Uma wrenched her hand away from Jax’s grasp. “Thanasis, sure, but Carriena? After all you’ve been through together? You know she never wanted to even be Duchess of Isla DeLacqua! You really think her capable of something so sinister?”
Jax opened her mouth to respond, but Uma plowed on. “You might as well lock Vita and I in our rooms, if that’s how little you trust your friends. Virtues, Jax, are you going to make us live in the shadows of Aranelda’s betrayal for the rest of our lives?”
The emotional blow hit Jax hard, and she fell silent.
“Uma, I think you’re being unfair,” George growled.
Pushing her shoulders back, Uma stood at her full height against George, the top of her mousey brown hair only reaching his nose. “What I think is unfair is that the Duchess’s true friends continually prove their loyalty to her, yet she refuses to believe it.”
If Uma’s words hadn’t been so harsh and jarring, Jax would have laughed at the sight of a stunned George shrinking back from Uma’s anger.
Vita reached out a hand to the trembling woman. “Uma, please, take a moment to consider what’s at stake here.” She paused, glancing at Jax before continuing. “It may be hard for you and I to distinguish Jax as someone other than our friend, but she is the Duchess of Saphire. She is the figurehead of an entire social campaign to bring freedom to people from all walks of life.” Her lilting voice softened. “She does not have the luxury of giving absolute trust. As her friend, please, don’t fault her for that.”
Tears of shame streamed from Uma’s brown eyes. “Oh Virtues, what have I said?” Pulling away from Vita’s comforting grip, Uma sank to the floor before Jax. “Please forgive my outburst. I—I’m sorry.” Her quiet sobs were consumed by the long hallway.
Jax knelt, cupping Uma’s chin in her hand. “There is nothing to forgive, dear one. All my life, I have longed for friends who are willing to look beyond the Crown and put me in my place, treat me as an equal. I understand your frustration, and I think I know where it stems from.” Clasping Uma’s cold hands, Jax sighed. “Hearing my hesitance over Carriena’s loyalty likely makes you wonder if you have my trust, as well, doesn’t it?”
Uma wiped her eyes. “It sounds like such a stupid and naïve concern in the grand scheme of things, coming from you.”
Jax shook her head. “No. Not at all. In fact, if I ever learned that you or Vita or George didn’t trust me completely, well…” The mere thought made her throat catch. “I’d be devastated.” She held the stony gazes of Vita and George for a moment before returning her focus to Uma. “So you must understand that while I may keep the outside world at a distance, you have my complete and utter trust and always will.” She tightened her grip for emphasis.
Through her drying tears, Uma smiled. “Thank—hic—you, Jax.”
George stroked his chin, chuckling as he loomed over them. “Now that we’ve gotten the complete obvious out of the way, shall we pay Corporal Highriver a visit?”
Uma’s cheeks burned bright like molten lava as she climbed to her feet along with Jax. “Lead the way, Captain.”
Chapter Fourteen
Corporal Highriver’s back was to them as Jax and her friends entered the study. His broad frame stood tall and erect, covered in shadow as he gazed out the window. As he turned to greet them, dark circles nearly swallowed his amber eyes. Jax found his appearance startling. Had he not had a restful night’s sleep down at the gatehouse? The stress of Olavo’s death couldn’t already be affecting him that gravely, could it?
“Good to see you up and about, Captain.” Highriver motioned to a circle of chairs assembled around the study’s dormant fireplace.
George’s eyes narrowed, neither he nor Jax failing to notice the snide undertone lining the Corporal’s remark. “Seeing as there was a major security breach under your watch, Highriver, you’ve really left me no choice.”
Jax slapped George gently on the back in reprimand. She did not need her senior officers to be at each other’s throats over this debacle.
“There was no breach.” Highriver’s teeth showed through his bushy snarl. “The Virtues as my witness, no one entered Galensmore’s boundary after Lady Carriena’s arrival yesterday.”
“Which leads us to believe Sir Olavo’s killer is still somewhere on the premises,” Jax jumped in, placing herself between George and Highriver’s warring egos. “And since the search of the grounds has turned up nothing, we can only assume Olavo was attacked by someone still inside the manor.”
Uma and Vita scurried to seats opposite her, each perching on the edge of their cushions. George, too, eased himself into the wooden rocker next to Jax.
“With the first floor of the house under watch of the Ducal Guard,” George began, “it limits our list of suspects to those inhabiting the upper floors.” He paused, his steely gaze lancing the Corporal where he stood. “Unless your soldiers did not follow proper protocol and missed something during their watch?”
Highriver bristled. “Ares and Hale were assigned to the manor last night. You trained them yourself, Captain, before sending them out here. Were they trained to disobey protocol?”
Jax rolled her eyes at the boorish behavior of both her guardsmen. “Enough. What’s done is done. We cannot waste time blaming each other for failing to stop the attack on Olavo. Who knows what the culprit plans to do next?” She gave scathing glares to both George and Highriver. “We need to work together to figure out how this could have happened on the grounds of one of the most secure estates in the entire realm.”
Highriver’s cheeks colored. “Forgive my pride, Duchess.”
George, too, looked chastened. “Ares and Hale were fine students of mine. I doubt they would have left their post unattended.”
Nodding her satisfaction, Jax turned her attention back to the Corporal. “I’d like to question them myself. Will you summon them?”
“Of course, Your Grace. I dismissed Ares and Hale to the gatehouse to get some sleep, but I’ll go collect them now.” With a salute, his heavy gait echoed as he left the study.
Uma’s nose wrinkled. “Ares and Hale? Just how many of the Ducal Guard are assigned to this property?”
“Twenty, not counting myself, the Corporal, and our two Saphirian escorts, Wynn and Ansel,” George explained. “Eight men are assigned to the border wall during a shift, with two guards remaining on watch inside the manor. The shifts rotate every twelve hours.”
Vita considered his words. “And you trust that none of these guardsmen could have had a hand in the attack?”
The mere thought seemed to deflate George. “I do trust my men. Besides, their sleeping quarters are in the gatehouse. They, too, would have had to get past the manor’s nighttime sentries.” He rubbed his temples. “Even Highriver slept outside the manor last night. But I’ll still assign him with the task of questioning the Ducal Guard.”
Uma rubbed her arms with fervor. “I hate this. Questioning the loyalties of people sworn to protect us.”
Jax reached out a comforting hand and placed it on Uma’s nervously bouncing knee. “I’m sure the Ducal Guard had nothing to do with this. George and I believe Duchess Tandora is responsible for orchestrating Olavo’s death. Given our suspicions, it would make sense to focus on those with Tandorian connections. A member of the Saphirian Ducal Guard isn’t simply going to follow the will of a foreign leader.”
Uma hung her head. “I suppose you’re right.”
Vita drummed her fingers against her lap. “So, you plan to determine who could have been influenced by the Duchess?”
“We need to reexamine Raulph’s role in this, as well.” George rocked back and forth in his chair. “If Olavo was also Raulph’s real target, we still need to figure out how an innkeeper’s son came to be an assassin for the Duchess of Tandora, or if he acted alone.”
Jax rose and began to pace in front of the cold fireplace. “You’re right. Delphinia simply wouldn’t go out of her way to mingle with people she considers beneath he
r.” She halted by one of the windows, her gaze trailing along the sprawling grassy meadow outside. “But I can’t imagine Raulph acting of his own volition to kill Olavo. It’s too big of a coincidence to believe these attacks are independent of one another.”
“Perhaps you can write to the palace and have the Ducal Guard look into the inn Raulph’s family owned?” Uma suggested. “Maybe it has some tie to Duchess Tandora’s court?”
Jax nodded. “Good idea. And while our friends back home are digging up Raulph’s connection to Delphinia, we need to put our heads together and figure out who in this house may be under Tandora’s thumb.”
“Well,” George began, “we’ve already established that Thanasis and Carriena had access to the third floor, as their rooms are located just a few doors down from our party.”
“The Lord Chamberlain resides on the second floor,” Vita said, sounding hesitant, “so he could have easily entered Olavo’s chambers without the first-floor sentries being aware.”
“Julian and Martán also reside on the second floor,” George pointed out.
Vita stood and joined Jax at the window. “There’s something else to consider. Whoever did this knew where the master key to Olavo’s room was kept.” Her gaze shifted to George.
“What are you implying?” His chocolate eyes narrowed.
“We all saw Corporal Highriver give you the key upon our arrival.” Vita gulped. “Lady Sabine and Master Charles have both been in your room for a significant amount of time, Captain. They could have taken it without you even noticing.”
Jax mulled over the theory. “As much as I hate to think them capable, if I am going to consider Carriena a suspect, I’d best do the same for Charles and Sabine.”
Uma paled. “Goodness! We were supposed to show Sabine a lovely vacation away from Pettraud, and now we’re considering that she could be a killer.”
George sighed. “We need to quell this growing list of suspects. Now that we know the time of death, we should question everyone’s movements throughout the night. Any alibis could help whittle this list into something more manageable.”
“And focused,” Jax stated. “We’re all over the place with our theories. Once we hear from the manor’s nighttime sentries, we’ll regroup and figure out what’s next.”
Jax and Vita had settled back in their seats by the time Corporal Highriver returned with two bleary-eyed young men.
“Sorry that took so long, Duchess.” Highriver’s bow temporarily concealed his irritated expression. “I had a hard time rousing these fellows from their sleep.”
“It’s all right,” Jax reassured him before addressing the two soldiers. “Please, could you detail for us your shift last night?”
“Of course, Your Grace.” The dark-haired man dipped his chin in reverence. “Hale and I are members of the manor quad, and operate independently of the barrier team. We relieved our comrades and started our patrol at nine last night. With all the guests in the house, we kept careful track of everyone retiring to their rooms. By midnight, no one was left on the first floor.”
“Who were the last people to go upstairs?” Jax further prodded the guardsman she assumed was Ares.
“We don’t know all the guests by name just yet.” Ares blushed as he scratched his wild black mane. “But the Lord Chamberlain escorted two blond-haired young women out of the parlor and disappeared upstairs, followed by a young fellow in healer’s robes.”
Bernard, Charles, Sabine, and Carriena, no doubt. “What about the rest of us?”
Hale took over, stroking his well-trimmed straw-colored beard. “Your Grace, we saw you escort Captain Solomon upstairs around ten o’clock after the dinner had concluded, with the help of this dark-haired maiden right here.” He grinned slightly at Vita, whose cheeks flushed. “Lord Brunovaris followed shortly after.”
Jax recalled Thanasis begging off from joining the rest of the group in the parlor for charades. She assumed he had gone directly upstairs to his chambers, but apparently, she’d been wrong. “Where was Lord Brunovaris coming from, do you know?”
Ares answered her question. “He spent some time in the library. He likes to have an after-dinner drink by himself in there most nights.”
“What about the others?” George asked.
“Well,” Hale said with a glance at Ares, “one of our border agents, Yanis, left the manor around eleven to report for duty at the southern wall.” He motioned to Uma. “This young lady went upstairs after—uh—saying goodnight to him.”
From the embarrassment writhing across Uma’s face, Jax wondered just how passionately the couple had bid each other farewell. In all the turmoil coating the morning, Jax had completely forgotten to ask how the rest of Uma’s evening had gone with the handsome border agent. I guess I’ve got my answer.
“Julian and Martán closed down the remainder of the rooms downstairs, save the parlor, and went up to their rooms on the second floor at eleven-thirty. At eleven forty-five, Ellamae brought us some tea, then retired to her first-floor suite off the kitchen,” Ares reported. “Then, at midnight, the Lord Chamberlain ushered the two young women and the healer upstairs.”
Jax leaned forward eagerly. “Once everyone had vacated the first floor, did you hear anything? Anything upstairs?”
Hale shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Duchess. We stand watch in the main foyer, as it allows us to guard the front and back doors, as well as the staircase. We didn’t hear or see anything unusual.”
Discouragement rumbled in Jax’s chest. “Can you remember what you were doing at two in the morning?”
Ares shifted his feet. “The hours tend to blend together during an uneventful night, Your Grace. We were in the foyer the entire time.”
“Both of you?” George raised an eyebrow. “You made it through a twelve-hour shift without relieving yourselves?”
Hale blushed at the question, the topic of which was likely embarrassing to discuss in front of three ladies, let alone a Duchess. “Well, we took scheduled breaks at one and five, Captain, but even then, one of us was always on alert while the other used the washroom just off the foyer.”
“And you didn’t hear anything at all?”
Ares and Hale shook their heads sheepishly, obviously ashamed by their lackluster report. “Nothing other than the usual bumps in the night, I’m afraid,” Ares said.
George’s forehead furrowed as he nodded his understanding.
A new line of questioning popped into Jax’s mind. “Who was the first to come downstairs in the morning?”
“Martán,” Hale reported. “He helped Ellamae begin preparations for breakfast around six, Your Grace.”
“And then the two lieutenants from the palace, Wynn and Ansel, came up from the gatehouse around six-thirty and headed upstairs with a serving tray.” Ares shuddered. “Soon after that, all hell broke loose.”
“Thank you for your account.” Jax stood and extended her hand to Ares and Hale, allowing them each to plant a reverential kiss on her signet ring. “You’ve been very helpful. I apologize for having to disrupt your sleep.”
Ares and Hale, realizing they were being dismissed, bowed and left the room.
Highriver approached Jax. “How shall we approach this, Duchess?”
“Corporal, your job is to continue to focus on protecting Galensmore’s border.” She straightened her shoulders, determined. “Captain Solomon and I will handle the inquiry into Sir Olavo’s murder.”
Highriver eyed the Captain, his wary gaze darting right to George’s injured side. “Are you sure I shouldn’t be reassigned?”
With a muffled groan, George forced himself out of the rocking chair that nursed his wounded body. “We cannot risk outside forces catching us off our guard. Olavo’s death could just be a ruse to disrupt the Ducal Guard’s focus from our primary target: Duchess Jacqueline.” He glowered at the burly Corporal. “The Duchess and I are more than capable of getting to the bottom of this. Your job is to keep Galensmore’s border secure.”
>
Highriver’s bushy beard twitched, but he saluted his understanding. “I’m going to send the off-duty patrol back to their bunks in the gatehouse, since searching the grounds has proved fruitless.”
George nodded. “Agreed. We want them well rested for shift change tonight.”
His orders confirmed, Highriver stalked out of the room, the door to the study slamming more forcefully than necessary behind him.
Jax snorted. “You two have a lovely working relationship.”
“You’ll have to excuse both of us,” George replied. “It’s always a bit humbling when something sinister happens on a guardsman’s watch. You’d think I’d be used to it by now…”
Jax looped her arm through his. “Come now, you cannot blame yourself for this, especially considering the condition you were in not two days ago.” With a finger, she tipped his chin upward. “It would be a waste of brainpower thinking of what we could have done differently. Right now, we need to put our heads together and figure out who had motive and means to kill Olavo.”
With a tired, but appreciative smile, George said, “Then I suppose we should begin questioning everyone.”
“Do you want us to gather the household?” Vita asked, wringing her hands at the notion.
Jax shook her head. “No. I’d prefer it to be done casually. If we put everyone in the same room, our killer may be more on guard.”
“What would you like us to do, then?” Uma asked.
George stroked his chin. “Although my instincts tell me they’re innocent, we can’t place the Saphirian household staff above suspicion. Why don’t you two shadow Ellamae, Martán, and Julian while they go about their daily tasks?”
Vita jumped at the challenge. “I call assisting Ellamae in the kitchen.” She beamed, expressing her enthusiasm for helping the esteemed cook.
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