Page 96 of Ashen Torment
“Lord Vasiliev Ashford! You here as well,” Nádasdy exclaims.
“Lord Dorian,” Richard greets too.
I turn around. His eyes rest on mine, warm and steady.
“I am certain I received an invitation.”
“Lord Vasiliev Ashford,” I add.
René tilts his head, his gaze attentive and curious. “Do you not know that narcissi are poisonous if ingested?”
Lord Dorian raises an eyebrow.
Count Nádasdy lets his surprise show. “Why on earth would anyone ingest a flower? A dangerous one at that.”
My jaw tightens instinctively, I feel my teeth pressing against one another.
Richard brushes a narcissus with his fingertips.
“So beautiful... and yet, so dangerous.”
Lord Dorian does not turn. He continues to look at me, motionless, as if deliberately forgetting there are other people around. His eyes remain anchored to mine.
“Comme le péché,” René comments.
Dorian moves only then, taking a step toward him.
“And you are?”
The Count replies with a complacent smile. “René Saint-Clair, a dear friend of mine.”
The smile Dorian grants is a polite snarl. René catches it, for he steps back slowly, hands behind his back. The Count slips past him, and the two move away. Richard, meanwhile, observes the room with a somewhat lost air. I look away from Lord Dorian.
“Did you say earlier that Cecil is not well?”
“Oh, yes... he has a fever.”
He represses another cough into his handkerchief.
Lord Dorian steps in front of him, breaking the line between us.
“You don’t look fit either, Lord Richard. Perhaps you should withdraw. You wouldn’t want to start an epidemic.”
“He may stay as long as he wishes. It is not your place to dec—”
“He’s right, Evander,” Richard replies, yielding with a weak smile. “I’m not very well. It would be best if I left.”
He lifts his hand and makes a small gesture toward the flowers. “Splendid atmosphere, regardless.”
“I’ll accompany you to the exit, at least.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I insist.”
He smiles, more sincerely this time, and puts an arm around my shoulders with spontaneous affection.
I stiffen.
