“Heya, Algernon.”
He grinned at me and it was a good one. It looked nearly genuine. But it did not meet his eyes.
Then he bowed at the same time he touched his fingers to his forehead and said, “Good morning, Princess Cora.”
I smiled at him and looked back at Tor.
Then I asked the question I’d asked every day as each of them slid by with two things not happening: me going home (and it seemed pretty clear I was stuck here, it felt like I’d been there forever); and Rosa being rescued.
“Any news of –?”
Tor’s eyes went guarded and he gave me another squeeze.
“No, love.”
I pulled in both my lips and bit them.
Tor, as he always did, swiftly changed the subject, likely, I guessed, because he knew it upset me.
“What are you up to today?” he asked and I shook my head.
“You can’t ask me that question,” I informed him.
“I can’t?”
“Nope.”
His brows drew together. “And why not, wife? I ask it of you every day.”
“Yes, well,” I smiled up at him and pushed closer, “every day is not my husband’s birthday.”
His eyes scanned my face again as his body went still but his arms got tight.
And today was his birthday. I learned he was thirty-eight that day. And it was going to be a day of fun and festivities. There were going to be games and dancing and parties and street vendors and, that night, fireworks set off on the ships in the sea.
I was dreading it. I would have to spend all day with his people all around, pretending they liked me. It was going to be torture.
What I was not dreading were my plans for him.
I was going to bake him a birthday cake.
I had no money (anything I bought in the village was tallied up and sent as a bill to Perdita to pay) and I had no way of earning money and I didn’t want him to have to pay for his own birthday present.
So I was going to give him something from my world.
I was going to make him a red velvet cake (without the red, of course, because I was pretty sure they didn’t have red food dye). I was going to do this because it was the only cake I knew how to make by memory and also it was a freaking great cake.
I just hoped I could find all the ingredients.
“And what do you have planned for my birthday, my sweet?” Tor asked quietly, regaining my attention.
“Again, honey, you’re not allowed to ask.” My hand slid from his chest to his jaw and I whispered, “You’ll see.”
His eyes moved over my face again before he replied, “What I see is, whatever it is, I should look forward to it.”
“Oh yes,” I returned.
His fingers dug into my hip, he dipped his head to brush my lips with his and when he pulled away he murmured, “Then I’ll leave you to it.”