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parted lips that she was pressing to the side of his shoulder.
    Rowen shivered and shifted her shoulders so that the fabric of her robe wasn’t touching her nipples. They had suddenly become tight and ached. She stared at the image until her entire body throbbed. She flipped a sheet over the image and set it against the wall.
    She breathed slowly until she was calm and went to the dispenser for the glass of wine she had promised herself. Without dinner, it burned through her veins and gave her the sleep that was preferable to staring at the portrait.
    Why want a man who didn’t want her?
     
    She winced as the groomer went after every speck of dirt under her nails. The soaking, oiling and scrubbing had still left traces of her work on her body. The groomer was out to get every last bit.
    Akadeel was nearby and watching with a narrow supervisory gaze. Rowen waited while her toenails were painted a delicate pink and her nails tinted a dark rose. Her hair was already up in a slick twist and time was ticking onward.
    Her makeup was applied by expert hands after six hours of supervised preening and plucking plus a surprise waxing job that had caused her to switch from Nyal Common into plain old English cuss words.
    Under the expert hands, she was tucked and dressed until Akadeel nodded her approval.
    “Come with me, daughter. As the hosts, we need to be there when the guests arrive.”
    Rowen inhaled against the constriction of her gown. “You didn’t mention that I am expected to host it.”
    Akadeel patted her hand. “I know, dearling. I did not want you to run.”
    They arrived at the hall via skimmer and Rowen stuck close to Akadeel and did as she said.
    A tall man was waiting for them inside, and he smiled. “Worth the wait, darling.”
    He walked up to Akadeel and kissed her soundly. She squawked and slapped his shoulder until he righted her.
    She quickly checked her lipstick in a nearby mirror and left Rowen with the man.
    “Hello, daughter. I felt we should meet before the event began, as my son will not be at your side. I am Drimal Nakkua and you are married to my son, Skorin.” He bent over her hand and kissed it warmly. There was nothing creepy about it, just a love for everything around him.
    He had an open heart and it glowed brightly through his olive green eyes.
    “Rowen…uh, Nakkua?”
    “With more conviction next time. You are Lady Nakkua and you are hosting this event to meet our pocket of society here. For this season, you will be able to confine your social activities to our little pocket of green, but next season, you will be asked to travel far and wide for the family to attend anything that Akadeel does not wish to.”
    “So, I am not only Skorin’s whipping boy but Akadeel’s as well? What fun.” She wrinkled her nose.
    “You have a sense of humour. I do think we will get along fine.”
    Akadeel returned from fussing with her makeup and sighed as she took her husband’s arm. “Don’t do that again. I don’t want to look a fright.”
    “You could never do that, love, and you are my countess, you are mine as I am yours. Remember that.” There was a playful hint of steel in his tone and Akadeel deflated a little.
    Rowen tried not to smirk at the bully of the afternoon turning into a charming lamb. She was going to have to face the wolves, so having a lamb on her side wasn’t going to help much.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    The ballroom was filled with those who wanted to meet the new Lady Nakkua. Rowen smiled, shook hands and chatted with the gardeners in the mix.
    She kept her smile fixed and her conversation light. Describing her home became second nature, and trying to quantify her skills was her polite chitchat of the moment. If they asked, she told them, but aside from that, she tried to keep to herself.
    After the ball dwindled and Akadeel whispered that she had been a complete success, Rowen headed out onto the wide paved deck and down into the garden of the manor.
    She wandered