“The guest suite has been prepared for the queen’s arrival, as your father instructed,” Lady Bayar said. Her slurred speech told Han she was deep in her cups. She looked past Micah, toward the door. “Where is she? It’s rather late to receive her formally, but—”

“She didn’t come,” Micah said bluntly, cutting off the flow of speech. Carelessly, he dropped the carry bag onto the hearth and flopped into a fireside chair.

“She didn’t come?” Lady Bayar pouted. “Whyever not?”

“She didn’t want to risk trying to slip through the southern lines,” Micah said, seeming eager to have done with that subject. “Where is Father? I need to talk to him now.”

Lady Bayar scowled as if Raisa’s absence were a personal slight. “Speaker Redfern is already here—he was more than happy to get out of the city when the southerners arrived. And the flowers—do you think it’s easy to locate flowers with the entire country in turmoil? They won’t last forever, you know. How many times are we going to have to plan this wedding?”

Han’s heart froze within his chest. He nearly lost his hold and tumbled onto the hearth.

Lady Bayar sniffed. “She’s not even pretty, Micah. So small and swarthy, like a gypsy’s chance child. I do hope your children inherit your complexion. And your height.”

“Shut up, Mother,” Micah said, closing his eyes as if exhausted. “You’re talking about my betrothed.” Micah held up his hand, and Han recognized Raisa’s wolf ring on his little finger. The ring she never took off.

“So she agreed?”

“Of course she agreed,” Micah said. “I told you she would.” He rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand, as if it hurt.

“Well, I say she should be thrilled to marry you. You come from royal blood, too—your lineage is as old as hers. And, given those sordid rumors about her and that street thief, I’d say she—”

“That’s enough!” Micah said, raising his voice to drown his mother out. “You really don’t believe she would take up with Alister, do you? Seriously?”

“It would not surprise me, given that her mother was the worst sort of round-heeled slut.”

Micah closed his eyes as if to shut out the sight of her. “Where is Father?”

“I hoped you could tell me. I haven’t seen him or Fiona for three days, and me with a wedding to plan. This family is falling apart.”

Micah opened his eyes, drawing his thick eyebrows together in a frown. “Three days! Where would they be? Where would they go?”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Lady Bayar said. “Nobody tells me anything.”

Micah surged to his feet. “I need to check on something,” he said.