The Wolf's Choice (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 4)

by Patricia Blackmoor

  Relax. What a laughable proposition. The last time I’d been relaxed around Adam, he’d gotten up my skirt. I wasn’t going to make a mistake like that again.”

  Jasper raised his glass again. “Now, are you all ready to eat?”

  At that cue, the cook came through the door, followed by the maid. Both carried plates heaping with food, the sort of fare and size that my family only had on special holidays. I recognized the cook, I’d seen her around town, but I didn’t know her name.

  The cook set the roast chicken on the table between Annabelle and Stephen and began cutting through it with a knife. As she rose for another slice, the maid tried to move past her, bumping the cook’s arm. The hand holding the knife slipped, and a bright red cut opened up on the cook’s opposite arm. She dropped the knife and stumbled backward. Blood dripped onto her apron, staining the pristine white a crimson red. My hand flew to my mouth as if it could hold in the shock.

  The cook’s face rapidly began turning white as she sunk to the floor, and the maid rushed to her side. From beside me, Christine leapt from her chair and knelt down next to the cook. Blood was spilling all across the cook’s lap, but Christine didn’t seem to mind, taking hold of the cook’s arm and holding it to the light.

  I glanced around the table. Lillian looked green, and Hattie’s face was twisted in disgust. Everyone else seemed frozen. After a second, Jasper got up from his chair and knelt beside Christine.

  “It’s quite deep,” she murmured as she examined it.

  “Can you dress it?” Jasper asked her, and I frowned in confusion.

  She turned the cook’s arm in her hands, catching the light. “Yes,” she finally said, only deepening the mystery. Who was this young girl? Surely not a doctor. How had she ended up here?

  “What do you need?” Jasper asked her.

  She pinched her lips together for a moment. “Water, a cloth. A needle and thread.”

  The cook was pale as snow. “Oh God,” she moaned.

  “Some ether would probably be good, too,” Christine added, grimacing.

  “Go fetch her all of those things,” Jasper commanded the maid. “Quickly! Hurry!”

  The maid hurried out of the room without saying anything. Christine glanced down at the maid, then stood up and followed Daisy out of the room. They both returned at about the same time, Daisy with a tray full of the supplies Christine had requested. Christine knelt back down beside the cook.

  “Hold her head,” she commanded Jasper. Jaws dropped around the table. No one expected her to speak to him like that. Nevertheless, he did as she asked, holding the cook’s head while Christine put a few drops of ether on the cloth. She’d only held it under the cook’s nose for a few moments before the cook’s eyes shut.

  “Is she all right?” Jasper asked.

  “It’ll just make her fuzzy for a bit,” Christine said, setting the cloth and ether aside. “Not very long, though, I didn’t want to give her too much, so I’ve got to hurry.”

  Christine slowly began to clean up the wound, then threaded the needle. She paused for a second before turning back to the maid.

  “Daisy, please hand me a candle,” she said to the maid.

  The maid frowned. “A candle, miss?”

  “Do as she says, Daisy,” Jasper told her.

  Daisy reached by me and picked up a candlestick from the table. She handed it to Christine, and I watched as this stranger held the needle in the flame for a few seconds. She pinched cook’s cut closed and stuck the needle into her skin. Just watching, I thought I’d be dizzy, but she kept her head, making stitches through skin as if it were cotton or silk. After the last stitch was made and the thread tied off, she wrapped the arm in a bandage. Only seconds later the cook started to regain consciousness, and Jasper motioned to Mr. Potter.

  “Please take Hannah to her room,” Jasper told him, and the butler nodded. Both he and Daisy helped the cook to her feet and began leading her back through the kitchen.

  Christine rested her weight against the wall, and Jasper turned to her, alarmed.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes. Sorry,” she told him.

  “Don’t apologize,” he said. “You did marvelously.” He extended his hand to her, and she reached out and took it. Jasper helped her to her feet, and I felt a little bit of jealousy. He was right; she had done marvelously, but she was getting all of his attention.

  Lillian had determined to fix that. “Oh my God!” Lillian shrieked. “She’s covered in blood!”

  Christine glanced down. Blood was splattered all over, leaving dark stains on her blue dress, covering her arms and hands, and even splattered on her cheek.

  Her face flushed a red nearly as deep as the blood. “I’ll go wash up.”

  “I don’t want to eat with her,” said Hattie. “That’s disgusting.”

  “Me neither,” Stella added. “Disgusting.”

  “I think I might vomit,” Lillian said.

  Christine’s eyes had filled with tears. I was about to speak in her defense when Jasper put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you go up to your room?” Jasper said. “I’ll have Daisy bring you some food.”

  “I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Hattie said in a sanctimonious voice. Now I was torn. If the duke was in favor of her leaving the table, should I speak up?

  “Of course, it’s only proper,” Christine said before I could make up my mind. She bowed her head and left the room as I filled with shame. I should have defended her.

  “I’m going to go wash up,” Jasper told us. “Please, go ahead and begin your meal.”

  How unfair it was, that both were bloodied and only one could remain. Lillian and Hattie looked awfully satisfied with themselves as the plates were passed around. I clenched my fists in my lap, looking at the empty seat Christine had left behind. After a moment’s pause, I moved over, sitting next to Annabelle.

  “Awfully unfair,” I muttered to her.

  “I agree,” she said, giving the trio a side look.

  “I nearly said something. To be honest, I’m surprised you didn’t; I was sure you would. But I can’t believe the duke would send her away like that.”

  She didn’t look disturbed. “I’ve seen that look on his face before,” she said. “He has his reasons.”

  “Can’t imagine what they are.”

  “Neither can I, but I’m sure they’re good reasons,” she said. “Otherwise, you’re right, I would have spoken up. Daisy!”

  The maid had returned from bringing the cook upstairs, and came to Annabelle’s side. “Bring a plate to Miss Christine’s room, please. Give her a little extra. Poor girl is thin as a rail.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the maid said.

  “What’s her story, anyway?” I asked Annabelle.

  “Daisy’s?”

  “No, Christine’s.”

  “It’s a long one.”

  “I don’t mind. I’m curious, and she seems sweet.”

  “She is,” Annabelle sighed. “She’s spent the last several years caring for her dying father. She had almost nothing when I found her.”

  “How did you find her? Why did you pick her?”

  “Her father used to be the doctor here. She and Jasper were friends as children.”

  “Ah,” I said. For the first time since I’d arrived, I hoped that someone else would be chosen by the duke. If anyone deserved it, Christine did.

  “Did you see her?” Lillian cackled from across the table. “Kneeling on the floor like a common servant!”

  “And blood everywhere. That’s not going to wash out, and you know she can’t afford new gowns,” Hattie said. “The ones she has look like charity as it is.”

  Anger broiled inside of me. “What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” I shouted at them. The table fell silent.

  “Wrong with us? We’re just telling it like it is,” Hattie said. “Your new friend is a joke. No idea why she’s here. She’s a street rat.”

  “You thin
k she’s a street rat?” I asked, clenching my fists at my sides. “She got up to help when no one else would!”

  “Who cares?” asked Hattie.

  Lillian scoffed at me. “For that matter, I’m not sure why you’re here either. You’re not regency. You’re nothing.”

  “This isn’t about me,” I said, my jaw tight.

  “Let’s make it about you, then,” Lillian said. She turned to Adam. “Let’s see...why did you bring her, Adam?”

  His face flushed. “I thought—”

  “I know what you thought,” she interrupted, putting a hand on his arm. “You thought it’d be funny, right? A laugh? Bring Hazel to meet the duke, tell your friends about it later over a pint?”

  If possible, his face grew an even deeper red as he looked at me. “Hazel—”

  “Oh God!” Lillian squealed. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  My stomach dropped in my chest as I took in his mortification. “No, Hazel, I—”

  Before the conversation could continue, the duke strode in, and the conversation fell silent. “All right,” Jasper said, “let’s eat!”

  I couldn’t speak for the rest of the meal.

  Chapter Seven

  Christine stayed on my mind throughout dinner, and when we’d finished eating, the first thing I wanted to do was go and check on her. I tried to slip out when we all stood up, but we were herded back through into the parlor. With everyone distracted and mingling, I wanted to take the opportunity, but as I started toward the door, Adam stopped me.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Oh, this isn’t really my thing,” I said, motioning to the girls shrieking and laughing around the duke. “I thought I’d go upstairs.”

  “Nonsense,” he said, taking my arm.

  “No, no,” I said, trying to protest, trying to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me.

  “Come on,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me back toward where everyone was. The giggling fell off as he pulled me down on the loveseat next to him, the same loveseat that Christine and I had sat in earlier. I tucked my legs underneath me, and Adam’s knees brushed mine. I hoped the chattering of the parlor would drown out my heartbeat.

  Why was he making me sit here? I didn’t want to. I’d rather be in my room. I’d promised myself I’d do my best to attract the duke, but at this point in the night, all my energy had been drained. A few minutes in my room would do me some good, and I was concerned for Christine. I could only imagine the embarrassment she’d felt, being banished upstairs. If it were me, I’d have completely broken down by now. My heart ached for her. The moment I saw Hattie and Lillian and Stella, I’d braced myself for their comments to come. Christine wasn’t from around here, she hadn’t known what she was walking into, and I hadn’t done nearly enough to defend her.

  And why was Adam here, next to me? Did he really want me to marry the duke? Or, like Lillian said, was this some sort of cruel joke? Was he keeping me down here, sitting next to me, so that I wouldn’t flee and allow someone else to close in on the duke? Or was it because there was more humiliation to come?

  A year ago, I had thought I could trust Adam. We’d been friends since childhood. I’d been in love with him so much I’d let him take me in the forest. Now, it was as if we were strangers. Tension held heavy in the air, like static, between us. All I wanted was to be able to reach out and touch him, but I couldn’t. I wanted to speak to him, but I couldn’t find the words. They clogged my throat, choking me, the words filling my mind but unable to escape. I clutched my hands in my lap, twisting them, pinching the skin to keep myself grounded. All I wanted to do was run, bolt, but I couldn’t. Running would disappoint everyone in my life, my mother, my father, Adam, and most of all, myself. This was perhaps one of my last chances to set myself up for a good life with a good husband. I couldn’t give it up.

  Jasper stood up, freeing himself from Hattie and Lillian’s grasp. “Men, I’d like to see you in the hall for a moment, please,” he said.

  The men all nodded and stood from the chairs and sofas. A few moments later, it was just the women left in the room. Stella had been sitting by the couch, and she moved to fill the spot that Jasper had just left. Instead of letting her sit, Hattie and Lillian adjusted their position and spread out their dresses, covering the entire couch. Stella stood in front of the couch as the other two smiled primly at her. After an awkward moment, she sat back down.

  “So, Hazel,” Hattie said, and my heart dropped as I steeled myself for whatever her words were going to be. “You and Adam looked cozy over there.”

  “We were just sitting next to each other, Hattie.”

  “Sure,” she said. “I saw you undressing him with your eyes.”

  I nearly told her I didn’t need to undress him with my eyes, because I’d already seen him naked, but I bit my tongue before I could reveal my secret.

  Lillian let out a high, braying laugh. “Can you imagine that? Hazel seeing him naked? She wouldn’t know what to do!”

  It was all the more work to keep my mouth shut, to tell her I knew exactly what to do. I could just imagine the look on her face, the way her jaw would drop when she learned what Adam and I had done that last summer. But no. I couldn’t tell her. She’d tell everyone, and I’d be a marked woman. In addition, Lillian had a way of calling out my worst fears. She’d ask why, if we’d had such a romantic, passionate night, we weren’t still together. Why he was setting me up with the duke? Why he didn’t love me?

  If I couldn’t answer those questions for myself, how could I answer them for her? Again, I kept my mouth shut.

  “I don’t know,” Hattie said with a tilt of her head and a wicked smirk on her face. “I could see them together.”

  Lillian scoffed. “You can? I can’t imagine it.”

  “No, no, think about this. If Hazel gets with Adam, she’s no competition of ours anymore. Not that she ever was.”

  They were talking about me like I wasn’t even there, and somehow that was worse. My nostrils flared as I squeezed my hands in my lap.

  “So what’s your point?” Lillian asked, annoyance seeping through her voice.

  “Well, Adam is the newest member of the council, right? So he’s the lowest in their hierarchy. And Hazel is practically nothing. They’re perfect for each other!”

  She was insulting me, but it still meant something for her to agree that Adam and I were compatible.

  “No way,” Lillian said.

  Hattie didn’t like being questioned, even by Lillian. She crossed her arms. “Why not?”

  “Well, Adam might not be the most important councilman, but he’ll rise in the ranks. And he’s still a lord. And he’s been incredibly wealthy ever since his father died last year. Hazel is nothing, even to him.”

  I took a deep breath. “Excuse me?”

  Lillian rolled her eyes. “What?”

  “Just because my family doesn’t have a title doesn’t mean that I’m nothing.”

  Hattie sighed. “Mmm, it kind of does.”

  I stood up. “Do you know what, Hattie—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, I caught sight of the men returning from their meeting. I sat back down, giving Hattie and Lillian a stony glare. They snickered.

  The men filed into the parlor, Adam returning to his spot next to me on the loveseat. The irony hadn’t been lost on me, the two of us sitting on the loveseat. But the love between us had evaporated long ago, and there was none left to rest between us on the plush navy cushions.

  Even so, I angled my body away from him, leaning my body against the arm of the chair.

  The room was thick with nerves. Jasper looked around, noticing the tension, and broke into a smile.

  “How about we play some parlor games?” he asked.

  My heart sank. I hated games. I was always terrible at them. I never seemed to be able to relax enough to play them.

  “I’ve an idea!” Hattie called out, only adding to my dread.

 
Jasper turned to her, raising his eyebrow.

  “Let’s play Forfeits,” she grinned.

  I tried not to frown. Forfeits was the stupidest game I knew, hinging on embarrassment, and I loathed being embarrassed. Normally I’d be able to bow out, but I was stuck here. Trying to get away would only get me labeled as a wet rag.

  The game worked as follows: one person, in this case, Jasper, would leave the room. Everyone else would pick an accessory of theirs, some sort of trinket, to “forfeit” to the center of the room. Jasper would come back in and pick up one of the items, describing it elaborately like an auctioneer. In order for the owner to get it back, they’d have to do something embarrassing like tell a secret, sing a song, do a dare.

  I didn’t have anything on me to forfeit, not really. I wasn’t about to give up my shoes, and unlike Annabelle, or my mother, I didn’t have a ring to give up. The only thing I was wearing that I could take off for the game was a small necklace on a chain, a little heart–shaped peridot. It was paltry compared to the jewelry the other girls had on, the pearls and the diamonds and the rubies. Just the act of removing it from my neck and dropping it onto the silver tray made it impossible to miss the snort from Hattie or the giggle of derision from Lillian.

  As I stood back up, my neck bare, I caught sight of something else in the pile of trinkets. A pair of onyx cufflinks, so familiar. I let my fingers linger over them.

  “You kept them?” I asked Adam.

  “Well, of course I kept them,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I was at a loss for what to get you,” I said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like them.”

  He rolled one over with the tip of his finger. “I love them,” he said.

  Warmth blossomed in my chest. “Good. I’m glad it wasn’t a bad birthday gift.”

  I tried to ignore the snickering of the other girls as I sat down on the loveseat again with Adam.

  Jasper returned moments later, and stood in the center of the room. Stephen handed him the silver tray, and Jasper started by picking up a gold and sapphire necklace. It obviously belonged to Hattie. Her dress matched it perfectly, in a soft shade of blue with gold threading on the collar.