Sometime during it all, she fell asleep. When she awoke, he was gone as she expected.
She was alone, but for some odd reason, she didn't feel alone.
She slid down from the bed, arranging her dress around herself.
There was no evidence that he had been in her room.
And the day was far gone.
Claire changed her dress by herself and went to see Aurora.
The next day, she heard that the King was travelling to the Southern villages.
But all she heard was 'He was leaving'. No one knew how long he would take, but they all expected him to be back in time for his wedding.
His council was to remain behind and hold court in his absence, while Andon and his Uncle oversaw their activities.
He summoned her to serve wine that evening.
Lara and her girls had given her a warm bath an hour earlier and helped her into a formal attire.
When she arrived, Andon was standing by the hearth while the King was seated on his large table with a quill between his slender fingers.
