her that.
“Dexter sought me out. He asked if I’d speak to you.”
That surprised Reid. “About what?”
He shrugged. “He said he thought you could use a friend.”
Having Harlan nearby did offer a level of comfort and familiarity. It was like having a piece of home with her. The second she thought about home, tears filled her eyes. Her home had been destroyed.
As if sensing her discomfort, Harlan hurried and said, “I met Lord Robert and your second cousin Victor. They’re interesting.”
“They’re staying here in the castle.” She rolled her eyes. Dexter should have made them stay at a local inn.
Harlan fidgeted with the seam of his pants near his knee. “Did you hear a messenger arrived?”
She shook her head—she hadn’t heard a thing.
“Word came that when Duchess Lyndr arrived at the City of Radella, the king had her arrested, and he took control of her soldiers.”
“Serves her right. We told her not to go.”
“The irony is that he arrested her for raising an army against him.”
Reid snorted. “I bet she had a fit screaming he’s the one who told her to come with an army.”
They sat in companionable silence for several minutes. A light rain started falling outside.
“Dexter told me the soldiers are ready to march,” Harlan said. “He plans to leave in two days. He wants me to come.”
“You should.” He could help if someone got injured or if Anna tried poisoning any of the soldiers.
“Umm,” Harlan murmured, shifting on the window seat.
“What is it?” She knew her friend well enough to tell when he needed to discuss something with her.
“Nara spoke with me.”
Reid narrowed her eyes. Nara wouldn’t dare.
“Here.” He handed a bag of herbs to her.
Reid’s face flamed red. She refused to take the bag. How could Nara have spoken to Harlan about Reid needing something to prevent a pregnancy? She wanted to crawl into the window seat and hide.
“I wish you would have felt comfortable coming to me yourself,” Harlan said. “Reid? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t believe she did that.” Reid couldn’t decide if she was angry or on the verge of tears. Maybe both.
“If you and Dexter aren’t ready to have a child, you need to be taking these.”
Reid snatched the bag from his hand.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he insisted. “Lots of women take them. My own wife does.”
She could not believe they were discussing something so intimate with one another.
“Why do you always shy away from anything personal like this?” he asked. “Don’t you trust me?”
She glanced at her friend. “It’s not that. I trust you implicitly.” After all, she’d taken him to Axian with her. He was one of the only people she ever confided in.
“Then why don’t you talk to me?”
“I do.”
“Not about anything personal.”
She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. “How long did it take you to tell me you were engaged?”
“The only reason I didn’t tell you right away was because you don’t like to talk about that sort of thing!”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “All I want is for you to come to me if you need something or want to talk.” Pointedly, he looked at the bag clutched in Reid’s hand.
“I’m sorry, Harlan. I didn’t mean to offend you.” The rain picked up, pinging against the window. “I just got so used to keeping everything inside, so I didn’t slip and make a mistake.” But now everyone knew she was a woman, so she didn’t have to be so guarded. However, she didn’t know how to change who she was or how she acted.
He took her free hand. “I know. I’m worried now that you’re married, our friendship will change. You’ll go live in the City of Radella, and I won’t get to see you very often.”
“We’ll have to make a point of spending time together.” She squeezed his hand, hoping he understood how much she valued his friendship.
A bell tolled in the distance.
“What’s that?” Harlan asked.
The last time Reid had heard that bell was when the princes arrived. “Someone of importance must be here.” She jumped off the window seat. “Let’s go.” She took off running through the castle, Harlan at her heels.
She headed to the front doors, where she met Nara and Leigh. Neither knew what was going on. Throwing the doors open, Reid stepped onto the front steps. Gordon emerged from the barracks, joining them.
“What flag has been raised?” Leigh asked. Her red-rimmed eyes were bloodshot as if she had been crying and hadn’t slept in days.
“It’s