Her heart thundered in her chest as he spoke. The joy of this moment was almost too much to bear. “I love you, Fallon Llewellyn.
I’ve loved you for a very long time.”
“I know,” he said with a sly look. “You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear you say it. You’ll bring Averanche as your marriage portion,” he said with a shrug. “And I fancy that little castle and its view of the bay. But I hope you won’t mind staying in Dundrennan more often? I am still a duke, after all. At least, I think I still am.
Genny didn’t say anything about my title being revoked, did she?”
Trynne shook her head and gripped his collar with both fists.
“I’ve told you that I love you. Now you’d better return the confession yourself.”
“As my lady commands,” he answered. And he showed her in a kiss, this one even more passionate, more full of promise, than the one they’d shared in the tower of Dundrennan when the night sky was exploding with stars.
EPILOGUE
Leoneyis
The scene felt hauntingly and poignantly familiar. Years ago, Trynne had stood as an onlooker as Genevieve prepared for her wedding nuptials. Some of the same women were present, and it was the same chamber, but this time they were preparing for Trynne’s wedding. As Trynne looked at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled at her friends. Her family. Genny and Lady Evie stood to either side of her, and her mother stood behind her, her hands on her shoulders.
“You look beautiful, Tryneowy,” her mother said, and leaned down, kissing her cheek.
“Thank you,” she said, not feeling fully deserving of the praise, but she reached for her mother’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Their relationship had relaxed substantially following her mother’s return from the Deep Fathoms. There was no longer the pressure of Trynne’s concealed destiny, the mismatched hopes.
Genny had helped Trynne select a dress in the style Fallon preferred, but one that suited her own tastes by being less ornate than others might want. The red velvet gown had a gold trim all around the neck and bodice, sewn with Genevese pearls, and a high girdle set with beads of sea glass that normally would have cost a fortune had the bride not been the daughter of the Duchess of Brythonica. The multilayered sleeves were rolled back, exposing matching cuffs that copied the interior pattern of the dress—which was a beautiful series of tangled vines and butterflies. Sinia had brushed Trynne’s hair to a luxurious shine, and there was a slight curl to it as it lay across her chest.
Trynne was trying to breathe and finding it difficult because her heart was beating so fast. In the mirror, she saw Reya speaking to Mariette and wished that she could have a moment alone with her mother before being hurried away to the ceremony. After the wedding, Trynne would take her husband by the ley lines to Dundrennan, where they’d have a feast to celebrate the evening. But that was not all. Trynne also planned to take Fallon to Marq for a gondola ride, and together they’d visit the other places she’d longed to see. She caught her reflection smiling at the thought.
“It’s almost time,” Sinia said, patting her shoulder.
“You are going back to Brythonica tomorrow?” Trynne asked, turning her head and gazing up at her mother.
She nodded. “I’ve had another vision. The ships will be arriving soon. It’s been three months since the flood.”
Trynne nodded. The treasure ships were coming for refuge and safety.
“What was your vision?” Trynne asked her. Sometimes her mother told her about them. Sometimes she did not. One thing she’d learned about life was that there’d always be mysteries. She noticed the strange iron key dangling from her mother’s girdle, still sheathed in magic. No one could see it except for Trynne’s father and herself.
Her mother had said she would tell her later where she’d gotten it and what it meant, but the time had not yet come. The last month had been a whirlwind.
“I’ve seen the solution to the problem of the ships,” Sinia answered, stroking a finger through Trynne’s hair.
“What is it?”
Her mother smiled. “You’ll hear about it soon enough. All the world will hear of it when it happens.”
“Can you tell me?” Trynne asked eagerly, but she didn’t push further.
There was a gasp of surprise and a flurry of outrage as Fallon appeared through a secret Espion door and entered the room in his wedding finery.
“Iago Fallon!” Lady Evie thundered. “You aren’t supposed to see her yet!”