them anyway.' He looked at the two men, his face still set in a grin. 'What are you planning on doing for the next six months or so?'
The faces of the two men looked puzzled as Winterburne stood and walked over to the kitchen door. He turned the handle and opened it, still smiling at the mystified pair as they looked over at him. 'Because, I want you both to teach the Vawdrey boy how to read.'
'What?' Moore asked. 'Roland can barely scratch his own name, and I am no teacher.'
'Well, you are now,' Winterburne said, closing the door behind him.
26
Emperor's Feast Day
The Fifteenth Day of Midspring,
Imperial Year 2332
Winterburne made his way across his office, coming to a stop in front of the mirror, looking himself up and down. The white shirt he had chosen to wear billowed in all the wrong places, and the wide-legged dark blue trousers could probably take the legs of himself as well as one of his men. He didn't know whether they would be regarded as smart by the majority of people but he wasn't exactly blessed with an abundance of clothing fit for a ball so he had decided to put them on anyway. He bent down, tucking the legs into his black leather boots. He had done his best to polish out the scratches in the leather, but he could still see them. It would have to do, and after all, even though Alyssa was coming along too, it was still official duty when all was said and done. His experience with women was limited, but even he realised that it might be best if he didn't mention that to her this evening; he was sure that she wouldn't appreciate it.
He reached behind his head and bunched his hair into a short tail, tying it with a blue ribbon and when he was done he rubbed his hand around his chin. It was only four days growth, but, he thought, hopefully it would be long enough to look a little stylish rather than scruffy. His sword hung to his left, and when he thought ahead to what the evening might have in store its weight provided him with some reassurance at least. His dagger lay on the desk and he reached down to pick it up, sliding it into its sheath. If he was ever going to feel ready then it must be now, but somehow he wasn't convincing himself. Just the waistcoat, he thought, and then he was set to go. He reached down and slipped it on.
All in all, the last few days had been extremely frustrating. Despite his best efforts, Cromwell had yet to find anything of note at the Assassin's Guild and Winterburne was beginning to think that he was wrong about a connection with the Palace. According to everyone that they questioned, the Appleby fellow seemed to have been of good character and they were now officially declaring that he was just an unfortunate innocent dragged into the course of events. There had been no further word from Frederick, either, so if there is going to be an attempt on his life tonight, then they would all have to be watchful. It could come from anywhere.
The timepiece hanging on the wall still read five minutes past nine, as it had done continuously since the day that he had taken up the Captaincy. Hmm, he thought, wondering where Alyssa was? They would have to be leaving shortly, although it was true that the stroll up to the Palace would not take very long. Courtship, if indeed this was what it was, was not a topic that he could say he knew very much about but he supposed that it was normal for the woman to be fashionably late. He expected nothing else from Alyssa. If he had been in her position, he too would have done precisely the same thing and made the absolute most of the occasion.
Winterburne put his hand inside his waistcoat feeling for the invitation to the Ball but it wasn't there. It was unlikely that he would need it, the pageboys would most likely have a list for reference, but he thought it best to take it along to save wasting any unnecessary time. He looked over at his desk. The paper was still lying on the table top and he walked over to retrieve it, picking it up and giving it a quick check before stuffing it into his clothing.
The knock on his office door made him jump. He spun around, his heart racing. He trembled as he walked over to the door, pulling on the handle with his sweaty hands. The Sergeant stood on the other side.
'There's someone here to see you, Sir,' Moore said, a wide smile on his face.
Alyssa stepped out from behind the Sergeant, the pale blue dress that she wore took Winterburne's breath away. The fabric fell perfectly around her shoulders, as if the dress had been made just for her, and as his eyes ran down her body, he realised that it showed off just a little more of her cleavage than he had thought it would. The grey waistband was pulled snug, and for the first time since he had met her he realised how slim she actually was. She had fixed her hair up on the top of her head and her brown eyes sparkled at him. If he did not know better, and had been told that Alyssa was a Lady of the Empire, then he would have believed it.
'So?' Alyssa asked. 'What do you think?'
Winterburne moved his mouth, but no words came out. It was all he could do to keep his eyes on her and his eyes wandered up and down her body, transfixed.
Alyssa smiled. 'Can I take it from your reaction that you approve, Captain?'
'It's...,' Winterburne stumbled, 'you look…the dress fits…your hair is just…'
'I think he likes it,' Moore said, grinning.
Alyssa walked over to Winterburne and held out her hand. It was covered by a grey velvet glove that reached up to her forearm to her elbow and she slipped it beneath his own, linking the two of them together. 'Shall we go?' she asked.
Winterburne held open the door to allow Alyssa to pass out into the corridor. As they made their way to the front door, looking down at her, he found himself thinking how lucky he was to be taking such a beautiful guest to the ball. He pushed open the door, but still could not bring himself to say anything, worried that anything he did say might offend Alyssa, or worse still, make himself look stupid.
'Enjoy!' Moore called after them, from the far end of the corridor. Winterburne looked back over his shoulder giving him his sternest stare. The Sergeant waved as he chuckled to himself.
The pair stood on the porch for a moment, relishing the sight of the residents that had gathered up and down the road to watch the guests arrive at the Palace. A black polished carriage passed in front of the Headquarters, the hooves of the horse-team clopping on the stones of the street as it made its way eastward.
'We should get moving,' Winterburne said. 'We don't want to be late.' Alyssa smiled back at him, still clinging onto his arm. He had thought that he would have felt uncomfortable but so far being with the woman had felt almost as easy as breathing.
They stepped off the porch steps and followed the carriage along West Street to the intersection which led up the gentle incline to Imperial Square. A cordon of the Emperor’s personal guard had been set up across the road to the Palace and the men were checking the invites of the guests as they arrived. They had stopped the carriage and the driver had climbed down from his seat at the front, walking over to one of the guards. The driver said something to the guard and Winterburne saw the soldier give an instruction to his men. Several of them moved to the edge of the road, and the driver climbed back up the side of the carriage. With a quick tap of the reins he encouraged the horse to draw the vehicle up through the cordon and onwards towards the Palace steps.
Moments later and they had arrived at the cordon themselves. Winterburne showed the officer-in-charge their invitation and when he was satisfied that it was genuine, the man waved them through.
Armed guards lined the road leading up to the Palace, their halberds sporting black and white tassels of the Emperor's colours which hung around the neck of the weapon. A line of invited guests strolled towards Imperial Square.
'Don't the soldiers look fabulous?' Alyssa said, squeezing Winterburne's arm, clearly excited by the whole experience. 'I just never imagined that I would get to make this walk myself, one day.'
Winterburne looked at Alyssa, and smiled.
'I always looked on from the crowd, of course,' she said. 'I envied those people. Now I'm one of them. I can hardly believe it.' She looked up at Winterburne. 'You've been to the Palace before, do you e
ver get used to it?'
'Well,' he replied, 'it is certainly a special place, and no mistake. I think you'll like it very much.'
Alyssa pulled Winterburne tight against her. 'I'm so excited,' she said, looking into his eyes.
'I know,' Winterburne replied, 'I can tell. This is my first ball, too, remember, so I don't quite know what to expect, myself.' And that's true in more ways than just one, he thought, to himself.
Burning braziers had been placed along the road every one hundred feet or so and the reflections of the flames danced in the polished breastplates and helmets of the guards. Man and fire formed a border to the road as the guests continued on towards the Palace. All the people around them seemed to be savouring every moment of the journey up the street, which for many would be their one and only time inside the Imperial seat of power.
'Look at their clothes,' gasped Alyssa. 'I bet each one costs more than most people in Highport earn in a year.'
Winterburne smiled down at her, supposing that her observation was right.
The men and women were dressed in their best formal wear, and had put him to shame. Most of the men wore velvet jackets with matching trousers, and many carried a ceremonial sword. The women tended to be dressed in long flowing gowns that extended down to the ground, showing off their shoulders and arms, and most of them wore elbow-length gloves which matched the colours of their dresses. Blues, reds, and greens seemed the most popular, while others also wore a wrap to keep out the chill of the spring evening. Flowers had been pushed into the hair of some of the women, carefully chosen for the contrast to the colours of their dresses.
'I didn't think of adding a flower to my hair,' Alyssa said, also noticing the way the women had dressed. 'I wish I had, now.'
'It doesn't matter, you look lovely without one.' Somehow, Winterburne had found himself feeling less embarrassed talking to Alyssa in this way than he had thought he would, and he was already enjoying her company. He smirked as he looked up ahead at the men. 'I bet most of them don't know one end of their weapon from the other.'
Alyssa sniggered. 'They look as if they might trip over them at any time.'
The carriage they had seen earlier had stopped at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Palace doors. The passengers were just climbing out and the man held the woman's hand, helping her down the steps. The man gave the driver a coin, to which the driver touched his hat and shut the door behind the two. The driver walked around the front and climbed back into his seat again, giving the order to the horse to move off. The two passengers were left on the steps, looking up at the impressive sight of the Palace. Imperial banners, with the black eagle standing proudly on the clean white background, hung from the balconies built on either side of the main doors.
'Well, would you look at that.' Alyssa gazed up at the sight before her. 'Emperor Frederick certainly knows how to throw a party.'
'You can be sure of that,' Winterburne said.
As they reached the far side of the square, they climbed the steps to the walkway that stretched towards the main building. A queue had formed at the doors and they joined the back of it, waiting for their turn to go inside. Up ahead, the pageboys were taking the shawls and hats from the guests that had them and then disappearing off to place them in storage. Winterburne assumed that it would be in one of the large offices that joined the reception hall.
When it was their turn to reach the head of the queue, Winterburne recognised the figure of Lawrence Draper, who was talking to the boys and directing events behind the scenes. Draper saw Winterburne and walked over to him pulling both him and Alyssa to one side.
'Good evening, Captain, and Mistress Vawdrey,' Draper bowed to the two of them. 'Please excuse me for interrupting your evening, Captain,' he added, 'but may I speak with you privately for a moment?'
'Of course,' Winterburne replied. He turned to Alyssa and took her hand. 'Please,' he said, 'wait here. I will only be a short time.'
Alyssa looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face. 'How does he know my name?'
'It's not important.' Winterburne smiled down at her. 'Just wait here. I will be quick,' he said, and kissed her hand.
Draper was waiting for him as he reached the other side of the hall. In his hand he held a small, white envelope, and he offered it to Winterburne. 'His Highness has asked me to deliver this note to you on your arrival.'
Winterburne took the envelope and pulled it open. Draper bowed and backed away from him, as if to give him some privacy. Winterburne read.
''Allow the Ball to progress. If all is well, meet me at 9 o'clock in my study. Draper has orders to be available, near the Imperial dais, to show the way.
F''
Winterburne looked up from reading and folded the letter, sliding it back into the envelope. 'Thank you, Master Draper.'
The valet nodded. 'If I may be so bold, Captain,' he said. 'I see that Her Highness's dress fits Mistress Vawdrey almost perfectly.'
'Yes, it does, doesn't it.' Winterburne glanced over at Alyssa who was looking around her and taking in the sights and sounds of the Palace. 'She looks lovely, don't you think?'
Draper nodded, 'Yes, she does,' he said, as he too looked over at Alyssa, 'I assume that she still does not know where it came from?'
'Not yet,' Winterburne replied. 'I was saving that particular surprise for later in the evening. Thank you so much for arranging it for me.'
'It was a pleasure, Captain,' Draper said. 'The Empress was most eager to help out. She mentioned to me that she would keep a special look out for you both.'
'Then I must thank her personally, when I get the opportunity.'
Draper smiled at him. 'Now, if you would excuse me, Captain. It is a most hectic evening for all the staff and I have plenty of duties that require my attention.' He bowed and made his way back to the pages who were continuing to greet the guests.
Well, thought Winterburne, looking at the envelope, it’s certainly a plan of sorts. He rejoined Alyssa, stuffing the envelope into his waistcoat as he made his way back.
'What was all that about?' Alyssa asked, as Winterburne took her arm again.
'Oh, just some Watch business. It's nothing to worry about.'
Around them, the guests were making their way towards the doors that opened onto the Audience Chamber. Guards had been strategically placed at the bottom of the steps leading up to the first floor.
'Look,' Winterburne said, pointing at the men, 'just in case any nosey guests need to be guided back to the main chamber.'
'That's subtle,' Alyssa said.
The mosaic of the eagle caught Winterburne's eye as they crossed the polished floor in the direction of the main chamber. 'What do you think of the Eagle?' he asked, pointing over at it. 'Of all the things in the Palace,' he said, 'I would have to say that the mosaic eagle is my favourite.'
'It's glorious,' Alyssa replied. 'To be honest, everything is. I can hardly believe that I'm actually here.'
The pair joined the back of the line and followed the revellers towards the main doors to the Audience Chamber. They had been flung wide open, and the voices and music coming from the hall grew louder as they approached.
A waft of Alyssa's perfume reached Winterburne's nose. He hadn't noticed it earlier as they walked up to the Palace, but the gentle scent of roses reminded him of the white buds that his mother used to grow in her garden when he was a boy. He drew himself near to Alyssa again and took another deep breath of her smell. Somehow, as he looked at her, dressed in the rich clothes, and for the first time that he could remember in years, he felt like he was home.
He jumped as Alyssa let out a squeal of excitement. 'I can see him!' she said. 'I can see the Emperor!'
Soon, they had reached the doors and could now look through into the room beyond where the Imperial banners hung down from the ceiling and black and white ribbons had been wrapped and tied around the pillars that towered above them. At the end of the hall, raised above the gathering on their own platform, was t
he Emperor’s group. Frederick and Kateryn were seated on their thrones and to Frederick's right stood the Lord Chamberlain. Winterburne looked past the crowd of dancers and along the raised level at the back of the room. The Governors were standing sombrely near the Emperor but they had split into two groups and were talking amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to all the people around them in the hall.
The musicians, positioned over to the right of the hall, struck up their tune and the sound of the music reached their ears. Couples walked into the open space before the thrones and began to dance in time to the beat of the drum and the strumming of the lute. Some kind of wind instrument accompanied the composition but Winterburne was unsure as to what it precisely was. He just knew that he didn't like it.
Alyssa smiled as she heard the music. 'Can you hear the gemshorn?' she asked. 'My father knew how to play one. It reminds me of being a little girl again.'
'It's very good,' Winterburne lied.
He led Alyssa across the hall and they took up a position near one of the decorated pillars with a clear view of the Emperor. This would be a good spot, he considered, and he could also keep his eye on Frederick from here. But, then he noticed that Alyssa was looking at him, expectantly.
'What?' Winterburne asked.
'Shall we?'
'Shall we what?'
'Honestly, Thomas, you are hopeless.' Alyssa pulled on his arm. 'Dance with me.'
'But I can't dance.'
'Nonsense,' Alyssa said, laughing. 'Everyone can dance, at least a little bit, even if it's only a shuffle. And besides, I didn't come here to be a wallflower.'
Winterburne felt himself being dragged towards the group of dancers. In that moment he decided that at least sometimes it was better not to fight.
The dancing continued for several minutes. Women were spun by their partners and lifted off the ground at certain points of the music, although to Winterburne's eye there was no pattern that he could fathom. He tried his best for Alyssa, but she seemed more than amused by his pathetic efforts, after having stood on her toes at least a half-dozen times. When the music stopped, the dancers turned to the musicians and clapped in appreciation.
A pageboy passed before Winterburne and offered them a glass of some kind of amber-coloured drink. He took two glasses and handed one to Alyssa, which she raised to her lips and downed in one gulp. He raised his eyebrows as he watched her and then sipped his, grimacing as the bitter taste assaulted his tongue.
'That is truly horrible,' he said. 'I have never tasted it's like before, and I would rather die before I taste it again.'
Alyssa laughed at him. 'It's a spirit made from peach juice,' she said. 'I can buy something similar in the market, although I don't remember its proper name, something foreign I think. Everyone around here calls it gut-rot.'
'I can tell why,' Winterburne laughed.
Alyssa leaned in close, lowering her voice. 'Don't tell the Emperor, but the stuff I buy is much stronger. I don't mind betting that he paid top price for this...but I reckon he's been had.'
Winterburne looked into his glass and frowned as he took another sip. 'Stronger that this?' he said. 'Lord alive! Is that even possible?' He frowned at the taste. 'That is my first, and last, drink of the evening.'
'Oh, give it here.' Alyssa took the glass from him and gulped the remainder of the drink in one swallow. 'It's better if you do it in one.'
'You really have done that before, haven't you?'
Alyssa winked at him.
The dancers were just leaving the floor as the beat of the drum started again and they stopped, returning to resume their places and continuing to dance. Winterburne pointed for Alyssa to look across the hall where Frederick and Kateryn were seated and they saw Frederick stand. His white uniform was immaculate, and Kateryn's black dress ran down to her ankles, hugging her figure, her red hair piled up onto the top of her head.
'The Empress looks gorgeous,' Alyssa said.
Frederick took her white-gloved hand leading the Empress down the stairs, towards the group of dancers. They joined in with the dancing, the guests around them applauding as they came near.
Winterburne was still watching Kateryn when Alyssa reached up and turned his head away, so that he was looking at her, and she laughed.
'Naughty,' she said, laughing as they too joined in the dancing.
Then, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kateryn was steering the Emperor towards them. As they approached, Winterburne bowed to the couple and Alyssa performed the best unpractised curtsey that she could. The Imperial couple stopped dancing and Kateryn walked across to Alyssa.
'The dress looks wonderful.' Kateryn said. 'It is as if it was made for you.'
Alyssa looked puzzled and turned to Winterburne.
He smiled at Alyssa. 'Her Highness kindly let you borrow one of her dresses. I did ask you to trust me. I thought that you might like it.'
Alyssa suddenly realised what Winterburne had just said to her and turned back to Kateryn her eyes wide. 'It's yours?' she gasped.
Kateryn laughed. 'There is no hurry to return it, Captain,' she said. 'Mistress Vawdrey may use it for as long as she wants to.' Kateryn smiled at the pair of them, then took Frederick's hand, and the couple danced off.
'She knows my name,' Alyssa said.
Winterburne smiled back and nodded.
'How does she know my name?'
'I may have mentioned it to their valet,' he said. 'In passing.'
'Does the Emperor know of me also?'
Winterburne shrugged his shoulders. 'Probably,' he said.
Alyssa looked up at Winterburne and stared at him. 'Well, Thomas,' she said, after a moment, 'I can see that you are a man of many surprises.'
'Sometimes,' he replied, and he grabbed Alyssa's hand as they too rejoined the dancing.
As they danced, Winterburne looked around him for anything out of the ordinary that might cause him to be alarmed. Everything appeared in order. The pages busied themselves delivering drinks, the guests were dancing, the Imperial couple were enjoying their own company and the guards were in place. He would defy anyone to say from looking over the scene that they might feel Frederick could be in danger. All appeared to be as it should be, and yet he still had a deep feeling of unease.
Nearby, the pageboy was making his rounds again and Winterburne motioned for him to come over to him. The boy offered him another drink, but he declined.
'What hour is it?' he asked.
'It’s just past eight, my Lord.'
Winterburne thanked him and the page nodded before carrying on with his allotted duties. He really hoped that the next hour would pass as quietly as had the previous.
Alyssa grabbed Winterburne again and pulled him back towards the dancing. 'More,' she said, her face bright with excitement.
His mind raced back to the days when Lady Winterburne had tried to teach the young boy in her care how to time the movements. He seemed to remember that she had tried to tell him that it was all a game of sorts, a way to win the heart of a lady, to show her that the man sharing the moment with her could be something more than just a strong defender. He collected his thoughts a little and searched for the right words to say to the woman.
'I'm really not sure that I am very good at this,' was all he could find.
Alyssa took his hand. 'Well,' she said, 'I think I can do something about that.'
Winterburne suddenly wished that he was somewhere else, anywhere, as he was twirled around the dance floor once more.
He danced with Alyssa for some time and the music continued for what seemed forever. When it eventually finished, he