“Someone has made a friend,” Jax teased the young woman as she continued pouring cups for the rest of the group, draining the teapot of its contents. “It’s nice to see you smile.”
Samira handed her the steaming beverage, peach and melon scents wafting into her nose. “This is my summer blend,” she explained. “I’ll come around again with a fresh pot in an hour or so, but don’t hesitate to come fetch me in the kitchen if a refill is required sooner.”
The companions took their tea back to the privacy of the enclosed gazebo, eager to be away from Alasdair, and sipped their drinks as they listened to the desert breeze.
“What do you think will become of the poor girl?” Vita’s eyebrows knitted with concern. “A broken engagement will hang over her like a dark cloud.”
“I’m sure her father will be happy to let her continue working here until things have been sorted out,” Jax surmised, leaning back on a chaise and stretching out her slender figure. “She’s practically the only reason this place is running as smoothly as it is.”
Hendrie snorted. “You’d think her brother would show more interest in the family business, but he’s nowhere to be found during all this chaos.”
“His disappearance certainly does paint things in a new light after what we’ve learned,” Jax mused. “We’ve been under the assumption he and Tarek had some type of falling out, and Nadir killed him. But now that we know I was the intended target…” Jax tapped her fingertip on the arm of the chaise, “…it makes me rethink his role in this whole mess.”
“His absence is suspicious,” Perry pointed out. He took her feet and began massaging them.
Her eyes fluttered as buttery warmth pulsed up her legs. “When I think about it now, Nadir wasn’t at breakfast when Ferran requested everyone stay on the estate. He very could have gotten up late and gone off without anyone being the wiser.”
“But we didn’t find any tracks leaving the estate during our walk,” George countered. “And I doubt he knows the same technique the huntsman does.”
“Nadir was up well past two in the morning,” Jax said. “If he had been traveling after a hard day’s work, he might have awakened after ten o’clock—when we walked the perimeter—and departed.”
Hendrie seemed skeptical. “Without talking to his parents about finding Tarek?”
“Perhaps he had his reasons.” Jax drank the last of her tea. “Maybe he needed time to clear his head and figure out how to tell his family the news.” She tilted her head against the cushion, gazing at the arched roof of the gazebo. “I know it’s a stretch, but in light of the new developments, I just don’t see how we can continue to suspect Nadir. He wasn’t even present when the chocolates made their way into my room.”
“I don’t think we should write him off just yet,” George countered. “He could have orchestrated it ahead of time.”
“I’m going to go fetch some more tea.” She pushed herself off the cushioned lounge chair. “I’d like to talk to Samira to see if she knows how the chocolates got into my room, and perhaps speak with Monsieur Louis. Even though he seems innocent enough, I’d like to take a look at the requisition he received for this delivery.”
“I’ll go with you,” George said. “I promise I won’t be too overbearing.”
Jax smiled, realizing this was his peace offering. “We’ll join you all for another dip later,” she said to the others. “Try to enjoy yourselves a little while we’re gone.”
Their grim faces told her that until her attempted killer was caught, there would be little enjoyment that wasn’t put on for show.
Jax and George didn’t talk during the walk back to the villa. It was so hot, by the time they entered the cool recesses of the house, they were both panting.
“Remind me why I came here again?” she joked.
George chuckled softly. “Because you wanted to go somewhere remote where no one would be able to find you or know who you were.”
Jax relaxed as their witty banter flowed effortlessly once more. “I guess I need to go to the wilds of Cetachi for that these days.”
“I doubt you’d find solitude even there. You are a hero to them, Jax.” He held her gaze a moment and she felt her face blossom at the reverence held in those dark eyes.
She brushed the odd spark dancing in her chest aside. “Let’s go get some more of that delicious tea.”
They encountered no one on their way to the kitchen. Alasdair was right; everyone seemed to have taken refuge from the heat in their rooms.
Samira was busy scrubbing away at the cauldron that had contained lunch. She spotted them in the doorway and wiped her hands dry on her apron. “Back for a refill so soon?”
“Our party couldn’t drink it fast enough,” George said.
Jax smiled and held out her cup. “I hope you’ll let me take some of your teas back with me. Really, Samira, you have a gift.”
Samira’s eyes crinkled as a genuine smile broke through her downcast expression. “Thank you, Lady Victoire.” She pushed back a strand of her long, midnight hair before grabbing a kettle heating by the fire. “I’ve always liked mixing things. When I was younger, I assisted my mother when she made tinctures of medicine for the people of the nearby village. I had hoped to go to the Academy and study to be a healer, but sadly, that honor went to my brother.” She quickly refilled both Jax’s and George’s cups with hot water and filtered out the tea leaves. “He has a way of taking what should be mine. Such is the world we live in.” She stared off at the far wall, her melancholy expression making it look like she was a hundred miles away.
Jax reached for the young woman to give her a comforting pat on the arm, but Samira backed away, snapping out of whatever spell she’d been under, and went back to the sink. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
Jax set aside her confusion over the girl’s flighty behavior. “I do have a question for you. Yesterday, a box of Soveignet chocolates was placed in my suite. Do you know who delivered them?”
Samira’s forehead wrinkled. “Well, I do remember Mother talking about Monsieur Louis making the delivery. She seemed rather surprised by it, but I think it was to replace a missing shipment or something. We’ve ordered them in the past to give to guests, but I don’t recall Mother placing an order in recent months.”
George leaned against one of the wooden counters, sipping his tea. “Your mother places the requisitions?”
Samira bobbed her head. “Father’s hopeless at keeping track of such things.”
“You mentioned the chocolates were delivered by Monsieur Louis,” Jax said, “but do you know how they ended up in my room?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Samira replied. “Ever since Father sent the staff home for the summer months, I’ve been pretty much confined to the kitchen. Father and Mother attend to the guest bedrooms.”
Jax backed away, placing her steaming teacup down, pledging to come back for it once she was done questioning their hostess. “I’ll speak with Abra about it, then.”
Samira glanced up from the sudsy sink. “Was there something wrong with them?”
“Oh no,” Jax lied, “I just wanted to see if I could sneak another box.” She feigned embarrassment. “They were quite yummy.”
Samira chuckled. “Mother can help with you that. I believe she’s preparing the dining hall for dinner.”
Jax and George bid her farewell and retreated down the corridor, keeping their thoughts to themselves. Jax knocked on the door of the banquet area and pushed it open, finding a winded Abra struggling to move a large vanity in the corner of the room.
George raced over to lend his strength, hoisting the vanity a few feet to the left, where Abra breathlessly indicated she wanted it to go.
“Thank you so much,” she said through several heaving breaths. Her damp, disheveled hair clung to her sweaty neck and arms. “I needed to make room for the musical entertainment tonight,” she explained.
“What do we have the pleasure of looking forward to?”
Jax asked with a casualness she did not feel. Why would the Ogdams host a performance with a killer on the loose?
“Nadir plays the violin.” Abra’s cheeks swelled with pride. “He displayed an affinity for it as a young boy and is quite gifted.”
“You’ve found Nadir?” George broke his silence with a glowering look. “Lord Rapaste and I have been anxious to speak with him.”
Abra’s shoulders tensed. “He returned not long after that debacle of a luncheon.”
“Returned? Where has he been?” Each word coming from Jax’s mouth inched up a step in tone, as if playing a scale on an instrument. “Did he give a reason for not telling you about Tarek?”
“I took a walk to our family’s shrine.”
Whipping her head around, Jax’s eyes narrowed as Nadir’s lanky frame filled the doorway.
“I needed some time to think,” he said, this time more softly. He entered the room and stopped at his mother’s side, taking her hand. His bright eyes were tear-stained. He must have been crying. He was affected by Tarek’s death, then. “Tarek meant a great deal to our family. I needed to pray to our ancestors, looking for guidance on how to deal with such a loss.”
Praying to ancestors? Jax’s gaze darted from mother to son. “Do you practice the ways of the Ancient Faith, Nadir?”
Surprised resignation flooded his amber eyes. “I do. Just because my mother was forced to abandon her beliefs to satisfy those of higher authority, doesn’t mean I can’t continue on in her stead.”
A hunch brewed in the back of Jax’s mind. She decided to take a guess. “Is that why you were expelled from the Academy? Because of your beliefs?”
Nadir nodded, his shoulders heavy with sorrow. “I thought being amongst the most intelligent minds in the realm, I would find acceptance. After all, many priests of the Faith have taught courses at the Academy about our ways.”
Jax understood. Master Vyanti, one of her court physicians, had been one of them, and he was legend.
“But sadly, there were others who wanted to keep the Ancient Faith as a theory, and nothing more. My advisor, a man from Crepsta, was one of them.”
Jax grimaced. Unlike Saphire and a handful of other duchies, Crepsta was one of the regions that openly shunned those who practiced the reformed religion.
“When he saw he could not rob me of my faith, he demanded I leave.” Nadir’s right fist tightened at his side. “When I refused, he expelled me, on the grounds I assaulted him.”
A rush of compassion for the young man flowed through Jax. “How completely unfair.”
He shrugged away her sympathy. “I was glad to be home, able to practice my faith in private, fostering a deeper connection to the gods. Healing was never my true desire—that was Samira’s dream, not mine. I just want to share my love of the gods with others.”
“Your trips to the village,” Jax assumed, “are not to help as a healer, are they?”
Nadir shook his head, his dark beard swishing audibly across the top of his chest. “No, I have amassed a small congregation.”
Abra shuddered as the words left her son’s mouth.
“And how does Earl Killiam feel about this?” Jax questioned further.
Abra spoke up. “He doesn’t know about it. Once our families were bound together through matrimony, our plan was to introduce the idea of promoting tolerance of the Faith.”
“If he held the deed to your estate, what cause would he have to listen to you?” Jax did not see how the Ogdams could have ever hoped to influence the Earl with so little leverage. Unless…
Nadir’s confused gaze flew to his mother, confirming Jax’s suspicion. “What? What’s this about the deed?”
She hushed him. “Your father and I have it under control. Well…” a moment passed, “we did have all planned out.”
“I’m as curious as our guests, Mother.” Nadir tapped his foot, the sound echoing across the stone. “What exactly did you plan to do?”
“There are certain secrets we know regarding the Earl’s household we could have used in our favor,” she said through gritted teeth.
Nadir paled. “You wouldn’t.”
“Blackmail?” Jax scoffed. “Yes, that would go over well. Goodness, you’re lucky it wasn’t your body I found in the greenhouse.”
Abra smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. “Ferran and I took precautions should that fate have befallen us. We’re not some simple country bumpkins, Lady Victoire. We know how things work in the noble arena.”
A chill passed through Jax at Abra’s fierce stare.
Nadir changed the subject. “The Earl will be crushed by his son’s death.” His head hung low for a few moments before wearily raising it. “I only hope I can provide him some counsel and perhaps help shed some light on why people take their own lives. I, myself, let my anger over Tarek’s actions get the better of me last night. I hope I can help the Earl understand Tarek’s pain.”
Both Jax and George glared accusingly at Abra. “You didn’t tell him?”
Abra’s hands flew up in her defense. “I’m sorry. It slipped my mind with everything else we’re dealing with. I forgot he wasn’t at breakfast to hear the news.”
“What news?” the bewildered young man asked, looking to Jax for answers.
“Tarek didn’t kill himself, Nadir.” Jax sighed. “He was poisoned, and once he was dead, his hanging was staged.”
Nadir staggered back a few steps before sinking to his knees, his hands covering his ashen face.
Jax glanced to George, his eyes reflecting the same concern she felt. This was a significantly more passionate response than Nadir displayed last night. Had the taboo of suicide really distorted his reaction that much? Was this now an act?
It took Nadir a few moments to process the news. “You have no idea how heartened I am to hear Tarek would not take his own life. It…in a way, I am relieved.” The oddly peaceful expression on his face was replaced by dark rage. “But who would do this to him? Why?”
“Lord Rapaste is doing his best to answer those questions,” George said, his words gentle and reassuring. “Lady Victoire and I are doing what we can to help. Nadir, when I ran into you last night, you said you had just arrived home, but Lord Rapaste found evidence this morning that contradicted your whereabouts.”
Nadir’s cheeks blossomed red. “You think I killed Tarek?”
Jax held up a hand to silence his protests. “We’re just trying to understand what happened.”
Abra’s chest swelled with fury. “How dare you suggest—”
“Madam, we merely are trying to account for your son’s whereabouts. Nothing more…” George’s tone was firm, “at the moment.”
Nadir stood, shaking his head. “I suppose I have nothing to hide. I arrived home last night, shortly after ten. Outside my room, I ran into Tarek, and we exchanged…words.” His hesitance to speak suggested the encounter had not been pleasant.
Jax opened her mouth to ask him what they had argued about, but then thought it better to let the man continue with his story.
“I had a hard time falling asleep after that, so I eventually gave up and decided to take a moonlight swim to relax.” Nadir’s eyes glistened. “When George found me and explained the scene in the greenhouse, I thought Tarek had killed himself over our disagreement. I-I was afraid I would be blamed by the Earl for his son’s suicide, so I lied about my arrival time.”
Jax could tell from his nervous gaze that there was more to Nadir’s story than what he had shared. “What did you argue about?”
“My sister, of course,” he answered quickly.
Abra threaded her arm through her son’s. “Nadir has answered your questions. Now, you’ll answer mine. Has Lord Rapaste made any headway figuring out who killed Tarek? The Earl arrives tomorrow and will demand answers.”
Still not entirely convinced by Nadir’s weak alibi, Jax debated how much of the truth she should share with the grieving family. “My husband found poisoned chocolates in the greenhouse.�
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Abra paled. “Chocolates?”
“Soveignet chocolates, to be precise.” Jax watched their hostess’s reaction carefully. “I actually came to find you to ask about the shipment you received from Monsieur Louis.”
Abra placed a steadying hand on her son’s shoulder, leaning heavily on him. “What do you want to know? Did the merchant poison my daughter’s intended?”
“For now, I just need to know what you did with the chocolates once they arrived.” Jax stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
Abra raised a hand to scratch the back of her head, as if trying to remember. “Well, Louis arrived early in the morning. He wanted to make sure the candies didn’t melt before they reached their final destination. I was surprised to see him, as we haven’t ordered anything from him in months. His wares are more than we can afford at the moment. But he had a signed requisition for the Soveignets, so I thought it had been arranged by your estate, Lady Victoire.”
Jax’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, my estate?”
“When we received the paperwork reserving space for you and your husband a few weeks ago,” Abra began, wringing her hands, “the missive noted you particularly enjoyed the confections. Since we didn’t have the money to order a box for your visit, we had hoped the abundance of sweets Samira made would suffice. But then the chocolates arrived just before you did, and we assumed they were sent ahead by your estate.” Abra stopped, clearly intrigued by the growing worry flourishing on Jax’s face. “Then, when I heard you discussing them with Louis at lunch, you seemed oblivious to the fact that they had been ordered for you. So I played along, assuming perhaps your husband had arranged it as a romantic surprise.” She swallowed hard. “Does this mean the poisoned chocolates were actually meant for you?” Tears ran down her face, streaking the black eye makeup she wore.
Jax could not find it in her heart to lie to the woman anymore. “Yes, I believe so,” she admitted, her words barely audible.
Abra’s hand flew to her mouth as she stifled back a choking cry. “Then poor Tarek…why? Why would someone want to kill you, Lady Victoire?” Her tearful questions were laced with venom.
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