The Lover's Leap: An Epic Fantasy Romance (The Thieves of Tutovl) by Callie Chase

Author:Callie Chase [Chase, Callie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Callie Chase
Published: 2022-11-17T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Nine

If my mother’s discovery of the death mask, of me in my father’s cottage, or even of me in Syndrian’s arms seemed like the prelude to a warm mother-daughter bonding moment… Well, I had no expectation of such a thing. And Lady Lombard did not disappoint.

We rode home in silence, my mother leading the way on her mare. I followed on Poet, my chin low, lost to my worries. I couldn’t shake my curiosity over whether the cabin was ablaze back in the village. If the neighboring cabins would be compromised or worse. I couldn’t imagine my mother burning down one structure and ruining the homes, and even the lives, of countless others as a consequence. Finally, unable to bear the silence and the stiffness of my mother’s back any longer, I blurted out a question.

“Mother, should we have stayed? To make sure no other cabins were—”

Lady Lombard drew her horse to a halt and threw a disdainful look over her shoulder. Gracefully holding a torch in one hand, she nudged her mare to turn and face me. We were alone on the path to the Lombard estate, but she peered behind me and around us before speaking. “I am not a murderer.” Her words were quiet, deliberate. “While deadly outcomes are often necessary in our family’s line of work, I do not take innocent lives for sport.”

She urged her horse close so the mare’s muzzle bumped Poet’s. “I contained the destruction to only one cabin. Your conscience may remain clear.” The dark glare on her perfect features bored into my heart as she added, “Of burning your father’s cottage, at least.”

Then she prodded her horse to canter, forcing me to keep pace on Poet. I’d not packed a torch, so unless I relished being left under the night sky, an enticing snack for the vengersax, I would follow her.

My mother remained rigid and quiet as we rode the horses to the stable. Letti extinguished our traveling torch and accepted the cloak I handed her, but my mother raised a hand to intervene.

“Did I not tell you to have that garment cleaned, Palmeria?”

“Yes, you did, Mother.” I met the girl’s eyes and pressed my lips into what I hoped she could see was a wordless apology. She handed me back the cloak, and I nodded.

Mother and I walked back to the manor, where we were immediately met by Norwin.

“Good evening, Lady Lombard, Miss Lombard. Shall I have dinner served? Tea, perhaps?”

“Norwin, have this cleaned and returned to the stable hand.” My mother didn’t look at me as she spoke. At her instruction, I handed Norwin the cloak.

He looked at it as though it were crawling with maggots but accepted the garment without comment.

“My daughter will take dinner in her room,” my mother instructed, and then she set a foot on the stone stairs.

“And yourself, milady?” Norwin groused. “Shall I bring a meal?”

My mother did not respond, just held up a hand as if to silence him and continued her walk upstairs.

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