by C. J. Archer
Dane lowered the sword to Brant's groin. "But I could castrate you."
Brant swallowed.
Balthazar put up his hands for calm. "Let's think about this a moment. Put away the sword."
Dane lowered it but didn't sheath it.
"What if it wasn't Brant?" Balthazar asked. "There were dozens of people in the garrison when Josie told us about the flower."
"Who?" Dane asked.
"Us, for starters." Balthazar pointed to himself and Theodore.
I counted on my fingers. "Erik, Quentin, Zeke, Ray and Yen. Amar was there and Deanna from the menagerie."
Theodore rattled off the names of the servants and guards I didn't know. "Two dozen, at least," he said.
Brant's lips stretched, revealing the gap in his teeth. "Any of them could have taken it."
"And done what with it?" Dane asked.
"Sold it."
"We all knew you hid it shortly after Josie's father's death," Balthazar agreed. "It isn't difficult to come to the conclusion that you buried the gem when you planted the plant."
"Except I didn't conclude that," Brant said triumphantly. "Nor Josie, obviously."
"Nor I." Balthazar looked to Theodore, his bushy brows raised.
Theodore held up his hands in surrender. "Nor I. But someone did."
"Can I go now?" Brant whined.
Dane opened the door. "Get out before I change my mind and throw you in the palace prison."
Brant looked relieved as he headed out the door, only to stop, frowning. "Wait. What if this is all a trick to get me to believe you no longer have the gem?"
"Why would he do that?" Balthazar asked.
"So I'll chase after the Deerhorns or Barborough instead, thinking they have it."
Dane went to close the door in Brant's face. "If I wanted you to leave, I'd make you."
Brant snorted. Dane lowered his gaze to Brant's sore arm and Brant skulked off along the corridor.
"Is he right?" Theodore asked Dane. "Was that just a trick on him? On us?"
Dane gave him a frosty glare. "The gem is gone."
"So what do we do?"
"I'll ask the silversmith in the village if someone tried to sell it to him, but…" Dane shrugged.
"You don't think it was a random stranger who happened to dig it up during the riots," Theodore finished.
Balthazar picked up his ink stained list and sighed. "We have to leave the palace not knowing who has it."
"Show me your lists of who is coming with us," Dane said.
He read the names and pointed out that most of those who'd been in the garrison when I mentioned the riverwart plant wanted to go to Tilting too. "I'll encourage the rest to join us," he said. "We'll keep the suspects close."
Balthazar accepted the list. "By encourage you mean…"
"Ask nicely."
The master of the palace looked relieved. "As long as Brant doesn't have it, it's not a disaster."
"You believe him?" I asked.
"Don't you?"
I looked to Dane and he shook his head. If the person who knew him best didn't trust him, then I saw no reason to either.
"I'd wager Barborough got it," Theodore said. "He knows what it's for and he's slippery."
"He wasn't in the garrison meeting," I pointed out. "He didn't know where it was hidden."
"Someone could have told him where to look."
"If he does have it," Dane said, "he might approach Brant and buy a wish to use for himself or for Vytill's benefit."
"If Brant can be believed and he did inherit them when the king died," I added.
So many ifs. It would seem we would be departing the palace without the gem, and a cloud of uncertainty would follow us all the way to Tilting. At least we'd have the opportunity on the journey to keep an eye on Brant, and the others, and take back the gem if we could discover who had it.
"How is the duchess?" Dane asked.
"Probably wishing Quentin weren’t on duty so much," Theodore said with a smile. "He seems to be doubling as her maid."
"So the tisane is continuing to work on Prudence?" I asked.
"Like magic."
"Has the duke talked about replacing her?"
Balthazar shook his head. "There's a possibility that your plan won't work, Dane. The duke might fetch a woman from his own estate, someone he knows he can manipulate."
Dane folded his arms and frowned in thought. "Pre-empt him. Suggest a palace maid first. Do you have one in mind?"
"I do," I said before Balthazar could answer. "Meg wants the position."
"It could be dangerous," Dane warned.
"She knows that and still wants to do it. I think she'd be rather good."
"Advise the duke," Dane said to Balthazar. "Tell him Meg's a palace maid. He doesn't speak to our servants and won't bother to learn the truth."
I returned to Mull later in the day to inform Meg that the duke agreed to make her Kitty's new maid, and she was to return to the palace immediately to be briefed by Dane and Balthazar. I took the opportunity to pack all my belongings and say a final farewell to the Divers.
It was dusk by the time we left in the palace carriage, my bag strapped to the roof alongside Meg's. She'd taken all of her clothing with her, even though I told her she'd be given a Gladstow maid outfit to wear.
"Just in case they don't have one in my size," she said, waving at her parents and siblings through the rear window.
I waved too as fresh tears welled. "I can't believe I'm leaving," I murmured.
Meg squeezed my hand. "It's not forever."
"I know."
She faced forward, smiling. Ever since I'd given her the news, she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "No more cooking," she said. "No more scrubbing the floors until my fingers bleed."
"Your fingers never bled from scrubbing floors."
"I'm going to live in a palace!"
"You never struck me as the sort who cared about palaces," I said with a laugh.
"I don't, really. But I've never lived in one before and I find I want to try new experiences."
"You do realize you'll be at the duchess's beck and call. She might be more demanding than your mother."
"I doubt that. My mother's a tyrant when it comes to cleaning and cooking. The duchess seems like the sweetest thing."
"She is. That's why I'm worried about her. She's not wily enough to avoid her husband's traps."
"That's what I'm for." She put her arm around my shoulders and hugged me. "Don't worry, Josie. I'll take care of her."
"And yourself too." Even so, I would give her a copy of the poison antidote recipes before I left.
When the carriage deposited us at the palace gate, it became clear plans had changed. Several servants carried trunks and boxes across the large forecourt and out of the gate. Theodore stood with an air of authority, overseeing them.
"What's happening?" I asked him. "Who do these belong to?"
"The Duchess of Gladstow," he said, checking a list in the flickering light of a torch. "The duke is sending her home to their estate near Tilting."
"With me?" Meg asked.
"With you." He looked up from his list. "Welcome to domestic service, Meg. I'll show you to the duchess's rooms soon. Don't bother unpacking."
"Why is he sending her home?" I asked.
"He claims it's not safe this close to Mull after the riots." He urged a footman struggling with a heavy box to hurry up. "I don't think anyone believed him."
"So what's his real reason for sending her away?"
"To control her?" he said with a shrug. "To put her among servants he has complete authority over?"
That did seem likely. According to Kitty, her husband ran the household, and the housekeeper was employed by him. Meg would be her only ally in a nest of vipers.
"I don't like this," I said. "Meg, you shouldn't go with her. It's too dangerous now."
She picked up her bag from where the coachman had deposited it. "I'm going, Josie, and that
's final."
I appealed to Theodore, but he was no help.
"They'll travel with us to Tilting, and men from the duke's retinue will collect her from the city," he said. "The estate isn't far. Come on, Meg. I'll take you up now. At least you won't have to say goodbye to Josie just yet."
I watched them go, wondering if I was the only one who thought it was too dangerous for her. Dane would probably agree, and Max certainly would. I headed to the garrison, where I found them both enjoying some rare time off duty with other guards and several warrior priests. Dane even had his feet up on the table, although he lowered them upon seeing me.
Andreas pulled out a chair and invited me to sit with a friendly smile. "I hear you'll be riding in style with the duchess in her carriage," he said.
"I'm prepared to walk with the others." I indicated the guards and servants.
"The guards are taking horses, since we're now on official business for the duke," Dane said. "You can ride with me, but you'll be more comfortable in the carriage. Rhys has assured me the road to Tilting is fair at this time of year, barring any storms."
At the mention of his name, Rhys looked up from the cup he'd been staring into. "The journey will take twice as long, since many of the servants are walking," he said, a hint of frustration edging his tone.
"Your men can ride ahead," Dane said. "We don't need guides."
"The roads are dangerous," Rufus said. "Nobles' carriages in particular are a beacon for bandits."
Erik tossed the long ropes of hair off his shoulder with a jerk of his head. "Bandits will not worry us."
Max got Rufus's attention. "Do the bandits only want money and jewels?" he asked.
Rufus nodded. "Fine clothes, too, shoes…anything of value."
"What I mean is…" Max glanced at me. "What about women?"
Rufus followed his gaze. "Sometimes."
Max's grave look settled on Dane. "You're fine with Josie traveling on these roads?"
"The women will be safe," Dane assured him. "Unless you doubt your abilities as a swordsman."
Erik tapped his chest. "I will look after Meg for you, Max. And the duchess and Josie, too. I will have all the women."
"I think you mean protect all the women," Vizah said.
Yen snorted. "No, he means have."
"Is it too late to swap Meg for one of the palace maids?" Max asked no one in particular.
"She won't agree to it," I told him. "She wants to leave Mull. She wants to live a more interesting life."
"She'll be in Gladstow's house without anyone to protect her. It won't be interesting, it'll be treacherous."
"I tried telling her that. She's unfazed."
"She's brave," Vizah said with a nod. "I admire her."
Max folded his arms and fell into silence.
"It's not just Meg we should be concerned about," I said. "The duchess is returning to a place where she has no friends. It'll be easier to poison her there." I didn't need to mention the duke by name. Everyone understood, even the priests.
The rest of the group joined Max in morose silence, cutting their evening revels short.
I didn't see Meg again until the morning. She handed a letter to a palace footman on the forecourt and asked him to take it to her parents after she'd left. When we'd departed from Mull the day before, she hadn't known she was leaving the area.
"You should say goodbye in person," I said. "We can wait for you,"
"Absolutely not," she said. "My mother and sisters will cry, my father will forbid me to go, and my brother could very well lock me up until after you've all gone. It's better just to write a nice letter."
I didn't agree but kept my mouth shut. I wished I had a chance to say goodbye to my father before his death. Saying that out loud—even just thinking it—made me fear for her even more.
We followed dozens of other servants through the gate and along Grand Avenue. Some went to the stables but we diverted to the coach house where a carriage and a cart waited, laden with trunks and boxes of varying sizes. Footmen checked to make sure the luggage was secure while grooms looked over the horses one final time. The servants traveling with us assembled nearby, saying farewell to those staying behind. According to Balthazar, almost fifty wanted to leave with us. It made us a large traveling party, and yet the number was small when the total in service was close to a thousand.
Max broke free of the group and strode up to us. "It's not too late," he said to Meg.
She tilted her chin in defiance, a gesture that mere weeks ago she wouldn't have made in front of him. "I'm going."
His lips flattened, but he seemed to know he would be wasting his breath and only angering her if he argued.
"I thought you were staying behind," she added.
"I changed my mind." He turned and strode off to join the other guards.
Meg watched him go, a secretive smile on her lips.
I spotted Quentin standing a little apart from the group. He was talking to a small, broad-hipped girl with a sweet face who looked no older than him. She was crying, and he tried to console her, albeit unsuccessfully.
A sedan chair entered the large stable yard, followed by a second. The carriers deposited them and the duchess stepped out of one while Balthazar emerged from the other. Meg joined her new mistress.
Kitty still looked pale but otherwise healthy. She stood erect, a regal figure dressed in a deep blue skirt and matching jacket with a high collar and black braiding stitched down the front. It was a simple, elegant outfit, sensible for traveling. I hoped she'd hidden her jewels.
She beckoned me to join them. "You will travel with me, Josie. I wish for your company." Her ability to switch between friendly Kitty and grand duchess never ceased to amaze me.
"Yes, Your Grace."
She bestowed a smile on me then held out her hand to a hovering footman. He took it and assisted her into the carriage. Meg and I had to make our own way up the step.
Once inside, Kitty relaxed. She spread her skirts out on the seat beside her and folded her gloved hands in her lap as we set off at a slow pace behind several mounted guards, including Dane and half of the warrior priests. Behind us rode the other guards and priests, with the servants on foot bringing up the rear. Hundreds of other servants watched on, waving and wishing us good luck. Some were in tears. I waved at Dora and spotted Remy up ahead, a big grin splitting his face as he kept pace with the leading horses.
"Goodbye, Josie, and good luck," Laylana called out. She wore a gardening uniform, her hat in her hand. A man standing very close to her waved at us as we drove past. He was dressed in gold and crimson livery of the palace footmen yet the fingers of his right hand were stained dark. He must be the one sketching pictures of faces for Laylana so she could recognize people when she awoke without a memory. It was an enormous relief to know that her frequent memory losses no longer frightened her. Her life would always be stranger than most, however, unless her memory returned.
The footman stopped waving and rested his hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him.
"Everyone has someone seeing them off," Kitty said quietly. "Except me."
It was true. Her husband hadn't escorted her to the coach house. No noblewomen had come to say goodbye. The only friend she'd made among them was Miranda, and she'd already left.
"Why are so many servants coming?" she asked, peering out the window.
"The palace has no need of them now that many of the nobles have left," I said.
"But why are they all going to Tilting? They can't all be originally from the capital."
Meg and I glanced at one another.
"What is it?" Kitty asked. "What haven't you told me?"
I didn't like giving away the servants' secret. It wasn't mine to tell. However, I couldn't think of a lie that would satisfy her. Besides, if she was going to spend the next few days with us, she was going to grow more suspicious.
"You have to promise not to tell a soul," I said. "Swear you won't."
She p
laced a hand to her heart. "I swear."
"Do you remember the rumors of magic?"
"Of course."
"They're true."
She didn't look at all surprised.
"Leon found a gem that granted him three wishes," I went on. "He wished to be a rich king."
Her eyes widened. "The king should never have been king?"
"In order to fulfill Leon's wish, the sorcerer needed a palace." I indicated the building behind us, a dominant presence in the landscape. "And a palace needs servants."
She gasped. "Are you saying he created them? They're not real?"
"They are real. We believe they already existed somewhere. The thing is, they have no memories of their lives before coming here."
She frowned. "None of them?"
I shook my head. "Not the highest servant nor the lowliest."
She sat back and blinked at me. "Miranda was right after all."
"She guessed about the memory loss?" I asked.
"Not that. She simply knew something was amiss with the palace staff." She looked past me through the rear window at the trail of servants following, waving at those who stood watching them go as if they were in a parade. "How very strange it must be for them."
I followed her gaze to see some of the remaining servants trudging back to the palace. Some of them might regret not coming with us. I suspected many of the servants who left would not return.
I, however, intended to. Mull was my home, as was the palace, in a way. It felt like a part of the village now, like an extra limb. But who knew how long I'd be away. When I came back, Mull might not even be recognizable. It would certainly change, but whether I would like those changes remained to be seen.
I faced forward again, towards my future, and clutched Meg's hand tightly.
Chapter 14
Progress was slow, but those of us in the carriage didn't mind. Balthazar joined us and, for a while, we were content to talk quietly. Kitty asked us about village life. She seemed genuinely interested in what chores we did, how and where we did the marketing, and my somewhat unusual role as doctor's daughter, apothecary and midwife.
"I cannot believe that your parents simply allowed you to enter into service to me," she said to Meg. "Josie has no family to stop her doing as she pleases, but don't your parents have expectations for you?"