Theo had nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in an amused smile.
"But you need not go back to Lady Delilah," he had added quickly, knowing what she was probably thinking. How could she go back to her lady now? The woman was probably certain that something untoward had been going on between them.
"If I don't go back to her then where will I go?" She had scowled at him and the storminess that had entered her eyes only made Theo desire her more. The way her expressions played so openly upon her face was such a welcome sight from the stone faced pretenders he encountered every day.
"You may leave the tower room whenever you wish but it will still be yours as will all the servants I have assigned to you," he had explained to her and when she had opened her mouth to protest, he had lifted his hand to stop her before he continued, "I do not mean to make you my mistress but until everything is cleared up, I wish for you to be my guest. You are no longer a servant, Fleur. You never should have been."
He could still see her beautifully shocked face whenever he closed his eyes. He was just doing so, smiling to himself as he did, when he was interrupted by knocking on the study door.
With a groan, he forced his eyes open and yelled, "Enter!"
A young fae boy entered wearing the silver horn sigil of the palace messengers. His head was bowed but Theo could see the tell-tale paleness of his face that suggested he was not used to being in the presence of royalty.
"What is it, boy?" he demanded. The boy's age did nothing to lessen the fact that he had been disturbed after making it very clear he did not wish to be.
"I...I beg your pardon, Your Grace, but the lady was very insistent. She said it was urgent," the messenger boy babbled, holding out a piece of parchment in front of him, head still bowed.
"Bring it here!" Theo snapped and the boy scurried forward, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. His wings were unnaturally still and Theo guessed he was trying extra hard not to use them to stop himself from falling. Young fae always seemed to have a harder time of not using their wings in the presence of royals and nobles and it was a fact that had gotten plenty of them in trouble over the years.
Rolling his eyes at the boy's terror, he yanked the parchment from his hand and waved him away. "You may go."
"Yes, Your Grace," the boy said, backing away. "Thank you, Your Grace."
He bowed several times on his way out and Theo waited until the door was shut behind him before he turned his attention to the parchment in hand.
Breaking the seal printed in silver wax on the parchment, he unfolded the note to read:
My Lord,
I fear I must see you. Please meet me in the palace gardens at midnight.
Always
Fleur
Theo's heart hammered the moment he read the note. Glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece opposite his desk, he realized that it was almost midnight already.
There isn't time to reach the gardens on foot, he thought. Folding the note once more, he shoved it into the breast pocket of his jacket, close to his heart, and hurried to the open window.
Just like the mainland, there was little need for glass on the summer isle due to the constant summer weather and he easily jumped from the balcony, spreading his wings as he dived.
Below him the palace was lit by a thousand lanterns but many of the windows were already in darkness as though the residents were tucked firmly in their beds. Only the hallways and courtyards were lit, making it easy for Theo to keep himself to the shadows, avoiding any servant that might be wandering about late at night.
Soon he was lowering himself down into the gardens at the very center of the palace.
He entered the shadows at the edge of one of the clearings, surrounded by rose bushes. A cloaked figure sat alone upon one of the benches there.
"Fleur? Is everything alright?" he asked the moment his feet touched the ground. During his flight over the gardens he hadn't seen another soul.
"You got my note?" she asked without looking at him as he approached and dropped down onto the bench beside her.
A creeping suspicion swept over Theo at the sound of her voice. The pitch seemed higher than usual, less sweet.
"Yes, I did," he responded. "What is wrong, my love?"
The moment he laid a hand on her shoulder, he knew something was terribly wrong.
As she turned slowly to face him, the hood of her cloak began to fall from her face.