  &quot;Well, it seems we ve come across some free time,&quot; Dmitri observes casually as we leave luncheon. &quot;Perhaps you d like to go for a ride? We haven t visited Excalibur in quite some time. I fear he s getting lonely, and I m convinced that he s under-exercised.&quot;
  &quot;By all means. It s been quite some time since we ve had any time for such wonderful, leisurely pursuits. We should certainly take advantage of it,&quot; I agree immediately. Some time out of the mansion together, away from Giacomo and the problems he causes, could only do us good. My conversation with Malina yesterday convinced me of that much, if of little else.
  We need not exchange more words as we make our way through the passageways to the stables. Roderick helps us with Excalibur, as usual, and we depart from the mansion mere minutes from when we left the dining room. I breathe a deep sigh of reli

  &quot;Training is cancelled today,&quot; Zinaida announces abruptly as soon as Dmitri, Giacomo, and I have taken our seats at the breakfast table. Giacomo arches an eyebrow quizzically.
  &quot;Is that so?&quot; he inquires. Zinaida nods, her eyes daring him to contradict her. &quot;Well then, in that case, I should like to go back to bed, if Your Ladyship has no objection.&quot;
  Zinaida and Wesley seem to have a short conversation with their eyes. They ve both been present for almost every meal in the week that has passed since Dmitri told me about the letter she received from her family. I don t like it. Are they practising to try to convince this Yekaterina that we are a loving, close-knit, happy family? They won t fool anyone. Although, it must be said, compared to the &quot;family&quot; I lived with in Grandmother s chateau, this really is quite a loving, close-knit, happy famil

  &quot;Are you quite finished jabbing me in the hip with pins?&quot; I demand testily of the clumsy maids who are currently trying to fit me for my wedding dress. I am not certain we ve decided on the exact design for that exalted garment--I am determined to have straps or sleeves of some sort, while the couturiers insist that I ought to wear a strapless dress with some sort of wrapper--and so I am not sure what the point of these fittings might be, but far be it from me to argue with Zinaida s decisions, after she treated me so kindly yesterday at luncheon.
  &quot;So sorry, milady,&quot; the offending maid stammers as she tries once again to get the pin through the white fabric (which I find more than a bit itchy) without also piercing my skin.
  &quot;We re almost finished with today s fitting session, Aerys, I promise,&quot; Malina assures me. She seems worn down. I haven t seen muc

&quot;Well, it seems we ve come across some free time,&quot; Dmitri observes casually as we leave luncheon. &quot;Perhaps you d like to go for a ride? We haven t visited Excalibur in quite some time. I fear he s getting lonely, and I m convinced that he s under-exercised.&quot;
  &quot;By all means. It s been quite some time since we ve had any time for such wonderful, leisurely pursuits. We should certainly take advantage of it,&quot; I agree immediately. Some time out of the mansion together, away from Giacomo and the problems he causes, could only do us good. My conversation with Malina yesterday convinced me of that much, if of little else.
  We need not exchange more words as we make our way through the passageways to the stables. Roderick helps us with Excalibur, as usual, and we depart from the mansion mere minutes from when we left the dining room. I breathe a deep sigh of relief once we re out in the open air, enjoying Excalibur s smooth canter. The black stallion seems as p

Chapter 42 Closer