The Hartnet heir apparent stiffened, his whole body going tense and rigid. Then he blew out a heavy breath and forced his shoulders to relax, getting to his feet as he turned to face the ambassador.
He smiled a little ruefully. "Forgive me. It's...not something we talk about often. Even just among ourselves, it only really comes up when she has an attack- or Mother thinks she's going to." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed.
Rather suddenly, he strode across the room to perch on the edge of a chaise, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped tightly together. He met Declan's gaze with hard blue eyes. "I- I won't deny that this makes me uncomfortable, Ser Maddox, but I think..." He huffed out a breath, screwed his face up, then continued, "I have long suspected that Lily's ailment...isn't entirely natural. Of course, if I really wanted to pursue that Mother and Father would just send her to a priest, or some quack doctor who claimed to be spiritual."
He paused, scowling at the rain that still pattered against the parlor windows. The storm had by no means passed, but it seemed to be lightening up, just a bit.
Another sigh and he looked back to Declan- and apparently changed the subject. "You saw the twins before, yes? How close they are, regardless of propriety or who may be watching?" His lips twitched up on one side, just a bit. "Lily and I are barely a year apart. When we were young...Mother used to say it was like she had two sets of twins. Me and Lily, Dorian and Jess. We were...very close." He looked away, biting at his lower lip. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing and straightened up slightly. "So. I was the first one who saw one of her attacks. I think I was seven, maybe six. We were playing in the gardens, she was climbing a tree, and she fell-"
He winced slightly at the memory. "She broke her arm. But- but the moment before she hit the ground, I saw her go rigid, her eyes rolled back- honestly, for a child, it was a little terrifying. I was too far away to catch her, and... I suppose it must have been a windy day, there was a great deal of leaves and dust and such blowing about, I couldn't quite see her." Jorris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "And then I got to her, and she wouldn't wake up. She was shaking, and sort of- sort of mumbling under her breath, and that windstorm was so strong- I ended up dragging her back to the house through it, which was no easy task."
He was silent for several long moments, then let out a long, tired breath. "Then the night terrors started. Almost that day, I think. And then her fits started happening more frequently- she was usually alone, we'd find her collapsed and shaking and-" He clenched his eyes shut and swallowed thickly. "Sometimes it would take as long as a day for her to wake."
Quite suddenly, he scowled down at his hands. "I don't pretend to be...knowledgeable on the subject..." He glanced around as though suddenly worried someone might be listening to their conversation. Then he leaned forward intently, eyes locked on Declan's. "This doesn't seem natural to me, Master Ambassador. I don't know why, or how, or-" He took a breath, seemed to be trying to compose himself. "Is it possible someone cursed my sister?"
