Sairis's POV
"That is not my story to tell," Sairis said.
Henrietta pressed her lips together. "Then why did he agree to marry Lady Candice," she said. "If that is the case, why go through with an engagement at all."
"I think we both know the answer to that," Sairis said. "But like I said, it is not my place to say."
Henrietta looked at him for a long moment. She was not a slow person and she had spent enough time in the world to understand how things worked, especially in places like this where appearances mattered more than truth, and decisions were made for reasons that had nothing to do with what anyone actually wanted.
"Duty," she said quietly. It was not a question.
Sairis said nothing, which was answer enough.
Henrietta closed her eyes briefly. She pressed her lips together and exhaled through her nose.
When she opened her eyes again, the anger had gone almost entirely. What was left in its place was something older and quieter and considerably more difficult to name.
