Rogue’s Kiss

Chapter Four - Grace

Sastra led her across the dancefloor. They wound with ease through the spinning couples, with everyone parting for the duchess without a second thought. On the far side of the large room, Sastra gestured to a pair of chairs decorated in pale blue, tucked beside the large fireplace. The embers were burning low, with so much heat in the room from the press of bodies, roaring flames were not necessary. Lilia tried to look back at George, but if Master Thade was still stood beside the refreshments, then she couldn’t see him through the crowd. Sastra sank into one of the damask covered chairs taking the time to smooth her skirts before beckoning for Lilia to join her.

‘I must apologise,’ the Duchess admitted, ‘this must all seem rather strange to you, I know we haven’t previously been close.’

Relieved that Sastra hadn’t considered her behaviour to be normal, Lilia sank down into the offered chair. Taking care to sweep the skirts of her red dress neatly to the side. It was an action that her mother would have been proud of. ‘I admit,’ Lilia couldn’t help but smile, ‘I was a little confused.’

‘And yet grateful to be rescued from Master Thade, no doubt,’ Sastra all but winked.

Mortified, Lilia touched her fingers to her own hot face. Had it been that obvious? At least Sastra was right, she was grateful to escape. Sastra waved away the ladies of court who had so far accompanied them across the room. There were three, dressed in green, yellow and blue gowns. Each from a high ranking noble family that would bask in the favour of the Kings niece. But at the Duchesses command they separated and moved away like a collection of delicate butterflies disturbed from their perch. Lilia watched, amused as instantly they were all propositioned to dance.

‘It’s alright,’ Sastra continued to smile. She wore a colour on her lips, it made them shine like glazed apples. Everything about her was so effortlessly perfect. Yet the Duchess hesitated and reached out to take Lilia’s hand, squeezing it gently.

Confused, Lilia found herself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes that were lined with tears. Had she ever seen the Duchess reveal emotion before? If she had it certainly hadn’t been anything vulnerable. Even with tears clouding her eyes, Sastra was a vision. Perfect in her beauty, as though she was more painting than a reality.

‘I wanted to speak to you alone, quietly, and tell you how sorry I was about Graces’ death.’

‘Oh…’ it was hard to breathe again. As though Sastra had stolen all the light from the room. Lilia found her gaze narrowed to the face before her. She looked down, tears quick to rise behind her eyes. She pulled her hand back from Sastra, and gripped her own palms. It had taken a single handsome face, and she had almost forgotten Grace.

Sastra seemed to sense that she was struggling and took a slow drink from her own glass of wine. ‘We…grew close over the last year,’ the Duchess explained. ‘You were posted at the border I understand?’

Lilia nodded in response.

‘Lady Denare was based at court, upon her family’s request.’

‘They wanted her to find a match,’ Lilia exhaled. It hadn’t been what Grace had wanted. ‘A husband,’ she shrugged. Grace had no time to find a husband, she had wanted to further her career with the Knights. As Lilia still did. There wasn’t room in her life for complications. It was hard enough to maintain the ideals of Knighthood and the additional expectations placed upon a noblewoman without getting entangled in some kind of love affair.

‘I suppose your mother has similar in mind for you?’ The Duchess tilted her head to the side.

Lilia swallowed the lump in her throat, ‘something like that,’ she admitted. Lilia was far too aware that her mother had lined up a number of potential suitors to visit over the next few days. Along with her own personal shyness, it was another reason to stay hidden at the ball. How many of the single men here had been approached regarding a match? How many were subtly watching to find out just how strange Liliana Lanai, Lady Knight was?

‘Maybe I can help you find someone at least…entertaining?’ Sastra offered a wry smile.

For the first time Lilia considered the duchess’s pressure to marry. Surely not Sastra. After all, she had inherited all the lands to the east of the Kingdom. Sastra was an heiress in her own right.

Sastra nodded, edging forward to close the distance between the pair of them. Lilia bent her own head forward to listen to the woman. They were about the same age, although Sastra was perhaps a year or so older. She and Grace should both now be in their twenty first year, their third as a knight. Yet such a life had been stolen from her friend. Perhaps Sastra knew something of what had caused the murder, especially as Grace hadn’t put many details into her correspondence.

‘Did you know that Grace fell in love?’