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"The possibility had occurred to me," she admitted

He shook his head "I don't have the tiesture"

"Then why have you come?"

Aquitaine crossed to the roolass He took it up and swirled it lazily around the inside of the glass "The Senators are, of course, in a frenzy They sense a chance to reduce the powers of the office of First Lord, despite the ugly realities before us And, if they have their way - and Alera survives, of course - then they will succeed And we already sahat happens after a weakening of the office of the First Lord of Alera Regardless of how things play out in the future, you and I have a co it"

Isana studied him as he cautiously took a sip of wine Then she said, "Let's assu?"

"Marriage," Aquitaine said cal in a chair with no clear recollection of how she had gotten there She just stared at Aquitaine while her lips took their ti-hot, blindly jealous rage flashed forth from Araris, who stood rock-still with his back to the door He bottled it quickly,one hand to the hilt of his sword as he did, but all the sa off-balance, as if she'd come out of a dark cellar to stare directly into the sun After a ed to choke out a feords "Are you insane?"

Aquitaine's teeth flashed again "It's an insane line of work," he responded "But it actually is a viable solution I would retain the croith the line of succession passing to your son upon iven the nature of our relationship, his personal safety would become my responsibility, lest I lose the respect of the Citizenry for not being able to protect my own heir"

"And what about your children?" Isana asked

"I have none," Aquitaine replied "None of which I aiti will enable you to control coitimate heir, you can choose never to bear me children - in which case Octavian ascends smoothly to the Crohen he is older, wiser, and more ready to lead the Realht "Of course," she said, "if so should happen to me, you would be free to take another wife In that event, the child she bore you would have a claim upon the throne - a claim blocked by my son"

Aquitaine let out a rueful chuckle "Invidia was ever an artist of treachery," he said "I see that you did not survive your association with her by happy accident"

"Additionally," Isana continued, "how could you ever be certain that I was not plotting to reuard was down?"

"Because you won't," Aquitaine said simply "You aren't that kind of person"

"The kind of person willing to kill to protect her child?"