A Summit in Shadow

by Sarah E. Burr

  Chapter Thirteen

  Despite their longwinded discussion, Jax reckoned they still had time to sit down for a brief lunch before the afternoon session began. She and Darian meandered to the banquet room in contemplative silence. It was encouraging to know he was open to meeting with her to discuss ways to bring Cetachi the prosperity it so long deserved.

  Just as the two reached the archway, she heard a scuffle behind her.

  “Jax!” Perry’s voice called from the opposite end of the hallway.

  The panic in his voice unnerved her. She quickly excused herself from Darian’s company and hurried toward Perry’s approaching figure.

  “Virtues, Perry, what is it?” she asked, breathless.

  “I need you to come with me right now.” Forgetting proper etiquette, he grabbed her by the arm and rushed her along a corridor that dipped deep into the castle before climbing a steep set of tower stairs.

  “Do you even know where you are going?” A cramp poked at Jax’s side as they ascended the seemingly endless staircase.

  “My father wasn’t too pleased about being shunned to the south tower, either,” Perry commented wryly, giving her a moment to catch her breath.

  “This is where your father is staying?” Jax was stunned. She would have thought the Duke would have been given the courtesy of a suite closer to the action.

  “Crepsta and Tandora are in the north wing, and Mensina, Beautraud, and Zaltor are in the east. We seem to be the only ones in the west tower, which my father pointed out to Lysandeir. Apparently, there are a few rooms above us that are currently being renovated and not suitable for guests,” Perry summarized.

  Jax thought back to the sounds she’d overheard on the floor above while taking her bath. “No wonder your father was so grumpy last night. You’d think Lucien would have made sure the renovations were complete before this summit,” she mused. “But why did you drag me all the way out here?”

  “My father and I planned to take lunch in his suite. He sent his valet to retrieve a selection of items from the banquet hall. We were starting to wonder where he had gone off to, when we heard a serving tray clatter to the floor out in the hallway.” Perry looked as ashen as the snowcapped mountains silhouetted outside. His pace slowed as they approached a looming shadow up ahead.

  A groan escaped Jax’s lips as comprehension flooded her senses. She knew that look of distress in Perry’s eyes. She’d seen it just last night.

  As they arrived at the landing, her eyes examined the body that lay on the floor. A river of blood ran dangerously close to the overhang, threatening to drip on unsuspecting passersby below. Briefly closing her eyes to summon her courage, Jax then tiptoed next to the lanky frame of Duke Pettraud’s uniformed valet. “Was he like this when you opened the door?”

  Perry nodded. “Not thirty seconds passed from the time we heard the racket of the platter to when we opened the door.” He shook himself free of the haunting images. “Not a soul was in sight. I looked around for a moment and then went to find you.”

  Jax glanced over her shoulder at the winding staircase. “No one could have gotten to the bottom in that short amount of time without you seeing them.” She examined the landing. The only escape routes were the door to Duke Pettraud’s suite and a window. She dashed over to the sill and inspected the ledge. “Snow has been brushed off the window pane, Perry.” She motioned for him to join her, pointing to the bare lip of the window outside. “Someone pushed the glass open and climbed out onto the ledge.”

  “But I would have seen them in the window when I came out here.”

  In response, Jax pushed the window wide open, wind and snow biting at her exposed skin as she leaned outside. Peering down, trying to ignore the plummeting depths below, she saw a rope dangling from the outside wrought-iron frame. “Looks like our culprit climbed down to a window on the floor below,” she guessed with grim satisfaction.

  “We’re dealing with a madman, Jax,” Perry sputtered. “Who would take such a risk, let alone in this weather?”

  “Someone who had nothing left to lose, I assume,” she muttered before turning her attention back to the dead valet. “Where is your father?”

  “I ordered him to stay in his room with a few of his sentries.” Perry looked at the closed door. “His Captain of the Guard went to fetch Lysandeir’s men.”

  Taking a moment to get a closer look at the body, Jax’s nose wrinkled. “Well, I think Lucien will be hard pressed to cover this up as an accident.” She pointed to the sleek dagger that jutted from the man’s bloody neck.

  Perry looked at the knife, his pale face gaining a green pallor. “There’s no ducal signet on the hilt.”

  “Right.” Jax looked at her betrothed with veiled dread. “That means this blade was forged in Cetachi.” She moved toward Duke Pettraud’s closed door, careful not to step in the spilled food and wine from the discarded serving tray. “I’d like a word with your father before Lysandeir swoops in.”

  Perry obliged, knocking softly on the door before them. “Father, Duchess Jacqueline needs a word with you.”

  The door whipped open. “Virtues, you brought the Duchess up here?” Duke Pettraud sputtered as he ushered his son and future daughter-in-law into the foyer of his suite.

  “Hardly the first time I’ve dealt with such a strenuous situation, Duke. Please, before Lucien arrives with his men, have you received any threats since you arrived here?” Jax went straight to the point of her inquiry. The fire in her amethyst eyes compelled the shaken man to speak the truth.

  “Threats? No. I mean, Lucien and the Cetachi fellows probably wouldn’t have the nicest things to say to me after this morning’s session, but no one has approached me directly.”

  “No letters left for you or your valet?” she pressed.

  The Duke threw his arms up in frustration. “Letters? Goodness, girl, what are you going on about? No, I simply sent my man down to fetch Percival and I some lunch and he comes back dead!”

  Jax blinked at the rare use of Perry’s given name. “Did your valet know anyone at this summit who would want to cause him harm?”

  “No!” Pettraud roared, reaching the end of his patience. “Clouse was as innocuous as a shadow. That’s what made him such a damn good valet. Virtues, what a shame.” The Duke bowed his head as the sorrow hit him. “Who could do this to him?”

  Jax glanced at Perry, who looked as helpless as she felt. “I don’t know, Your Excellence. First, Lady Gwendolyn is killed, now this…”

  The Duke held up a hand. “Lucien told us all Lady Gwendolyn slipped on the stairs. Are you saying someone murdered her, as well?”

  Jax pursed her lips together, figuring that with another attack, the inhabitants of the castle needed to know a killer was among them. “I saw telltale bruising around her neck. It looked like she was strangled before being tossed down the stairs.”

  Pettraud balled his hand into a fist, punching the cushioned backing of the nearest chair. “And Lysandeir has just been letting us roam the castle freely while a lunatic is on the loose?”

  “That could be the least of his crimes,” Perry mumbled.

  Jax cringed at his words.

  “What do you mean, boy?” the imposing man barked at his son.

  Jax’s shoulders sagged in relief as Duke Lysandeir’s booming voice interrupted them before Perry could spill too much more crucial information.

  “You and a dead body again, Duchess,” Lucien sneered with unrelenting malice, his eyes going straight to Jax as he barged into the entryway of Pettraud’s suite.

  “I think you’ll find this time that murder is irrefutable,” she said, issuing a challenge for him to otherwise explain the valet’s death. She walked back out to the landing, where a group of palace guards combed the gruesome scene, knowing the others would follow. “That blade sticking out of the valet’s neck looks to be forged in Cetachi.” She sent her glaring wrath the Duke’s way.

  Lucien waved her comment aside. “Merchants sell Cet
achi-made goods all over the realm.”

  “And royals and High Courtiers are their best buyers?” Jax laughed at the absurdity. “Or are you hiding someone else within your castle walls, Lucien?”

  The Duke met her gaze and for the first time, she saw his bravado falter. “Countless servants traveled here with each of the delegations,” he pointed out. “Contrary to what you might believe, Jacqueline, the world is much bigger than you and your inner circle. My men will have their work cut out for them questioning everyone.”

  It pleased Jax that he intended to treat Clouse’s death as foul play. “Well, I can vouch for Darian Fangard’s whereabouts around the time this happened. He and I took a little stroll together to discuss Cetachi’s best interests.” She darted a look at Perry.

  He nodded that he understood it was time for them to depart.

  “Due to this incident, it’s probably in good taste not to reconvene the summit until at least tomorrow morning, don’t you agree?” Jax said to the Duke with a demure grin. “I imagine you’ll need time to find the killer and ensure the safety of your remaining guests.” Still smiling, she turned to leave, knowing the enraged Duke would stew over what she had so expertly let slip. On top of Clouse’s death, Lucien now had to contend with her undermining his deal with Cetachi.

  Without further protest, Jax and Perry dashed down the staircase, eager to leave the ghastly scene behind. But, once they had put a flight of stairs between them and murder, Jax held out her arm to halt Perry in his tracks.

  “What now?” he asked with a groan, clearly overwhelmed by the events of his disrupted luncheon.

  She pointed to one the doors lining this area of the landing. “If I recall correctly, the window our culprit climbed down into should be in this room,” she guessed, twisting open the brass doorknob without a second thought.

  Perry watched her wordlessly as she entered the small chamber, which was full of brooms, mops, and buckets. “A closet. Likely always unlocked for the staff.” Jax cursed under her breath, knowing anyone could gain access to this. Moving over to the window, she noticed a few broom handles strewn across the floor, left behind in a clutter. “Looks like someone was here recently, and left in a bit of a hurry,” she mused. One look through the window confirmed her suspicions. The snow had been disturbed on the window pane, just like the one on the floor above them.

  “So, someone kills Clouse, climbs down the window and waits in here until the coast is clear?” Perry said, laying out the puzzling scenario.

  As his words took hold in her mind, she stifled a gasp. “Perry! The killer likely waited until you ran down the stairs to get me.” She reflexively gathered him close in her trembling arms. “They could have attacked you from behind.” Her last words were lost to a silent stream of frightened tears that she’d been steeling away since their encounter with Lady Gwen’s body last night.

  Perry clutched her against him, the vibrations of his racing heart confirming that he, too, knew how much danger he’d been in. “Well, they didn’t, and there’s no use fretting about it now.” His warm lips pressed against her forehead. “Jax, someone wicked is stalking these halls. I don’t encourage putting yourself in harm’s way, but if you are going to solve this, I hope you do it quickly.”

  She pulled back from him, her face firm with resolve. “I can’t figure out why someone would target a lady-in-waiting and a valet. I mean, our rivals in Cetachi are all about elevating the common man. Why would they attack the very people they claim to support?”

  “Well, Lady Gwen was from a noble house. Perhaps they thought a valet would be, too?” Perry considered. “You said yourself in front of all those people that neither Darian nor Maegus really know or understand life outside of their borders.”

  “Yes, but still, why do it? How does targeting nobles help their cause in any way?” Jax frowned. “It just goes to prove that Cetachi is a lawless land of rebellion, not fit for statehood. And besides, Darian was with me at the time of the murder.”

  “Then we need to see what Maegus was up to,” Perry said with a grimace.

  “Agreed, but let’s reconvene with George and my grandfather. I want to fill them both in.” Jax shooed Perry out of the broom closet, and together they began retracing their steps back to familiar territory.

  “Are you going to involve Jaquobie at all?” Perry asked.

  Jax tucked a loose strand of her caramel-colored hair behind her ear. “Not at the moment. I’m still trying to figure out why he would have shared Uma’s desire to be my lady-in-waiting with Darian. It makes me sick to think he might be plotting against us.”

  “What if he didn’t tell Darian…” Perry’s voice trailed off, and he suddenly ducked behind a column in the west wing hallway, pulling Jax with him.

  “What’s this abo—?” she sputtered, but he clasped a hand over her mouth.

  Pointing down the hall, he whispered in astonishment, “Why, my eyes must be playing tricks.”

  Jax blinked a few times herself, almost pinching her own arm to reassure her brain that her eyes were not deceiving her. “Is that Jaquobie and…Lysette?” she exclaimed in a dumbfounded gasp.

  Up ahead of where she and Perry stood, two figures were entwined in the shadows, the tall, sinewy man tenderly stroking the face of the red-haired young woman less than half his age.

  Jax looked to Perry in total bewilderment. What do I do? she asked her fiancé with her wide eyes.

  Perry shrugged in reply, but she saw his muscled chest shaking as he tried to restrain the growing laughter. The scene before her did not stroke her funny bone at all. In fact, the more she watched the blatant flirtation, the angrier she became.

  “Jaquobie!” she yelled with boiling authority, watching as the High Courtier jumped out of his skin to scurry away from Lysette’s coquettish embrace.

  “Duchess, I…” he stammered, his head darting around wildly until he spotted her from her hidden post. “I didn’t hear you approach.”

  At least he has the decency to look guilty, Jax thought with a twinge of satisfaction. She looked from his oily hair and sweaty face to Lysette’s flawless, yet blushing expression. “Please excuse us, Lady Lysette.”

  The princess summoned what dignity she had left and retreated, gathering her skirts as she hurried away.

  As soon Lysette was out of sight, Jax couldn’t stop herself from thwacking Jaquobie’s shoulder. “Have you gone mad?” She yelled with punctuated anger. “Please tell me you have, because there is no other explanation as to why my High Courtier is behaving like a fool!” She edged closer to hysteria with each word.

  Jaquobie, in all the years she had known him, had never looked so feeble and flustered as he appeared before her now. “Duchess, I can explain,” he finally managed to say.

  “Then please do,” she said with exaggerated slowness, towering over his hunched figure.

  “Not here. Please, let us return to the privacy of our chambers.” In his shame, his request was barely audible.

  She had to agree with him, for anyone could appear in the hallway at any moment and overhear this debacle. “Move. Now.” She ushered him up the west wing stairs with a reprimanding swat.

  Perry trailed behind them, still trying to control his laughter.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jax forcefully shoved Jaquobie into one of the armchairs in her suite, the chastened man not bothering to protest her lack of manners. “You have five minutes to explain why you’ve been delivering our secrets to the hands of our enemies, or I will chain you up and lock you away in the dungeons when we return to Saphire.” Her gaze exuded venom.

  Jaquobie’s face dissolved into confusion. “Enemies? What are you talking about, Jacqueline?”

  She stared down at him. “I am the one asking the questions here, High Courtier.” She folded her arms, noticing Perry, Uma, George, and Hendrie all gathering around the edges of the large room. “Have you betrayed us to Lysandeir?”

  “No! Of course not, Duchess! I would never…�
�� Jaquobie looked like a caged animal. “I am nothing but loyal to your court. You must know that to be true.”

  She assessed his pleading gaze and decided no lies simmered beneath it. “Then how did Darian come to learn about Uma’s desire to be my lady-in-waiting?”

  Shame bloomed in Jaquobie’s amber eyes. “Ah,” he said, clearing his throat, “yes, I suppose that was my fault. You see…” he trailed off for a moment, collecting his thoughts, “Lysette had asked me what her odds were of being selected for your lady-in-waiting, and I flippantly made the remark that considering only your lady’s maid was gunning for the post, her chances were good, since Uma is not of noble blood.” Jaquobie’s eyes cast downward, the picture of regret. “I was stunned to hear Darian use it against us, but Lysette swears she only told her brothers how much she admires your being so close to your lady’s maid.”

  “And that didn’t make you think her brothers were plotting against us?” Jax’s mouth dropped at his carelessness.

  “At first, perhaps, Your Grace. But Lysette claims her brothers did not share the information with anyone. Remember, the Cetachi delegation are in the same tower as the Lysandeirs. They could have very easily been overheard at any point.”

  “You believe her?” The question came from George.

  Jaquobie answered him, but his eyes never left his Duchess. “Yes. She wouldn’t lie to me, nor her brothers to her.”

  Jax took a moment to carefully examine Jaquobie’s earnest expression before presenting her next question. “Why is Lysette so keen to be my lady-in-waiting? She’s hardly paid me any attention since our introduction. Have you considered that her motives might not be pure?”

  Jaquobie sprang to life at the accusation. “Lysette is innocent in all of this. She was genuinely sorry that Darian found out about Uma. In fact, she was mortified. She was afraid I would call off our—” he faltered for a moment before his shoulders drooped in defeat. “If I am to be accused of anything, Duchess, it’s of having selfish motives for her appointment as your lady-in-waiting. You see, I have been courting Lady Lysette since we met at a gala in Hestes this past spring.”