Was she in denial? Had grief forced her into some manic state?
Abra pressed her palms together in anticipation. “Samira, bring out the keiplah!”
Upon hearing her cue, Samira rolled out the gold cart, a large silver cauldron perched on top. She arrived at Hendrie’s side first and reached for a ladle. Jax’s jaw muscle relaxed. With lunch coming from a communal place, the chances of someone lacing the contents of the cauldron were extremely small. She would, however, wait until the other guests had taken a bite, and she knew her friends would do the same. They’d been in this position before and knew the proper protocol.
Samira rolled the cart to her next, dishing out a thick, steaming bowl of…well, mush.
“Is this a Kwatalarian delicacy?” Jax asked, trying to appear interested rather than hesitant.
Tugging nervously at the long sleeves of her linen dress, Samira glanced at her mother.
“It’s an old Ogdam family recipe, Lady Victoire,” Abra said, her voice a smooth purr. “Rice, ground beef, and cheese, seasoned with a various assortment of spices.”
Jax assessed the steaming bowl in front of her. While it did not look entirely appetizing, it was hard to go wrong with cheese and meat.
“I had hoped,” Ines said as she fanned herself, “we would be having something light and refreshing to quench the heat.”
Abra’s feline grin reappeared. “A secret of desert living is to eat hot food, because your body immediately reacts to what’s happening inside rather than out.”
Louis chuckled. “Well, I hope that wives’ tale has some stock in it.” He took another swipe across his sweaty forehead. “Samira, how do you function wearing long sleeves in this heat? I have some lovely summer dresses in my trunks. I always keep a sampling of the latest fashion trends when I travel. You must take a look.”
Ladling the porridge into Perry’s awaiting bowl, Samira’s cheeks reddened. “That’s quite all right, Monsieur Louis. Keeping the sun off my arms actually helps keep me cooler.” Just as her words trailed off, the sleeve of her left arm hooked on the side handle of the half-empty pot. Without realizing what she was doing, Samira pulled her arm back and with it, the cauldron tipped over onto its side and the keiplah spilled out over the edge of the cart and onto the patio floor, which happened to be covered by the hem of Ines’s dress.
“Oh Virtues, I am so sorry!” Samira lunged forward, scrapping the porridge off the soiled dress with her bare hands.
“Good gracious, girl!” Olavo barked from his chair, although he did not rise to help his sister. “That dress was a gift from Duchess Tandora, was it not?”
Ines’s emotions looked like she was balancing between being distraught over her gown and embarrassed at her brother’s odious reaction. “I’m sure it can be cleaned, Olavo.” She turned to Abra, completely ignoring Samira’s profuse apologies. “It can be cleaned, yes?”
Abra gripped her hands tightly in front of her, and Jax already felt sorry for the berating likely to come Samira’s way. “Of course. Please just let us know when we can collect the frock to be laundered.” She plastered a demure smile on her face.
Perry reached over, and Jax assumed he was placing a hand on Samira’s arm as she worked furiously beside the table. “I think you’ve scooped it all up, my dear.”
Samira jumped up and staggered back a few steps, giving Perry and the rest of the table a bewildered glare. “I-I, yes. It appears I have.” She wiped her hands on her own gown, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I’m sorry for ruining your meal,” she said, turning to Olavo and Alasdair, who had not yet been served. “Is there something I can make you instead?”
Olavo tossed his napkin on the table. “I’ve rather lost my appetite.”
“I’ll just follow you to the kitchen and scrounge around,” Alasdair said.
“Very well.” Samira straightened out the disheveled cart and rolled it away, Alasdair stalking her shadow like a wolf in the woods.
“I’m terribly sorry for the disruption, but please do enjoy.” Abra hurried after her daughter, her expression hard.
Perry met Jax’s gaze with a raised eyebrow as Ines and Louis picked up their spoons and began shoveling the porridge into their gaping mouths. Jax tried not to snort as Ines rolled her eyes, looking to the skies, savoring the flavor. I guess her appetite wasn’t affected.
Jax and her friends waited a few moments before tucking into their meal as well. Louis and Ines gushed about the hearty taste, and since they didn’t show any immediate signs they’d been poisoned, Jax felt safe enough to dig in.
“Oh my.” The melted cheese and rice stuck to the top of her mouth as she chewed, but oh, was it divine.
Louis nodded in agreement, his bowl nearly empty. “Too bad we cannot ask for seconds. I wonder what it would set me back to buy the recipe from Abra and sell it during my travels.”
Olavo, who had been stewing with his arms crossed, sneered. “I doubt anyone with a sensible palate outside of this wasteland would want to eat that slop.”
Jax’s grip tightened on her spoon, resisting the urge to smack Olavo across the head with it. “Perhaps if you had been fortunate enough to taste it, Sir Olavo, you would understand.”
Hendrie and Vita snickered audibly, and Olavo’s eyes widened.
“For a high-born lady, you have the manners of a mud puddle,” he snapped.
Anger reared in her chest, and she didn’t dare glance at Uma, George, or Hendrie. The term “mud puddle” referred to common-born people and their brown eyes. It was a rather vulgar phrase. While she wanted to respond with, “I’ve met many a common-born soul who have displayed more grace in their little finger than you, sir,” she knew better than to toss down the gauntlet in such a brazen manner.
“I think it would be wise for you to apologize to my wife.” The warning in Perry’s tone made her shiver as he came to her defense. “Language like that will not be tolerated.”
Before Olavo could respond, his sister swatted him with her napkin. “That was entirely uncalled for.” To Jax she said, “Goodness, I am so sorry for my brother’s behavior. He gets cranky when he hasn’t eaten, so I’m afraid you’ve caught him at a bad time.” She flashed a pleading look around at the remaining guests.
Olavo slapped his hand on the table. “Don’t apologize for me, Ines.”
She turned to her brother, her eyes filled with contempt. “Dear brother, I’ll stop apologizing for you when you learn to keep your manners in check. I’d hate for word of this to make its way back to Duke Mensina. He’d be appalled by how you’re behaving in front of his subjects.”
Her words seemed to strike their intended mark. Olavo’s skin paled before he muttered a weak apology. “I’m sorry for my outburst, Lady Victoire. My sister speaks the truth. I’m a miserable sod when I’m hungry.”
Letting her bruised ego slide, Jax gave a stone-faced Perry a reassuring smile. She then attempted to redirect the chaotic conversation. “Are you personally acquainted with Duke Mensina, Lady Ines?”
The flush that had crept into the Tandorian woman’s face began to recede. “Not me, per se, but Olavo has been in the Duke’s presence once or twice. He owns a small seaside estate located near one of the Duchess’s summer homes.”
Jax smiled, well acquainted with the manor Ines referred to. “I’m sure you get to mingle with many of the ducal rulers, considering your brother’s position at court.”
“Duchess Tandora is very selective about whom she takes audiences with these days,” Ines explained. “I’m afraid there haven’t been many visitors of late. Just Duke Beautraud.”
Jax’s pulse quickened beneath her tingling skin, and she struggled to keep her voice neutral. “I didn’t realize he and the Duchess were close.”
Ines laughed lightly. “They’re not. In fact, they can hardly stand to be in the same room with one another.”
“Ines,” Olavo said, sending her a warning look. “That’s enough gossiping from you.”
Jax watched
him shift around in his seat. This topic clearly made him uncomfortable. She didn’t want to express further interest and raise suspicion, but she desperately wanted to know why Beautraud was seeking repeat audiences with Tandora’s leader. Did it have to do with the growing alliance against her?
Ines’s lower lip stuck out in a pout. “What’s the fun in knowing all the juicy details if you cannot share?”
“I said, that’s enough.” Olavo’s tone put the subject to bed. “Why don’t you go change? You’re beginning to reek of slop.”
Chastened, Ines excused herself, folding her napkin and placing it on the table. With his eyes on his sister’s retreating figure, Jax wrinkled her face in Olavo’s direction. Where did this man get off being so controlling?
Monsieur Louis spoke up, tossing a most unexpected question into the arena. “So, Sir Olavo, how do you feel about the upheaval Duchess Saphire has caused over the past months? Didn’t Tandora support the ascension of Darian Fangard as the Cetachi Duke?”
Olavo rolled his amber eyes with exasperation. “She did. Something she has come to regret, for sure.”
Jax remained quiet and prayed her companions took her lead. She wanted this conversation to unfold naturally.
“Being a commoner myself, I wouldn’t mind turning in my merchant’s license and setting up my own estate.” Monsieur Louis’s jovial demeanor had taken an accusatory edge. He turned his eyes on Perry. “No offense, Lord Rapaste, but honestly, can you tell me what right you have to live in the lap of luxury while I’m forced to work day in and day out, sending most of my money to a Margrave just because I live on land his family inherited?”
Perry appeared startled by the direct comment, but he quickly recovered. “No. I’m afraid I can’t. My wife and I support the movement and are proud Duke Mensina is standing so firmly behind his granddaughter.”
Louis pressed his lips together, a pleased expression tugging at the corners. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to hear that from a nobleman.”
Perry shrugged. “I understand the need for a supreme leader to guide a duchy, but the societal restrictions in place simply because of the circumstances of one’s birth seem outdated and to be honest, cruel.”
Pride glowed from Jax as she listened to her husband’s well-articulated argument.
“Sounds like anarchy to me.” Olavo stood up from his chair, towering over them. “I pray your way of thought isn’t contagious, Lord Rapaste.” With that, he lumbered off, disappearing through the swinging doors into the villa.
Monsieur Louis watched him leave. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought up the topic, but rarely do I get to interact with people so close to the ducal courts.” He glanced sheepishly at Jax and her friends. “I do hope you encourage Duke Mensina to continue to stand beside his granddaughter. I’ve heard unsettling gossip along my routes. Duchess Saphire’s allies are growing worried her ideas may spark revolt among the nobles. I pray that doesn’t happen. I long for the day when I can be judged for who I am rather than for the color of my eyes.” He sighed, a sad yearning enveloping his ruddy features.
Hendrie cleared his throat and Uma’s face filled with emotion. His words had struck a chord in them, and Jax’s heart ached for their plight. “We will make sure of it,” she answered on Perry’s behalf, a fiery conviction fueling her pledge.
The merchant gave her a soul-searching look before he pushed his chair back. “Time for me to find some more forgiving shade.” He bowed and departed, leaving the Saphirian group alone with their thoughts.
Chapter Eighteen
“Well,” Perry remarked, “what a lively discussion that turned into.”
Jax nodded in agreement, although it had left her rather disconcerted.
“What’s troubling you?” George narrowed in on her subdued demeanor.
A small smile slid across her face. “Besides the obvious?” She examined his concerned expression and felt a spark of hope that his annoyance with her was diminishing. “Why don’t we all reconvene at the cold springs? Some shade and privacy would do us good.”
The group dispersed to change into their swimming clothes.
“George,” Jax began, her hand holding the Captain of the Ducal Guard back from the group, “I have a treat for Edrice and Ammon in my room. Could you bring it to them? They’ve been cooped up in the archives all morning.” She knew from the flicker in his eyes that George understood her coded message. They needed to get the tainted chocolates in the hands of the healer to examine.
After the Captain had departed her room with the Soveignets in hand, Perry took on the role as her protector and stood guard at the door while she laced herself out of her dress. She had to laugh though, as he struggled to keep his attention on the entrance and not his wife’s alluring figure.
Within twenty minutes, the entire Saphire group reunited in a cozy, enclosed gazebo by the pool that provided them with scenic privacy and shade.
Five expectant faces stared at Jax as she settled into a cushioned lounge chair, waiting for her to divulge her concerns. “Where to begin?” She chuckled darkly. “Between the rumors that my allies are having second thoughts about supporting me and Beautraud wooing Duchess Tandora, I don’t know what to think.”
“If your grandfather is getting cold feet,” Perry ran a hand through his mop of curls, “he may have relayed that you were traveling abroad to our enemies.”
In the past, Jax and her grandfather had had their differences, but his icy and formidable exterior had melted in recent years. It crushed her to think it had all been an act.
Uma must have seen the sorrow in her eyes. “There has to be another explanation. I refuse to believe your grandfather could do this to you.”
Jax buried the heartache welling up inside her. “Unfortunately, in my position, the throne can take precedence over family.”
Vita shivered at the admission. “Duquessa, what a horrible way to approach life. Family is blood. Family is all.”
Jax understood the familial bond. She would have done anything for her parents. She would do anything now for her grandfather and her aunts. She desperately wanted to side with Uma and believe Duke Mensina was above such treachery. “What other explanation is there?”
The group answered with silence.
“Enough of this,” Jax jumped up and walked to the door of their private sanctuary. “Let’s go out and enjoy the sun and forget all this madness for just a few minutes.”
It took only a few tries to convince everyone to join her by the pool’s edge. Within minutes, Jax and Perry had their legs dangling in the water while the others stretched out on chairs, basking in the sun.
“Yer an adventurous group, aren’t ye?” Alasdair’s booming voice shattered their tranquil peace. “Everyone else is hiding up in the villa, but this, this is what the Oasis is all about.” He spread his arms wide as he approached, stopping at the edge of the pool and throwing his wild mane of hair back to let the sun wash over his bare, broad chest.
“Greetings, Alasdair.” Jax gave him a cautious smile. “Were you able to find something for lunch?”
He flashed a toothy grin. “Don’t tell anyone, but I ate the slop young Samira scooped off the floor. It was too good to let go to waste.” He laughed at the bemused looks he received from the group. “Eh, I’ve eaten worse when on a hunt.”
Perry pulled himself away from the edge of the pool and sauntered over to the huntsman’s side. “It must be hard for a man like you to be trapped in one place.”
“I don’t like being caged, if that’s what ye mean, but I understand why Master Ferran asked it of us.”
Perry folded his arms and nodded. “I noticed the craftsmanship of your bow is rather extraordinary. Wherever did you come across a beauty like that?”
“Yer a bowman?” Alasdair’s eyebrows shot up.
“I dabble.”
Alasdair stroked his wiry beard. “It’s an Altana.”
At that, George straightened up in his lounger, obviously intrigued. �
�An Altana? Made from briarwood?”
Alasdair’s chest puffed out. “The very same.”
Perry and George shared impressed looks with one another. “How did you come across it?” George asked. “I thought only a handful were made.”
“Payment for a contract I took a few years back.” Alasdair dropped the towel nestled under his arm on a nearby chair and waded into the shallow end of the pool. “There was a deranged bear running through a village on the Savant border. The Duke himself bestowed the bow as a reward after I caught it. Greatest gift I ever got.”
Jax joined the fray. “Do you take contracts from Duke Savant frequently?”
He stared at her a moment. “I may be the one he reaches out to first, should the need for my services arise. I am rather good at my job, ye see. Duke Beautraud proudly advertises my skills across the realm, and many leaders have taken notice.”
Jax broke eye contact with him to let him swim in peace. So, the Beautraudian huntsman was well acquainted with Duke Savant as well as Duke Beautraud. Her two most imposing foes could be linked through one man. His words from lunch echoed in her mind. If I was to kill someone, it would be with an arrow through the heart and not some cowardly poison. How true was his admission? This contract he was here to deal with, was it truly for a beast, or…?
A tinkling of china pulled her attention down the pathway, and she spotted Samira carrying a tray laden with a teapot and several cups. She wore a fresh, billowing long-sleeved gown, and a smile had returned to her pretty face.
“I thought I’d check in and see if you all would like some tea.” She placed the tray on a nearby table, giving a small wave to Alasdair as he splashed around out of earshot.
He grinned back at her and swam to the pool’s edge, climbed out of the water and walked over, dripping wet. “I’ll take a cup of yer brew any day, my dear.”
Samira’s neck flushed at the innuendo flooding his tone and scrambled to fill a teacup. Her grip seemed shaky as she placed it into the man’s strong hands.
He sipped it appreciatively and winked. “Tastes as lovely as you look.” He carried the cup back to the water’s edge.
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