I felt Frey’s arm tense around my shoulders, indicating he now knew the reason I “burst forth from the Palace” but I ignored that because I was busy blinking again.

Then I asked, “Seriously?”

She nodded firmly, “Seriously, my daughter.”

Wow. Five hours to prepare for a ball? Jeez, I wondered what would take so long.

Looking at my mother, I decided I’d better find out and probably not do that by wasting time with asking.

“I’ll go up right away,” I told her.

“This would be wise,” she replied, her eyes getting soft as I’d noticed they had been doing a lot more these last four days.

I had to say, I liked that.

Then I thought of our morning in town, why I asked her to go with me and what was waiting upstairs. Therefore, I pressed my lips together and bugged my eyes out at her. She nodded her head slightly toward the house then just as slightly jerked out her chin in the same direction just in case I didn’t catch her first hint. I bit my lip nervously. Her eyes narrowed on my mouth then she again jerked her chin to the Palace and blinked meaningfully.

I took her meaning and that was when I tipped my head back to look at Frey.

“Can you come up with me? Just for a minute,” I asked shyly.

And I didn’t know why I was being shy. It was silly. He was, of course, my husband. I did, of course, know him in a biblical sense. I had been getting to know him very, very well in that biblical sense for the last five days, in other words, outside of archery, eating, sleeping and afternoon dancing lessons with the girls (for there were a number of dances they danced at the Gales and Princess Sjofn knew them all and I, of course, did not so I had to learn them tout suite), that was pretty much all I’d been doing. Not to mention, I’d spent a great deal of time with him. Why I was shy now, I had no clue.

But I was.

And Frey, being Frey, and missing less than Mother did (which was to say, not very much), caught it.

And therefore Frey, being Frey, gave me a squeeze and murmured gently, “Of course, my wee Finnie.”

I smiled at him then we exchanged farewells with my parents and he led me up the steps to the Palace.

We were inside and heading to the stairwell when his arm, still around my shoulders, curled me closer into him.

“Is everything all right, wee one?” he asked.

I nodded, my eyes on my feet.

“You’ve had your maids pack your trunks?” he went on and I nodded again.

We were leaving tomorrow to go to his ship.

I was looking forward to wearing my fabulous dress that night. I was looking forward to seeing what everyone else would be wearing. I was looking forward to finding out what we’d be eating (though, if it was only hare and venison, I was planning another mini-princess-fit). And I was looking forward to trying out my newly learned dance moves.

But most of all, I was looking forward to going with Frey tomorrow and finally seeing his ship then being on it and then being with him and out at sea.

And I was looking forward to that a lot.

“They’re packed, they were loaded on the sleigh two hours ago and they’re on their way to Sudvic,” I told him.

“Excellent,” he muttered, guiding me up the stairs.

“Um… if we get to our rooms and the girls are there, just to give you a head’s up,” I warned, looking up at his profile, “they’re not really happy you won’t let me have at least one of them along when we set sail.”

Frey looked down at me. “I understand you’ve grown close to them, Finnie, and I’m pleased you have but a ship is no place for a woman.”

“I’ll be there,” I pointed out.

“And you’ll be warming my bed in my cabin and my men will know this and will know they will earn my displeasure and how that displeasure will be communicated if they do not train their attention to other things when you’re amongst them. Your girls would be distracting and when we are at sail; my men do not need distractions.”

“Actually,” I whispered, leaning in even closer to him as we walked, “I think that’s why they’re all pouty that at least one of them doesn’t get to go. Your men have been around quite a bit and the girls have noticed this…” I hesitated as Frey stopped us outside the door to our rooms, curled me into his front and I emphasized, “a lot. I think they’re hoping to get lucky.”

Frey’s lips twitched and he asked, “Get lucky?”

I nodded. “Get laid. Get tagged. Get hit. Get their skirts tossed up.” I put my hands on his chest, got to my toes and finished, “Get lucky.”

Frey threw his head back and burst out laughing as his arms came around me and he gave me a big squeeze.

Then he tipped his head down to look at me. “Even so, my wee one, my ships aren’t manned by a few men. They might not want to get that lucky and a month or more away, most of that at sea, they would court that possibility.”

I shook my head and replied, “I don’t know. Every day each has a new favorite. Yesterday, Bess’s was Max but she’s switched to Lund today. Orion was Alyssa’s favorite yesterday but she swears she’s in love with Annar today. We had a situation yesterday with both Jocelyn and Esther carrying a torch for Thad but luckily, today, Esther has switched to Stephan. Jocelyn is still hooked on Thad. In fact, if memory serves, she was hooked on Thad the day before that too.”

Hmm, and she was hooked on Thad the day before that too.

Interesting.

I forced myself to focus on our conversation and not my possible future matchmaking efforts and finished, “I’m not certain they’d mind a smorgasbord.”

Frey grinned but asked, “Is Jocelyn the dark one with the green eyes and the extremely large –”

“Yes,” I cut him off before he could finish for to say Jocelyn was busty was a serious understatement and to say Jocelyn didn’t mind displaying these attributes was another serious understatement.

I watched his grin turn into a wicked smile.

“Then, we shall inform Thad of this after we return so that he can keep his mind on the matters at hand. It’s safe to say he’s noticed your maid’s rather…” he paused then went on, “significant charms and would not mind making her feel lucky.”

I leaned deeper into him and whispered, “Excellent,” then went on to advise, “though, when he makes his move, you might tell him he should comment on her eyes, not on her rather…” I paused, “significant charms.”