Page 6 of Trapped By Vengeance
Eloise leans forward without getting her hair or sleeves into her porridge. “He adopted me and has no missus for you to contend with.”
Konrad bows his head for a moment, and I see a trace of a flush spreading across his face to stain the tips of his ears.
I do my best to keep my smile from taking a predatory bend as I pat his hand twice before withdrawing. “That is certainly a relief. I most certainly would not desire a duel this morning when I was looking forward to a much more pleasant outing.”
Konrad chuckles in surprise until Eloise quirks an eyebrow at him. He immediately sobers and gestures for the barmaid to approach. “The morning special for my friend here.”
The woman turns to me, her face well past the first flush of youth with her low-cut gown doing its best to distract from that. She smiles. “Of course, my dear. Coming right up—”
As sweet as it is for Konrad to offer to pay when he knows my title and the moneybags attached to it, I shake my head. “No need. I dined in my room.”
Shrugging, the barmaid gives Konrad an additional mug of ale anyway and then bounces off without forcing food into my mouth. Konrad offers the extra drink to me even as the stench of his guilt strengthens.
Since there is no good excuse I can give, I take it. Then I raise my mug to Konrad and Eloise, the latter of which has only water in her cup. “To a pleasant morn.”
Then I bring the drink to my lips and do my best to ignore the taste of ashes. At least with ale, there’s a trace of bitterness intermixed with the ash.
It’s an acquired taste.
Thankfully, my companions for the day break their fast quickly, and then we all stride outside together. The salty fresh air blows against my skin, playing coquettishly with my hair. I wish I could stand forever beneath this awning and enjoy the sea’s caress. But I have a busy day ahead, so I pull the blue velvet hood of my cloak over my head and step into the road.
Eloise gives me a curious look, her forest green eyes too perceptive for my liking.
Thankfully, Konrad doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss as he offers me his arm. “The most important thing to see in Trotzdem is the beach, so we’ll stop there.”
I grin up at him, using my free hand to pat his arm. My hood is enchanted to stay in its place against any trial of the wind, or else I’d have to attend to it rather than engaging in subtle flirtations. As long as no one actively tugs it away, I’m safe.
Thank the three Heavens for my father’s elvish alchemist.
Konrad guides us toward the sea, stopping when he sees a flower girl that looks the same age as little Eloise.
The child’s dress is far rattier than Konrad’s daughter’s, and she tries to hide that fact behind her giant basket of wildflowers. “A pfennig for your pick.”
I expect Konrad to brush past the girl like my father would. Instead, he grins widely at her.
“A pfennig for cuckoo? My lady friends will think I’m cheap!” He digs into the leather pouch secured on his belt next to his sword and digs out a silver denarius.
The flower girl’s eyes widen as he places it in her hand. For a moment, she is utterly speechless as he takes two stems scattered with white-pink blooms half the length of them.
He hands those blooms to Eloise— her brows, which furrowed in worry when he offered that coin, smooth into glee.
“Your favorite, Milady.” Konrad tells her before turning back to the flower girl.
The child thrusts the basket at him. “You can have all these blooms, Sire!”
“I only need one more for the other pretty lady in my company.” Konrad winks conspiratorially at her before helping himself to the bleeding heart in the basket.
My jaw drops slightly as he presents me the stem bearing dark pink blooms shaped like hearts. It is far from the standard bloom to offer a girl one is courting— I’ve certainly received more than my fair share of roses, tulips, and cornflowers. This, though, is a bloom myvater’s alchemist uses in my tonic perfume. Has Konrad detected that scent on me and deduced I favored it?
“How kind of you,” I breathe as the flower girl rushes away before Konrad can change his mind.
“It is but a fraction of the beauty you offer with your presence,” Konrad says in a tone that almost doesn’t sound rehearsed.
Eloise rolls her eyes behind him before becoming distracted smelling her cuckoos.
Konrad reaches to slide the bleeding heart behind my ear before realizing that only works with stems bearing a single bloom.
I take mercy on his fluster and take hold of his wrist. Then I direct it so he’s holding the stem downward. This makes it far easier to slide down the front of my corset, so that the flowers catch on the top of the bodice, their blooms a draping embellishment.