Jax felt as if she had been drenched in a bucket of ice water. Beside her, a soft gasp escaped Perry’s lips. How had Darian gotten hold of this sensitive information?
“Why should the origins of her birth matter? Why should that determine her path for the rest of her life? Has she not worked hard and proven her dedication to you?” Darian challenged, his focus solely on Jax. “You see, that is my argument against Cetachi being a dukedom. My people would simply be stuck right where they are. Maybe there would be some greater level of protection, but I would still be a baker’s son or some lowly equivalent.” Darian’s gaze burned with fervor. “A free, elected state will allow for the progress and development that have stunted the duchies for so long.”
“And tell me, Darian,” Jax answered, summoning a steely exterior, “who will bake the bread in this free state? Who will be the ones to work these lowly equivalent jobs, as you call them? Your words are not only offensive to the people in this room, but to all throughout our prosperous realm. People like your father are the individuals who make our duchies thrive. Woodworkers, tailors, merchants, bakers. These are all admirable roles, supporting the greater good in their honest and noble work. Perhaps in the wilds of Cetachi, a baker is not respected, but in Saphire, a baker is the soul of his village, his family in want of nothing.” She stood up, challenging the young man to come closer. “Considering how sheltered Cetachi has been all these years, your people likely do not fully understand how an enterprise like a duchy actually operates. And perhaps it has never been properly explained to you.” She risked an accusing look at Lysandeir, whose lips lifted in a snarl. “Our common-born citizens do have the opportunity to achieve wealth and security within our system. You so freely mentioned my maid Uma. Do you think her family is in want of anything? Do you think her mother was also a lady’s maid? No, her mother was a skilled nurse and her father was a village physician. Uma’s destiny was not laid out before her because her parents were healers. No, she was able to take her own path.”
“As a servant?” Darian shot back.
“As a companion to the most influential leader in the Realm of Virtues.” Jax’s fingers curled with her echoing retort. “So, yes, while a common-born individual in Saphire will not one day wake up ruling the land, it is naive and ignorant to think that our people are oppressed.”
Silence blanketed the room as Darian’s eyes darted to Maegus and Lucien, a subtle panic beginning to set in on his face.
Jax smoothed her dress as she sat back down. “If you hope to persuade a body of people who have been educated and developed to be leaders since the moment of their birth, I suggest you secure a better defense.”
“You think just because you were born into it, that it’s your right to rule?” Darian asked with candidness that surprised her. “Just because you had a fancy education, that makes you suitable for the job? What if there was someone in Saphire who could do it better, Your Grace? Would you allow them to sit on the throne? If you think you are the best person for the position, what would you do if there was someone better than you?”
The flurry of questions left her flustered, but before she opened her mouth to respond, Duke Pettraud barked out a laugh. “You think by convincing us that we are unfit to rule our own duchies, you will get our votes, boy? You have a lot to learn.”
“I think we should take a preliminary vote to see where things stand,” Jaquobie suggested, his eyes sweeping over the room. Tensions were beginning to rise high. “That will allow us all to frame the remainder of the summit’s discussions.”
“Agreed,” Duke Crepsta declared from his perch, holding his wife’s hand with white knuckles.
A clearly rattled Lucien ran a hand through his flaming hair. “Very well. All those currently in favor of the Accord, please raise your right hand.”
Jax’s eyes darted around the room, tallying the votes. Both Duchess Tandora and Lysandeir raised their hands without hesitation. The High Courtier from Zaltor conferred with his other three courtiers before raising his. The High Courtier from Hestes also put a hand in the air. Four votes out of the remaining ten in play. Hope sparkled inside her chest.
“All those against the Accord for statehood.” The Duke could have not sounded less thrilled.
Jax’s hand went straight up, accompanied by Dukes Mensina, Crepsta, and Pettraud.
The cluster of advisors from Beautraud and Kwatalar exchanged uncertain looks within their groups, but their High Courtiers’ hands ultimately remained on their laps.
“A tie,” Lucien groaned with dismay, tossing a handkerchief he’d been wiping across his forehead to the table.
“And in the event of a tie, the Accord fails,” Jaquobie redundantly informed the group.
Darian nearly leaped out of his chair in undignified anguish. “Well, that was only a cursory vote, right? We still have three days of the summit left to mount our arguments.”
He didn’t point out the obvious…that thanks to the vote, each side now knew precisely who they needed to persuade. Jax simply had to ensure that either Beautraud or Kwatalar voted their way, and they would be home free. She felt a stab of worry, for she suspected Lucien was already trying to figure out a way to manipulate both duchies to support the Accord.
“May the best man win,” Duke Pettraud said with a harsh guffaw, standing in front of his seat. “I think it’s best we all break for lunch, don’t you, Lucien?”
Perry’s father didn’t give their host time to object. He was already escorting Duchess Tandora out of the room.
The High Courtiers surveyed their counterparts as the other leaders rose, all except Jax and Perry. It hadn’t escaped her notice that many of the attendees had been scribbling notes as they sat around the table all morning. She wanted to take a moment to privately examine the different handwritings to see if any of them matched the note burning a hole in her dress pocket.
Jaquobie was the last to leave, trailing after Lysette, Landon, and Lawrence, all of whom cast lingering, suspicious stares at Jax and Perry as they followed their fuming father to the banquet hall.
“Tough crowd,” Perry said with a low whistle.
“We certainly learned quite a lot.” Jax bit her lower lip. “The most urgent being we have a spy in our midst.”
Perry looked shocked. “What makes you say that?”
“When Darian prattled on about Uma, about me wanting to make her my new lady-in-waiting. She and I discussed that privately during our carriage ride, Perry. Only she and I knew about it.” The dread welling in Jax’s stomach made any thoughts of hunger disappear.
She watched Perry’s cheeks grow pink with unease. “Well, that’s not entirely true, Jax. You see...dear Uma came to visit Hendrie yesterday afternoon while you were taking your bath. I overheard them talking about it through the connecting door attached to my suite. She was a bit upset that her lineage was holding her back from being your formal companion. And you know how passionate Hendrie has been on the subject of late. I had to interrupt and smooth things over with both of them about your hands being tied on the matter.”
Jax’s eyes narrowed into slits, not at all appreciating that Perry had kept her in the dark. “That still doesn’t explain how Darian got hold of the information.”
“Well, that’s not the whole story,” Perry continued. “When I went back into my room, I noticed the hallway door was ajar. I thought I had closed it when I left, but as I went to shut it, I saw Jaquobie scurrying away. He very well could have overheard everything from the adjoining room.”
“Why on earth would Jaquobie share that information to be used against me?” An annoyed Jax snapped the question, although she knew Perry couldn’t be blamed.
Her fiancé shrugged as he reached for a piece of parchment. “You’ll have to ask him that.”
“Oh, I intend to,” she pledged, but put those thoughts aside for the moment. She picked up an ink-covered scroll and held it side-by-side to the note found on Lady Gwen. “This doesn’t match.”
&
nbsp; “Nor do these. No one in the Beautraud or Zaltorian delegations forged George’s name.”
After shuffling through all the leftover parchment, they were able to determine that no one from Beautraud, Zaltor, Kwatalar, or Mensina had written the deceptive note.
“It doesn’t look like my father’s writing, so I think we can rule him out as well,” Perry said as he took a harder look at the piece of paper.
Disappointed that no one from the remaining duchies had left behind any notes for them to review, Jax tucked the paper back inside her dress pocket. “Speaking of your father, you might want to prepare for your luncheon with him. Didn’t Jaquobie say he was expecting you in his chambers at one?”
“I almost pushed the meeting out of my mind.” Perry gave her a lame smile.
“You don’t have to speak with him if you really don’t want to, Perry. I can arrange a meeting with him instead.”
“I’ll be fine. Virtues, if you and your grandfather made amends, there may be hope for me yet,” Perry jested. “Shall I escort you to the banquet hall before I pop over?”
Jax’s nose wrinkled. “I can walk a few hundred feet by myself without getting attacked, Perry.”
Perry frowned at her attitude. “You know George would have my head if I let you walk alone.”
“She doesn’t need to walk alone, Lord Pettraud. I can escort the Duchess to lunch.” Darian’s silky voice floated in from the doorway. He stood there, hands behind his back, watching them with interest.
Jax stiffened. How long had he been watching them?
The Governor stepped forward, inching his way to the center of the room. “I thought I might have misplaced my suit jacket in here this morning. I could have sworn I brought it with me before our peace talks started.” He surveyed his abandoned seat. “But I guess not. Shall we go to lunch?” He offered her his extended arm.
Perry’s stone-faced expression suggested that he would rather sever his own leg than allow Jax to be alone with this man, but she cut him off with a bright smile. “How kind. Yes, Darian, that would be lovely. I’ll see you this afternoon, Lord Pettraud,” she chirped, leaving a speechless Perry in her wake as she readily accepted the outstretched hand of her dashing rival.
Chapter Twelve
“I do give you credit for keeping things civilized outside the discussion chambers, Darian,” Jax said as they strolled through the stone fortress, making their way to the banquet room for the second time that day.
“I meant what I said about respecting the ducal families, your bloodline in particular. You impressed me in there, Duchess. I was expecting my comments about your servant to throw you off guard.”
Darian’s transparency made her smile. “Oh, you succeeded, but my years of training to be an unflappable sovereign have at least helped me in that regard.” She couldn’t help but poke fun at his own words. “But that servant you mentioned so flippantly is my dear friend, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t drag her name through the mud for your own political gains.”
“Perhaps I picked the wrong duchy to persecute,” Darian admitted with a mischievous grin.
She could tell that her disclosure of genuine friendship with Uma surprised him. “Perhaps you did,” she agreed. She voiced her next question with composed bluntness. “Who informed you about Uma’s desires to be named my lady-in-waiting?”
His answer came without pause. “A gentleman never reveals his source.”
Jax studied his strong profile. He would indeed make for a handsome figurehead, his good looks no doubt a factor in securing the confidence of his people back home. “I thought we were going to hear more about how you came to be the prodigal son of Cetachi.”
A scowl marred Darian’s handsome features. “I thought so too, but Lysandeir wanted to jump right into defining the Accord.” He looked at his feet as his cheeks flushed. “It was my intention to make the council understand all the pain and anguish that have finally led the Cetachi people to this pivotal moment.”
“Well, tell me now,” Jax said, stopping in her tracks. She scanned the hall and found a nook by a large window overlooking the white mountaintops. Motioning Darian to claim a seat, she perched on the windowsill and prepared to listen.
He eyed her warily, as if concerned she was setting some kind of trap. “Where should I start?”
“The election. How did it come about?” Jax questioned.
“It’s hard to believe it happened over six months ago,” he began. “During the spring equinox. We had barely made it through the winter—the southern region I hail from was incredibly short on food. The heads of the civil tribes met out of desperation. We all knew we had to come up with something, or Cetachi would indeed be lost to the wilds. For decades, the region has been sinking deeper and deeper into decay, cut off from the rest of the realm.” His eyes took a downward cast as he relayed the painful memory. “So, I convinced my tribal leader to let me speak to the group. I explained my vision that if we could work together to create a stable nation, we could successfully integrate into the realm. The leaders agreed with me, so all that was left to do was pick someone to unite us all.”
“And let me guess, you had a solution for that, too?” Jax smiled as she arched an eyebrow.
“It seemed only logical. Why not let a group of people choose who would lead them into a new era?”
“Lucky for you, it seems,” Jax said with a wry twist of her lips.
“Several people did come forward, promoting their ability to lead. We had debates and every inch of our lives examined by the people. It’s not as if I hoodwinked anyone.” He paused as he crossed his arms in defense. “My actions spoke for themselves. I advocated for my people long before Cetachi as a whole decided to do something about it. My dedication and service proved to the electorate that I was ready to lead.”
“You mentioned earlier that this all came about from a meeting of the civilized tribes,” she said. “Are there others in Cetachi who oppose your plans?”
Darian took a deep breath. “I suppose you would find out sooner or later, Duchess, but yes. There are hosts of wild men roaming the borders who are against changing our ways. They’ve been more difficult to wrangle these past few months. When I was elected, I ordered all raids to cease under penalty of death.”
Jax leaned back, stunned that Darian had the backbone to take such severe measures. “From what I’ve heard, the raids did eventually cease.”
Darian nodded darkly. “But there have been some murmurs of them resurfacing in recent weeks. I had hoped Maegus would be able to put a stop to it while I was here, but—” Darian broke off, as if realizing that he’d revealed his displeasure at the Warden’s appearance with one too many people. “The wild men have been assaulting our borders with Pettraud, and even outposts in Lysandeir and Tandora. I thought the resurgence would cause the Duke to pull his support for the Accord, but it seems to have only intensified his desires to see me rightfully seated as head of state so I can put a finite end to the raids.”
Jax scoffed. “Don’t you find the timing of it all a bit odd? From your tone, it sounds like Pettraud is the one taking the brunt of the raids. Pettraud, which happens to oppose the Accord.”
Her opponent’s head cocked. “What are you getting at, Duchess?”
Jax clasped her hands in her lap, lacing her fingers together. Looking as pious as she could, she replied, “Considering your claims of a righteous character, I’m interested in what you’ll do with this information I’m about to share. You were overheard upon your arrival here saying that you had not seen Duke Lysandeir in months. Yet, I have confirmed reports that he has been traveling to a Cetachi outpost for private meetings on a regular basis.”
Darian’s mouth nearly plunged to the stone floor as he leaped to his feet. “What? That can’t be possible. Where did you hear this?”
“A lady never reveals her sources,” Jax mimicked.
Snarling under his breath, he stepped closer to her until he was mere inches away. “How do
I know you’re not lying to me?”
“Look at the truth in my eyes and tell me if I look like a liar to you, Governor,” she snapped. “If you really care about your people, you better reexamine who you are keeping company with.” Her amethyst gaze burned with a silent plea for the young man to see reason. “You are not the only person here who wants what’s good for the people of this realm.”
He took a step back and cleared his throat. “I appreciate the information, Duchess.” He turned from her to stare out the frost-laden window. “It seems I can trust no one to help my cause,” Darian said, immense sadness sagging from his shoulders.
Jax stood up from her perch, from where she could feel the chill from the wintry winds outside sweeping under the panes. “If your cause truly revolves around pulling Cetachi out of the darkness with a seat at the realm, then let me help you.”
Darian raised his chin. “Trade one snake for another? You just want to package Cetachi up into a nice little duchy and continue with the status quo.” He raked his hands through his tousled hair, steaming.
“I did when I arrived, I will admit that much. But I see something special in you, Darian. I see why your people voted for you to lead them to something better. I would not want to deprive them of your spirit.” Jax’s voice oozed with sincerity.
Darian squinted at her, confused and dazed by their conversation. “What are you saying?”
“I’d like to arrange a private meeting with you this evening after dinner to discuss the future of your homeland. No Lucien, no Maegus, just you. My guardsman will meet you at the bottom of the west wing stairs and escort you to my chambers,” Jax directed, delighted by the curiosity dancing in those Cetachi eyes.
“Has this all been some well-laid trap?” he asked.
Jax’s grin gleamed. “You’ll have to spring it to find out.”
A Summit in Shadow Page 12