In Her Shadow Read Online Free PDF

who supposedly loved her most. It stabbed at her chest in a way she wouldn't have expected until it actually happened.
    What was it about her that made people want to leave her behind? Britta barely had enough time to let the idea settle before the door to the dining room swung open and in stepped the Governor with a young man she assumed was her groom-to-be in tow.
    On the tall side of average, he stood with a straight military bearing that made him look even taller. Like the men of his culture, he wore a light linen tunic that exposed the tight muscles of his legs and arms. Dark, short cropped hair above eyes of sharp green, framed a square face, its handsomeness only marred by the sternness of his expression. Or was it sternness? Perhaps it was a blank passivity. Perhaps it was nothing at all, but it struck Britta as cold, contrasting with the handsomeness of his features that, in and of themselves, would have left her breathless otherwise.
    It's just nerves, she told herself as she rose.
    The Governor swung his arm to the man behind him. "My son, Dux Lucius. Dux Lucius, this is your intended. Uh. . ."
    "Britta," she said.
    "Ah, yes. Sorry, I didn't quite catch it earlier. Please, everyone have a seat."
    Dux Lucius did not react, his face as stern as it had been when he entered the room. And when they all sat down at the table, it remained stern.
    "It should only be a minute before the staff brings our supper," said the Governor, halfway through unfurling his silverware. He looked like he was ready to say something else when a guard burst into the room. He glanced around for half a breath before he went to the Governor and whispered something in his ear. The Governor sat his silverware down on his plate and sighed. "If you two will excuse me," he said. "I've a bit of business to attend to. Please, Britta, enjoy your meal and the company of Dux Lucius. Dux Lucius, this might take a while. Make sure she gets home alright." And with that, he and the soldier vanished.
    Britta glanced across the table at Lucius, hoping to get some sense of him. He stared at his plate. Did he blink? This wasn't normal behavior for a person. He hadn't even greeted her when introduced. Was he happy or unhappy with their arranged marriage? Britta had met the previous Dux once. Charming, jolly and oozing corruption, he had been the exact opposite of the rigid man sitting across from her. It worried her.
    Before her thoughts could go any further, the wait staff came in carrying steaming plates of fish and vegetable. Mussels piled upon clams. Lobsters with crab legs. A cornucopia of the sea, one she was long used to – perhaps not in such large proportions. She chuckled to herself as they set the food down between them.
    "What?" Dux Lucius said, his voice firm and even.
    Britta glanced from the food to him. He stared at her, face impassive. She, however, was wide eyed. By this point, she'd expected to spend the meal in uncomfortable silence. "It's – uh." Britta shook her head. "It's silly. For some reason, I had it in my head that if I were in a Regnal household eating supper, I'd be eating Regnal food. Not the food I've grown up with my entire life."
    "Ah," said Lucius, his face unchanged as he picked out the vegetables buried beneath the seafood and piled them on his plate.
    "You don't like fish?" she asked.
    He didn't respond at first, shoveling a fork full of kale into his mouth. Had there been a flicker of a frown when he tasted it? Britta wasn't sure. If so, she couldn't blame him. Surely the kale had absorbed the flavor of both the sea and its salt.
    "I neither like nor dislike it," he said after he swallowed it down, but did not elaborate, focusing again on his food.
    Britta pushed hers around on her plate. Why did she feel more alone now than she had when she'd actually been alone? "We should talk," she said.
    Lucius didn't look up. "About what?"
    "We're getting married."
    "Yes, I know."
    "That's something we should discuss."
    "Why? It's