The Inherited Series Book 2: The Claimant

by Lily Burlington

  "Hector said that there is supposed to be the sword from the painting of Queen Catherine and suits of armor guarding the room. I thought for sure they would have it in here. It's part of the crowning ceremony for Arcadis, and it's been missing for centuries. They didn't even have the decency to make a fake like those made of the other missing artifacts." I tapped the screen of my phone to show a closeup of the sword as it was depicted in the painting of the crowning of King Charles IV. The hilt and handle were embedded with sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.

  "It is unusually barren for a throne room," said M. Arsnault. He leaned closer, his breath fogging against the plastic that blocked the doorway.

  "The room's contents have been placed in storage until they can be sent to specialists to be restored and appraised," said a deep voice from down the hall.

  I jumped as M. Arnsault stepped in front of me and jammed my phone into his pocket.

  "I did not mean to frighten you," continued the voice in a thick accent. My skin prickled as I recognized the sickeningly sweet tones.

  "It is no problem, Antoine," I said, poking my head around my guard's broad shoulders. I wasn't sure if I was going to need protection or not.

  "There is a problem though, princess," Antoine said, coming towards us. His voice had taken on a harsh note. "What are you doing here?"

  "I needed a walk. I've been trapped in my rooms for days," I said, smiling brightly. "And how about you? I thought you and your uncle were away."

  "I just returned today. I was working in my office," Antoine explained, pointing back down the hall towards a cluster of closed doors. “Uncle Richard will return on Monday.”

  "Well, how about you take a break and come for a walk with us?" I offered. It wasn't exactly my idea of fun, but I figured I might be able to get some information out of him.

  "Sorry, Princess, I must insist that you return to your rooms. It is not prudent to have you wondering the halls." He held his hand out towards the atrium and said, "Allow me to walk you back."

  "We could go outside instead?" I tried as I let him lead me past the greenhouse. M. Arsnault was a quiet force following close behind us.

  "I am afraid not, princess," Antoine said again.

  I decided it was time to pull out my last card and pray that it would lead me somewhere. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, making Antoine stop and pivot to face me. "Please," I begged him. "I need fresh air and exercise. I am going crazy in here. I need something to do." I put my hand on his biceps, "Please?"

  Antoine sighed heavily. "Come and see me in my office tomorrow evening. I will put a call in to my uncle to see if he will let me walk you outside."

  "Oh thank you!" I cooed, playing the damsel in distress. "That means so much to me."

  "I am not promising anything, princess," Antoine insisted, pulling me towards the stairs. "We cannot have you feeling unwell though."

  "It really has not been good for my constitution," I agreed, hoping it sounded good. I was pretty sure I had read that line in some wanton historical romance Tess had been reading.

  "Yes, well, I will see what I can do. Good night, princess," Antoine said, stopping at the door of my salon.

  "Goodnight, M. DuBlaise," I said as I smiled and offered him my hand. He took it, placing the obligatory kiss on my knuckles before he swept away.

  M. Arsnault cocked an eyebrow as he pulled the door open for me. "What?" I asked, in mock defense, throwing myself onto the couch. "We need answers. Either I will get him to talk or this will give us a chance to take a look at the grounds. We need all the information we can get."

  "I am impressed, Mademoiselle. That was very ingenious of you," M. Arnsault said, smiling.

  "A girl has gotta use what she can," I shrugged, smiling smugly. "Let's just hope it actually works."

  ^^^/

  I wasn't even mad when M. Fraise woke me up the next morning, a little creeped out, yes, but not mad. The day was uneventful, but I was anxious about the evening to come. I watched tourists bobble across the lawn, snapping pictures of the gardens, and I finished reading the historiography book. Around four, I decided to shower, figuring I should probably shave my legs so I wouldn’t scare Antoine away. When I was done, I dried my hair into soft waves and put on a green sundress. I even put a little makeup on.

  "What do you think?" I asked M. Arsnault, twirling for him as I reentered the salon.

  "Beautiful, Mademoiselle," he assured me, looking up over the top of my computer screen. "Are we leaving now?"

  "Might as well. It's after five, so the tours have ended. Dinner will still be cold when we get back."

  "Very well," my guard chuckled, standing. "After you."

  "Do you know which room it is?" I asked him, realizing I hadn't seen where Antoine had appeared from last night.

  "Yes, Mademoiselle. I spoke with M. Fraise, and he said that M. DuBlaise uses the salon attached to the violet room as an office while he is here."

  "Interesting," I noted, jumping off the last step. My heels cracked against the stone floors. We passed the greenhouse and throne room again until we reached the fifth door of the hall. It was open, revealing green walls and the edges of cracked leather sofas. I stopped in the doorway, facing Antoine, who was seated at a large modern looking desk across from the doorway. "Hello," I said, knocking lightly on the doorframe.

  Antoine looked up from the computer he was working on, but when he realized it was me, he jumped to his feet. "Hello, princess," he purred. "I was just about to call M. Fraise to go and fetch you. Please come in."

  "Thanks," I said, taking a seat on the couch. M. Arsnault stepped into the room, settling into position just inside the doorway.

  "Did you speak with your uncle?" I asked, trying to sound hopeful.

  "I did," Antoine confirmed as he sat back down, folding his hands in front of him on his desk.

  "And?" I pressed eagerly.

  "Like myself, he did not like the fact that you were out of your suite. He does, however, see the necessity for some fresh air so he has permitted me to take you out on the grounds in the evening," Antoine explained. He sat back in his chair, waiting for me to answer.

  "That's fantastic!" I exclaimed. Antoine didn't look so excited though. I guess he didn't like that he had been charged with babysitting me. "Thank you so much! Can we go now?"

  "What?" he blurted. He looked down at his desk. "I mean, there is some work I should finish. I supposed it could wait, although we cannot be long."

  "Excellent!" I said, cutting him off before he could change his mind.

  "I do hope I am not interrupting anything," said a voice from the doorway. I turned around to see Governor Beaucage standing halfway into the room. "Oh, princess," he said, nodding his head as he saw me, "I am sorry, I did not realize you were here."

  "No problem," I told him tightly.

  "I just came to discuss some matters of business with M. Dublais here. I should have called before I popped in." The man chuckled, carefully watching my face. Something about this didn't feel right. What ‘matters of business’ could the two of them possibly have here in Arcadis?

  "Perhaps I should come back later?" he suggested.

  "It is alright," I said standing. "Antoine and I were just about to go for a walk. I need to change my shoes, though, so why don't you boys talk and then Antoine can come and get me when he is ready."

  "Thank you, Princess," Beaucage muttered, sliding further into the room. "May I say though, before you leave, I am so very happy to see you here. It is positively thrilling to see you so comfortable in your rightful home. With you and M. DuBlaise, Arcadis will be whole again."

  "Erm, well, yes, we can hope," I said, frowning. I wasn't completely sure what the governor was talking about. I wasn't too sure I wanted to know either. "Well, I will see you later."

  "Goodbye, Princess," the two men called as I scuttled out of the room with M. Arsnault behind me.

  "What do you think that's about?" I asked under my breath, hurrying down
the hall. "And what is a governor of Solis doing here in Arcadis?"

  "I am not sure, Mademoiselle, but I do not like it," said M. Arsnault. We passed the greenhouse. M. Fraise was inside watering the plants again, the door still propped open.

  "Maybe I can get Antoine to tell me on our walk," I thought out loud.

  "Do be careful though, Mademoiselle. You cannot be too obvious or Antoine may suspect something."

  "I'll be careful," I told him. We were back in my room now. "Start eating if you like," I called to my guard as I went into my bedroom. "I'm just going to change."

  I stepped out of the heels, leaving them in the middle of the carpet, and I pulled the green dress over my head. The jeans I had worn yesterday were still on the floor, so I tugged them on. Obviously M. Fraise was not as fastidious in his duties as his sister. As I pulled the t-shirt on, I noticed that my closet light was on again. That was two days in a row; it couldn't be a coincidence. I always turned it off, and Mme Fraise seemed to spend half the day in there and she hadn't once left it on. M. Fraise hadn't even put any clothes away yet still the light was on. Something wasn't right. I padded carefully across the room, suddenly nervous. There was no one in the closet, but my heart stopped as I noticed that there was a seam in the paneling along the back wall and a crack in the shelves that wasn't usually there. I pushed a row of sweaters aside and tugged on the shelf, making it swing forward. It was a door and there was a staircase behind it. It was one of the servants' corridors!

  "M. Arsnault," I called excitedly. "M. Arsnault!" I heard shuffling in the other room as my guard jumped up. "M. Arsn—" I started again but a ringing noise interrupted me. My phone. I ran back into my bedroom and picked it up off the bedside table just as M. Arsnault came barreling into the room, looking ready to kill someone.

  "Hello?" I said, trying to contain my excitement about finding the door and trying not to laugh at my overly anxious bodyguard.

  "Cat? It's Phillipa," said the tired voice on the other line.

  I sobered immediately. "What's happened?"

  "You need to come home," she said. "He's awake. Leopold is awake."