35
Reine
I wanted to go to Lawrence, but Rhys and John had him, and I couldn't let my mother and grandmother see how much he meant to me. If they had a sense of the physical connection we'd made, hopefully they'd think I'd been exploring my sexuality. That was one good thing about returning home as an adult—your elders likely expected you to be the same childish person you were when you left. I hadn't been as wild as Rhys, but I'd had my dalliances.
My grandmother's smile told me how pleased she was with herself, and the fact her eyes kept their cunning sparkle indicated she recognized the blow she'd just dealt me. "That's better. Sleep well, Granddaughter."
Kestrel and I bowed, and I led her out of the throne room. In spite of not having been in the castle in several centuries, my fee
