“Her husband used to captain one of the bigger trade ships,” Hamish replied, his voice low even though the room housed but the three of them. “It hit stormy weather just off the north-western coast some eight years back. He drowned attempting to rescue their daughter.”
A gasp slipped through Darshan’s lips before he could stifle it. “I… I had no idea she—”
Gordon clapped a hand onto Darshan’s shoulder. “And why would you have? It’ll be all right, lad.” He gave Darshan a few hearty pats on the back that almost had him sprawled face-first onto the floor. “She will understand.”
“It might be a touch difficult to discuss trade without mentioning ships, though,” he murmured. Especially as that was what his father sought to rectify. If he could find a way to have Tirglasian linen enter Minamist cheaply without buyers having to deal with land cartage taxes, then Minamist would only increase its wealth.
The older prince nodded. “I just think you took her by surprise. She’s usually more composed about it.”
Darshan gave a noncommittal hum. If the woman was worried about sparing her people a similar fate as her husband and daughter, then perhaps he could offer a spellster for every ship. There would need to be rules, though. He rather doubted Queen Fiona would allow foreign spellsters to roam her lands unchecked. “I wonder…” Old tales of Tirglas spoke of their spellsters being permitted beyond the cloister confines during extreme medical cases. Perhaps there could be some convincing into letting them aboard the ships. “Do you usually have to ask Queen Fiona’s permission to visit the cloisters?”
“Nae,” Gordon said, releasing Darshan to clap his hands on Hamish’s shoulders and give the man a little shake. “But me brother’s just about got to ask Mum permission to piss. He certainly cannae leave the castle without someone tailing him.”
Gnawing at the inside of his cheek, Darshan peered at Gordon. Whatever made the man think he would actually believe that? True, a lot of things about Tirglas had seemed mind-boggling until his tutors had presented him with proof, but that sounded a little farfetched. Surely the princes were allowed to venture into Mullhind unescorted. From what he’d seen of Hamish’s arrival through the castle gates, the man had been alone.
“That’s nae true,” Hamish blurted, a faint bloom of colour brushing the tops of his cheeks. The man shot his brother a death glare that Darshan had witnessed on a great many of his own siblings’ faces.
Chuckling and ruffling his brother’s hair, Gordon twitched his head to indicate the corridor. “Come on, we’ll escort you to your quarters.”
“I did that already,” Hamish said, rolling those sapphiric eyes of his. “He cannae have forgotten the way back that quickly.”
Darshan slowly turned his gaze to the surrounding walls. Grey, blank and dim. Still, he’d vague recollections of passing by the dining hall doors whilst trying to exit the castle proper, but not during his original entry. Spending the night wandering the corridors in search of his bed didn’t sound all that appealing. “I could do with an escort, if it is not too much trouble.”
Gordon grinned and wrapped an arm companionably around his brother’s shoulders as he guided them, with Darshan tailing the pair. “See, ‘Mish? You’re forgetting we grew up here and he was likely distracted by all the—” He airily twirled his hand before them. “—fine architecture.” Tipping his head, he gave Darshan a wink behind Hamish’s back.
The sight almost had Darshan stumbling as they veered up a flight of stairs. Yes, he had been very much distracted, but the older prince couldn’t have known that, or what by. It had only been the pair of them then. Had he somehow given some clue? He hadn’t needed to be discreet about his preferences so thoroughly before. Even so, how could he have possibly been noticed that quickly?
Clearly, he’d have to try harder to push such thoughts to the back of his mind. I’m here for a reason. He just needed to keep reminding himself that and get the negotiation details hammered out as swiftly as possible. Then he could return home where such things as the gender of his lover didn’t matter.
Darshan stared at the back of Gordon’s head. He toyed with one of his rings, twisting it back and forth. He couldn’t have misconstrued the act, could he? It had definitely been a wink and not something else.
Then why, if Tirglasians were against the idea of men being with men, had the older prince winked at him?
Thunk!
Hamish glanced up from checking his bowstring. That hadn’t sounded like a promising shot. Putting aside his half-fletched arrow, he ran a scrutinising eye over the archery range.
All three of his nephews stood before him, they had the range to themselves this morning and took advantage of that by spreading across its width. He leant against the low stone wall separating the area from the rest of the castle’s training ground.
His niece was meant to have joined them, but Sorcha was content being tucked against one side of the range, at the end farthest from her cousins where she could sulk in peace. She was well past the point of needing lessons from her uncle, but Gordon refused to let her hunt alone after the lethal fate that had befallen her mother and sister.
Hamish wouldn’t typically be here either, but he had promised his sister that he’d keep an eye on them to ensure they didn’t do something foolish like shoot one another in the foot. Which now seemed like less of an issue than Nora had led him to believe.
Bruce might’ve been just shy of a dozen years old, but he followed the rest of the family in being quick to master the bow. And Ethan, having only a year’s difference
