“Bring me the draught. As you wish, I shall sleep.”

She slid down into the bed, settled on the pillow, her back to him, her knees pulled up to her chest.

True placed his hand on her hip and leaned toward her.

He tried again, “Farah—”

“Shall I call a servant for the draught?” she asked her pillow.

True didn’t move or speak. He stayed right where he was, gazing at her profile in the lamplight.

And doing this, he decided she needed time.

She also, as he had noted, needed sleep.

After that, she would need him.

Even if she did not think she did.

And she would have him.

All of him.

He took his hand from her hip, pulled her hair away from her neck and then he tugged the silks up to her shoulder.

Through this, she didn’t even twitch.

He then leaned ever closer and spoke in her ear.

“You grieve and speak through that grief. And I am at your side. You will sleep and you will wake, still in grief, and I’ll be at your side. I’ll see you through your grief, Farah, and I’ll do it at your side. I will see you past your grief, also at your side. I will remember your mother as kind and loving, and I will do it at your side. And then we will carry on with our lives, our marriage, building a family, and through it all, I’ll be at your side. You do belong to me, Farah. My future princess. My future wife. And in return, darling, I belong to you.”

He got ever closer, dipped his voice lower and finished.

“And as yours, I will avenge your mother, my sweetling. The one that caused your hurt will know his own pain. That is my vow to you as my friend, my betrothed, my future princess, my future queen and just mine.”

Through his speech, her body got tighter and tighter.

It stayed that way when he bent low and brushed her temple with his lips.

He pulled an inch away and murmured, “I’ll have a draught brought up.”

Then he exited the bed, moved to the door, opened it and walked through it.

“Get her another sleeping draught,” he ordered Florian after he closed the door. “Go in and sit with her,” he ordered Bram after Florian moved down the hall to the stairs. “But be silent and keep distant. She needs time with her thoughts.”

Bram nodded and entered Farah’s room.

True gave Luther a look and Luther remained where he stood outside Farah’s door as True started toward the stairs with Alfie at his side.

They did this dodging servants who were sweeping up plaster from the quake.

And mopping up blood from the bodies that had been removed.

“Do you know of this procession?” True asked the captain of his guard.