Chapter Twenty Three

“At a future date,” Mira chuckled. She now knew she’d chosen the right reporter. There were all kinds of journalists, but Greer was a man in a cheap suit who could still land on the front page of a major city publication even while criticizing a member of the royal family. That said ‘investigative journalist’ to her, rather than ‘scandalmonger.’ “When I’m more recovered. I’m sure you understand, Mister Greer.” She gestured to the stool near her bedside. “Please, sit.”

Mira was an old hand at softening up a sympathetic reporter. She let her head hit the pillow and looked sideways at him, shoulders relaxed and gaze soft. ‘See?’ she said with her body language, ‘I’m not afraid of you and that means I have nothing to hide, so you don’t need to go looking.’

Greer likewise dropped his shoulders just a hairsbreadth in response. He might still dig into her, just because he’d be a bad reporter if he let himself be swayed by a pretty face, but the important thing was that he wanted to believe her. “Thank you, Lady Coventry.”

Still, just because she didn’t want him digging into her background didn’t mean that he wouldn’t. She’d need to feed him a bit now so he didn’t get hungry later. “It’s Miss Priestly, now.”

Greer froze. “Forgive me, I had thought the rumors weren’t true when Lady Vesper was at your bedside. Congratulations on your marriage—although, I had thought you were promised to the Fenby family?”

Mira nodded. Leather creaked somewhere in the room, but she couldn’t spare attention for it. She needed to maintain eye contact with Greer. “It was, but the agreement fell through at the last minute. Priestly is my mother’s name. Vesper is still my medical proxy. I was getting married, not disowned.”

“Really?” Greer started writing again. “What happened with the Fenbys?”

“I’m not certain,” Mira said with a shrug. “My condition made itself known around the same time when that happened so I haven’t had the opportunity to question it. I’m sure they had a good reason, but it was disappointing to find out in such a way. My lord father is furious, of course, but I haven’t been privy to any conversations they’ve had about the matter, although he did promise to have an answer ready once I feel better. My doctors are worried that my condition is triggered by stress, so they’re controlling any upsetting news I might hear.”

“Then your encounter with the fourth prince yesterday was not planned?” Greer asked and, when Colvin turned to glare at him, hastened to add, “I have to ask for clarity’s sake, miss Priestly. I’ve been receiving letters asking why Miss Rousseau was present at the time, given your history together.”

Mira was sure he had. “She volunteered to act as my companion while I’m in this state. She was my junior at the academy and holds an advanced certification in emergency medicine. There could be no one more qualified that isn’t a nurse or doctor already and we have no personal animosity.”

“Yes, of course,” Greer agreed quickly. “No one can deny that she was a heroic presence that day along with your—aide?”

“Colvin Adelram,” Colvin introduced himself brusquely. “I am Miss Priestly’s companion.” The way he said it made it sound like he was her bodyguard.

“Mister Adelram assists me in the matters that I can no longer handle in person,” Mira clarified, lest Colvin ended up being branded as her personal thug in the papers. “I’ll be staying at home until we better understand my illness, and there is always the fear that I’ll have another sudden relapse.”

“Oh, I see,” Greer said, sounding like he did. He softened a bit further and Mira could see the image of her forming in his head; delicate, sensible, and wounded. A flower blighted by misfortune. Another reporter would smell blood, but Greer just saw an unfortunate person in need of a champion. He’d already half cast Andrei as the villain in his first article so he had the blood he needed. This revelation just meant he wouldn’t have to change his tone later. “It would be good, then, to have a dedicated guardian and agent.”

“You understand,” Mira agreed with a smile.

Greer had a few more questions, mostly about Mira’s feelings, but also about Cecily’s unexplained presence at her side.

“Please reach out to my older sister,” Mira told him with a smile to soften his disappointment. “I believe her office can make a statement on the matter.”

“Of course, I understand,” Greer said, thankfully choosing not to insist. He was probably used to being redirected to more official mouthpieces. “I think I have used up your guardian’s tolerance for the afternoon. Please accept my best wishes for your recovery and I look forward to meeting with you again in the future.”

“I as well,” Mira said with a parting smile that she maintained until well after Colvin had showed him out. Then she laid back down to resolutely catnap until anyone else needed her for anything.

“My lady is formidable,” Colvin observed when he got back and she cracked her eye at him to see if he was being impertinent with her. “He was all but eating out of your hand by the end.”

“It was the right time and the right person,” Mira said as she shut her eye again and settled in with her hands crossed over her stomach. “I’ve been letting Andrei have his way for too long. I may not be able to confront him in person, but I can do this much.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Colvin was quiet for a little bit, but then said, “You will never have to be afraid of that boy ever again. So, please, put him out of your mind.”

Oh, she wasn’t scared. The biggest reason she had to avoid her former fiance was over and done with. She just smirked with her eye still shut and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not the one who should be frightened.”

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