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"Off with you, then."

I stand quickly as the King dismisses his guards and enters my cell. I have been in this stinking cell for a day now, and I know I don't look half the queen I am. But what I lack in appearance, I must make up for with aura.

"Good morning, Alisyn," chimes Edward. I do not reply.

He doesn't seem to mind, but cheerily pulls out a letter from his pocket. "In the exchange from yesterday, I completely forgot to ask you about this." He hands it to me, and with a shock I realize it is the letter Sir Jacob wrote to excuse me from court.

My face shows nothing, but I am afraid.

"Would you mind telling me who wrote this? It looks little like yours or Lord Philip's hand. Definitely not Alice's. Now, I'm not much acquainted with Lady Wesley...they were always your friends, not mine. Did you really get this from her? Am I to expect resistance from the entire family? Or did you have another accomplice of whom I am unaware? And if so, how did it come to me?"

I control my voice carefully, trying to sound nonchalant. "A little peasant girl. I gave her a little money. She thought nothing of it--she was simply glad of the payment."

Edward raises his eyebrows. "Alisyn," he says amusedly, "peasant girls do not write like this."

"Then you obviously don't go out much," I smile, though it feels like a grimace. "They have a wonderful little calligraphy school--"

I am interrupted by a bitter laugh from my husband--nothing like his old joyous chuckle.

"Oh, Alisyn! You were never a liar. Always so sweet and innocent."

I am silent.

"Well, I never really thought you'd tell me," he shrugs. "But no matter. I'll just have to find out myself. Which shouldn't be too difficult."

He throws a brilliant yet tainted smile to me, and kisses my cheek before he goes off to breakfast, alone at the head of his stolen table.

I feel nauseous with worry and unshed tears, and then battle between the small part of me that shrank away from that kiss, and the very large part that wished that kiss had found my lips.

And I also yearned for a way to tell Sir Jacob not to send any letters.