The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1) - Kiera Cass Page 0,37
suggestion. “If Lady Hollis wishes it. Thank you.”
When the dance ended and a new song played, I watched as Nora started up a dance of her own. Honestly, if she and Delia Grace choreographed our dance, it would probably be one of the best I’d ever done.
More than once, I got distracted by a pair of blue eyes watching contentedly from a chair against the wall. I looked over at Silas, speaking as I swayed to the music.
“Do you dance, sir?”
He sat up a little straighter. “On occasion. But of everyone in the family, Etan is the best,” he said, nodding to his cousin across the room. I searched and found him frowning as he studied the tapestries, hands behind his back, looking as if he were very much here against his will.
“You must be joking.”
Silas chuckled. “Not at all.”
“Well, please don’t be offended if I don’t extend him an invitation.”
He made a face. “In his current mood, I don’t think he’d accept if you did.”
I sighed, believing that. “Would you?”
He swallowed and looked at the floor. “I would . . . though perhaps not today.” When his face came back up to me, I noted the hint of a blush on his cheeks, and I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to dance in front of such an intimate gathering.
“Lady Hollis, come and see,” Cecily called, and I went quietly across the room, which thankfully gave me time to clamp down the growing smile on my face. What was it about Silas Eastoffe that turned the air in the room into something sweeter? He made everything feel . . . easy. Words came out clearer, thoughts became less foggy. I hadn’t realized people could do that, could make everything sharper.
The room separated into relaxed conversations and fits of giggling, leaving me in a blissfully happy mood. And when I somehow ended up having little Saul as a dance partner, it seemed perfectly natural. I spun him around to much applause, and it was nice to see his tears from yesterday replaced with laughter. When the song ended, I bent down and kissed Saul on the cheek. “Thank you, sir. You’re a fine dancer.”
The violinist played on in the background as everyone spoke, and as we all sat and conversed, the new apartments felt like they could eventually be a comfortable place. There was a promise of it.
“The king must care for you very much,” Silas said, coming to stand next to me. “These rooms are amazing. They remind me of our rooms back at Chetwin Palace. But the Coroan architecture is so different. I think the stones alone change everything.”
“How so?” I asked. It was the same stone I’d known all my life.
“In Isolte, the buildings are tinted slightly green or blue. It’s a mineral in the stones by the northern coast, and they’re very pretty, but in the winter especially, it makes thing seem dark. These stones of yours have such warm colors in them. So everything looks brighter, welcoming. And when you combine that with the impressive scope of the apartments, it’s quite striking.”
I nodded, many feelings playing through my heart. “It’s easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever rested my head, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t I miss the simplicity of my old room, not to mention knowing what was going to happen most days.”
I swallowed, once again wondering if I’d said too much but still feeling there was no one I’d rather share too much with.
He smiled softly. “There’s a beauty in simplicity, isn’t there?” He looked around the room again. “At one point in my life, I might have chosen the new clothes, the finer food, all the trappings of court. But I can say that, in losing them, I’ve learned that nothing in this world can replace loyalty, patience, and genuine affection.”
I sighed. “I think I might be forced to agree with you. The most valuable thing you can own is the assurance of your place in someone’s heart. It is far better than any necklace, far better than any apartment.”
We shared a quiet look.
“Would you exchange your crown of gold for one of flowers, then?” he asked with a smile.
“I think I just might.”
“I think it would suit you,” he commented, and I found myself holding eye contact with him for just a moment too long.
“I told your father you were welcome to hide here as long as you like. If you need anything at all, you know