’ve stolen this time?”