her. Still, on the off-chance that he would keep his word, or make good his threat, it seemed better to be friendly.
The servants weren't helping matters. They obviously assumed James had cowed her yesterday. Well, he had, but they thought she was still cowed today. He didn't disillusion them by explaining there was a carrot as well as a stick involved. The maid kept giving Tabitha looks that said, "I knew you wouldn't last." The manservant just looked pityingly at her. She kept reminding herself that she'd won -- he'd agreed to send her home. But she wondered if he'd just given her the right excuse to give in. He'd lied to her before. He hadn't even promised not to lie again. He'd just promised to keep her safe. If that entailed deceiving her so that she would eat, he'd probably have no compunction against that.
Despite her misgivings, Tabitha found it had been harder to stay mad at James than it was to get along with him. He actually could be charming when he chose. He was certainly autocratic, but growing up as the youngest in a royal family, she was used to being bossed around. That made it too easy to forgive him. Still, the circumstances were strange. She had never been alone with any man other than a guard, her father or her brother. She wasn't allowed to befriend the guards, and there was nothing fatherly or brotherly about James. She wasn't even convinced he had a clear understanding of "friendly." His treatment of her seemed more like courtship. She had to stay alert.
That evening James shocked her by wishing her goodnight from his seat by the fireplace. Tabitha went to bed with a clear head for the first time in two weeks. (The night after she'd tried digging out didn't count since she'd been too exhausted to think straight.) Sleep eluded her. She might be going home in a few days! Or he might change his mind again. If he did, she would have to figure out some way to escape. Tunneling might get her under the boundary, if she had enough time. It might also get her buried alive. And where would she go after? Not down the only path. It took too long to get anywhere. Valstadt was almost certainly south, but it would be hard to keep her path straight in this forest. If James didn't release her, then the next time he left she'd have to try, but she had little hope of success. And she'd only have one chance. If he caught her, he'd never leave her alone and conscious again.
To distract herself from useless worry, Tabitha listened for the night noises of the forest. She was surprised by the stillness of it. The nights they had slept outside traveling here had been full of crickets, owls and other animal sounds. The only sound she could hear now was James's snoring. It wasn't loud, but it amused her. She'd never been awake while he was asleep before. If she did go home, she'd probably never see him again. Shouldn't she feel relief at that thought? Tabitha wondered what the gardener would do with the spot where his statue had stood all those years. Thinking about the gardens, her siblings and other things of home, her mind finally wandered off into sleep.
Like when she'd slept outside, her dreams crowded together, but when she awoke she couldn't remember any of them.
There were fresh-cut lilacs on the breakfast table. This was particularly surprising since not only had Tabitha never noticed lilac bushes in the yard (and she certainly would have with the amount of time she'd spent inspecting every inch of it), but it was late summer and they shouldn't have been blooming. They were obviously from James.
After breakfast, instead of retiring to his study as he usually had, he suggested they move up their walk. They headed through the woods in a new direction, but still ended up where the stream emerged from it's underground journey. They sat on a fallen tree trunk nearby, enjoying the sound of the water.
"What are you going to do after I leave?" Tabitha asked.
"King Fenril was never one of my allies. Actually, he
The servants weren't helping matters. They obviously assumed James had cowed her yesterday. Well, he had, but they thought she was still cowed today. He didn't disillusion them by explaining there was a carrot as well as a stick involved. The maid kept giving Tabitha looks that said, "I knew you wouldn't last." The manservant just looked pityingly at her. She kept reminding herself that she'd won -- he'd agreed to send her home. But she wondered if he'd just given her the right excuse to give in. He'd lied to her before. He hadn't even promised not to lie again. He'd just promised to keep her safe. If that entailed deceiving her so that she would eat, he'd probably have no compunction against that.
Despite her misgivings, Tabitha found it had been harder to stay mad at James than it was to get along with him. He actually could be charming when he chose. He was certainly autocratic, but growing up as the youngest in a royal family, she was used to being bossed around. That made it too easy to forgive him. Still, the circumstances were strange. She had never been alone with any man other than a guard, her father or her brother. She wasn't allowed to befriend the guards, and there was nothing fatherly or brotherly about James. She wasn't even convinced he had a clear understanding of "friendly." His treatment of her seemed more like courtship. She had to stay alert.
That evening James shocked her by wishing her goodnight from his seat by the fireplace. Tabitha went to bed with a clear head for the first time in two weeks. (The night after she'd tried digging out didn't count since she'd been too exhausted to think straight.) Sleep eluded her. She might be going home in a few days! Or he might change his mind again. If he did, she would have to figure out some way to escape. Tunneling might get her under the boundary, if she had enough time. It might also get her buried alive. And where would she go after? Not down the only path. It took too long to get anywhere. Valstadt was almost certainly south, but it would be hard to keep her path straight in this forest. If James didn't release her, then the next time he left she'd have to try, but she had little hope of success. And she'd only have one chance. If he caught her, he'd never leave her alone and conscious again.
To distract herself from useless worry, Tabitha listened for the night noises of the forest. She was surprised by the stillness of it. The nights they had slept outside traveling here had been full of crickets, owls and other animal sounds. The only sound she could hear now was James's snoring. It wasn't loud, but it amused her. She'd never been awake while he was asleep before. If she did go home, she'd probably never see him again. Shouldn't she feel relief at that thought? Tabitha wondered what the gardener would do with the spot where his statue had stood all those years. Thinking about the gardens, her siblings and other things of home, her mind finally wandered off into sleep.
Like when she'd slept outside, her dreams crowded together, but when she awoke she couldn't remember any of them.
There were fresh-cut lilacs on the breakfast table. This was particularly surprising since not only had Tabitha never noticed lilac bushes in the yard (and she certainly would have with the amount of time she'd spent inspecting every inch of it), but it was late summer and they shouldn't have been blooming. They were obviously from James.
After breakfast, instead of retiring to his study as he usually had, he suggested they move up their walk. They headed through the woods in a new direction, but still ended up where the stream emerged from it's underground journey. They sat on a fallen tree trunk nearby, enjoying the sound of the water.
"What are you going to do after I leave?" Tabitha asked.
"King Fenril was never one of my allies. Actually, he
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