84 Small Talk

Nyla sensed the tension and looked between the two of us. "Right, you said he was your husband. How did the two of you meet?"

Al relaxed fractionally since it had nothing to do with his role in the palace. He even managed a tiny, strained smile. "I first saw her at the seaside dancing carelessly in the waves. Less than five minutes later she was chewing out a doctor for administering improper first aid. That left quite an impression on me so when I saw her again at a dinner party I couldn't stop staring."

"Yeah, it was weird," I said, elbowing him in the ribs. Taking Nyla's lead to try and lighten the mood was the best course of action.

"Hey, at least I saved you from dancing with someone old enough to be your father," he countered. "I think that earned points in my favor."