The Laurentine Spy Read Online Free PDF

be nothing other than modest; by Corhonase standards she was exceedingly plain.
    “And she is chaste and virtuous.”
    Athan nodded, and searched for words of refusal that wouldn’t cause insult. He glanced around. The atrium was empty except for the Consort’s attendants, standing at a discreet distance. The smooth gray marble, the stern busts set in niches, offered no inspiration.
    “As you are aware, her parents died in tragic circumstances.”
    Athan nodded again. The events of Lady Petra’s orphaning were well known: in the space of one night the earth had opened and the sea had risen, and the island colony of Gryff had been swallowed. The Corhonase Empire had lost its farthest outpost and Lady Petra had lost her family.
    And her fortune.
    Athan sat up straighter on the bench. “I understand she is penniless,” he said. “As my affairs stand—”
    “A respectable dowry will be settled on her.” The Consort’s voice coolly overrode his. “Her parents died in the service of the Empire, and I am fond of her.”
    An image flashed into Athan’s mind: himself drowning and grasping desperately at sticks to stay afloat. His hands flexed as he struggled not to clench them. “But—”
    “The Prince agrees this is a suitable match.”
    “He does?” Athan said, as the water closed over his head. A royal suggestion was tantamount to a command. He was trapped.
    The woman’s sharp black eyes assessed him. “Yes.”
    Athan swallowed his protest. He forced himself to relax. “Very well, I agree.”
    “Good.” The Consort stood. “The betrothal will be announced as soon as Lady Petra’s mourning period is over.”
    Athan rose to his feet. It was difficult to keep the movement lethargic.
    “You won’t regret your decision.”
    He bowed.
    The Consort inclined her sleekly-coiffed head in response. Her attendants came forward. Something in the way she accepted the fawning attention reminded him of his mother.
    Athan watched as the party walked down the colonnade. When they’d passed from view he sat again and stared down at the marble flagstones. They were smooth and cold, gray streaked with white.
    A Corhonase wife.
    He swore under his breath and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. This can’t be happening.

 
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    S ALIEL GLANCED AROUND. The ballroom was crowded to its farthest extent. Many of the throng were naval officers in their black and maroon uniforms. The murmur of voices rose to fill the heavy, vaulted ceiling and the musicians labored to be heard. To her Laurentine ear the melody was unexciting. But then, it always was.
    She’d never attended a ball in Laurent, but she had stood in darkened hallways with other servants, listening to the music. Sometimes she’d even danced quietly, in stockinged feet, when no one could see her. In Laurent the music made a person want to dance—it was gayer, giddier, more infectious, quite unlike the stately and martial melodies of Corhona.
    She’d peeked through partially opened doors at the dancers too, envying their gaiety. Compared to those scenes, Corhonase balls were dreary affairs. In Laurent the colors were bright, the laughter frequent, the fashions flamboyant. She’d seen dancers smile and flirt with one another. Here there was no such interaction. It was all humorless and respectful formality.
    Her eyes passed over Lord Ivo—tall, black-haired—where he stood with several of his cronies. Irritation stirred in her breast. Didn’t the man know how to close his mouth? It gave him the look of an imbecile.
    Saliel looked away, to where the Prince and his Consort sat upon the dais. The Prince looked bored. It was said that he found the nightly balls tedious, that he preferred the dancing of the courtesans to that of his court. The Consort sat to his side, at a lower elevation. Her round face was composed into an expression of docility and her hands were clasped demurely in her lap, but her eyes were alert as she watched the noble men and