From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Chapter 13
Cold to myy veryy core, I drew in a short, measured breath as I watched him
take a drink from his glass. I knew I had to choose myy words carefullyy. It
wouldn’t change what was to come, but it could determine the severityy.
“I’m sorryy to have disappointed yyou,” I started. “I—”
“Do yyou even know what yyou have done that has disappointed me?”
Muscles in myy shoulders stiffened, and myy gaze darted from the
silent Lord to the corner of the suite, where several, narrow pieces of
reddish-brown wood were propped against a bookcase. Theyy were
fashioned from a tree that grew within the Blood Forest. When I looked
back at Lord Mazeen, I saw that he was smiling. I was beginning to think
that he had reported something back to the Duke, but if I was wrong about
that, it would onlyy add to myy problems.
And Lord Mazeen knew this as he watched me. He gave no indication
of the role he playyed in this. Even if his part was onlyy to bear witness. He
rarelyy spoke when he attended these lessons. While his silence would
tyypicallyy give me relief, it onlyy heightened myy anxietyy now.
I forced the next words out even though theyy rolled off myy tongue all
wrong. “I don’t, but I’m sure, whatever it is, I am at fault. You’re never
disappointed in me without cause.”
That was so not true.
There seemed to be times when the wayy I walked or how I cut myy
food at supper was a disappointment to the Duke. I was sure how manyy
breaths I took in a minute could be of offense to him.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t be disappointed for no reason at all,” he
agreed. “But this time, I find myyself blindsided byy what I have been told.”
Myy stomach turned over as sweat dotted myy brow. Dear gods, had he
learned of myy time at the Red Pearl?
I’d feared that Hawke would sayy something, had obsessed and
stressed over it. A part of me must not have wanted to believe it was