As inevitable as day turning to night, the dance began with dusk. Freya hadn’t given up her less than subtle campaign to find Thea a husband. The Captain had been unhappy to realise that part of the dress fitting for the afternoon had involved the finishing touches to yet another ball gown for her to wear.
‘But you’ll be losing an extra guard,’ Thea had protested as the ladies in waiting stripped her of her tunic and breeches. She knew better than to put up a fight and stood with her arms outstretched. Head tilted back to the ceiling. Frustrated.
‘As if Liam ever did any guarding anyway,’ Freya shook her head, ‘we’re better without him. We can bring some of the soldiers through.
‘I don’t like to leave you without protection,’ Thea fixed her friend with a stern look, stern. If anything h
