* * *
“What do you suppose they’re muttering about?” Thana asked as sheand Dina followed Sylph and Gunnar through the forest.
“We could ride closer and eavesdrop,” Dina said.
“I think they’d notice.”
“Well, that leads to my next suggestion. We could ask.”
Thana snorted. “For a monk of love and beauty, you’re much toostraightforward.”
“Oh?” Her full lips quirked up. “Love problems?”
Thana scoffed, feeling a cursed blush betray her. “No. I…havea…beauty problem that…” She sighed. “Fine, yes. I do.”
“Relax, I already heard what you said to Gunnar when we werelocked up.”
Thana had known that was possible, but she still bristled. “Ithought the rest of you asleep.”
“You and the lady seem to have reached an accord since then.”
With another sigh that came from her toes, Thana nodded. IfGunnar wasn’t going to help…but she already knew what Dina’s ultimate advicewould be.
“You know what you really need to clear the air?” Dina asked.
That hadn’t taken long. “A long romp in a soft bed,” they saidtogether.
When Dina gave her a surprised look, Thana ground her teeth.“That’s what you always say, Di. Those exact words.”
“Doesn’t make them wrong.”
“You suggested it for Gun’s problems with his tailor.”
“Would have worked.”
“And when Illis was fighting with his upstairs neighbor.”
“That would have been a joy to witness.” She chuckled when Thanasighed yet again. “We servants of Elias and Elody seek to understand theuniverse through love and beauty, and I seek my understanding through theawe-inspiring, gorgeous realm of the physical.”
It made sense. Dina was beautiful enough to be one of Elody’sstatues. She probably got offers wherever she went. “But not everyone feels thesame way.”
“Everyone should try.”
“I know you think so.” And as frustrating as these conversationswere, she’d missed them after being too long apart. If only the brothers hadremained to take Thana’s side while Gunnar stood with Dina.
If only…lots of things.
“All right, fine,” Dina said. “You have to have an honestconversation with her.”
“I just had one. That’s why we’re currently at peace. Or at leastat a standstill. She’s not good at admitting emotion. Or showing it.” Shefrowned. “Or feeling it, based on what she’s said.”
“Uptight?”
“More like hidden. I don’t think she’s ever felt free. Or evensafe.” The emotion she’d exhibited most often was fear. Of other nobles, theUmbriels, even her own father. It pulled at Thana’s heart.
“She might not know how to be honest, then.”
“She’s trying,” Thana said, overcome with the need to defend herif no one else was going to.
“I believe you, but she still might not be very good at it, evenin her own thoughts.”
“She considers herself a realist. Keeps bringing up thedifferences in our stations and ruining the mood.”
Dina tsked.“Realism with facts doesn’t equal honesty with feeling. And why should such anobvious fact ruin anything for you?”
Thana rolled her eyes. “I know nothing ruins the mood for you.”When Dina didn’t take the bait, Thana watched the trees for a few moments andlistened to the birds calling from the branches. “I don’t like having herstatus thrown in my face.”
“Or your own status repeated.”
“Yes,” she said as a groan.
Dina stretched her arms over her head until her impressivephysique clicked all over. Then she met Thana’s eyes. “You’re a snob.”
Thana blinked, certain she hadn’t heard correctly. “Excuse me?”
“You have a negative attitude where nobles are concerned.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” But her cheeks were beginning to burn again.
“You don’t like to be reminded that she’s a noble because youhate most of them and wish she wasn’t one.”
“You don’t know me that well,” Thana said, knowing it was a liebefore Dina gave her a flat look, but she still had to protest. “Well, you andI have never had a romp of any kind, so your understanding of me is imperfect.”There, undeniable logic.
The smile Dina gave her said she was welcome anytime, and itforced Thana to look away before her face caught fire. “You like Gunnar, andhe’s a noble,” Dina said after a laugh. “And the queen is the ultimate noble.”
And not Thana’s favorite person after recent information, but shestayed quiet.
“Why can’t you like a duke’s child, too?”
“Because.”
Dina waited a heartbeat before she said, “Is that it? Oh well, Ican’t argue with that.”
“Because,” Thana said again, lengthening the word to eat up timewhile she searched for a reason besides the real one. Finally, she had toadmit, “If we hadn’t met through extraordinary circumstances, she would havebeen as mean or dismissive as the rest of them.” It hurt to even think of, letalone imagine, but she couldn’t help picturing Lady Sylph with her coldexpression twisting into one of derision.
“You don’t know that for certain,” Dina said softly, sympathy soheavy in her voice that Thana teared up.
She clenched her fists, rejecting the sadness. She would not beso childish. “My experience with court life suggests otherwise.”
“Nobles are mostly asses, so what? You know two very notableexceptions. There is no reason Sylph wouldn’t have been one, too.”
Thana had to admit to the remotest possibility. She nodded. Afterall, Sylph only brought out the frosty persona when she felt threatened. SinceThana never would have threatened her, either emotionally or physically, ifthey hadn’t met the way they had, the odds were that Sylph would have simplyignored her.
As she had before they’d ever met. And since Thana couldn’trecall her before that day in the garden, Thana had been ignoring her, too.
And only focusing on the asses.
A thought that made her laugh until Dina insisted she share, andthey both chortled like miscreants until Gunnar gave them a warning look, andSylph smiled over her shoulder, a beautiful look that Thana would have been afool to ignore. And Sylph only showed it to those who mattered to her, thoseshe liked, perhaps those she could someday love.
If they could see past her title.
“Fine,” Thana said. “I’ll think on that.”
Dina nodded. “And if that doesn’t work?” She grinned.
“Please don’t say it.”
But her mouth was already open. Thana began to repeat the lineabout romps and beds, but Dina said, “You’ll have to have more honestconversations.” When Thana sputtered in surprise, Dina snorted. “Really, Thana,that’s what you always say.”
Chapter Seventeen
Luckily, the pyradisté camp wasn’t far. A few tents stood ina small clearing,
