Unfortunately for Crow, Elizabeth was persistent as well as stubborn. She struck up a conversation about what she had been doing in Colchester for the last few years, which wasn’t bothersome by itself, but continued to make casual passes at him throughout the discussion. As she talked, she occasionally rested her hand on his arm or let her leg brush against his beneath the table. She also made sure to learn forward against the table continually, making it difficult for him to avoid catching a glimpse of her bosom whenever he glanced in her direction. Overall, the exchange was more than uncomfortable for the viceroy, and he hurriedly shoveled food into his mouth to end it more quickly after Preston had brought out his breakfast.

Throughout the meal, Liz didn’t seem to notice his discomfort—or at least, if she did, she didn’t care—and eventually went on to ask him about what he had been doing since they had last seen each other seven years ago. He shifted his weight stiffly, disliking both the idea of telling her anything about his life and the fact that he could feel her tracing her foot up the inside of his right leg underneath the table as she waited for his response. However, before he had a chance to react to either thing, he blanched when a familiar voice spoke up from behind him. It seemed Penelope hadn’t slept in after all.

As the knight sat down next to him, he dropped his gaze to his lap, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his tunic. After what had happened the last time the three of them had shared a meal together, he wasn’t excited about the prospect of doing so again. He just hoped the noblewoman wouldn’t make any more sultry comments about their past to set Penelope off.

“It’s alright,” Crow shrugged noncommittally when the knight asked about his morning. Truth be told, it was going terribly so far, but he didn’t want to say so in front of Liz and cause her to get upset. There was no telling what the woman would do if she thought she needed to try even harder to win him over.

“I’m sure things will get better later,” Liz offered brightly, reaching out to lay her hand on his arm again in what he took to be a mildly possessive manner.

“We’ll see,” Crow muttered. Even more uncomfortable with the gesture now that Penelope was here, he lifted another bite of food to his lips to force her to retract her hand. “I’ve just got another lesson today, so it’ll probably be boring.”

“There’s that pessimistic attitude again,” Liz sighed melodramatically. “See? This is why we need to spend more time together, Collin. I’ll help you see how much happier you can be with the right partner by your side.” She flashed him a smile as she leaned forward against the table again.

Crow blushed and averted his gaze. It seemed that even with another woman around, Elizabeth wasn’t deterred from using any method she wanted to win him over. “I think I’m doing just fine on my own,” he said quietly, poking at the small amount of food that was left on his plate.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, falling silent for a moment before her blue eyes danced toward Penelope. “I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said, a mischievous look crossing her features. “Where did you get that awful scar?” She pointed at her own face, mirroring the location of the blemish on the knight’s. “I must say, it’s such a shame that your beauty was stolen from you at such a young age.”