“Ah,” Raisa said, nodding. “When does she go back?”

Amon’s gray eyes locked on hers until Raisa looked away.

“She won’t be going back. She has decided to transfer to the Cathedral School,” Amon said. “She has only one year left.”

“Oh? I’m surprised she’d come back here,” Raisa said. “The Cathedral School is good, but the Temple School at Oden’s Ford is the best in the Seven Realms.”

Amon plowed on doggedly, as if telling a well-rehearsed story. “I had to leave school suddenly, as you know, and with my—with my new responsibilities, I won’t be going back. So Annamaya decided to come back home, to be closer to me.”

Well, she’s sort of clingy, don’t you think? Raisa wanted to say. But didn’t.

“I hoped you might be able to give her reference for a position here at court,” Amon said. “She’s had three years at Oden’s Ford. She has letters of reference from her masters at the Temple School, but your recommendation would mean a lot.”

“Well.” Raisa fluttered her hand again like it was some kind of captive bird. “Of course. I mean, I haven’t spent a lot of time with her, but from what I’ve seen, I—”

“I would like you to get to know each other better,” Amon interrupted uncharacteristically. “I think you would like her if you got to know her.”

How had Amon gotten the impression Raisa didn’t like Annamaya?

I need to be a better person, Raisa told herself. I will be a better person, the Maker willing. An unselfish person. I just don’t know if I can do it right now, along with everything else.

“I’m sure we will become great friends,” she said, rattling on like an idiot. “Since she’ll be here at court and…here in the Fells. Permanently, it seems.”

Amon gripped Raisa’s hands, taking her by surprise. “Rai, Annamaya and I would like to announce our betrothal at the reception tonight,” he said.

“B—betrothal?” Raisa stuttered. “To—tonight?”

Amon rushed on now that he’d stumbled into it. “Remember, back at Oden’s Ford I said we meant to announce our betrothal in the summer, after I returned home?”

“So soon? I mean, you said you weren’t planning to marry until after you finished at the academy, and—”

“Right. But now that won’t happen, so there’s no reason to wait,” Amon said. His grip on her hands had tightened, and it cut off circulation to her fingers.

She should have said, Oh, that’s fabulous news! You’ll make a perfect couple. But somehow, her usual ability to dissemble deserted her when she was with Amon.

Instead, she managed, “Well, what a…happy…and surprising surprise! Thank you for letting me in on your secret ahead of time.”