Rigel sat by the window with an empty wine glass dangling from his hands. He rubbed his forehead and glanced towards the parlour door and the stairs beyond it once more. “I’m sorry you happened to come at such a rotten time,” he remarked to Derrin.
The other man shrugged noncommittally and place his own empty glass on the tray beside him.
He sighed. “She loved Garrick very much. We…” he shook his head, “we all did. But, as you know, we are all born to die someday. Though, usually we assume the older ones will go first.” Standing, he covered the distance between himself and Derrin and put his own cup down before holding out his hand. “She won’t come down anymore. Honestly man, if it wasn’t for you, I too would have been in bed ages ago.”
“Mmm…” murmured Lady Aurora in agreement from her chair by the fire.
Derrin frowned and nodded. “Yes. It makes sense that when something like that happens, people are not in the mood to find love and happiness elsewhere. I shall retire and allow you to do the same.” He bowed towards Lady Aurora. “Please put in a good word to your daughter for me.”
“I will,” she susurrated and waved towards the stairs. “Tomorrow morning, she and I will speak. But tonight, I will leave her to her sadness.”
Rigel ran his fingers through his normally well-kept hair as he watched Derrin, slowly turn to walk out the door. Something in the man’s posture broke him almost as much as finding out that the monsters in the water murdered Garrick. “Wait.” He glanced over to his wife who was looking at him in confusion. “I know Raine is young and sometimes grief can cloud a young girl’s emotions, but I think that I as her father understand her. I also think that she will listen to what I say, because she knows I love her and I want what’s best for her.” He watched as his wife perked up more from where she had been reclining. “My dear, instead of speaking with Raine tomorrow, please speak with her tonight. Tell her that Derrin loves her, that he came all the way across the waters from Zaundiname to be with her, and to marry her. Let her know that you and I have decided that the two of them will be married on Wednesday…” his voice trailed off as he mentally calculated what day it was. Unsuccessful, he turned to Derrin, “What day is it?”
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“Monday,” the man said with a breathless sort of anticipation.
“Not Wednesday then. Wednesday is too soon.” Mentally he cursed his sluggish mind as he tired to pick a better date. “We’ll say Thursday then. It won’t be a big affair. People would think that we didn’t care for Garrick at all if your wedding was a large ceremony. Say, half a dozen friends to witness your union.” Satisfied, he smiled and held out his hand to Derrin. “How do you feel about a wedding on Thursday?”
Derrin beamed and shook Rigel’s hand heartily. “I wish it was Thursday already Rigel.”
“Well, the best way to make that happen is to head to bed so the new day can begin in earnest.” As Derrin practically danced out of the room, Rigel rang for the servants to clear the dishes and pecked his wife on her cheek. “Do go tell Raine about her wedding before you go to bed. Perhaps her dreams will be merry instead of forlorn. Good night. What’s left of it anyway. I for one am going to sleep.”
As the sun began to climb over the treetops behind him, Rigel stumbled up to his room as his yawning wife turned down the hallway towards Raine’s quarters.