Delaney's head snapped up. Her hazel eyes went wide with sheer panic.
"No… no!" Delaney waved her hand frantically in the air, desperate to dismiss the dangerous idea. "Please, do not think that. His Grace has been perfectly polite. He said absolutely nothing wrong. He is the perfect gentleman."
She took a step back, her shoulder blades pressing against the cold, rough stone of the flower urn.
"I'm just not feeling good, that's all," Delaney lied, her voice trembling slightly. "I did not sleep well. The wind kept me awake. My head is aching terribly."
Ines stared at her in silence for three long seconds.
Ines had grown up in a house of men. She had grown up with Carcel and Rowan. She knew exactly what it looked like when a woman was lying through her teeth to protect a man's reputation.
