Although…Prince Henrick had gradually changed the laws here in Axian to allow women to wear pants, work, and join the army. Henrick had taken over Axian around the same time Brianna married, which meant she’d grown up under King Broc’s rule.

The elements of her mother that Reid found intriguing—the clothes and weapons—had been hidden from plain sight. Which probably meant Brianna had been one person in the manor and another while out in society. Maybe Reid and her mother weren’t so different after all.

During supper, Reid spent the entire time asking questions about her mother. Her grandparents indulged her, telling her everything they could about Brianna’s life as a child—she’d always seemed to get into trouble; painting and drawing had been her favorite pastimes; and bread loaded with butter was her favorite food. They’d never mentioned anything about her mother knowing how to shoot a bow or wield a sword, though.

After Constance and Gregor retired for the night, Reid meandered to the sitting room where the fire slowly died in the hearth. Her mind buzzed with everything that had happened today.

Dexter sat on the sofa next to her, his legs propped on the low table. “I don’t know how to break it to you, so I’m just going to say it. Your grandparents are lying to you about something.”

“Why do you think that?”

“During supper, they kept glancing at one another. They seemed…uncomfortable.”

Reid had noticed that, too. However, she’d assumed it was because her visit was unexpected. Or maybe because they were nervous with a prince in the house.

“Let’s snoop,” he said.

“I am not going to snoop in my grandparents’ home.” She folded her arms.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s wrong.”

“They’re your family.”

“Precisely.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. But mark my words, they’re hiding something.”

Letting her head fall back against the sofa, she asked, “Where’s the closest village?”

“About a mile west. Why?”

“I need to clear my head. Let’s go.” Besides wanting to see more of where her mother had grown up, Reid needed to get out of the manor so she could look at the situation objectively. And she wasn’t tired enough to retire for the night.

Instead of arguing as she’d expected, Dexter stood and went to the door, putting on a cape.

Reid also grabbed a cape, wrapping it around her body. The chilly night air engulfed Reid as they exited the manor, making her shiver. They walked along the road, which led straight into the village. It was much larger than she’d expected, with several streets and stores. Since it was after supper, there weren’t many people out and about, giving the place a sedate feel. Only a few lights shone from within the buildings.