“Is this true, Elaina?” Charlotte drew closer and frowned. “What kind of meeting is it?”
Elaina took a deep breath. “Prince Nicholas wishes for his father’s advisers to hear me report upon my travels with my father. He thinks my report might help them better understand the rebellion in Solwhind.”
Lydia looked somewhat deflated, but Charlotte looked more alarmed than ever. “I don’t like this, Elaina. It’s one thing to help the prince with his studies, but it’s another completely to get involved in the men’s world of war.”
“I can’t very well say no to the prince.”
“Did he issue you an order?”
Elaina hesitated. “No.”
“Then consider this. He is a prince, but you are a lady, and you are under no obligation to go to war for him. And that’s exactly what attending this meeting will mean.”
“But they need me, Aunt!” Elaina began to tie her slippers with a vengeance. “What I know might help save lives!” Ouch. That was too tight.
“He’s changing you, you know.”
“What?” Elaina looked up at Lydia.
Lydia shook her head. “The prince. You can deny it all you want, but you’re different when you’re with him.”
Elaina looked at her incredulously.
Charlotte, who had been fingering a jeweled necklace on Elaina’s vanity, sighed. “Just be careful, Elaina.” She gave her a weak smile. “Your mother was my dearest friend in the world, and you’re all I have left of her. Please don’t be in a hurry to throw that away.”
The ride to the palace was thick with tension. Charlotte looked exhausted, Lydia looked indignant, and Elaina was livid.
She was nearly eighteen. What business did they have telling her how to use her knowledge?
Of course, Charlotte had posed a good question, though Elaina would never acknowledge it. Why was Elaina so insistent on going to this meeting? It surely wasn’t to bring her aunt grief. Charlotte had been nothing but kind. And as much as Lydia could get on her nerves, Elaina had no desire to hurt her cousin. Their intervals of peace were truly enjoyable, brief as they could be.
I can do this, Father. I am strong enough to make it on the seas.
Elaina cringed at the memory. Had it only been three and a half months since she’d uttered those words?
No, Elaina. You’re not.
That was why she had agreed to this meeting. Yes, it was good to feel useful again. And yes, she would enjoy meeting some of her father’s old friends. But more than anything, she needed to prove him wrong. She was strong. She was a survivor. Even if her father hadn’t believed it.
With her head held high, Elaina let the footman help her from the carriage. She turned in the usual direction to wait for a palace escort like the ones greeting her aunt and cousin. To her surprise, however, it wasn’t a servant who bounded to her side but Nicholas himself.
She automatically accepted his arm, but leaned in as they began to walk toward the east gardens. “You seem to be missing something.”
“And what would that be?”
“A woman.”
“Ah, yes. Well, it seems I must have forgotten to find one in the midst of all my more important duties, such as brushing my hair and helping my mother and sisters decide which teacups would best match the green room. I suppose you could always escort me.”
Elaina tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile. “It seems I have already begun.” She stayed facing forward, as she could feel Lydia’s eyes boring a hole through her from behind. Still, it was hard not to laugh, for the prince didn’t really look as though he had even tried to brush his hair. Its brown spikes were as unruly as ever. Of course, not in an unbecoming way. For all his faults, Elaina couldn’t find one thing about his appearance today that was unbecoming. Not that she ever could.
His silver-buttoned jacket, the color of an evergreen tree, and his black trousers were cut to fit his form perfectly and made him look even taller than usual. Elaina would never have said it aloud, but standing so close to him made her feel strange, like there was a warm gooey slush inside her that threatened to burst loose in the form of a stupid girlish giggle. But this was nonsense. She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts.
As if agreeing to her notion of nonsense, he leaned down as soon as they were a little ahead of her companions. “I don’t want you out of my sight today.” Elaina began to scowl at him, but he continued. “I’ve met with our spy and his assistant this morning. Our spy I have no misgivings about, but his assistant is a different story.”
Elaina’s wish to giggle disappeared. Of course he didn’t have a girl on his arm. He needed to make sure she stayed safe. That his kingdom’s secrets stayed safe with her.
Elaina wanted to kick herself. This was all just business, of course. She had known that and even insisted upon it. But why, then, had it felt so good to think her arm was on his simply because he wanted it there?
They followed the line of escort servants and guests along the path that led through the eastern gardens, a short walk that was protected from the winter winds by thick foliage trimmed at a perfect angle to shield those within the hedges. This path wound all the way around the palace to the back of the palace, where a glass room was built against the bottom two levels of the palace like an elaborate, gigantic, transparent lean-to.
Despite her annoyance with herself and the prince, Elaina let out a little gasp. Walls of glass surrounded them on the east, north, and west and overlooked the ocean. Evergreens of every kind had been grown in giant pots and placed expertly around the soaring space. Other winter flowers, pansies and primulas and forget-me-nots, grew clumped together in arrangements around each table and walkway, every color of green and blue imaginable. Snowdrops bowed their heads at the center of each table, and purple irises lined the walking paths. Baskets of dusty green leaves and bright red berries hung down from above.
“Do you like it?”
Elaina looked up to see Nicholas watching her.
“Oh, it’s lovely!” She closed her eyes and breathed in the rich scents of sweet flowers and soil. “If I lived here, I don’t think I would ever leave!” She moved closer to the back of the green room and peered through the glass. “You can even see the entire northern beach from here!”
“This was my father’s birthday gift to my mother the year I was born.”
When Elaina turned to look at him, Nicholas’s face was a strange mix of anger and admiration. “I think he was excited she had given him a boy.”
Elaina was tempted to dig deeper, but before she could ask, Nicholas took her arm again and drew her close, pointing to the center of the room. “There’s our spy,” he said in a low voice. “His name is Alastair Bladsmuth.” Then Nicholas mashed his lips together. “Where his little assistant is, however, I’m not sure.”
“The middle-aged gentleman speaking with Lydia?” She was surprised to see that Lydia had already beaten her there. She and Nicholas must have walked more slowly through the garden than she’d thought.
“That’s the one. Here, I’ll introduce you.” He led Elaina toward the table where a man was speaking with her cousin. Lydia’s face was brighter than Elaina had seen it in a long time, and the man, though definitely several decades older, looked no less enchanted.
“Alastair,” Nicholas called.
The man immediately stood and bowed. Lydia curtsied as well, though without as much fervor. Elaina avoided her gaze and focused on him.
“I see you’ve met my partner’s lovely cousin, Lady Lydia Tifft. Lady Elaina Starke, allow me to introduce Mr. Alastair Bladsmuth.”
Alastair bowed again. “It is an honor, my lady.” He leaned forward and took her hand.
Elaina smiled back. “Truly, Mr. Bladsmuth. I am delighted to meet you. And I’m glad you’ve met my cousin. She’s a wonderful partner for conversation. Also highly skilled at the game of Skitkol if you’re a brave soul.”
To her surprise, Lydia sent her a grateful smile. Could she pos
sibly have been flirting with the man? Already? Elaina wanted to laugh, but she managed with great effort to keep her face straight.
“Mr. Bladsmuth has shared his origins with me and my father of course,” Nicholas said, pulling a chair out for Elaina then sitting in one himself and looking at Alastair. “But I was rather hoping you could share it with our new friends, too.”
“Oh, it’s nothing highly impressive.” Alastair waved a hand. “Still, if these fine ladies don’t think they would be too bored to hear from a commoner.”
“Of course not!” Lydia gushed.
Elaina nodded eagerly as well, though she wondered just how much the spy would share. And how much would be the truth.
“Well, my father was a blade smith, hence my name, as was his father and his father and so on. But none of them were very good. When I was a lad, we rarely had enough to eat or proper clothes on our backs. So when it was my turn to learn the craft, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my days doing something I hated so much.” He leaned forward and shrugged. “As soon as my father died, I sold the shop and set out to make my fortune in the world. Even joined a friend serving in the king’s court for a while.” He gave a dry laugh. “I learned a lot those first few years. Learning doesn’t make much money, though, and it wasn’t until I stumbled across a crime as it was being committed that I found I was of use to anyone.”
“You saw a crime being committed?” Lydia fluttered her fan even faster.
“Well, it really was a sad sort of way to come about one’s livelihood. But I saw one man trying to kill another, and I was able to chase him off. He ran as soon as he saw me, but not before I saw his face.”
“What did you do?” Elaina asked.
“I did all I knew how to do. Went to the authorities. When the king caught wind of what I’d seen, he asked me to speak to his records keeper. The records keeper decided he liked me and wanted to use me to collect records from around the kingdom.” Alastair shrugged his thin shoulders. “Been doing that since, and never for a day have I looked back.”
Ah, so that’s how he was hiding his true profession. Well, a spy was a sort of records keeper. Just not the kind Lydia was most likely picturing as she fanned herself dramatically.
Nicholas had been watching the scene with an air of contentment. His face tightened, however, when a younger man approached the table.
“Forgive the interruption, please.” Alastair turned to each of them briefly, his eyes repentant. “This is my assistant, Conrad Fuller.” He looked back at Conrad. “What do you need?”
While they whispered together, Elaina did her best to study the assistant casually, as though she were simply curious. Conrad was younger than Alastair, but Elaina couldn’t tell by how much. His hair wasn’t graying as his master’s was, nor were there as many lines about his mouth and eyes. But Elaina could understand why Nicholas was so on edge about him. Conrad’s dark eyes never stopped darting, even as he spoke with Alastair in hushed tones. He regarded each person at the table with what looked like wary resentment.
The air felt palpably lighter as soon as he was gone again.
“I am so very sorry,” Alastair said as he stood. “I must excuse myself. Only briefly, though!” He looked at Lydia for a long moment. “Might I rejoin you when I am free?”
Lydia blushed. “Of course.”
Alistair gave her a wide smile. “Good. I was hoping you would say yes.” With that, he kissed Lydia’s hand then Elaina’s. After bowing to Nicholas once more, he began to walk away. He seemed to drop something, however, for he bent down just beside Elaina. As he stood, a small square of paper was pressed into Elaina’s hand. Instinctively, she closed her hand around it, and before she could say anything, he was gone.
Nicholas had taken up small talk with Lydia, speaking more about Alastair and asking her what they’d discussed before he and Elaina had joined them, but Elaina didn’t hear what Lydia said in return. Instead, she moved her hand ever so slowly under the table until she touched Nicholas’s hand. Tingles moved through her as she passed the square of paper off. Of course, it was only to share whatever message she had received. But the touch still felt strangely intimate.
What was wrong with her today?
After a few more minutes of talk about nothing, Nicholas looked across the room as though he’d heard something. “I do apologize, Lydia, but I fear I have a parent who must see me.” He glanced about and smiled. “But it appears Mr. Bladsmuth has returned from his errand. Would you allow me to steal your cousin while you speak with our guest?”
Elaina half expected Lydia to break into a baleful glare, but instead, she only tittered and looked about excitedly. As soon as Alastair rejoined them, Nicholas begged their leave and escorted Elaina away. Rather than moving toward his mother, who sat at the table in the center of the green room, however, he led them out of the green room entirely and into the palace. As soon as they were in a smaller room off the main hall, he ducked into a corner and ripped open the folded parchment.
“What is it?” Elaina leaned over his arm to get a better look.
“It appears the final member of our meeting tomorrow has arrived.” Nicholas refolded the parchment and tucked it into his sleeve. “This particular guest is technically not supposed to be in the country right now, as his assignment is in the east, so his attendance is one best kept quiet.”
“Where are we going?” Elaina asked.
He had taken her arm again and was walking deeper into the palace. “My father needs to know of this guest’s arrival, and I would prefer to tell him myself.”
As he spoke he began to walk faster.
“I’m afraid this meeting isn’t going to be as secret as you would like it,” she puffed in a whisper as she tried to keep up.
“What do you mean?”
“Lydia accused me of attending a secret meeting with you tomorrow.”
Nicholas shook his head, but kept up his pace. “If the palace maids ever quit gossiping, I’m not really sure how they would occupy their time. Here. We’ll take these stairs.”
They moved up a set of shiny marble steps.
“I must say,” Elaina whispered breathlessly after they’d climbed several more levels. “I am enjoying myself.”
“Really?” Nicholas kept walking, but he gave her a little sideways smile. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“It feels good to be useful again. But, I might enjoy it more.”
They finally left the stairs and turned down another gleaming hall. “And what would make it more enjoyable for you?” he asked.
“If you would slow down. Some of us don’t have legs the length of a mast.”
At this, Nicholas let out a laugh and slowed his pace. “Is that better? Or are you just trying to get more time alone with me?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Elaina wrinkled her nose at him. “In that case, you’d better walk faster.”
Three turns later, Elaina and Nicholas were standing before a set of massive doors.
“This is your father’s room?” Elaina gawked at the sheer size of the doors.
“This is his study.” Nicholas knocked once before opening the door for her.
Elaina stepped through, but immediately wished she hadn’t. A little cry of surprise left her lips, and she turned away to hide her face.
A woman in servant’s garb sat on the king’s lap. One of her shoulders was bare, the neck of her gown hanging loosely down her arm, and she was entwined in the arms of the king.
Nicholas, however, did not seem so shocked. Nor did he seem confused. When Elaina dared a glance at him through her fingers, he was shaking. Yanking the message from his sleeve, he threw it on the ground and stormed out.
Elaina, not knowing what to do, kept her head bowed as she turned just quickly enough to drop a blind curtsy before chasing after the prince.
20
Nicholas
If Elaina had thought Nicholas a fast walker before, she’d had no idea how fast he could run. Or perhaps h
e wasn’t running. Perhaps he was just walking as he usually did, not slowing so she could keep up. Maybe he was trying to get rid of her.
Well, he wasn’t going to get rid of her that easily. Elaina pushed even harder, catching a glimpse of a coattail here and there as he rounded corners and flew down stairs. Sweat began to run down her back as she pressed on, and her feet strained as she pounded them against the slick marble floors in her thin satin slippers. What she wouldn’t give to have her sturdy sea boots.
It wasn’t until she had followed him out of the palace and down the lawn to the west bank that she found him on a little private dock with a rowboat. A boat that he had already climbed into and was furiously throwing things about in as he muttered incoherently.
Finally, he plopped down on the first plank seat and looked at her. “Well, are you coming or not?”
Elaina calmly lowered herself onto the edge of the dock and took off her slippers, dangling her feet over the water. “And where might you be going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
“I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”
His blue eyes narrowed. “And why not?”
“Because I have your oars.” She held up one of the two oars that were still lying on the dock behind her.
He looked around his boat in confusion, then scowled even harder.
She went on in a softer voice. “But I don’t think you really need to be out on the water right now anyway.”
“Oh really?”
She shook her head. “I’ve seen too many accidents involving men who lost their heads at sea. Why don’t I sit here instead, and you tell me what’s going on?” She wasn’t sure she really did want to know, but from the crazed light in his eyes, Elaina was afraid he might really do himself harm if left alone. If she had learned anything in her years at sea, it was that when men were angry, they could be unusually stupid.
Nicholas rolled his eyes but let his body slide down until he was sitting on the boat’s floor. He covered his face with his hands so his voice was muffled when it came out. “That was my father’s latest mistress.”
Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers: A Retelling of Cinderella (The Classical Kingdoms Collection Book 6) Page 14