Coins and Daggers by Patrice Hannah

Author:Patrice Hannah
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, love, historical romance, medieval romance

Audelia blinked a few times, now growing aware of the gentle tugging on her left arm. Giving herself a mental shake, she willed her heart rate to slow down and turned to glance at Her Ladyship, who was sporting quite a deep frown.

“My...my apologies, Your Ladyship. You were saying?”

“I was telling you of the fun my brother and I used to have here as children.” Lady Ryia touched Audelia on the arm, her countenance drawn with deep concern. “Are you alright, Lia?”

Not at all. “Yes, I’m alright.” She pasted on a smile just to seal the deal. “I was just caught up in memory is all. You remember that friend I told you about? The one I haven’t seen in a while?”

Lady Ryia smiled warmly. “Of course. If only you knew where she was, I’m sure you’d visit her.”

Audelia nodded. She did know where Jocelyn was. It was the risk of running into Madame de Lucci or the Dextrems that worried her. “At the earliest opportunity. So Your Ladyship, you were mentioning something about when you were a girl?”

That seemed to divert Lady Ryia’s thoughts rather quickly and she giggled like a schoolgirl. “Yes. I’m sure you’ve met my brother on a couple occasions.”

Audelia’s cheeks burned hotly, lowering her head as she nodded. She’d done a bit more that meet Lord St. Rosso. Still, memories of the previous night threaded through her mind and made her blood heat with a longing that she’d never experienced until then. She had not seen him since they’d parted ways to their separate bedchambers, him to no doubt a luxurious one and Audelia, to her own just outside the servants’ quarters. And at that point she had lay curled up in her small bed, smiling like a ninny, and replaying the memories of his tender sweet strokes and warm kisses over and over and over again in her head.

“I have.”

“Then you know how...withdrawn he can be. Surely, the rest of the staff talks about it.” Lady Ryia shook her head. “It’s a pity though, for he hasn’t always been like that.”

Audelia cocked her head. He hadn’t been like that last night either. “Really?” She tried to sound surprised by it.

“You’d best believe it, Lia. When we were children, Bryce was a darling. He loved company and had many friends. We played together in this garden until Mother had promised to give us both a proper spanking.” Lady Ryia laughed, a hearty laugh that brought tears to her eyes. “I had ripped far too many gowns and he had completely worn out the seats of his trousers.”

Audelia chuckled, trying to picture Lord St. Rosso as a boy with his beautiful green eyes and charming face. He possibly had been a pretty little fellow back then. “Sounds as if you had a great childhood.”

“We did,” she remarked, her smile short-lived and quickly growing into a dejected frown. “I believe...everything changed when Father passed. Mother had been inconsolable. So was I, if I am to truly admit it.

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