Shalador's Lady

she asked.
    “Did I do the right thing?”
    “How big a loan did you give them?” she asked.
    “Five million gold marks.”
    She laughed softly. “That explains why they both looked like they couldn’t remember how to breathe when you brought them back from the village and couldn’t string words together in a coherent sentence all through dinner.”
    “Jaenelle, did I do the right thing?”
    “Why would you ask that?
    “Because Dena Nehele is going to fall.”
    She rested a hand over his heart. “Daemon, pretend you never heard that. Act as if you’d never heard that. That’s what I’m going to do.”
    “In that case, I’m going to talk to Lord Burle about doing a bit of work on my new properties in Eyota.”
    “You could also offer those properties as training ground if there were any youngsters in that village who wanted to learn the carpenter’s trade and Lord Burle was willing to teach them.”
    “I could, could I?”
    She gave him a kiss that was warm and sweet. Then she grinned. “Yes, my darling Prince, you could.”

CHAPTER 18
    TERREILLE
    “T heran has hired the cook from the best dining house in Grayhaven to make the meal for this dinner party,” Kermilla said as she, Correne, and her escorts, Lords Bardoc and Kenjim, drove to the place where they were meeting up with her two adorable Warlords, Garth and Brok. “Considering what a copper-pincher Theran is, these guests must be very important.”
    Correne rolled her eyes. “But not interesting. Warlord Princes?” She shuddered dramatically. “Why waste a good meal on them? It’s not like they’ll know the difference since they’re always fighting or living in the rogue camps.”
    Glancing back at the unamused expressions of her men, Kermilla whispered. “Stop that. It’s disrespectful.”
    “But it’s true. ”
    Hard to argue with that. Theran plowed through food she could barely swallow, and didn’t care if a dish was bland or the potatoes were lumpy. In fact, as long as it didn’t have dirt on it and was cooked enough that it wasn’t still running, he didn’t complain. Since he would be taking care of her residence when she became Queen, she was going to have to improve his palate. Then they would have the kind of dinner parties that would impress the aristos here in Dena Nehele.
    “True or not, you don’t say things like that when other men are around. If it gets back to the Warlord Princes, it will cause trouble.”
    Correne looked over her shoulder at Bardoc and Kenjim, then looked at Kermilla. “They belong to you, so they won’t go telling tales about you. And I heard in the stables that this carriage driver had his tongue cut out so he couldn’t tell tales.”
    Kermilla winced. No, her men wouldn’t tell tales on her, but they didn’t feel the same loyalty to Correne, which was something the girl couldn’t get through her head. She acted like the men wouldn’t dare say anything.
    It might be useful to find out why the Queens here felt that way.
    Then they were at the meeting place. Brok and Garth clambered into the seats behind the driver, all smiles and young-man juice.
    “We’re having a special dinner at the house tomorrow, so Correne and I need to do some shopping.”
    “Invite us to this dinner,” Brok said. “We’ll show you how to make it special.”
    It was tempting to have someone besides Correne to talk to, but Theran had emphasized several times that these Warlord Princes were coming to meet her, talk to her, so she couldn’t have her own little party at one end of the table.
    “Can’t.” Kermilla gave them a pretty pout. “But we’ll do something fun together soon. Driver, take us to the marketplace in the landen part of town.”
    “No!” Garth sounded alarmed.
    “Whyever not?” Kermilla asked. “Driver, move on.”
    “We can’t, ” Brok said, his voice full of bitter hatred. “Queen’s orders. If we cross into their part of town, we’ll be exiled from Dena Nehele.”
    Kermilla stared at them, too shocked to speak. “Why would Cassidy do that?”
    “No reason,” Garth muttered. “We were just having a little fun, and then she and that damn dog started raving.”
    “Dog?” Kermilla frowned. “Oh, the kindred Sceltie.”
    “Why don’t you have one of those smart dogs?” Correne asked. “When I set up my court, I’m going to insist on having one of them. I think it would be quite amusing.”
    “They’re more trouble than they’re worth,” Kermilla muttered.