Gemi regards me closer. She may sense my offer is disingenuous. Everyone stays out of my library. It is the only place I am guaranteed solitude, and I want to keep it that way.
“Did you see more of the palace today?” I ask. The grounds were under construction and repair the last time Gemi visited. I worked long hours to ensure they were restored before her arrival.
“I did. Pons tried to complete our tour, but we only made it halfway.”
“The princess spent too long in the gardens,” Pons explains.
“You have lavender,” Gemi says excitedly, “and birds we don’t have in Lestari.”
“You have no lavender in the Southern Isles?” Natesa asks.
“Our soil is too wet. Did you know if you run your hand over the flower stems they mark your skin with their scent?” She smells her hand and offers it to Natesa for a sniff.
I am too far across the table to smell. She seems disappointed that I do not get up, so I say, “I’ll remember to try that next time I’m near lavender.”
Indah and Pons’s nursemaid appears at the courtyard door, bouncing a crying Jala. Indah goes to calm her child, but the infant is inconsolable. She returns and whispers to Pons. I overhear Kalinda’s name, nothing more.
“We should put Jala down for bed,” says Indah.
Pons bows. “Please excuse us, Your Majesties.” The couple sets off. Before Jala’s cries have faded, Natesa touches Yatin’s cheek.
“We’ll go too,” she says. “This one needs to rest.”
“We can stay, Little Lotus,” Yatin replies before repressing another yawn.
“Go ahead, Captain.” Although supper is unraveling, I will not deny them a respite.
“We’ll have a welcome gathering for the viraji tomorrow,” Natesa says. “The ranis are excited to meet you, Princess.”
Her emphasis on “excited” alters the connotation. Are the ranis glad about the princess? Gemi misses Natesa’s borderline wryness and thanks her. Natesa pulls on Yatin and they set off.
Silence fills the gazebo. Brac’s long stare pushes me to say something. When I cannot think of anything worthwhile to discuss, he speaks to Gemi about his visit to Lestari. I am not jealous of their connection but do envy their easiness.
I twist my untouched wine chalice and munch on fried black mustard seeds. Kalinda’s absence has left a hole inside me. I will wait for Deven tonight, though I am concerned my friends have both left Vanhi for good.
“What do you think, Ashwin?” Gemi asks. I meet her amused gaze. She knows I have not been listening. “What are your thoughts on bhutas displaying henna markings for identification?”
Lords, Brac must have told her about Lokesh’s scheme. “The markings would further divide our people. What do you think?”