The first rays of dawn crept through the tall windows.
Lorenzo's eyes opened immediately.
Years of military discipline meant she never truly slept deeply.
For several moments she remained perfectly still.
Then, almost against her own better judgement, she turned her head.
Marie was still asleep.
A tiny smile escaped Lorenzo before she could stop it.
It had been so long.
Weeks.
Weeks since she had woken in the same room as Marie.
She allowed herself one selfish minute.
Marie had used most of the blankets during the night.
One hand rested beneath her cheek.
The other was curled loosely near her lips.
Her ginger hair had escaped its braid completely, spilling over the pillow like copper silk.
She looked...
...safe.
Lorenzo swallowed.
God...
She had missed this.
She silently rose from the chair where she slept.
She pulled on fitted black trousers, fastening the belt with absent ease before slipping into a crisp white shirt.
The familiar weight of the fabric settled over her shoulders.
Then came the blue coat embroidered with silver thread, the colour making the startling blue of her eyes seem brighter.
She adjusted the cuffs.
Straightened the collar.
Fastened the final button.
At the mirror she paused.
For the first time in days...
she looked rested.
Not healthy.
She had lost weight.
She looked older.
Harder.
Yet somehow...
lighter.
Perhaps because Marie was sleeping beneath the same roof.
The thought almost made her laugh.
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Behind her came the softest sound.
A sleepy sigh.
Lorenzo turned.
Marie stretched beneath the sheets with all the lazy grace of a cat finding warmth.
Her arms disappeared above her head.
Her back arched gently.
She rubbed both eyes with the heels of her palms before releasing a long, adorable yawn.
Lorenzo found herself smiling.
Marie blinked several times before noticing someone watching her.
She froze.
Then practically jumped.
"Oh!"
She hurried upright, clutching the blankets.
"Good morning, Your Grace!"
She looked genuinely startled.
"You are still here."
"I thought you would have left already."
Lorenzo sighed dramatically.
"'Your Grace?'"
She gave a small chuckle.
"I suppose we truly are back to square one."
Marie's cheeks coloured faintly.
Lorenzo continued fastening the silver buttons of her blue coat without looking around.
"I thought we agreed titles were for court."
Marie lifted her chin defiantly.
"We have agreed on many things that no longer seem applicable."
That landed.
Lorenzo stopped buttoning the coat.
Only for a second.
Then continued.
"I deserved that."
Marie hadn't expected agreement.
It irritated her more than an argument would have.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Lorenzo broke the silence.
"I wanted to speak with you before I left."
Marie nodded automatically.
Only then did she realise Lorenzo's eyes had drifted downward.
hungrily staring.
Her nightdress had slipped dangerously low while she stretched.
The morning light outlined the soft curve of her breasts beneath the thin linen.
Heat rushed into her face.
She yanked the blankets up to her chin so quickly the movement almost made Lorenzo laugh.
"Enjoying the view?"
"I have already seen it all, but it still amazes me"
Marie rolled her eyes and said nonchalantly.
"Let's get this over with? "
Lorenzo cleared her throat; a tiny smile tugged at Lorenzo's mouth.
"Today you will attend upon Her Majesty."
She reached for her sword instead.
"His Majesty rarely visits the Queen's apartments."
"It will keep you away from him for most of the day."
Sliding the blade halfway from its scabbard, she inspected the edge with habitual care before easing it back inside.
Marie listened carefully, her fingers twisted the blanket unconsciously.
"But..."
Lorenzo continued while buckling her sword around her waist.
"...you will inevitably encounter Lady Anne."
Marie lowered her eyes.
The mention of her sister still hurt more than she wished to admit.
"So this is it."
She exhaled quietly.
"I suppose I cannot avoid her forever."
Lorenzo studied her for several long seconds.
"If you wish...I could inform the Queen that you are indisposed."
"It would buy you another day or two."
Marie shook her head immediately, lips pursing into that stubborn little pout Lorenzo knew far too well.
"No."
"I have hidden long enough."
"I shall face this head-on."
A slow smile spread across Lorenzo's face.
"I would expect nothing less."
She crossed the room, one hand rested upon the pommel of her sword.
"There is another matter."
Marie looked up.
"Lord Stamford."
"If he is present..."
Lorenzo's tone became colder.
"...avoid him."
"Entirely."
"Do not allow him to corner you."
"Do not remain alone with him."
"Do not entertain conversation."
Marie folded her arms, arching her eyebrow.
"And if he insists?...Am I expected to strike him?"
That earned the brightest smile Lorenzo had worn in weeks.
It transformed her face.
For one dangerous heartbeat Marie forgot herself simply staring and smiling as well.
Lorenzo laughed softly.
"No."
"Roberto will handle that."
Marie frowned immediately.
"I thought Pierro would accompany me."
Lorenzo's jaw shifted almost imperceptibly.
"No...It would be better if Roberto escorted you...Just for now."
Marie narrowed her eyes looking offended.
"Why?"
Lorenzo hesitated.
"...because."
Marie folded her arms tighter.
"I would rather have Pierro."
"Or no escort at all."
Lorenzo looked away.
Of course.
Pierro.
Again.
She drew a slow breath through her nose.
"Marie..."
"It is precisely because you have become..."
"You seem..."
She searched for an appropriately diplomatic word.
"...comfortable around Pierro."
Marie could not stop the tiny smile threatening the corner of her mouth.
"I am."
Lorenzo immediately regretted asking.
"He is easy company."
"He makes me laugh."
"He listens."
Each sentence somehow irritated Lorenzo more than the last.
Marie watched it happen.
The tiny tightening of Lorenzo's jaw.
The controlled inhale.
The fingers tapping once against the sword belt.
"You are jealous."
Lorenzo looked genuinely offended.
"I most certainly am not."
"You are."
"I am exercising sound judgement."
Marie tilted her head.
"It does not look like sound judgement."
"It looks remarkably like jealousy."
Lorenzo stared at her.
Marie stared back.
For three whole seconds neither woman moved.
Then Lorenzo sighed.
A long, defeated sigh.
"...Fine."
"If you insist."
"You may keep Pierro."
Marie smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
Victorious.
"I knew you would understand."
"I most certainly do not."
Lorenzo reached into the inner pocket of her coat.
"There is one more thing."
She withdrew a familiar ring.
Silver.
The Sforza signet.
Marie froze. She remembered it immediately.
"I found it."
Lorenzo rolled it between her fingers.
"You lost it in the forest."
She stepped forward again.
This time she stopped beside her.
Close enough for Marie to see the tiny scratches across Lorenzo's knuckles.
Close enough to notice how much sharper her face had become.
Her voice softened almost imperceptibly.
"It belongs with you."
Marie hesitated.
"You kept it."
"I searched half the forest for it."
She extended her hand.
Marie hesitated only briefly before placing her own in Lorenzo's.
The princess gently slid the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
Lorenzo looked down at their joined hands.
Then, almost absent-mindedly...
she turned Marie's palm over.
Lifted it.
Pressed the lightest kiss against her knuckles.
Marie's breath caught.
Lorenzo released her immediately.
"Have a pleasant morning."
She turned and walked from the chamber.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Marie remained exactly where she was.
Still holding the hand Lorenzo had kissed.
Still feeling the ghost of warm lips against her skin.
"...What is wrong with me? This little act changes nothing."
she whispered to the empty room.
Marie spent far longer in the bath than was strictly necessary.
Steam curled lazily around the marble chamber while four Italian maids worked with quiet efficiency, pouring warm water scented with lavender and rosemary over her shoulders. Another brushed the tangles from her long ginger hair, while two others sorted through gowns that had arrived from Milan. Lorenzo knew how to spoil her.
She closed her eyes.
It should have been peaceful but Lorenzo's face hovered at the edge of her thoughts.
Marie sank lower into the water.
"...I hate this," she muttered to herself.
One maid looked up.
"My Lady?"
Marie forced a smile.
"Nothing."
An hour later she stood before the great mirror while the women finished dressing her.
The gown was unmistakably Italian.
Rich blue silk flowed from fitted sleeves before widening gracefully toward the floor. Gold embroidery wound delicately around the bodice like climbing vines, while tiny pearls had been sewn into the neckline so subtly that they shimmered only when light struck them.
It was elegant.
Her freckles seemed brighter against the blue.
When her hairdresser asked whether she wished it braided, Marie surprised herself.
"No."
The woman smiled.
"As you wish, My Lady."
Her curls were brushed until they cascaded freely down her back.
A knock came.
Bess slipped inside carrying a folded shawl.
She bowed and then moved around her with practiced efficiency,
"How was the night, my lady?" Bess asked quietly, her tone careful. "It was the first time since the incident that you actually shared a bed with him."
Marie felt heat bloom across her chest at the question. Fragments of the night before flashed through her mind.
Lorenzo standing over her in the darkness.
Those crimson eyes.
Taking Marie's trembling hand.
Pressing it against her own heartbeat.
The line of her jaw.
The curve of her lips.
Opening her mouth just enough for Marie to feel the sharpness of her fangs.
Their foreheads touching.
Breathing the same air.
She lowered herself onto the chair before the dressing table.
"It was..."
She searched for the word.
"...better than I expected."
Bess relaxed visibly.
"You slept?"
"I actually did."
"No nightmares?"
Marie hesitated.
"None at all."
Bess nodded thoughtfully.
"So... it wasn't frightening?"
Marie smiled faintly.
"No."
Bess smiled softly, continuing to weave a ribbon through Marie's hair.
"Did you... were you and your husband intimate?"Bess asked delicately.
The question sent a jolt of awareness through Marie. She closed her eyes briefly.
Marie's breath caught.
"My lady?" Bess prompted gently, clearly noticing the sudden tension in Marie's shoulders.
"I..." Marie paused, choosing her words carefully. "We were together, yes. But it is complicated."
Bess set down her brush and placed a reassuring hand on Marie's shoulder.
"Lorenzo is a good man," Bess said softly. "You have been happy together before. You should not keep so much distance between you. If you push him away too much, he might look for release elsewhere."
Marie's mind immediately conjured the image of the Queen—the way her eyes had lingered on Lorenzo, the way she had smiled with undisguised longing
A spike of something sharp, jealousy? possessiveness? pierced through Marie's chest.
But she kept her expression neutral, even as a wry thought crossed her mind: "That is not beneath her. She seems to enjoy sexual intercourse quite a lot"
Yet even as the humor struck her, so did a deeper unease.
"That is the least of my worries." Marie said quietly. "Why would I be bothered with someone I barely remember. I hope he wouldn't, but I am unbothered if he does."
Marie looked down at the ring upon her finger.
Bess bowed. "Of course, my lady. I understand"