She didn’t say much of anything anymore. At least, not to him.

“It’s not over,” he told his reflection. “You’ve kept your best weapons sheathed, old son. Maybe it’s time to remind your Lady what you can offer a woman, remind her that you’re hers for the taking. If you don’t play this game out to the full and you lose because of it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. It’s not over until she asks you to leave, so give her a reason to want you to stay.”

Turning away from the mirror, he slipped into the robe, poured a snifter of brandy, and settled in the chair to take care of the work that had brought him to Amdarh. If he could get through the business that required his immediate attention, he’d have time to take care of some personal errands in the morning before meeting with Marcus—and he’d be home with Jaenelle by tonight.

2

Daemon left the town house and strode down the sidewalk, his hands in the pockets of his wool coat, the collar flipped up to shield his neck from the bite of winter air. The walkways and streets were clear of snow, which made it easy to enjoy a brisk morning walk.

Personal errands first. As night gave way to dawn, he’d realized the only way to battle doubt was by feeding hope. He knew what he wanted more than anything else, and this would be a small step in the right direction.

The bookseller he patronized was his first stop, and the man barely had time to open his store before Daemon arrived. Today, browsing wasn’t a temptation, so he simply looked at the books the man had set aside for him. Reading was Jaenelle’s main entertainment these days, so every time he came to Amdarh on business, he made a point of stopping at the store. He selected three of the six books that had been set aside, but asked the bookseller to hold the others until he returned to the city in a fortnight. Buying them but not giving her all of them seemed dishonest, as if he were withholding a treat. Delaying the purchase gave him the pleasure of bringing her something new each time he had to leave the Hall on family business, and he needed to give her anything he could.