Chapter Sixteen
When an invitation came from the Duchess Magdale—formerly the Great Lady Hana—to attend a dinner party at her husband’s house in the city, I was hesitant to agree. I knew her marriage to the duke could not be coincidence, but I had made a decision: now that I was free of Johai and Damara, I would not meddle in their affairs. I sent a polite decline, thinking it would be the end of the matter. She replied swiftly, insisting I visit, and she even offered her new son-in-law as an escort, Layton.
Seeing his name written on the parchment, my stomach twisted. I had not spoken to him since I had broken ties with his mother, but to further decline the duchess’s request would risk insult, and I still held a precarious place at court, especially with Sabine’s impending departure.
In the end, I agreed to the arrangement, requested the night off from Sabine’s service, and prepared for an evening out.
Layton arrived promptly to escort me. One of the servants let him in as I finished dressing. I entered the receiving room to see not one but two persons awaiting me. Hovering at Layton’s shoulder, Earvin scanned the room as if looking for an attacker to emerge from the bare walls.
The idea of one of Damara’s servants joining us unsettled me. I cleared my expression of surprise and greeted them.
“Your grace.” I bowed to Layton, my eyes not leaving Earvin’s face. Per usual, he did not reveal any emotion in his gaze.
“Maea, there is no need for formality. Whatever has passed between my mother and you has nothing to do with me.” He smiled and offered his hand to me.
I took it hesitantly. If he was not working in conjunction with his mother, why bring one of her guards?
“I expected you alone,” I said, eyes darting once more to Earvin.
“Ah, yes. About that, I actually have a boon to request of you. I thought to ask you in the carriage, but now is a good of a time as any. Earvin has requested withdrawal from my mother’s service in order to attach himself to your household.”
Shock rippled through me. “My household? But I have no household to attach to.”
“My lady, you have presented yourself as a scion of House Diranel, you are entitled to have men-at-arms,” Earvin interjected with an inflectionless tone.
I stared between Layton, who grinned, and Earvin, whose blank expression gave nothing away.
The very idea of me, a lady-in-waiting, traipsing around the palace with a guard was preposterous. Damara’s presence marked the entire notion. But despite my resistance, I did like the idea. At times I missed the reassurance of Earvin’s presence. I knew with him in attendance I did not need to worry.
“I don’t have any means to pay you.”
“I can help in that matter. Officially he will be a member of House Florett, but I shall lend him to your service in whatever capacity you request him,” Layton said.
The arrangement was too simple. I stared at Layton with a raised brow. “Why are you doing this?”
“I told you before, Keisan can be dangerous, and I will not sleep well at night until I can rest assured you are safe.”
The sentiment warmed me, but I could not be certain I could trust Layton.
“I will think on your generous offer and give you my decision after careful consideration.”
“A sensible reply,” he remarked.
“My lady, if I may speak?” Earvin asked.
I nodded, uncertain as to what else he could add. “I know you have no reason to trust me, as I was previously in Duchess Florett’s employ. But I swear to you now upon my immortal soul, I would never betray your trust nor would I let any harm come to you.”
My brows rose to my hairline, the unexpected proclamation of devotion set me back, and for a moment I did not know how to reply.
“I am sorry,” I began. His expression was blank as usual, but he did stare at me, intent on my answer. “I shall take your word under advisement, but it is too soon for me to make a decision.”
He nodded his head in reply and stepped back behind Layton and out of the way for us to pass.
Layton bent his arm and offered it to me. “Now that we have business taken care of, shall we?”
I took his bent arm, and the pair of us headed out, with more than a few glances over my shoulder in Earvin’s direction. I had never expected such a declaration from him, and I wondered what had prompted it. Could I trust him? I was not sure, though he had proven loyal until now and had never given me cause not to trust him, other than the fact that he worked for Damara. But did that make him complicit to her plans? I did not want to risk putting my trust in him until I could be sure.
A gilded carriage awaited us in the palace courtyard. Servants in the blues and goldenrods of House Florett greeted us and held the team of geldings hitched to it. A servant stepped forward to open the black door. A stylized yellow flower on it marked the carriage as one of House Florett’s personal conveyances. Layton took my hand and guided me onto the carriage step and then into the cab itself. I sat on one of the padded seats within and admired the plush interior in a damask blue and gold.
Layton settled himself into the seat across from me. With a quick rap of his knuckles on the embossed roof, we were on our way with a lurch of forward momentum. I stared out at the city streets as they blurred by.
“Maea, I cannot pretend this is merely a social call.”
I turned to face him, and his expression had lost all of its usual humor. “What else would it be?” I said. A lump lodged itself in my throat. Was this a trap? Was he working with Damara to bring me back under her power?
“I want to know what my mother is doing. For what purpose has she staged this falling out between you?”
His presumption shocked me. I had assumed he was privy to his mother’s plot to place him on the throne. “I—” I stopped myself. I could not be certain he wasn’t deceiving me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I am not a fool. I know what my mother is. I know what she did, though she tries to hide it from me.”
“Layton, I can assure you, this is no play act. Your mother—” I hesitated. It could not hurt to tell him what I suspected, I supposed. “She and Johai used magic to strip me of my memories, and I suspect they plan to make you king.”
Layton frowned, and the action did not suit his face. The sudden change in personality perplexed me. Why offer to help me in one breath and accuse me in the next? It made no sense.
“I feared as much. Yet, I cannot fathom why. She’s never been an ambitious woman. Why start now?”
I nodded my head in agreement. From what I remembered of Damara, she had never seemed overly ambitious, but it did not change the facts.
“She cannot simply change the succession, can she?” I said, feeling very much an ignorant on the matter.
“Not alone, no.” He rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window. “What I don’t understand is what is your part in all of this?” He turned back to regard me with narrowed eyes. He did not trust me, and for some reason that struck me. I liked Layton. He had been kind to me since I had arrived here, and I never wanted to incur his displeasure.
Damara’s plans sounded innocent enough, simple politicking, but I could not shake the foreboding feeling. The diviner had warned me as had my visions. If everything went as planned, much more than the line of succession would change in Danhad. I began to rethink my decision to exclude myself from Damara’s plotting.
He pinned me with his emerald gaze. Unable to escape his hold on me, I searched his face for some hint of the man who had been kind to me in my early days at court, who had embraced me as a sister. I saw only malice there. Is this what my meddling has gotten me? I thought.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
The carriage came to a sudden lurching halt, and I flung forward from my seat. Layton caught me in his arms, and I tilted my head up to meet his gaze.
“We will speak more on this later,” he said.
/> The carriage door swung open and revealed Earvin. His brows pulled together, but he made no comment at the intimacy of our position. I pulled back, crimson staining my cheeks and neck. Earvin stepped aside, and I leaned forward to exit the carriage. His steady hands helped me onto the cobbled streets, and I held onto his strength for longer than necessary, trying to steady the spinning world. If only I could test Earvin’s loyalty; I could use an ally.
The two-story building before me faced onto the cobbled streets. Dusk turned the grey marble columns that framed their front entrance amber. A pair of servants, dressed in black but for a single maroon bird upon their breast, awaited us on the stoop.
Layton joined me, and a cheerful smile replaced his doubting countenance. He offered me a bent arm and escorted me up the front steps and past the hedge-lined walk. The change in his personality startled me, though I tried to mask the reaction.
At the door, a servant greeted us and led us into a foyer. Polished floors gleamed, and candles glowed in their sconces. The shadows they cast danced across the wall.
The duke and his bride entered from a room off to one side. She beamed at us, her radiant blonde hair quaffed in an elaborate series of twists, and a string of sapphires hung at her throat.
“Thank you for coming.” She embraced me like an old friend, and I hid my surprise at the intimacy of the gesture.
“It is my pleasure, your grace.” I bowed.
She smiled and with a flutter of her hand begged me to rise.
Duke Magdale embraced Layton’s hand, and the pair of them shared a stiff shake. “I trust my daughter and grandson are well?”
“Yes, sir, she is the spirit of my household at White Crest. I hope to return to them come spring.”
I never really thought of Layton’s wife; I knew he was married. Looking at him talking about her, the radiance of his smile when he spoke her name, it warmed my heart and equally pricked it, a reminder of my own unrequited love.
“That’s good to hear.” He turned to me and gave me a small bow. “Lady Diranel.”
I bowed once more. “Your grace.”
It continued to discomfit me to be addressed as Lady Diranel. I had no real claim to the title, or any, for that matter.
“Well, let’s not stand here mouths agape. Lady Diranel, you must join me in the drawing room,” Duchess Magdale said. She slipped my arm in hers, as if we were longtime companions and at ease in such a manner. I craned my neck over my shoulder towards Layton. He shrugged and followed the duke to another room across the hall. Earvin motioned to follow us, but a servant intervened.
“My lady’s guard can wait in the servants’ quarters,” the servant said.
Earvin stared between the servant and me. I wished he could follow me, but I knew it would only draw suspicion. I shooed him with my hand but raised my brows as if to imply to stay nearby. He bowed towards me and followed the servant down the hall. I hoped he understood my message.
Duchess Magdale showed me to the drawing room. A fire lit at one end cast warmth over a grouping of couches arranged before it. A servant had set a tray with a decanter of wine and two glasses alongside an array of sweets for us to partake in. The servant, the one I assumed provided the tray, stood by the door, awaiting instruction. The duchess dropped my arm and fluttered over to a couch.
“Please, have some refreshments while we relax. Dinner will be ready not too long from now.”
I sank down and let my gaze slide around the generously appointed room. The pink marble on the fireplace glowed in the firelight, and the overstuffed furniture seemed pristine.
I had the distinct feeling the duke did not often entertain before marrying.
“Will you require anything else, milady?” the servant asked.
“That will be all.” She waved him away.
He bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
I shifted in my seat as Duchess Magdale selected a powdered pastry from the tray.
“I should not, but my husband’s cook is a genius with sweets.” She took a delicate bite before setting the remainder onto a china plate on her lap.
“When will the other guests be arriving?” I asked, hoping to end the uncomfortable silence.
She turned her large brown eyes towards me. “They have all arrived.” Her lips curled, and I wished I had not sent Earvin away.
“Where are they?”
She laughed, mockingly sweet. “I am sorry.” She pressed a napkin to her lips. “I thought you would be cleverer than this to ensnare the prince.”
“Pardon me?”
“Let me be blunt. I did not request you this evening for the pleasure of your company, Lady Diranel.” Her mouth spat my assumed title like a curse.
“Then why did you?”
She sighed. “As my darling husband said, I do not have many friends here at this court. I wish for you to make introductions for me.” Her mocking tone did not match her round face and innocent airs.
Realization dawned on me. She sought to use me in the same way Duke Sixton had, for my connections at court. “And whom exactly do you wish to be introduced to?”
She laughed again, a sound akin to the ring of metal upon stone. “There’s the fire I expected of a woman whom the prince has taken to his bed.”
I jumped to my feet, unaware of my actions. “You are mistaken. I have never—” Anger swelled my tongue. “I would never—”
“Quite a temper you have.” She reached across the tray and poured herself a glass of wine. “You can see how easily rumors can be started, though. One slip of the tongue and—” She tilted the decanter, overfilling her cup, which spilled onto the pewter tray. A few burgundy droplets clung to the tablecloth before dying it red. “I’ve heard the whispers about you at court, how you’ve enchanted the prince and lead him along like a dog on a leash.”
I fisted my hands at my sides, resisting the urge to strike her. “I have done no such thing.”
She pulled her brows together. “How else are you keeping the prince in your thrall? Don’t be coy, Lady Diranel. Everyone knows what you are now. It would be a simple matter to plant the seed. And if someone were to help it grow… well, House Diranel does not have the best reputation, now does it?”
I colored at her insinuation. Is that how I was regarded at court, as a sorceress? I paced away from her, intent on storming out, manners be damned.
“I would not leave. I would hate for others at court to learn of the extent of your temper.”
“Let them hear it,” I said, my back turned to her, reaching for the handle of the door.
“Yes, but it would not reflect well on you, a temper and tied to the traitor’s son. It would not take much convincing before people believe you were a traitor yourself.”
I paused. “I have nothing to do with Johai.”
“Do you not? I saw you dancing at the harvest fete. I have heard rumors that you were a member of his foster mother’s household before you squabbled.”
My hands fell limply to my sides. If she knew this much, how much more could she know, and did she really have the power to turn me into a traitor? She was new here at court, which gave me only a slight advantage, but she had also married well. It was also true that my family had left me a tainted legacy. There was logic to her reasoning. I, who had seen the mercurial nature of court, knew it would not take much to turn everyone against me. I had already burned one bridge. How many more would I need to before I was truly free?
“What do you want from me?” I asked, defeated.
“I want to be a lady-in-waiting to Princess Sabine.”
The request was not entirely shocking. I had suspected as much. What intrigued me, however, was the axis of intrigue surrounding Sabine. With each passing day, it became apparent that in Sabine lay the key. The only problem that remained: what was it I was meant to discover if not my past?
“Why?” I could not help but ask as I turned to face Duchess Magdale once more.
“She is one of the most influenti
al women here at court.”
I laughed. Sabine was as powerless as me if not more. “I think you are mistaken. She carries no sway in court. Besides, she’s set to go to Neaux come the spring.”
Duchess Magdale laughed derisively once more. “Perhaps you should talk to her about that.”
Days after my dinner at the Magdale home, I had yet to make a decision about Earvin and approaching Sabine with Duchess Magdale’s request. No matter how I pressed the duchess, she refused to elaborate. The rest of our evening was spent in tense silence. The only consolation was when Layton and the duke joined us for our meal.
I tried to ignore the duchess’s taunts and pretend I did not hear the implication that Sabine was keeping things from me, possibly important information. She was my friend and one of the few people I trusted. I regularly took to pacing about Sabine’s salon whilst Sabine, Odell and Vian worked on their needlework. After three days of this, Sabine scolded me.
“Maea, you must sit. Watching you pace is vexing.”
I stared wide eyed at her, unaware of my disruptive behavior. “I’m sorry, my lady, I just cannot seem to sit still.”
Sabine searched my gaze for a moment before turning to Odell and Vian. “Ladies, you are excused from your duties for today. They each set aside their work, bowed to Sabine, and hurried out of the room.
She turned back to me with a compassionate expression. “Maea, what is wrong? You’ve been in ill spirits for days now.”
I shook my head. “No. Nothing of the sort. I just—” I hesitated, though I feared Duchess Magdale’s retribution, I feared more losing Sabine’s trust.
She placed her hand over mine. “Tell me. There need not be secrets between us.”
I inhaled deeply, taking strength from her. “The longer I am at court, the more it becomes apparent that you are the key which unlocks the answers.”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
With another calming breath, I related to her Jon’s proposal, the Duchess’s threat and Layton’s confession.
Sabine was quiet for some time. She stared at her embroidery upon her lap. A verdant vine clinging to a white trellis created the border of the fine muslin she worked on. I let her thoughts settle. However, before I had a chance to question her further, a sharp knock at the door grabbed both of our attentions.
“Who could that be?” I wondered aloud.
“Maea, will you get that?” Sabine requested, and I rose to obey.
Outside, Beau, Sabine’s guard, stood beside a Neaux man I had yet to meet.
“Is the princess within?” the Neaux man asked. The age lines around his mouth were set deep and strained.
“She is,” I said.
“Who is it, Maea?” Sabine called.
“Princess Sabine, it’s me, Lord Amelle, from the embassy.” He and Beau pushed their way past me. The Neaux ambassador gave Sabine a deep bow as she rose from her chair. “I would speak with you on an urgent matter, Your Majesty.”
Sabine’s gaze flickered towards Beau, and they shared a silent message. “Come with me into my chamber, and we shall talk. The three disappeared through a side door and left me standing by the entry, my mouth agape.
I closed the door, and then I took a seat in one of her salon couches.
From behind the door Sabine shouted, “No, it cannot be!”
I jumped up, not sure what my intentions were.
“Your Highness!” Lord Amelle shouted.
There were more murmurs behind the door. I sank back into my chair, intent on waiting for Sabine to exit, though planning to burst in if they did not emerge soon. A servant came with lunch. Seeing her mistress absent, she laid a platter beside me and went towards Sabine’s private chambers. I rose to stop her, but too late, the door opened, and voices flooded out.
“Do you understand the meaning of this? Everything may come to ruin! This was not how it was to happen.” Sabine’s voice was full of unconstrained emotion, which I had never heard from her before.
There was a pause as the servant entered. I sat back down as to not be perceived as spying, which was not my intent. Sabine dismissed the servant, and she reentered the salon before leaving.
Only she did not close the door entirely. I stared at it and heard the muffled voices coming from within. I rose with every intention of closing the door to allow Sabine her privacy. As I approached, I heard more of their conversation.
Sabine let out a sound like a strangled sob. “She’s dead, and I’m to blame…” I strained to listen to her voice muffled by cloth. I peered through the crack. Beau held Sabine in his arms, letting her cry into his chest, while the ambassador seemed to be ignoring the pair of them. I had little time to muse on this turn of events as the entry door opposite me swung open and several royal guards poured into the receiving room.
“We are here on His Majesty King Dallin’s orders. Please fetch your mistress.”
My body was incapable of moving; my brain, devoid of thought. Luckily, Sabine and the others heard the commotion and burst into the receiving room.
A guard with a shield emblem pinned to his breast, I assumed he was the captain, unrolled a scroll with a dangling red seal and read from it. “Sabine D’aux third princess of Neaux, you and your household are hereby arrested as conspirators in the murder of Sarelle Raleban, princess of Danhad.”