Paradise Plagued

by Sarah E. Burr

  The color drained from Perry’s face as he came to the same conclusion Jax had the moment she saw the mutilated wrapping. “Virtues.”

  She nodded, her jaw clenched. “The poison was added to this box of chocolates before it was ever wrapped. Which means,” she closed her eyes, wishing she were anyone else at this moment, “these candies were meant for me. Someone aimed to kill the Duchess of Saphire.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Neither Perry nor Uma spoke. They both seemed caught in the strong claws of fear and shock.

  Jax wiped the chocolate caked to her hands on her dress, feeling a bit lightheaded herself as she stood up from the soiled ground. “That’s why none of this made any sense, why no motive seemed to add up. Tarek was never the intended victim. I was.”

  “Jax,” Perry choked out, “are you sure? Maybe it’s just a wild coincidence.”

  “Don’t you see? Once the killer found out that Tarek had ingested the poisoned chocolates and died from them, they had to cover their tracks. By making it appear as though Tarek had taken his own life, no one would suspect their true intentions of targeting me.”

  “How did they find out about the chocolates, though?” Uma asked, her voice meek and distant. “How would they have known they were in his possession?”

  Jax deflated a moment before an idea came to her. “Tarek walked back from the cold spring with the box, tossing it around in the air. His actions would have drawn the attention of anyone he walked past once he was inside the villa. Our assassin likely saw him take the chocolates back to his room and knew it was only a matter of time before he ate them.”

  Uma countered her argument with a pointed expression. “Then why leave the evidence here for us to find?”

  Jax opened and closed her mouth, finding no immediate inspiration for an answer.

  “We don’t know how fast acting this poison is,” Perry pointed out. “Perhaps the killer tracked Tarek out here, found him dead, and assumed he’d left the chocolates in his room.” He wrapped a protective arm around Jax. “We missed them, too, during our initial examination of the scene earlier this morning.” He kissed her forehead. “And likely wouldn’t have found them if not for your incorrigible nose.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Uma hugged her slender figure tightly. “The killer might have been unsettled by the death of an innocent bystander. Obviously, they weren’t thinking straight by organizing such a nonsensical crime scene.”

  “You have a point there.” Jax felt the wind returning to her sails. “This was a messy, ill-thought cover-up.”

  “Not a professional assassin, then.” The notion that specialists were not out to get them seemed to offer Perry some relief.

  “No…” Jax knew he was thinking of the realm’s criminal guild, the Shadow Brethren, and the underground activities they took part in. According to a high-ranking member of the guild she’d met just before her wedding, the organization had moved away from toiling in the political arena, but she wouldn’t put it past a rogue individual to take an assassination contract for himself, especially if the gold was good. “Even a mistakenly-committed murder would be more polished than this if the Brethren were behind it. Besides, we’ve already determined that whoever did this to Tarek has not left the property.”

  At that reminder, Perry stiffened at her side. “We need to send for George immediately.” He turned to Uma. “Find Hendrie, too. Jax needs all the protection we have.”

  Uma nodded and turned to leave the greenhouse.

  “She can’t go out there by herself.” Jax reached out and held her back, but bore her murky, dyed eyes on Perry. “Any one of you could become the assassin’s next target if he thinks it might clear the way to me.” She held up a hand, cutting off Perry’s rebuttal. “We go together. I need to wash up before anyone sees this chocolate on my hands. We don’t want the killer to know we’re onto them.” She folded the dripping giftwrap into her skirts. “We also need to get this to Edrice to see if she can figure out the type of poison used.”

  Uma bit her lip as the three strode away from the greenhouse. “Do you still trust her with this? The culprit obviously knows who you really are, and Edrice and Ammon are the only ones who have openly recognized you.”

  Jax waved off her concern. “Perry and I spent plenty of time alone with them discussing Tarek’s death, and neither of the Zaltorians tried to kill me.”

  Uma refused to back down. “What if they were just trying to get your guard down, giving them time to reformulate their plan? I mean, this had to have taken weeks to set into motion. Just think of the hurdles one would have to go through to commission an order of laced Soveignet chocolates.”

  Jax stopped mid-step, only a few feet from the stairs that led to the back patio. “It wouldn’t be hard if you were the one selling the candies to begin with.”

  Perry scoffed. “Come now, I doubt Monsieur Louis is thick enough to poison the chocolates and make the delivery himself. He’s likely an unsuspecting mule.”

  Jax had to admit the jovial man was probably clueless about the dangerous cargo he’d been carrying. “I still want to talk to him and figure out how he came to be in possession of the poisoned sweets.”

  “We can easily bring that up at lunch.” Uma hurried up the steps and peered in through the gold-gilded doors. “I don’t see anyone inside. Hurry, get upstairs as quickly as you can. I’ll follow to help you into some fresh clothes.”

  Jax hated the pity in her friend’s warm eyes. “All right.” Turning to her husband, she gave him a reassuring poke with her elbow, since her hands were smeared with chocolate. “Gather everyone and meet us upstairs. We’ll be expected at lunch soon, and I want us to arrive together.”

  Clearly torn between staying with her or gathering the cavalry, Perry hesitated only a moment before bowing his head. “Be careful,” he whispered as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

  Jax cursed herself for feeling a slight twinge of fear as he backed away. Her nerves were making her paranoid. She’d been wandering around this estate for nearly a day and a half, and no one had said or done anything that put her in harm’s way. Perhaps the botched attempt had scared away her adversary.

  “Are you all right?” Uma asked as she held her tightly by the arm as they rushed upstairs. “Your cheeks have lost a bit of their color.”

  “I suppose I’m still a little shocked,” was all Jax felt safe enough to say until Uma shut the bedroom door behind them. “We were so careful with our plans to leave Saphire. I can’t figure out how it all went wrong.” She sank onto the stone floor, not wanting to smear melted chocolate on the furniture. “I feel terrible that Tarek paid the price, absolutely gutted.” She resisted the urge to cry. She had to keep a level head if she was going to make it out of here alive.

  Uma seemed unable to find the right words to respond and instead went to work preparing the sauna for a quick bath. She maneuvered a listless Jax out of her soiled dress and into the water, tossing in more hot stones to bring it up to temperature.

  “Don’t bother yourself.” Jax shook her head as Uma went to light the incense burners. “I just need to scrub the chocolate off. I won’t be but three minutes.”

  True to her word, Jax was dressed in a sleeveless linen gown not five minutes later. Her wet hair sat piled on her head, tucked into a plaited bun. Anyone would have thought she’d just come from soaking in one of the spring pools.

  A knock on the door was followed by Perry sticking his head into the room. “Everyone decent? I have the troops assembled.”

  Jax beckoned him inside, and Hendrie and Vita quickly found places to perch in the small sitting area. George, however, entered the suite with a slow, determined stride, and she could practically see the steam spilling out of his ears. Perry had likely given him an overview of their findings, and he was not happy.

  His dark gaze locked on hers. “We need to leave here, now.”

  She had used her time in the bath waters to prepare for this very demand. “We
can’t very well take off. We’d be sitting ducks in our carriages, just begging to be attacked.” She laid out her plan. “Send a courier to Duke Pettraud. He’s the closet ally we have I trust to send a delegation of troops to escort us back to Saphire. I am not leaving this estate without a full squadron of guardsmen. It wouldn’t be safe.”

  George looked like he might very well do the assassin’s job for them and throttle her. “You think it’s safer to stay cooped up in a house with a killer?”

  Jax had been prepared for this comment as well. “They’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill me, George, and they haven’t. They’ve either been scared by the mishap with Tarek—”

  “Mishap? Bit of an understatement,” the Captain of the Ducal Guard snarled.

  She gave him a silencing glare. “They’ve either been scared off or gone back to the drawing board. The house is on alert, so they’ll know everyone is being watched. In either case, if we can figure out who made the attempt on my life, we can thwart them from doing it again.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” George threw his hands in the air and stomped around the room. “Unbelievable. You do realize how stupid you’re being, all because you want to play detective?”

  The room went quiet.

  “I am not being stupid, Captain Solomon.” The anger radiating off the Duchess of Saphire was palpable. “We are dealing with a much larger plot here, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

  George’s fists balled dangerously at his side. He remained silent, his expression giving no hint of a forthcoming apology.

  “Jax, are you sure about this?” Perry moved to her side, taking her hand in his and pressing it to his cheek. “No one would fault you for retreating.”

  “Did you not hear what I just said?” Jax jerked her hands from his as if they were on fire. “The moment we flee this house, we could have an army on us. This is bigger than just a simple box of chocolates. Someone in the realm has orchestrated an open declaration of war.”

  “Jax, slow down.” Perry once again reached for her hand, the hurt in his eyes apparent when she shied away. “Tell us what you’re going on about.”

  She paced the room, avoiding George’s accusing gaze. “We’ve been betrayed on more than one side,” she began, her heart inching its way toward her throat. “No one knew about this getaway except my own courtiers and my grandfather. No one. I was that careful. Most of the Saphire palace staff still think I’m back home, locked away in my study working, only leaving late at night after everyone has gone to bed. And yet, somehow, a box of poisoned chocolates, chocolates many sovereigns and nobles of the realm know I fancy, ended up on the pillow of a room rented in secret to the Duchess of Saphire in disguise.”

  “Someone sold you out,” George stated, his jaw set.

  “Yes,” Jax snapped. “So, excuse me for not wanting to run home where a traitor might be waiting in the wings, or worse, to encounter my grandfather’s guardsmen blocking our path.”

  Uma held a hand to her chest, as if her heart physically ached. “You don’t believe your grandfather would do this to you, do you?”

  “I pray to the Virtues he wouldn’t, but the alternative, that there is a spy in my inner circle, makes me even more uneasy. My grandfather has a duchy to run, after all. It’s simply part of the game for someone of his station.”

  “Is there any other explanation?” Perry looked baffled. “I mean, you hardly had the paperwork containing our new identities in your hands before we were on our way. Would there really be enough time to orchestrate something like this on such a grand level?”

  “I’ve known we’d be using House Rapaste as our cover for nearly a month. I just didn’t know the particulars of the roles we’d be playing.” Jax paced the length of the small room. “Who knows how long my grandfather sat on the Lady Victoire name before he sent it my way. It builds the case against him all the more.” She folded her arms, feeling the need to steady herself as the implications rained down on her.

  “I think you’re making bold assumptions about the gravity of the situation,” Uma said. “This could have been a spur of the moment attack, done by anyone in the house who recognized you and had access the shipment of Soveignets.”

  “That’s supposed to be reassuring?” Hendrie spoke up, giving Uma a wry smile.

  The Duchess rubbed her temples as her brain continued to pound against her skull. “We need to get down to lunch and pretend nothing is wrong. For now, Perry is still looking into Tarek’s death, and we’ll make no mention of finding the laced chocolates.” Her eyes darted to the corner, where the giftbox sat wrapped in her soiled clothes. “I’ll ask Edrice to examine it after lunch and see if she can determine what type of poison was used.”

  “Are you sure you want to involve her?” Uma asked, still sounding hesitant at the prospect. “Couldn’t Vita and I do the research ourselves in the library?”

  “It would take you twice as long, and that’s time we don’t have. The Earl arrives tomorrow, and we need an answer to his son’s death. Once he learns his only heir was killed because of me, I can’t imagine ties between Saphire and Kwatalar remaining stable if we don’t have a culprit to take the blame.”

  “Madness,” George said with a simple shake of his head.

  Jax rolled her eyes at his melodramatic tone, but she actually felt a little hurt that she hadn’t won him over to her side. She was used to having him in her corner. “Please, let me take the lead during lunch. If you don’t like the plan, don’t say anything.” Her words sounded more reprimanding than she intended them to, but she left the room with her companions following silently in her wake.

  Lunch was served in the same shaded outdoor area where they had eaten yesterday, although the atmosphere was significantly less jovial. Ines and Olavo sat together, deep in their own conversation, and Louis leaned back in his chair, twiddling his thumbs. When he saw the somber group approach, he gave them a friendly, if halfhearted, wave.

  Analytical of every move the merchant made, Jax sat diagonally across from him, not wanting him anywhere near her food. “Did you find something enjoyable to pass the morning, Monsieur Louis?” She let a prim smile spread across her face.

  He shook his head. “Sadly, no. I spent the morning balancing my books and reviewing my upcoming orders that need fulfilling. I head to Hestes in a few days to pick up a wine shipment from one of the coastal vineyards.” His tone and manner seemed innocent enough.

  “I assume a part of transporting fine goods is sampling the wares for yourself?” She arched an eyebrow.

  Louis batted the notion aside. “Perhaps a less honorable tradesman would tamper with his goods, but not me. My contracts state that if the seal on a shipment is broken, I don’t get paid. That way, my customers know if something is wrong with the cargo, it’s from the original seller, not me.”

  Perry took the seat directly across from Jax, leaving a stone-faced George and a timid Hendrie to flank her on either side. “That’s a very wise idea, sir,” Perry said. “I suppose that’s kept you from getting into trouble once or twice.”

  Louis chuckled. “Once or twice.”

  Jax unfolded her napkin on her lap, working hard to conceal her disappointment. If Monsieur Louis had spoken the truth about his practices, then he could not have been the one to apply the poison to the chocolates.

  Alasdair sauntered up from the east side of the veranda, a bow and quiver bouncing on his broad back. Beside her, George stiffened, and he moved to shield her from view.

  “Greetings. Lively bunch, eh?” The Beautraudian wore a wolfish grin. “It’s the dead heat of the day that dampens the mood, I tell ye. I wish Ferran would move lunch inside.”

  Ines broke away from her conversation with Olavo and scowled. “I think it has to do with that poor man’s death, Alasdair, not the heat. Virtues, did you grow up in the woods?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I did.” Alasdair followed his words with a cackle.

  Jax laid a hand on George’s arm and gent
ly pushed him away, her look reassuring him she wasn’t going to be shot through the heart with an arrow just yet. “Were you successful tracking your creature, Alasdair?”

  The burly man shook his head. “Nah, Master Ferran requested I hold off on the hunt while yer husband snoops around.” His glinting eyes settled on Perry. “Lord Rapaste, ye better hurry it up, or my beast is going to move on from cattle to children.”

  Jax tried to mask her shudder at the impropriety of his remark, but the look of camaraderie on Ines’s face told her she hadn’t been successful at concealing her disgust.

  Perry summoned a small smile. “I am trying my best to determine Tarek Killiam’s murderer. Which is why I must ask why we didn’t find your footprints left behind from your morning walk when we examined the property?”

  The huntsman’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t be a very good hunter now, would I, if I could be tracked meself.”

  “You have a method to completely erase your trail?” Skepticism forged itself in George’s grim stare.

  “Aye, indeed.” Alasdair pulled the gleaming bow from his back and ran a finger down the taut bowstring. “But if yer suggesting I killed Tarek and made all traces of meself vanish, then I’d like to inform ye that if I was to kill someone, it would be with an arrow through the heart and not some cowardly poison.”

  Perry met the remark with raised eyebrows.

  “Good afternoon, everyone. My, it is warm out today.” Abra appeared through the house doors, looking much calmer than she had been this morning. Her hair was newly braided, and she wore a beautiful golden shift that hugged her figure, putting her curves on display for the gaping gentlemen at the table. Even Jax had to admit the woman looked ethereal. “Have we all recovered our appetites from this morning?” Her eyes danced eagerly around the table, beaming when she received a smile or a nod.