“I’ve done nothing for you to be proud of,” Rayne insisted and the discomfort in her voice made Asher uncomfortable for her. He began to creep forward again, careful not to trip on the uneven stone floor. He paused only when he reached the drapes that covered the entrance to the bedchamber, and he could peer through a crack into the room.
Inside, he could just make out Rayne standing with her back to her mother. Egwene was standing much closer to the doorway, her profile visible, and Asher could see the cunning grin on her face. The expression made the king’s skin crawl and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from making some comment.
“Don’t play coy with me,” Egwene said, her voice practically dripping with sweetness, “I can see exactly what you’re doing to the king.”
Asher’s breath caught in his threat. What is she talking about?
“I’m not doing anything to the king!” Rayne protested. It was then that she turned and stared at her mother, her expression grim. “I just wish to be left alone to get on with my work.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” her mother was purring as though she were a cat who’d gotten the cream. “We both know how well reverse psychology works on men. It’s better if you stay in character.”
Character? Asher’s heart twisted with pain and betrayal, but he quickly shoved the feeling away. Rayne couldn’t possibly have been playing a character this entire time. If she had, she’d never allowed her mask to slip once. Asher wasn’t sure what frightened him more. The thought that Rayne might be lying to her mother or the thought that she was so clever she’d been deceiving him this entire time.
“I don’t wish to play games with the king,” Rayne insisted, and Asher had to steel himself against the pain in her voice. If he were to listen to his instincts and go to her simply to comfort her, he might well be playing right into her hands. The last bit of good sense he had caused him to remain still and silent.
“Be that as it may, if you continue to play the game as you’ve been, we might well have exactly what we want by the end of the week!” Egwene exclaimed, her voice hitching with jubilation.
Asher couldn’t bring himself to listen to another word. Knowing if he stayed any longer, he might do something he would regret, he began to back away from the doorway. It wasn’t until he was several paces away that he cursed himself for moving a muscle. He felt his ankle hit the leg of the table even before he began to turn to see the flower vase tumbling toward the floor. Reaching out instinctively, he wasn’t in time to catch it, and all he could do was watch as the porcelain shattered, spraying flowers and water all over the stone floor.
In a second, he began to rush toward the door of the antechamber, his heart pounding with the need to be away from there. He was almost home free when he heard his name being called behind him.
Damn it!
If only his wings had been faster. If only his mind had not been spinning so badly. He might’ve been able to get away before she saw him. As things stood, Asher could do nothing but turn to face the beautiful woman who now stood on the other side of the room. When he did, he saw from the look on her face that she knew he’d heard everything.
“Your Grace,” she dropped down into a curtsey, and when she straightened again, he could see embarrassment turning her cheeks crimson. “You weren’t supposed to hear any of that.”
Asher quickly raised his hand to silence her.
“I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” he pointed out. Even as he said the words, he realized he was right. He also knew it didn’t matter what he’d overheard. Nothing could change the way he felt about her. Even now, after hearing what he’d heard, all he wanted to do was sweep across the room and take her in his arms.
Chapter 17 - Rayne
“My lord, please, let me explain,” Rayne began, feeling more humiliated than she’d ever been before. Even the king’s rejection in front of his whole court didn’t compare to the humiliation she felt now, face to face with the king, who’d just overheard her mother telling her how proud she was of the fact she’d been playing him for a fool. Please don’t believe a word she said! Oh, fae gods, don’t let this make things worse!
In that moment she wished she’d forgiven him for all he’d done to her. She wished they were on better terms, if only to make him listen to her. She couldn’t bear the thought of what he might think of her after all he’d just heard.
“My mother…she is…” Rayne tried to come up with some kind of excuse, something that wouldn’t sound totally stupid even to her ears, but there was nothing she could say. The damage was done. The king would never be willing to try to earn her forgiveness now, even as she realized she so desperately wanted to give it to him.
Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Rayne lowered her gaze and looked down at the floor. Her heart hammered as she forced herself to say, “We will leave as soon as you allow us to be dismissed, Your Grace. I know I cannot continue in your employ after this.”
It broke her heart to say the words even more than it broke her heart to know she would never see his handsome face again. And yet, what else was there for her to do? The king was well within his rights to have them both thrown out of the palace or worse, punished for ever believing they could play games with him.
But I didn’t play games with him! Rayne assured herself, even though she was well aware of how it must look to the king.
“Do you wish to leave?”
The hurt in the king’s voice was enough to take Rayne’s breath away, and her head whipped up in time to see him gazing at her with such an expression it made her heart ache. All she could do was shake her head, her throat too dry to even allow her to open her mouth.
Silently, King Asher made his way across the room. Unable to look him in the eye for fear she might begin to cry, she quickly dropped her gaze to his chest, distantly noticing the splotches of what appeared to be ink marking his waistcoat.
“I do not wish for you to leave,” he breathed when he was only a foot or so away from her. She was surprised when his hand came up to cup her chin, and she didn’t try to resist when he forced her face up to look him in the eye. This time she did manage to open her mouth, but still no words came to her. She couldn’t bring herself to speak for fear she might say something to change his mind. “What I do want is for us to start over.”
Rayne was unsure of how to respond to that. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how they could start over after all that had happened between them.
“I never should’ve rejected you,” he said in such a whisper that Rayne wondered whether he’d meant to say the words out loud. He stroked her chin with his thumb before releasing her. “Can you bring yourself to forgive me so we can start over?”
It was clear he’d meant to ask the question out loud. He glared at Rayne with such intensity that she felt as though he might’ve been able to push her over with just an exhale. Her body trembled so badly, she was fearful to move a muscle for fear that her legs would no longer hold her weight.