The Jack of Hearts (House of Cards Book 1)

Chapter 18 | Stud Draw

Jhak Oxland made a non-committal grunt in response to his brother's greeting, reaching his arms behind him to surreptitiously tuck in the undershirt beneath his slightly wrinkled doublet.

He stood taller, shifting to block the break in the hangings. "Do you require something?"

Jhak O'rian's distinctive steps crossed the room where he came into view over his brother's shoulder through the curtain's gap. "You need to speak with your bride."

The bride in question felt each individual hair rise on the back of her neck.

Jhak O'rian arched his neck with a grimace and scratched behind his ear.

Rosalyne buried her feelings, deflecting notice with her Influence as Clovis often did. The deflection felt awkward. Everything was backward or inside-out and she could not quite grip it properly. She he,d herself in the discomfort: the last thing she needed was for their Bridge to give her away.

Jhak Oxland disappeared from the first gap as he crossed the room, and appeared again around the corner, leading his brother further away from his lover's hiding place. His voice shaded with irritation."I just met with her."

From her shadow, Rosalyne pressed her back to the headboard and watched Rhema begin to dress herself in the darkness, patting around gently for her garments on the mattress.

"Rosalyne is quite concerned with how things left off." Jhak O'rian followed his brother. He felt agitated, but underneath that, Rosalyne could tell he was tired and distracted.

"Rosalyne?" Jhak Oxland made a face (as did she) or at least Rosalyne assumed he did based upon the sneer in his voice. His back was to the bed and she could only see is profile when he turned his head.

Jhak O'rian blinked, looking rather startled at his brother's tone. "It's her name isn't it?"

The younger man chortled. "Since when did her royal-dictatorship give you leave to call her that? You are unmarried after all."

An appropriate question even if the epithet was unnecessary.

Jhak O'rian scratched his ear. "Well — she doesn't know that I do. Besides, she's going to be my sister in a few days. I don't see why I wouldn't... especially if you are determined never to call her Oxana."

Rhema's ears perked up at this and she adjusted her head to watch.

"Never."

Jhak O'rian sighed, clearly exasperated. "Come now, you will have to call her something. You cannot call her 'her highness' for the rest of your days."

"I should like to call her nothing at all."

Jhak O'rian frowned, leaning back against the wardrobe across from the bed. "Don't you think that's rather unfair? You've been inexcusably rude and discourteous to her, Oxland. You haven't really tried."

"She's insufferable," he muttered.

His brother snorted. "Give her a chance. Sure, she's abrasive and downright terrifying at times, but I find her rather amusing — nothing is ever charted with her."

Rosalyne frowned at that, puzzled. She could not tell if it was a compliment or insult, and decided to err on the side of irritation.

Fire stiffened Jhak Oxland's shoulders. He lifted his hands, curling his fingers as if throttling an imaginary Rosalyne. "What's amusing about an angry little ferret?"

Rosalyne had to smother the spike of anger in her chest. She'd heard that one before. The least her betrothed could do was be unique in his insults.

The elder shook his head with a chuckle. "That's a bit harsh—"