He turned his attention back to the Drakkars.
I gave mine to Norfolk.
“Thank you for being so…” I tried to find a this world word since I didn’t think he’d get “cool” or “awesome” or at least not the ways I intended them. I settled on, “Lovely.”
“It is my pleasure,” he replied on a smile. “Ulfr is a friend, he is loyal to my cousins, the queen and our Winter Princess, and he is a good man.”
“He is all that,” I affirmed and he chuckled.
But he sobered before he noted, “You seem very used to the reactions to your resemblance to Ilsa.”
“Although I’ve never met her, in the time I’ve been in Lunwyn, it’s become very clear I look exactly like her so I’ve had no choice but to become used to them.”
“I must say, Lady Madeleine, that it’s not uncanny, the resemblance. It’s uncanny, the resemblance that includes the startling differences,” he remarked and I felt my head tip to the side in confusion.
“Would you mind explaining?” I asked.
“Only if this discussion doesn’t offend you,” he answered.
I shook my head so he continued.
“I could not know, I have not been around when Franka and Ilsa were conversing, but, like you, Ilsa would not countenance Franka’s rot. However, she would do that by walking away.”
I wondered briefly if that was the way I should have played it and this was brief because he went on.
“It’s more fun your way.”
I grinned at him and he returned the gesture.
“Have you met my cousin, Lunwyn’s Ice Princess, Sjofn?” he queried.
I shook my head. “No.”
“She will like you,” he told me, patting my hand in the curve of his arm. “Greatly.”
“Awe...” I started, stopped and finished more appropriately, “Well, that’s just grand.”
“Am I to set a course where Kristian cuts off his sister’s allowance?” I heard Apollo ask and I turned when I felt his hand come to rest on the small of my back.
In a sweet changing of the guards, Norfolk uncurled my hand from his elbow but gave it a squeeze before he let it go as he replied, “You may wish to give Franka some time to dress her wounds. Our Lady Madeleine proved her knives are sharper and she has greater skill in using them.”
Apollo looked down at me, his hand gliding along my back so he could curl it around my waist and pull me close. “Indeed?”
“Amateur,” I murmured, and he threw back his head and burst out laughing.
Norfolk added his chuckles.
Apollo stopped laughing and leveled his eyes at Norfolk. “I owe you a debt.”
Norfolk threw out a hand. “Not at all.” He looked to me. “It’s been a pleasure.”
Aw, that was sweet.
“You’re very kind,” I murmured.
“And you are a delight,” he replied, smiling. He turned to Apollo. “I will leave you to your charming company.”
Apollo inclined his head.
Norfolk dipped his chin to me and moved away.
After he did, Apollo moved me from the wall and started us walking slowly through the crowded space.
I took a sip of my champagne and muttered, “What now?”
“Now, we socialize.”
Ugh.
“That’s it?” I inquired.
“Well, to quench your need for excitement, I could challenge someone to a duel, but outside of the Drakkars, there’s no one here whose blood I’d relish drawing.”
I stopped and looked up at him and he stopped with me.
“You duel in this world?” I asked quietly.
“Indeed,” he replied. “But only when honor is at stake.”
“I don’t suppose women engage in duels,” I remarked.
He raised a brow, his lips twitching. “Wanting another go at Franka?”
“She’s not very nice,” I said by way of answer.
“If given the opportunity, I’d prefer observing you besting her with her own weapons,” he murmured.
“Then I hope she’s stupid enough to make another approach.”
He shook his head, grinned and started us moseying again.
“Did you get anything out of Eirik and Valeria?” I queried.
“Dove, they’ll hardly admit to conspiring during a trivial conversation at a gale,” he replied.
“Of course not,” I returned. “But they don’t have to admit it straight out for you to get something from them.”
He stopped this time, exchanging my half-drunk champagne glass with a fresh one and getting one of his own.
“My role this evening is to be here and keep an eye on Franka, Kristian, Eirik and Valeria as Remi and Hans find maids, charm the information out of them that would lead to the rooms of those particular Drakkars and search them.”
Interesting.
“Just those Drakkars?” I asked.
“Alas, our informant was quite cagey about who was doing the conspiring. But only those Drakkars would be foolish or spiteful enough to court the wrath of a man who commands elves and dragons.”
I nodded, putting my glass to my lips and searching the crowd until I found Kristian.
“Kristian?” I murmured into my champagne before taking a sip.
“He would be the foolish one,” Apollo replied.
“Hmm…” I mumbled, looking from Kristian to Apollo. “I must say, Lo, that this world is a whole lot more intriguing than mine.”
His eyes warmed when I used his nickname but his lips warned, “Intrigue always has consequences, poppy. We just need to ensure that those who deserve them are the ones who get them.”
“Well, I’ll keep track of Franka and Kristian and you keep an eye on Eirik and Valeria. Does that sound like a plan?” I offered.
His look got warmer as he started us moving again, murmuring, “And she gives me more reason than just that gown not to regret introducing her to a den of vipers.”
“I aim to please,” I replied quietly, scanning for and locating Franka.
But as I did, I suddenly felt Apollo’s lips at my ear.
“You do, Madeleine, always. And tonight, we’ll be exploring new ways for you to accomplish that.”
Something to look forward to after we left Creepy Castle with its (mostly) Foul Family.
And I so looked forward to it, when Apollo moved his lips away, I caught his eyes from under my lashes and gave him a small smile.
He one-upped the promise made by my smile by staring at my mouth while he ran his tongue along his lower lip.