The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1) - Kiera Cass Page 0,20
smile crept across his face. “My father’s greatest regret is not developing a practical skill in his youth, so when I expressed an interest in metalwork, he made it possible for me to learn. The first sword I made was for my cousin Etan?” He said it like I might have some idea who he was talking about. “He needed a good battle sword for a tournament. The handle shook too much for him to trust it, and a huge chip came out on his very first swing, but he used it for that whole tournament just the same.” He said all this with an expression that told me he was picturing the whole scene. “It’s been three years, and I’m proud of what I can do, but I’m always trying to improve. We all are. Even my sister does metalwork, though she does mostly finer things, the finishing touches on the jewelry Sullivan and I make.” He held up his hands. “Our fingers are too big.”
I studied his hands, noting they were dry and there was soot along the beds of his nails. He might have been raised a noble, but his hands were anything but gentlemanly. Something about that made them strikingly beautiful to me. I tucked mine behind my back, sighing in admiration when I answered. “That’s amazing.”
He shrugged. “Not so impressive in Isolte. The arts aren’t quite as important there.”
I raised my eyebrows, allowing that. “Is it as cold as everyone says?”
“If you’re speaking of the winds, yes, they can be brutal sometimes. And if you’re speaking of the general public . . .” He raised his eyebrows. “I find that being around some people in Isolte can make the temperature drop even further.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Don’t you know what it’s like? Haven’t you ever been yourself?”
The surprise in his voice was fair. If a Coroan was going to visit anywhere, Isolte was the easiest place to go . . . though perhaps not the most welcoming.
“No. My father is always working, and if he travels, he prefers to go alone or with Mother. I’ve asked to go to Eradore—I heard the beaches there are breathtaking—but it’s never happened.” I didn’t want to say that I’d stopped asking ages ago, when it became clear they wouldn’t have minded my company so much if I’d had the common sense to be born a boy, or at least have come after I had a brother. But that didn’t happen, and I didn’t know where the blame for that belonged, but they decided it was mine.
I had Delia Grace anyway; she was better than a long ride in a stuffy carriage, regardless of the destination. That’s what I told myself.
He hoisted the bag back up onto his shoulder. “Well, I’m sure His Majesty will take you anywhere your heart desires. It sounds as if he’d do anything for a lady he rescued from a freezing river.” He made a teasing face.
“That happened before you even got here! And it wasn’t frozen! And I was defending myself from an onslaught of berries. If anything, I didn’t do enough.”
“I’d have liked to have seen that,” he commented playfully. “The ladies back in Isolte don’t even bend to touch their hands to the water, much less risk slipping in.”
“Probably for the best. That river claimed a very dear pair of shoes.”
He laughed, kicking at the stone floor idly. “Well, I suppose I should find Sullivan. The staff was kind enough to find a space for us to work, and it’ll be nice to feel . . . useful.”
“I know what you mean. Which reminds me, have you seen a seamstress’s or dresser’s room back this way? I’m looking for thread.”
“Yes,” he answered enthusiastically. “Take the next stairway to the second floor. There isn’t a door on the room, so you should be able to see it.”
“Ah. Well, thank you very much, Silas.”
He nodded his head. “Anytime, Lady Hollis.”
He hurried on his way, and I walked back to the stairwell, thinking that it was much darker back here than I was used to. As I climbed the stairs, I thought upon the countless visits of kings and dignitaries, of emissaries and representatives that had happened since my family made Keresken Castle our primary residence. I’d seen people from all over the continent. And yet, speaking in the hallway with Silas Eastoffe marked the first time I’d ever spoken to a foreigner.