“Lady Marian’s a hearth witch, isn’t she?” Tarl said, making the question close to a demand. “She’ll spend the rest of the summer fretting if this side is put to rights and the other side is left so untidy. We’ve got two days and”—he looked around as men shifted to make room for newcomers—“plenty of hands to do the job.”

Lucivar closed his eyes and accepted that he’d kicked the first pebble, so he couldn’t complain—too much—about the avalanche that came out of it. “Fine.”

“Right, then,” Tarl said, rubbing his hands together. “The first thing we have to do is move those rocks.”

Why am I here? Marian asked herself as she looked around the two-story building packed with furniture.

“Tell me again why I’m here?” the man beside her asked.

Jaenelle looked over her shoulder at him. “Because you’re male.”

“And I’m being punished for this because . . . ?”

“You’re Lucivar’s father.”

He sighed. “I thought that would be the answer.” He paused, then added, “Lucivar wanted to select his own furnishings. He said so. Several times.”

Jaenelle turned to face them. “That’s what he said. He changed his mind, and he picked me to do the shopping for him. And I picked the two of you to help me.” She smiled at her helpers in a way that was not the least bit reassuring.

Marian glanced at the man to see what his reaction would be. Lucivar’s father. S. D. SaDiablo. That was how Jaenelle had introduced him when they’d all settled into the Coach for the journey to Nharkhava. It was only because Luci—Prince Yaslana had mentioned it that she knew his father was the Steward of the Dark Court at Ebon Askavi. Being the Steward of the most powerful Queen in Kaeleer made him a very influential man. And yet, here he was, helping his daughter buy furniture for his son.

Of course, his daughter was the Queen of Ebon Askavi and his son was the Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih. But still . . .

So it brought her back to the question of why she, a Purple Dusk hearth witch, was here with them. Surely they weren’t interested in the opinions of Prince Yaslana’s housekeeper.

“If we’re going to select furniture for all the rooms Lucivar intends to use, at least for the immediate future, I suggest we split up,” Prince SaDiablo said. “We’ll be able to look at more of what’s being offered.”

“Good idea,” Jaenelle said. “I’ll start over there.” As she turned, one of the men who had been hovering nearby leaped forward to meet her. She smiled at him.

“I’ll take a look at the dining room furniture,” Prince SaDiablo said. His hand lightly brushed Marian’s shoulder. “Why don’t you accompany Jaenelle?”

“Oh,” Marian said. “Wouldn’t you rather—”