Philip, on the other hand, became brutally terse, tossing the day’s itinerary at Daemon and spitting out verbal orders. He also joined Daemon and the girls for their morning walk, putting Jaenelle and Wilhelmina on either side of him, forcing Daemon to follow behind.

Neither man’s reaction pleased Daemon, and Leland’s pretending to be oblivious to the mounting tension pleased him even less. She wasn’t as frothy or feather-headed as he’d first thought. When they played cards alone and she concentrated on the game, he saw the quiet cunning in her, the skill at dissembling so that, superficially at least, she fit into Robert’s circle of society.

None of that explained why she was using him as a tease. Philip was jealous enough of his brother’s right to stretch out in Leland’s bed. She didn’t have to flaunt another male at him.

Daemon curbed his impatience and concentrated on the cards. Leland’s reason for watching the clock was no concern of his. He had his own reasons for wanting the evening to end.

Finally dismissed, Daemon headed for the Craft library. Finding it empty, he throttled the desire to destroy the room out of frustration.

That was the most irritating part about Leland’s sudden attention. Jaenelle always took a nocturnal ramble around midnight, ending in the library, where he usually found her poring over some of the old Craft books. He kept his intrusions brief, never asked why she was roaming the house at that hour, and was rewarded with equally brief, although sometimes startling, snippets of conversation.

Those snippets fascinated him. They were an unsettling blend of innocence and dark perception, ignorance and knowledge. If, during their conversation, he managed to note the book and the section she was reading, he could sometimes, if he worked at it, untangle a little of what she’d said. Other times he felt as if he were holding a handful of pieces to a jigsaw puzzle the size of Chaillot itself. It was infuriating—and it was wonderful.

Daemon had almost given up waiting when the door suddenly opened and Jaenelle popped into the room. Twitching his hips out of the way so she wouldn’t brush against him below the waist—something he’d taken great care to avoid since he wasn’t sure what his physical reaction would be—he put his hand on her shoulder to steady her and keep her from bolting when she realized someone was in the room.

He felt a giddy pleasure when she wasn’t surprised to see him. As he closed the door and lit the shaded candle-light, her right hand fluffed her hair, something she did when thinking.

“Do you like to play cards?” she asked when they’d settled on the dark brown leather couch, a discreet distance between them.

“Yes, I do,” Daemon replied cautiously. Did nothing go on in this house that she didn’t know about? That idea didn’t please him. If she knew about his playing cards with Leland, what did she know, or understand, about his required visits to Alexandra’s room?