“Yes, that would explain why I hadn’t heard of her.” He paused and looked her over as she tried not to squirm. “You look like someone who enjoys being out of doors.”
Her complexion. He was commenting on her freckles. Now Sage wished she’d worn that ridiculous hat. She ducked her head and tried to look embarrassed. “This past winter was so confining, I’m afraid I overindulged in sunshine once spring arrived, Your Grace.”
Her host gave her a genuine smile. “My dear, that is a sentiment I truly understand. Even years since arriving here, the mountain winters make me long for the mild climate of Mondelea I knew as a child.” What had started as a wistful statement ended with a note of bitterness. His hand tightened on hers.
He’d been very young when his family came to Tasmet, and they’d lived in near poverty before that, but he plainly remembered his childhood home with longing. Sage went with a combination of empathy and flattery. “Your Grace shows me there is no shame in missing what I left behind in my own home.”
His hand relaxed. “No, my lady, there is none at all.” He bent down to kiss her hand. “I hope you will enjoy your time here and find pleasure in your new home, wherever it shall be.”
“I thank Your Grace from the bottom of my heart,” Sage murmured, lowering her eyes again as she sank into a curtsy.
The matchmaker curtsied to the duke and led Sage away. “Nicely done,” Darnessa said in her ear. “Now go enjoy yourself, but don’t forget you have a job, too.”
Her employer didn’t realize how much more than matching information was at stake. Perhaps Quinn hadn’t told her everything after all. Sage hated keeping her in the dark, but as protective as Darnessa could be, it wasn’t a good idea to tell her anything yet. At any rate, this wasn’t the place to do so.
Clare was already dancing with Lieutenant Gramwell, so Sage mingled in the crowds, seeking to put names to faces. Amusingly, she found the caricatured impressions by the young men from their last stop were accurate enough for her to identify several nobles present. Not all the intended grooms had arrived yet; many higher, married Tasmet nobles were here, Sage suspected, to seal their allegiance to Duke D’Amiran before he took action. Once they departed, the others would have places to stay in the fortress. She hoped the comings and goings would delay D’Amiran’s plan to wed the women to his allies for a few critical days.
Judging from the steady stream of young men who approached her for dances, she was an unexpected bonus in terms of the brides and would probably be awarded to someone the duke found loyal. That was, if her image as a highborn lady held. Sage took in the vast hall full of loyal supporters, knowing their combined assets, and compared it to the size of their own honor guard. She began to wonder if she should find a man who might like her enough to protect her—should the worst come to pass.
Yet she could never turn her back on Ash and the other soldiers. Win or lose, she would be firmly on their side, even if the latter meant losing everything.
As if bidden by her thoughts, Lieutenant Casseck appeared at her elbow. “I’m here to collect on my lady’s promise,” he said with a smile.
Sage took his hand, and he led her to the far end of the hall, where fewer people gathered. The duke was like the center of an archery target—like arrows, the density of people increased the closer one was to him. She was happy to avoid him, and as no one was close enough to overhear, she could also speak more freely.
“How did you find my notes from this morning?” she asked. “Were they helpful?”
“Most impressive,” Casseck said. “Captain Quinn was very pleased.”
“I didn’t do it for him,” Sage said a little bitterly.
“He’s grateful nonetheless.” Casseck twirled her around, keeping her back to the duke and those who orbited around him. She found herself facing an ornate window depicting General Falco D’Amiran driving the Kimisar out of Tasmet.
“When will he act on it?” No one paid them any attention, but she kept her phrases carefully neutral.
“It’s done.”
Sage missed a step in the dance. “Already?”
“Charlie wasn’t even late to bed.”
Of course Quinn had used his little brother. Sage gritted her teeth. “I’m glad he found the boy useful.”
Casseck raised an eyebrow. “I understand your concern, but I’m not sure who else you think could have done it.”
Sage turned her head, unwilling to admit he was right. Casseck swung her a little to the left, and she found herself looking at the stained-glass window again. “When did things go sour between the royals and the D’Amirans?” she asked to change the subject. “The Great War brought the family back into favor, but things went sour quickly.” She nodded at the window.
Casseck glanced over his shoulder. “I’m surprised you don’t know. It had to do with the Concordium twenty years ago.”
The more Sage learned about matchmakers and the power they wielded, the more she was convinced they secretly ran the country. “I haven’t been Mistress Rodelle’s apprentice that long. What happened?”
“Apparently the good duke came home empty-handed. He was offered several matches but refused all of them.”
“Sounds like he wanted someone he couldn’t have.”
Casseck shrugged. “Some say he wanted Gabriella Carey, but she married King Raymond a year before that, so I think the theory is off.”
Quinn’s mother was a Carey—Queen Gabriella’s younger sister. She’d married Captain Pendleton Quinn around the time of her sister’s engagement, but it had been a quiet affair for a union of such powerful families. The fanfare over the king’s nuptials had overshadowed it, she supposed.
The dance they were doing involved several turns, yet Sage always found herself facing the window. “Are you trying to keep my back to everybody?” she asked, slightly exasperated.
Guilt flashed across his face. “I, ah, just like being able to keep an eye on the whole room. Soldier’s habit.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that,” she said. “I’m just glad you aren’t embarrassed to be seen with the lowest lady of them all.”
“From what I’ve seen tonight, my lady, very few have such reservations.” He angled her a little to the side for a change.
“Was it just my perception, or did you have trouble finding me in the crowd earlier?”
“I did. You look … different.” He winced. “I hope that didn’t come across as insulting.”
Sage barely heard that last part. Her heart was hammering at the thought of someone who knew her as well as Casseck not recognizing her.
Tomorrow she would test just how far that lack of recognition could get her.
49