Aurelia

by Anne Osterlund

  "you sound like our old instructors." she wrinkled her nose. "The more you learn--"

  "The more you realize how much you don't know," robert finished for her. "Chris said you aren't taking classes anymore. I always assumed you'd attend university, or at least have the professors come to you."

  she choked over her father's words as she voiced them. "Apparently I can better serve my kingdom if I commit my time in more useful ways." she knew the darkness could not hide the bitterness and disappointment in her voice. A variety of threats, bribes, and frequent reminders about her duty had conspired to keep her watching as other classmates went on to join the university ranks.

  To robert's credit, he attempted a switch to a less sensitive topic. "Who was the girl who approached Chris back there? you seemed in a hurry to avoid her."

  "Hmm." This was no more an enjoyable subject but encouragingly less personal. "Tedasa. she is a friend of melony's and one of the most eligible young ladies at court." Aurelia did not bother to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  He laughed. "I've rather been enjoying the company of an eligible lady all evening."

  "Ah, you are mistaken," Aurelia corrected him. "One thing I have not been all evening is a lady. That is why it has been enjoyable."

  "Nonetheless." He refused to let the subject drop. "you did not seem inclined to spend any more time in our unexpected companion's presence than you had to."

  Aurelia was uncomfortable sharing her honest opinion when she knew it might get back to Chris.

  "she didn't go to school at the palace with us," robert prompted.

  "Her father is a foreign dignitary. He spends his time traveling. When her mother died last year, he rescued his society daughter from the wealthy boardinghouse where she was staying and brought her to court."

  "you're still not telling me why you dislike her." robert tapped the bridge railing with the flat of his hand.

  exasperated, Aurelia gave in. "she lives and breathes her father's money. If your cousin doesn't watch himself, he'll find she's built her nest right on top of his inheritance. she's not just another lady's maid he can dangle without consequences."

  "Jealous?" There was an odd tone in robert's voice.

  "Hardly." Aurelia scolded him with her eyes. "I don't like people being used, especially those I care about."

  robert leaned back to peer up at the sky. "I wouldn't worry about Chris. I can't imagine him doing anything as respectable as courting a wealthy debutante."

  "He didn't seem that worried about spreading his feathers for her tonight." The sarcasm was back in her voice. An unattractive habit, she thought. I ought to correct it.

  robert smiled. "Ah, but then you see, he didn't; a rooster did. you are not the only one capable of walking that hazy tightrope."

  "If you stay on the tightrope long enough, sooner or later you are going to fall."

  "enough," he said. "When the conversation has dwindled to metaphors, it is time to find a new topic."

  "you say that only because you were losing your argument."

  "Who says that every point of a discussion has to be an argument?"

  "No one." she grinned. "but with you it always is."

  "Only when I'm talking to you."

  He was telling the truth. most of her memories of him involved verbal debate, whether during class discussions, in-depth study sessions, or casual conversations. she and robert were too much alike: competitive, intrigued by new ideas, and determined not to give in when they felt they were right. What saved them from hating each other was that they could each be persuaded to change sides when confronted with a strong enough argument. perhaps that was why they enjoyed debating so much. There was always a chance either might persuade the other to take up his or her case.

  "Fine, then, let's talk about you," she suggested, both because she was curious about his new life and because she did not want the conversation to loop back to her. "What is life on the frontier like?"

  He shrugged. "It's a lot of hard work, but I like it. Not the farming that much. Father and I also train horses. The stubborn ones enjoy trying to land me on the ground, which is how I get the bruises I mentioned last night. still, there's always a need on the frontier for a good mount."

  she nodded to show she was listening and did not want to interrupt.

  "The life suits my parents," he continued. "I think they are happier having their own place, something they've worked to build. It may not rival the palace for glory and comfort, but they have each other."

  "And control over their own destiny." she could not keep the longing from her voice.

  "exactly," he said. "I think that's why they wanted to leave. They'll never come back. I'm not sure they could even be persuaded to visit."

  That surprised her. "Not even to see family? you don't think your father will ever visit your uncle again?"

  "I guess Father thinks uncle Henry is just as capable of coming to see him, and I doubt it would ever occur to uncle Henry to travel to the frontier."

  Aurelia blushed. she supposed robert was right. Travel without roads was too difficult, and the rugged land was too sparsely populated to ensure safety for a lost or weary traveler. No one she knew would consider the trip unless he or she had plans to live there. It had never occurred to her that people on the frontier might feel just as reluctant to make the same journey in reverse.

  "but you came," she said.

  "yes." The clipped response indicated he was not going to elaborate.

  "do you think you'll want to stay there? On the frontier, I mean."

  "I don't know. How do I know if it's where I really want to live when there are so many places I've never been?"

  envy congealed inside her. she could imagine it in her veins, an ugly green-and-purple acid squeezing her heart and lungs.

  Don't, she thought, trying to push it away. Don't think about things you can't have. It will just make you miserable. "you'd like to travel, then?"

  "If I can find a way to make a living at it for a while." He smiled wryly. "I'm not inclined to be a soldier, and I can't imagine I'd make much of a peddler seeing as I don't like asking for anyone's hard-earned coin."

  They lapsed into silence, and robert tilted his head back up at the cloudy sky. "That I don't miss," he said so softly she suspected the words were more for him than for her.

  "What?"

  He took a moment to answer. "The sky here is always overcast, like it can't let the sun out more than a day."

  "It's past midnight." she looked at him, confused. "There'd be no sunlight anyway."

  "True, but on the frontier there are enough stars to restring a broken soul." He dropped his gaze back to her. "It must sound silly to you, being used to this, but the clouds make me feel closed in now. I miss seeing the sky and the sense of space I have out there."

  "I wish I could see it."

  Her words seemed to startle him out of his reverie. "Why don't you go, then? It will all be under your leadership someday. shouldn't you find out about it?"

  "yes, I should." The words came out choppy and harsh. must he bring up all her failures in one night? "Life isn't always as you'd imagine it, robert!" she brushed past him, making her way across the bridge.

  He moved to follow, but she faced him, her flat palm ordering him to stop. something must have convinced him to obey. He turned back to the bridge rail, staring out over the river's voiceless waters. she left him there and crossed the bridge into the night, allowing her anger and frustration to spill off into the darkness, where it could burn without scarring anyone else.

  robert remained by the railing less than a minute, giving Aurelia time to get off the bridge though not out of eyesight. Obviously more was wrong with her than she let on. He knew he was capable of setting off her temper, but he had been teasing her all night without gaining so much as a glimmer of genuine anger. This time he had not been teasing at all, just asking a simple question.

  If he waited until she calmed down, she might tell him
something; but the chance was gone for tonight, the comfortable conversation scattered like Carnival leftovers on the ground. besides, did he really want to be Aurelia's confidant? The part of his life dealing with the problems of the aristocracy was past him. He did not need to involve himself in the princess's minor problems. His job was to deal with the major one.

  The memory of the attempted poisoning from the night before flashed into his mind. He could not let her walk alone, no matter how angry she was with him. pushing himself away from the bridge rail, he started after her as she fumed her way around a curve on the opposite edge of the road.

  He had just crossed over to the same side when a screaming sound yanked his attention. Horses? robert's head snapped up in astonishment, searching for the source. It was the same sound mustangs made on the frontier when there was a fierce storm coming. What under the clouds . . . ?

  At that moment the distraught horses came careening around the corner, six of them pulling a carriage. Light flared in multiple pairs of wide eyes. broken stones ricocheted out from the squealing wheels, and a man perched motionless in the driver's seat. The carriage, the horses, and the man's clothes were all black, fading into the night's cloak. robert took in the scene, reaching past his fear to record finer details even as his body broke into motion.

  Aurelia had already turned and was running back toward him. What happened next was instinct. He grabbed her by the hand, hauling her off the road toward the cliff bank. somewhere his mind registered that the horses were also departing the roadside, coming after them. In swift movements, he swung Aurelia over the bank, watched her secure a grip, and slid over the edge. somehow his hands grasped hold of the rocky surface, keeping his body from crashing into the river below.

  The lead horses reared overhead, screaming shrilly enough to shred veins. Hooves slammed down on the earth, sending a cascade of small stones over the two humans clinging to the cliff side. robert closed his eyes and pressed his face close to the earth. dirt burned in his lungs, but he held his position until the pelting ceased.

  When he opened his eyes, the horses were gone. He turned immediately to the presence on his right. Aurelia's chest heaved beside his. Her breath came out in rasping gulps, and her fingers clung to the rocky bank just as fiercely as his own. she was still alive. but the fear pounding through his body was so overpowering, there was no room for a sense of relief.

  Chapter Four

  HORSEFLESH

  ROBERT PACED ON THE PRACTICE-YARD SAND, HIS boots tracing and retracing their own prints. He frowned at the gray clouds blocking out most of the morning light, though at least here he had space to think. Visions of the carriage attack had pressed down on his mind ever since he had scrambled up the riverbank the night before at Aurelia's side.

  A team of six horses. All black, but none the same. His father had taught him nothing was identical. A spy must look beyond the similarities. details and differences, those were the clues to identification. No knife, no sword, no carriage was exactly like another.

  robert had noted the height, approximate weight, and style of the carriage. At the pace it had been traveling, it was plenty large enough to overrun another vehicle on the road. He might trace the carriage or the carriage maker, but robert had seen no crest or distinguishing features. He hoped if he spotted the exact vehicle, he could identify it. still, he doubted the carriage was the best place to focus his attention.

  He should have far better luck tracing the horses. six black. robert had spent the past four years working with horses on the farm. He loved their personalities, had spent hours studying their traits and learning to appreciate each as an individual. When the carriage had come into view, robert's attention had focused on the horses. both members of the lead pair were big, one with a large scar below the knee, the other with a long neck and shaggy coat. He had only caught a glimpse of the back four, but it had been enough to recognize two mares in the rear and two stallions, smaller than the lead pair, in the center. The mare on the right side had a white streak in her mane. someone had worked hard to put that team together. The horses had run full speed toward Aurelia and robert, not shying at the nearness of the cliff. No animal would voluntarily charge itself into harm's way, despite the guise of the driver losing control. Those horses had been following instructions, obedient to the point of self-endangerment. They were a frightfully well-trained team. robert would find all the horses together. And if they were together, he was certain he could identify them.

  He also thought he could recognize the stallion with the scar even without the company of the other horses. It had led the charge and seemed to aim deliberately for robert and Aurelia. A shiver ran down robert's body. He could not shake the chilling feeling the stallion had done this before, charging and trampling the life from its victim. He had known many horses during his life: friendly, gentle, shy, cocky, proud, and wild--but he had never before seen one that was cruel. That horse had been hunting him last night. He would recognize it if he saw it again.

  And he knew a horse and a team like that would leave an impression on anyone experienced with horses.

  Who here would be? Of course, there was the head groom, but asking a palace insider would be risky. Outside of Chris, uncle Henry, and the king, no one in the palace knew robert's real purpose there. One leading question in the wrong quarters and his secret would be splashed about with the washwater.

  No, he could not ask daria's father. robert needed someone in the city, someone who had access to wealthy houses and wealthy horses. He could ask Chris, but Chris had never cared much for horses. And robert doubted his cousin was yet awake after the late Carnival night.

  "Her royal Highness, princess Aurelia, wishes to see you, sir." A feminine voice tore through his mental web.

  robert flinched, caught unaware by the presence of a young lady's maid standing not ten feet before him. Hazel eyes stared through him as if they could read his thoughts. "Is something wrong?" he asked, worried Aurelia had realized the carriage accident was no accident.

  "The royal physician has restricted Her Highness to her rooms for the day, and she is in search of entertainment."

  robert raised his eyebrows. He certainly had no intention of spending the day in Aurelia's rooms. He needed to find those horses.

  On the other hand, he had to admit he wanted to see her, to see for himself that she was still alive this morning, unchanged. she had been in a hurry last night to return to the palace, too much of a hurry to let him comfort her; but he suspected underneath her urgency had been fear. He nodded and reached for his frock coat. "I suppose I can see her for a few minutes."

  "Follow me, sir." The girl led him through a carved doorway and along the lengthy, formal route to Aurelia's rooms. The trip took forever. men and women passed, pausing to offer a greeting. robert struggled to identify each person's rank, his eyes seeking out the emblems, ribbons, and clothing that would tell him the correct means of response. He scrambled to remember titles and forms of address, all the while afraid he might offend someone. No wonder Aurelia had preferred traveling in disguise the previous night.

  And now robert was left with the guilt of having assisted in the secret escapade. Nothing about the previous night's attack made sense. How had she been recognized? They had overrated the strength of her disguise by half.

  He should have informed palace security.

  He should have warned his uncle.

  He should have--

  The rap of the lady's maid's knuckles on Aurelia's private door restrained his self-inflicted flogging. He had passed through the princesses' joined parlor without even realizing it.

  "my lady, I am returned with robert Vantauge," the girl said.

  "Come in!" Aurelia called, then watched as robert entered the sitting room. Come in and let slip everything your uncle told you. Her various attempts to speak with her father about last night's accident had resulted in a dearth of answers, an excess of concern, and her following confinement in the name of good health. sh
e was being kept out of the investigation for some reason, and robert must know more than she did.

  His blue eyes studied her with intensity. "Are you all right?" he asked.

  she had the sudden sharp memory of his hands lifting her from the cliff and pulling her to him. An unnatural warmth rushed up to her cheekbones.

  she tried to shake off the thought by pointing dramatically at the chair across the table from her seat. "Care to test me?" she lifted a card deck from the game table's patterned surface and shuffled.

  He slid into the empty giltwood chair.

  "keep your wits about you, sir," she heard minuet whisper. "I have heard Her Highness is not one to lose a card game on purpose."

  "I'll keep that in mind," robert replied.

  Aurelia dealt the cards. Then, hoping he might let down his guard, she eased the conversation smoothly onto the topic of horses. A brief summary of robert's recent equestrian experiences grew into a winding pathway of horse breeding, training techniques, and the relationship between horse and rider. by the time he admitted surprise at her expertise with regard to both horses and cards, she had trounced him in three straight hands of double hearts.

  she used the compliment as a chance to launch her interrogation. "I thought I was familiar with the strongest teams in the city, but I didn't know the one we ran into last night. Tell me, robert. What is being done about that carriage? Has the driver been identified?" she glanced up to gauge his reaction.

  robert fumbled, cringing as a jack of diamonds fell faceup on the table. "Why would anyone tell me?"

  she gave him a penetrating look. "because your uncle is the king's adviser, your father was a spy, and you were there last night. don't tell me you haven't asked." she sloughed a high card. "What does Chris say?"

  "I doubt Chris will say anything for several hours yet. He's still asleep."

  The lie was so unexpected Aurelia had no idea how to react. True, she had feared Henry might tell his nephew not to discuss the accident with her until the investigation was complete, but why would robert lie over something as trivial as Chris's whereabouts? It was a lie, though. she had already seen Chris that morning, laughing with Tedasa in the parlor.