Crow exhaled slowly when John started his lecture with a hard “first off.” He could already tell they were in for a long talk that he wasn’t awake enough to handle. His pale green eyes flicked toward Penelope, who had stepped over to stand near the bed where he was sitting, and he wondered if she thought the castigation was as pointless as he did. They were already aware of the risks her father was going to list off to them, and it didn’t change the fact that they cared enough to find ways to be together anyway. Being slapped on the wrist for behaving carelessly wasn’t going to change that.

As the knight went on, Crow could practically feel the amicability they’d formed over the past week slipping away. He had put on his best face whenever he and John had lessons together, and the older man had even praised him on the rare occasion, but now, he doubted he would ever be considered as a serious candidate for Penelope’s hand in marriage. The disheartening realization made him even less inclined to listen to what her father had to say, and he slouched resentfully against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He hoped the knight would hurry up and finish saying what he had to say, so he could go back to his bedchamber before the rest of the castle started waking up.

While John and Penelope talked, the viceroy remained silent. He knew any input he had on the situation wouldn’t be received well by the older man, so there was no point in taking his lover’s side. Instead, his gaze drifted absently to the window, through which he could see the sky turning ever so slightly brighter. It wouldn’t be much longer before the halls were teeming with life. By that point, there would be no way for him to get out of the bedchamber without being noticed.

He turned back to the knights, prepared to remind them of his impending dilemma, but then froze when he caught John’s final words. At first, he wondered if he had misheard him. It almost sounded like Penelope’s father expected them to start courting soon, but surely that couldn’t be right, could it? The older man had reminded him over and over that he was a criminal and that he was his father’s son. He’d been called a liar, a manipulator, a man who wasn’t worthy of his precious daughter’s affections. There was no way her father had changed his mind… right? Suddenly, he felt like his world was tilting.

“What did you say?” he finally asked, breaking free from his trance. Heartbeat quickening in his chest, he stared at the knight with wide eyes. He had to find out if John had really meant what he thought he’d meant. “You… you’re going to let us start courting?”