took only bread and water, for he would be fasting on his quest.”
“No indeed! He partook of a good dinner of roast pork, much like yourself,” the landlord said tartly.
Armand did not make the obvious reply that the pork had been lacking in flavor and the vegetables overcooked. Instead, he made his way quickly back up to their room, half anticipating that Una’s brother might have ambushed their room without him there.
To his relief, Una seemed quite undisturbed on his return and was in the act of rolling the map back up. “I have marked the five locations,” she said. He took it with thanks from her outstretched hand and slipped it into his pack.
“The water is coming,” he said apologetically. “This inn has gone to the dogs since last I was here. I will give it a wide berth in future.” He hesitated before continuing. “Apparently the only other guest is a pilgrim who has recently arrived. He took his supper in his room.”
Una looked up quickly at that. “You think it might be Otho?” she asked.
“It might,” he conceded. “We will be sure to lock ourselves in before we go to bed, and to be on our guard in the morning.”
She nodded and a knock on the door proclaimed the arrival of the maid with the water. She brought it in with ill-grace, her unkempt hair escaping from under her cap. After setting the jug down with a thud and sloshing water on the table, she retreated, muttering under her breath.
“I will not be leaving a tip,” Armand noted, shooting the bolt in the door. He noticed Una folding her lips as she poured the jug’s contents into a washing basin.
“Is it cold?” he hazarded.
“Lukewarm,” she admitted, and he swore. “We can make do until the morrow,” she said appeasingly and directed a smile at him. “It was a good day. We should not allow one poor meal to ruffle our composure.”
For a moment he debated telling her of the state of the kitchens. But what would that achieve, other than robbing her of her own serenity? “You’re right,” he rallied. “We’ll soon be out of here.” He yawned. “Let’s turn in.”
*
The fire had not been lit in the grate and though it had been a warm and balmy day, there was now a chill in the air. They both undressed quickly and climbed into bed.
Armand rolled over and blew out his candle before stretching out alongside her. “Are you warm enough?”
“Oh yes, for I found the trick long ago to climbing into a cold bed.”
“And what’s that?” he asked, sounding curious. The pillow rustled and she wondered if he had turned to face her. If so, he would not be able to clearly make her out her features.
“’Tis only to force yourself to relax your limbs. After a few moments, you fool your body, and everything warms up.”
“Surely a princess should have her bed warmed as a matter of course,” he said, and she heard the slight frown in his voice.
Una paused a moment before replying. “Perhaps in my girlhood, in my father’s palace,” she replied softly. “But I have not been at Menith now for many years,” she said, naming the Northern capital. It was a mistake to say its name aloud, for as always it conjured its ghost. The towers of Menith Castle rose in the shadows before her, only to fall away again in ruins.
“How many years?”
Una thought about it. “Some nine or ten at least.”
“What’s it like?” he asked. “I’ve never been that far north.”
“Cold,” said she. “But majestic in its own way. There are mountains and their peaks are always covered in snow. Even in the summer.”
“Should you like to go back one day?”
“No,” she replied abruptly and shivered. “My life is here now.” She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him, showing him her back. To her surprise, she felt his arm close about her waist and he hauled her firmly back against him. Una smothered her exclamation.
“You’re not following your own advice,” he said dryly. “Relax, Una.”
Una? He said it with such easy familiarity that her face flooded with color. No one had ever dared addressed her with such ease and assurance when she was a princess. It gave her hope for the future. “How far north have you been?” she asked, and her voice sounded husky even to her own ears.
“Strethneal,” he said shortly.
Oh. She closed her eyes, her stomach lurching as her rising hopes were immediately