She couldn’t say how long they stood out there on the balcony. The sun continued to sink behind the mountains, leaving behind peaks that glowed a dazzling array of oranges, reds and yellows. Overhead, the stars started to wink.
The wind picked up. She imagined the shooshing as the breeze darted in and out of the pine trees below, dislodging a bit of snow here or kicking up flurries there. If she focused on those details, it helped her forget the man standing less than a foot away.
“I’ve only said sorry once in my life.”
Briony snorted. “I’m surprised you’ve said it even once.”
Cass moved at her back, then circled around. His shoulder brushed hers as he came up to the railing and leaned forward. If the freezing temperatures bothered him, he gave no indication as he propped his forearms on the cold stone and gazed out over the landscape.
“It was when I found my aunt crying in the corner of the bedroom she, my father and I all shared.” He breathed in deeply. “She blamed herself for getting us banished from Linnaea, for my mother leaving. She couldn’t stop crying. She said love had destroyed not only her but her family. So I patted her on the back and told her I was sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Sorry for not standing up to the king. Sorry for not being the man I was supposed to be when she needed someone.”
Briony’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“How old were you?” she finally asked.
“Eleven.”
She closed her eyes against the sudden pain as she imagined a young Cass, dark-haired with an innocent amber gaze, trying desperately to comfort his aunt.
“What did she say?”
“Told me it wasn’t my fault.” He looked away. “But it didn’t matter. I felt like I had failed my family.”
“Did...did my father force your family into that situation?”
She opened her eyes to see Cass regarding her with an opaque gaze.
“I don’t know everything that transpired between my aunt and your father,” he said finally. “I do know they were lovers. I know she threatened him toward the end of their relationship. And I know he in turn threatened her with prison for treason, as well as anyone who chose to stand with her over him.”
Briony’s hands curled around the cold marble railing as queasiness overtook her. She’d heard plenty to confirm Daxon’s true character. But hearing more evidence of her father’s cruelty was almost more than she could stomach.
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Cass said, his voice firm. “I don’t blame you or Alaric in any way.”
“Did my...did Daxon know what happened to you?”
“I doubt he knew or cared. He only cared about getting rid of her and slandering her to the point that no one would believe any stories she might tell about his nefarious activities.”
His words to her father replayed in her head:How does it feel to know the nephew of the woman you tried to destroy will officially be a prince of Linnaea?
“So marrying me...it was never about Linnaea, was it? Just revenge.”
“Do you think so little of me?”
His voice was steady. But his eyes were a mix of regal hardness and a hint of sorrow, a combination that seeped past her defenses straight into her bones. Part of her wanted to reach out and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. But she couldn’t just let go of everything he’d done: the deception, the subterfuge, the manipulation.
“Revenge can make good people do bad things.”
He stared at her for a long moment before he stretched out his hand. “Would you come with me? There’s something I want to show you.”
“What?”
He sighed. “Will you trust me? One more time?”