When Ashlynn entered the room, Loman felt like his heart refused to beat, and the breath in his chest was caught somewhere between inhaling and exhaling.
It was hardly his first time seeing his sister-in-law since arriving in the Vale of Mists, and he was certain that he'd overcome the shock of knowing that she was alive. But seeing her in the courtyard, or even sharing a meal with her in her chambers, had done little to prepare him for the breathtaking vision who strode confidently into the brightly-lit, subterranean dining room.
When he'd seen her before, she was dressed simply, like the housewife of a commoner, ready to tend to the chickens in the yard or the weeding in the garden. There were even faint stains on her skirts that suggested she'd been doing exactly that until Lady Heila's carriage arrived.
