But he was not addressing me.

He was looking at Ines.

“Scusa?” she asked.

“As you’re aware, you could also address Silence as ‘Your Grace’ or ‘Your Majesty,’” Mars declared. “But it is one of those three until she gives you leave to address her elsewise. You have slipped in this during our discourse, and Silence is too kind to correct you. That left doing so to me.”

Ines’s face hardened before she said dutifully to me, “And a goodnight to you too, my queen.”

“Mm,” I hummed before I began to make my escape from the room on a billow of the pale pink silk of my frock.

I did not make the doors before Mars called, “Do not remove that gown.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, turning his way.

“Do not remove that gown,” my husband repeated. “I’ll be doing it.”

I felt heat hit my cheeks, my eyes becoming slits, and then I turned again and swanned (I hoped) out of the room.

After the attack on the palace, Mars was taking no chances, so the hall was rife with guards, and thus I could not run to my chambers.

However, try as I might, I did not exactly walk sedately.

Upon arriving behind the doors to my chambers, I did run.

Directly to my dressing room, through it, and I knocked on the door to Tril’s room.

All right, I banged on it.

She took her time but opened it.

“Are you ready to prepare for bed, my queen?” she asked flatly.

“I was horrible because I’m quarreling with Mars, I do not know what Miet is, Elpis is at least a week away from arriving and…and…so much more I have not told you, my head is swimming in it.”

Her deserved pique instantly melted away as she moved into the room, saying, “Let’s prepare you for bed and you can tell me all about it,”

There was too much to tell for I hadn’t even told her about my father and my mother and…

With these thoughts, something unpleasant slithered through me.

I pushed them to the back of my mind and shook my head jerkily.

“No, I think Mars will be here shortly,” I told her. “And I think…I think that is good, for we need to get a few things straight.”

“Can I suggest you loosen a few things before you get them straight?”

I pushed thoughts of loosening things to the back of my mind as well, for I very much missed getting loose with Mars.

And to accomplish burying these thoughts, I wrapped my hand around Piccola, pulled her from my hair, cuddled her to my cheek and then held her out to Tril.

“You could take care of my darling for me.”

“I will,” Tril said, taking hold of Piccola. “And Silence.”

When she spoke no more, I asked, “What?”

“He adores you,” she said quietly. “Whatever you’re quarreling about, remember that.”

I drew in breath and wondered what manner of adoring man made his wife sit opposite his former lover at dinner.