me. "You know, royals filling up the house."
Daniel nodded and jogged for the trees.
With the guns passed to the groundskeeper, we entered the manor from the veranda, a servant hurrying to help us out of our coats until they looked buried beneath the layers. Miriam Pope appeared, her cheeks flushing sweetly as her husband and son both moved in to kiss her cheeks.
"Her Highness—"
"Mother, please, call her Bryony."
"—went out with that…oh, I've forgotten his name," Miriam said, frowning. "The old one."
Douglas scoffed. "He was younger than me, I should think."
"Aric," I said.
"Yes! Thank you! Her Highness and Aric went out to find the others," Miriam said. "Oh and the handsome guard."
Which meant it was only me. "Perhaps I should go and join them so the three of you—"
"Wait, Thao," Wendell said, brightening and stepping away from his mother to move to my side. "No, actually, I'd love for the four of us to sit down together."
Miriam bit her lip and smiled tenuously, and I was sure she would've preferred if I left them to their time together without me.
"As long as you don't mind my little routine," Douglas said, heading for the pair of doors leading to the large study.
"Do you think Her High—"
"Bryony."
"—Will dress very finely for our dinner tonight? I did tell Joan I might need her to freshen my hair for the evening," Miriam murmured.
"The princess is very informal and a little bit of a wild beast," I said, making Miriam's eyes widen and Wendell laugh. "If we are very lucky, she will return from the woods without mud on her skirts or twigs in her hair. But you may need to prepare yourself to dine with a very pretty and well-mannered animal."
"Oh, dear. I've been making too much of a fuss, haven't I?" Miriam said, but she was smiling and she seemed to relax.
"Don't mind what he's said. Bryony is every bit as anxious to please you as you are to please her," Wendell said. And then his hand found mine at my side, our fingers tangling together. "Now I promise this won't take long, but I really do want to grab this moment with you and Father."
Miriam hummed and nodded, following after her husband to the study as Wendell's fingers squeezed around mine.
"Quit looking as though you're about to face an army," he whispered, leaning in and resting his forehead against mine.
"Are you sure this needs to be done?" I asked, gaze flicking back and forth between the open study doors and Wendell's face.
"I'm sure that it will mean a great deal to me to tell them," Wendell said. "And I think it might to you as well."
"There is always a letter," I muttered, but I followed as he tugged me toward the door.
Miriam had already found a seat in an armchair by the fireplace, and Douglas was packing a small pipe with dark tobacco, his eyes lifting and pausing on our linked hands. He blinked, stilling in his movements before setting the pipe aside, a slight frown on his lips as he crossed his hands over his stomach. Wendell guided me down to join him on a small couch.
"I've been so eager for you both to meet Thao for such a long time, and I regret that this is such a short visit," Wendell began.
I wanted to compliment the Popes on their son or their home or their hospitality. Wanted to speak on all the warm stories Wendell had told me as we'd fallen in love in Mennary. My tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth as his parents stared back at us, a little furrow of confusion between Miriam's eyes and a cool understanding in Douglas's.
"There's always been more I've wanted to tell you about my friendship with Thao, but it didn't feel right to put it in a letter," Wendell said. I glanced at him and found him every bit as bright and hopeful as he had been arriving here at his former home.
"It is so good that you both were Chosen by Her Highness," Miriam said brightly.
Wendell's grin was sheepish. Bryony had chosen us more out of mercy than desire at the time, and solely for the reason we were sitting across from Wendell's parents now.
"We were very lucky," Wendell murmured.
It struck me then that I was giving him this burden of confession. He didn't seem to mind. He was certainly more excited than I was. But Wendell deserved more than my silence at his side, and his parents