The baron went pale and swallowed hard. After an uncomfortable pause, he explained that he was just paying a social call on the countess.
“When her husband is away, Honorable Donter?”
Lily thought Hans would have made an excellent inquisitor.
The baron was reduced to stuttering. “I…uh…was simply t-t-trying to b-be n-n-neighborly.”
Hans gave him a withering look. The king’s envoy obviously did not believe in neighborliness. The baron bowed to Lily, kissed her hand, and beat a hasty retreat.
Once he was out of the gate, Lily turned to Hans, “You’ve sent him back where he belongs. Thank you, Leir.”
“I don’t like the fact that he came at all, my lady.”
Lily voiced her agreement, but soon she forgot all about the baron. That was a mistake. She would have been more careful if she had seen what happened when the baron and his companions were out of sight: one of the men got off his horse and snuck back to the castle, where he spoke briefly with a woman before returning to inform the baron of what he had learned. The baron’s face went dark and he spurred his horse toward home.
The band of mercenaries settled into a small tavern in Altver. They wanted to rest and enjoy themselves after the long trip, but they had little money to spend. While they nursed their beers, they began asking questions about Earton and the countess. Unfortunately, they were not at the Pig and Dog, which was too expensive for their budget, as their pockets held little beyond a few lice.
They learned that Earton was south of Altver, and that you could theoretically get there by sailing up the Earta River, but that most people went over land. There was nothing much of interest once you arrived. Fellow drinkers informed the mercenaries that the countess was friendly with Altver’s mayor, but that she had had a serious falling-out with his son. On the whole, people felt that there was something odd about her. By the end of the evening, the mercenaries’ leader, a man named Royce Fletch, decided that he had heard too much empty talk and gained too little useful information for his liking. He told his men that they would stay in Altver a few more days to pick up anything else they could learn about their target before making their way quietly to Earton, where they would stay hidden until the time was right.
Fletch didn’t want to kill Lilian Earton. Given the choice, he would never have touched this job. However, he was in desperate need of money. There were too many Virmans for hire in the kingdom in those days, and they were driving down prices. As a result, men like Fletch and his band of mercenaries had to grasp every opportunity that came their way.
It wasn’t that the job was difficult. All he had to do was get to Earton, arrange the accidental deaths of one woman and one child, and get back out. Just to be safe, Fletch gave no one his name while they were in Altver. Once he was paid, he planned to disappear like a breeze in the tall grass. His other plan – he always had another plan – was to forget about the countess and tell the man who hired him that the job was done. By the time the man found out the truth, Fletch would be gone.
He didn’t yet know which plan he would follow. He wanted to set his eyes on Earton first.
Baron Donter sat hunched over a goblet of wine. His toadies did their best to stay out of his way. When the baron was in a black mood, they all feared his rawhide whip. Finally, late in the evening, the baron rolled quietly under the table. He stayed there until morning, when he woke with a splitting headache.
One of his toadies tiptoed over to him. “What’s the matter, Clive? Why are you so sullen?”
“There’s a king’s envoy in Earton, and my partner has been captured.”
The woman who had spoken to his man (it was Calma, of course) told him that one of the ship captains had been captured. She couldn’t remember his name, but she thought it was something like Jim or Jack.
“So what?” the toady shrugged. As far as he was concerned, this was someone else’s trouble.
“Fool!” Clive erupted in anger. “He will tell everything he knows to the envoy.”
His toady whistled. That was bad. “Then what?”
Baron Donter explained slowly. Slave trading was against the law in Ativerna, and that was putting it lightly. In actuality, that meant that even a baron could be whipped and thrown in prison or worse.
“We have to do something about this,” he wrapped up his explanation.
“But how?”
The baron cursed inventively. That was something he was good at. “I don’t know yet. But I don’t want anyone to find out about what I’m up to.”
Edward looked up at the lady. She was tall and ugly and skinny as a nail, with thin, pale hair hanging limply on both sides of her peevish face. Alicia Earton, born Alicia Weeks. It was an understatement to say that she was not appreciated at court, but no one risked saying anything about her aloud. The king was known to favor Jyce Earton’s widow.
“Come in, my dear.”
Alicia entered the study and bowed. “Your Majesty…”
Edward cut her off gently. “I want you to write to your daughter-in-law.”
“Whatever for?” she asked, genuinely surprised.
“I know you don’t often see your son and daughter-in-law. Sit down, Alicia.”
She took a seat on the very edge of a high-backed chair. “Your Majesty…” she began again.
“Alicia, we have known each other for a long time. I know you to be a woman with a strong mind.”
“But…”
“I would ask you to go down to Earton, but I’m not sure it’s worth the trouble. So I would like you to write to Lilian. Tell her she is invited to come to the palace. And when she arrives, keep an eye on her.”
“But I don’t…”
“My dear, something very strange is happening in Earton. Jess is with Richard’s delegation. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
Finally Alicia burst out, “But I’ve never even been to Earton, Your Majesty.”
“I know that. Jyce was my good friend, remember? I know you can keep a secret, Alicia. I want you to make friends with Lilian and then tell me your opinion of her.”
“I will do as you ask, Your Majesty.”
“She lost her baby very recently. After it happened, she expelled the medicus. He has said some very negative things about her, but I think there is more to the story.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I understand that this is not a task to your liking, but I must ask it. I will not forget this. I promise.”
Alicia stood up and bowed again. “Your Majesty, I will gladly do anything you ask of me.”
Edward watched her as she turned and left.
Alicia. Alicia. Only four people knew the secret that Jessie and I kept. Now, only you and I remain. You may be an evil-tempered bitch, but you aren’t stupid. If something is wrong with your daughter-in-law, you will find out faster than I ever could. Jess is far away. He and Richard won’t be back before autumn. Her father is partial to her and thinks she hung the moon. A woman will get to the bottom of things. I am counting on you, Alicia, even though I never liked you.
Edward picked up a pen and quickly dashed off a short letter on a piece of parchment.
“Hans, please pass along to the countess my invitation to court in the spring. I will send an official invitation, but these pigeons are faster. You can give me the details of the matter when you arrive. If you feel you must stay, then by all means, do not hurry. I want you to watch Lilian Earton. What kind of woman is she? How does she treat Miranda Catherine? How does she manage the household? I will await your detailed report.”
He handed the letter to his secretary to be copied out and sent by carrier pigeon. The king knew Hans to be a good envoy. He could get to the bottom of anything.
Meanwhile, Alicia was already back in her room writing a letter to Lilian. A request from the king was the same as an order and must be performed immediately.
“My dear daughter-in-law, I heard about your troubles and wanted to write to you. How is
your health? Medicus Craybey told us that you lost the baby. Do you need anything? Should I send you a different medicus? How can I be of help to you? You are welcome to stay with me while my son is away. His majesty the king wishes to see you at court in the spring. I hope you will at least stay with me then. I can provide you with a dressmaker and a hairdresser. We can talk about all of that when you arrive. I eagerly await your reply. Alicia, Dowager Countess of Earton.”
She sealed the letter. It would go out by runner.
Alicia wondered why the king was interested in her daughter-in-law. The one time she had seen her, at the wedding, the girl had struck her as a dimwit, and she had wondered at her late husband’s choice. Yes, there were the boatyards and August’s money, but Lilian was not the right girl for Jess. She wasn’t the right girl at all.
While Alicia had no real love for her “children,” she understood that their wellbeing had a great influence on her own wellbeing. Jyce had left her enough money to live at court, and Jess helped her out on occasion. They were not close, but still, there was something between them. She had pretended to be his mother all those years, after all. The secret never bothered her. She had grown used to it. She enjoyed her life at court, and she was grateful to both Jyce and Edward for ensuring that she had everything she could possibly want. In that frame of mind, Alicia was prepared to do whatever the king asked of her.
A quill pen scratched across a piece of parchment. The letter would soon fly away tied to a pigeon.
“The cow must be killed, along with the little girl. It must be an accident. Try to accomplish this by spring. I await news.”
The man folded the piece of parchment into a tiny square, tied it to the pigeon that stood on his desk and, not trusting any of his servants to launch the bird, sent it out the window. In the hotbed of gossip that was the royal court, what he was doing was very risky, but he needed Lilian Earton dead. And Miranda, too.
Lily gave Miranda a hug and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
“Don’t catch cold.”
She had taught the servants how to burn peat, but the castle – like all castles – was still drafty and cold.
“I won’t. Lily, will I ever have my own horse?”
“You most certainly will. If you want, we will take Lidar to meet a pretty mare. Their foal will grow up to be your horse. Or we could ask Ali to bring you another Avarian, a young one. Is that what you want?”
“Yes!”
“I will talk to the groom, but you have to promise to be careful.”
“I will.”
That was hard to believe, so Lily added a condition. “Until you are bigger, you have to ride facing forward and there will be no jumping. You have to have someone with you all the time when you ride, and you have to take care of the horse yourself. Can you promise me all of that?”
“Oh, yes! Yes!” Mirrie would have promised her stepmother the moon in return for a horse of her own.
Lily hugged her again and kissed the top of her head. “You will have your horse.” She looked down at the little girl’s shining face. “How do you like your new playmates?”
“They are strange.”
“They know many things. Mirrie, I want you to learn how to throw knives at a target.”
“What for?”
“Do you remember that man who tried to hurt us? I want you to be able to defend yourself.”
Miranda nodded. “I can do that.”
“I will ask Erik which of his men can teach you.”
“Will you do it with me?”
“Of course.”
Mirrie looked up trustingly. “Will you ever take me with you somewhere?”
“Come spring, I promise. Right now the weather isn’t good enough for me to drag you around the kingdom.”
The little girl buried her face in Lily’s neck. “You’re so sweet. I thought you were mean before. But you’re not.”
“I am mean.”
“You’re wonderful.” Mirrie’s voice got softer and softer. Finally, her head lolled on Lily’s shoulder and she fell asleep. Lily lay quietly, looking out the window and thinking.
It was late summer when you woke up in this world, all alone and at death’s door. Look at you now.
Mirrie mumbled something in her sleep. Lily stroked her head. She pressed her lips against the girl’s forehead.
Why do you love me? I’m mean. I’m trying to survive, and I’ve been using you as a tool against my husband. And still you love me. As I love you. I’m not as lonely in this world anymore. It’s my world. My new world. No matter what happens, I can handle it. I am Countess Lilian Elizabeth Mariella Earton. I have a daughter, Miranda Catherine Earton. I have a home. It isn’t exactly mine, but still… Things are falling into place and becoming familiar. I have work to do. I have friends. These people are almost my team. And I’m responsible for them.
I am home.
Lily rolled onto her side and tucked the little girl next to her. She shut her eyes. Tomorrow would be a new day. A good, new day.
Tomorrow…
She was almost sure that she was doing everything right. She had always been a top student.
Her last thought before she fell asleep was: I think I’ve got the housekeeping under control. It’s too bad there’s no one here to notice.
Medieval Tale:
First Lessons
The Clearing
Palace Intrigue
Book Recommendations:
Thank you for carrying on in our exciting journey.
Book 3 Palace Intrigue is out now for order.
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I would like to draw your attention to some other great works from Litworld.
Fayroll by Andrey Vasilyev is an exciting adventure story about Harriton Nikiforov, a journalist forced to write a story about the newest online craze ‘Fayroll’. Along the way he meets a variety of interesting characters and finds a life changing epic quest that will change his life forever. This series was a best seller in Russia when first published.
Fayroll:
More Than a Game
The Road East
Winds of Fate
Gong and Chalice
Sicilian Defense
Under the Black Flag
Different Sides
The Crown and the Key
Word and Steel
Andy finds himself in a life and death struggle as he must adapt to his new environment and undergo the ancient ritual to become a Dragon to survive after accidentally falling through a portal to another world. Read this exciting adventure now by the best-selling author Alex Sapegin available on Amazon:
Becoming the Dragon
Wings on my Back
A Cruel Tale
Crown of Horns
* * *
[1] Shilda – the local equivalent of a succubus, a female demon who seduces men.
[2] Local names for marjoram, thyme and fireweed
[3] Hammer of Witches, a medieval book on, among other things, how to prosecute people for witchcraft.
[4] In Virman mythology, Holosh is the god of tricks and devilry, along the lines of Loki.
[5] Chickenpox
Table of Contents
Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Book Recommendations:
The Clearing Page 31