He wouldn’t be here right now if he didn’t. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Have you ever argued over your orders or tried to get out of them?”
“No, ma’am.” He wiped his thumb against his nose and looked away.
“That was my only point, Master Carter,” she said, sagging a little in her chair. “I can even relate to it. We have more common ground than you think—”
“I think it’s obvious we have nothing in common, my lady.” He shoved away from the table and stood. “I’ll be excused if I may.”
He didn’t wait for her permission to leave. As he yanked the door closed behind him, he caught a glimpse of her face, flushed with anger.
To think he’d actually liked her at first. She’d seemed rather unpretentious, but she was just as bad as the girls around the table, knowledgeable only about fashion and book learning.
He stomped back to the barracks, ignoring everyone he passed. Halfway there he realized he should probably tell somebody he’d left those dishes in the library, but he decided Lady Sagerra could find someone to take care of them. Soldiers were too stupid to know what to do unless someone gave them directions, anyway.
A part of his mind whispered that it wasn’t her fault. A woman, especially one raised in the sleepy farmlands of Crescera, wouldn’t have needed to know anything about the army. She admitted she’d never met a soldier. If he hadn’t been acting the part of a wagon driver, he could’ve shown her just how educated he was, could’ve explained that the best soldiers were thinkers.
But she hadn’t been that far off on the importance of following orders.
He reached the captain’s door before he realized it. A quick glance around told him the passage was empty, but he went ahead and knocked a code on the wood. After waiting a few seconds with no answer, he opened the door and went in to write his report.
14
DARNESSA LOOKED UP from her embroidery as her apprentice poked her head in the door. “Just wanted to say I’m turning in,” Sage said.
“Did you get supper?”
“Yes, a servant brought me some in the library. I figured you sent him.”
Darnessa nodded. “I did. You really shouldn’t avoid the ladies so much.”
“I had a lot of work to finish.” Sage hesitated. “Did you know that servant was actually one of the soldiers from the escort?”
“Really?”
Sage opened the door wider, then stepped inside and leaned against it to close it. “He said he was just making himself useful, but I think he was really observing for Captain Quinn.”
Darnessa chuckled. “You should have heard the girls at dinner mooning over the officers. They’d be all too pleased to learn the men are spying on them.” She glanced up and saw Sage frowning pensively. “Does that surprise you?”
“I suppose it makes sense from a military standpoint.” Sage shrugged. “We’re under their care.”
Trust Sage to completely ignore the romance of the idea.
“I thought at first he’d be a good source of information on the officers,” she continued. “So I started the usual routine to get him talking.”
The anger in Sage’s voice made Darnessa look up. “Did it not go well?”
“No.” She stood straight and threw her hands up. “He got all bent out of shape! All I did was ask him what kind of schooling he had.”
“And of course you didn’t come across as condescending.” Darnessa shook her head and looked back down.
“It’s not my fault he’s ignorant!”
Darnessa sighed. “Not everyone enjoys book learning as much as you, Sage.”
“A whole lot of good it does me in this job.” Sage folded her arms across her chest and leaned on the door again.
Darnessa grimaced. “Then perhaps you should focus instead on the things that will help you do your job. Like getting to know those girls.” The matchmaker pointed to the door behind Sage. “We’ll need to find matches that will suit them.”
“You already chose the girls,” Sage protested. “What more is there to do until we get there?”
“How can you expect to be able to match them properly if you don’t get to know them?”
“I know what they think of me.”
“And whose fault is that? It took you less than two minutes to start flinging insults this morning.”
Sage’s face went scarlet, but she said nothing. Darnessa watched her until she started to twist her hands. “Did you get this soldier’s name, in case I hear about it?”
“Ash Carter. He’s a wagon driver.” Sage was staring into the fireplace and didn’t notice Darnessa jump.
Ash Carter!
Darnessa quickly looked back at her sewing. While most knew the king had a son named Ash—one of the most common names for a boy born out of wedlock—very few knew his mother’s last name was Carter. His official surname was Devlinore. The illegitimate son served discreetly under General Quinn alongside the crown prince, and using his mother’s name was logical. If this was him, it was a huge stroke of luck.
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed it would be him, taking advantage of the chance to visit his family and friends in Tennegol. And he wasn’t an officer—there was no limit on when he could be matched. She tried to remember the young man from dinner. He was dark in complexion. Both his and the prince’s mothers had been from Aristel, so that fit. Sage might be able to uncover the truth for her, assuming she hadn’t done too much damage. “Did you talk about anything else with him?”
“We were actually having a nice chat. He seemed like someone I’d get along with if I didn’t have to act like one of the brides.”
There was a touch of regret in Sage’s voice, which gratified Darnessa, but something else set off a fine-tuned sense in the matchmaker. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t tell the other soldiers about tonight. It will only make learning about them harder.”
Sage flinched. Good. After she cooled off she’d see apologizing was necessary. Darnessa just had to let her think it was her own idea.
“Better get some rest, then,” Darnessa said finally. “We start early tomorrow.”
Sage nodded wearily. “Good night.”
Darnessa waited until the door closed behind the girl before letting loose the smile she’d been holding back.
Oh, wild Sage, I will pair you up yet.
15
QUINN WAS STUDYING a parchment covered in notes when Charlie brought him dinner. A glance at the time candle told him the page should have been in bed long ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to scold his brother for trying to take care of him. The plate lay untouched as the officers filed into the room and stood side by side later. He continued frowning at the page for several seconds before placing it on one of the stacks spread around him and looked up.