“Let’s go for a tour around the city. You could get something for your daughter.”
“But I have already…”
“It is not enough! Have you not learned yet that a woman’s love is proportionate to the presents she receives?”
“Not always…”
“But often.”
Jess sighed and rose from his chair. Anything was better than sitting and letting his blood get poisoned with stupid anger. He could go for a walk, think of something pleasant; it wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
“Fine, let’s wander around. Who knows what we will find?”
Richard brightened up. Much better!
***
Adelaide Wells was not exactly happy, but rather satisfied with herself and the world around her—the world enclosed inside a comfortable carriage that was taking her to the border with Ivernea and Wellster. To be more precise, the carriage was heading to Limayera, where accompanied by trusted people, she would take a ship northward. She was instructed to disguise herself, but that was only temporary. They would fix her looks and give her in marriage.
The messenger sent to Adele told the plain truth. “Because you are known to have a reputation, it would be best to not appear at court for some time. We have found a nice nobleman for you. He is a baron, but his title is not hereditary. He is not rich or young and has no children. Everything is in your hands. If you keep loyal to Count Lort, he will sort everything out. You will eventually have money and will be able to appear again at court. As for now, we are grateful to you for Lydia.”
The man issued her new documents and a new name: Lydia Renard, a lower middle-class leyra, also a widow. Her only task was to seduce the candidate. Adelaide didn’t mind it.
To marry an old man? I have done it before. I will have plenty of money and young lovers. This time, however, I will not liaise with either cousins or nephews of my husband. Aldonai save me! As for Count Lort, he is frightening, but at least he pays, which is the most important thing. Lady Wells was not going to stand idly by while someone else decided her fate. She had tried to settle in with the Earl of Earton but failed.
I will act more wisely next time. Something big is coming; I can feel it with all my heart.
***
Count Altres Lort was busy preparing for the departure of his brother and king. Therefore the orders regarding Lady Wells were given in passing. No, his demeanor did not suddenly become good-natured or graceful. He had a family in mind. The candidate was not a bad person. He was a loyal workman whose service earned him the barony. Why not help him? Women reacted somehow negatively to his scars and the burn across his whole face, which he got in a skirmish with pirates. Lady Wells would eat it heartily and thank them for such a husband, for her alternative was…
Altres thought exile to a monastery to be a fit punishment for her crime—if not hanging.
It all depends on how useful the Countess of Earton is. Besides, Adelaide Wells was an excellent pressure lever. She was ready to confirm and sign anything for a trinket. I can make her admit that Jess offered her money to murder his wife!
Altres had a boundless imagination. The count really hoped to drive a wedge between the Earton spouses to ensure their permanent separation. He wanted the countess to begin looking for a new home. Altres was prepared to do anything for his brother.
Why not in Wellster, if that would profit Gardwig? Why not give shelter to such a useful woman, or at least push her into divorcing her husband by sending over a cheap whore?
He would get rid of Lady Wells later. As for now, he was saving her for his service.
All my efforts are for the sake of Wellster.
***
“Amir, when are you going to go home?”
His Majesty glared at Miranda. “Well, in a year perhaps.”
“In a year? So soon?”
The girl was genuinely upset. Amir had become an older brother to her and a good friend.
“Do you want to visit us?” His Majesty squinted. “I will be glad to receive you. I will introduce you to my father and my horse.”
Miranda reflected. The invitation was attractive.
I am curious to see where Lidarh and Shallah came from. I am eager to ride the Avarians, to gaze at the desert, to spot saxaul, which Lily told me about, to look for cactus, to see the sunrise amid the boundless sea of sand…
“Do you think Lily will let me go?”
“We will invite her as well.”
“Do you think she will agree?”
“I don’t know. We will implore her to come.”
Miranda nodded, content.
“Deal. If not, I can come alone, when I am older.”
“Great.”
Amir looked at the girl with a smile on his face. He genuinely liked Miranda. As for now, she was like a little sister to him. It was too soon to think of anything else. Nevertheless, the prince didn’t want this girl to disappear from his life. He needed to talk with Lilian Earton.
Everything will be fine. I will speak to Lilian and persuade her.
***
How long does it take to build a store without having to bother with bureaucracy and formalities, provided the approval of the Crown and unlimited resources?
Lily figured out that it shouldn’t take long at all.
She was right. The soil next to Laveri was rocky, and the quarries were not too far away. All the houses here were built of stone so she could use part of the old building materials for the construction.
As for the workforce—when it dawned upon the people that the landlady, though noble, was paying daily, crowds of workmen flooded in. The construction began so fast that Lily was even scared.
I hope it doesn’t fall apart!
Her fears were unfounded. The workers were scared that bad work might cost them their lives. The most difficult thing was to make stained-glass windows. They had enough imperfect colored glass that they could easily make a pattern.
Lily considered such glass to be faulty. However, being a novelty here, the faulty glass fit the purpose just fine. One question remained: how they would prevent the street boys from throwing stones at the windows. The only thing that Lily could think of was to put a metal net over them. She instructed the blacksmith on how to make it, and the question was closed. It was not her bother anymore. She had to think about where to put the kitchen, toilets, demonstration rooms, and so on.
Lily got terribly offended by the Crown for how they dealt with the Yerbys. She discussed it with Hans over dinner.
“What will happen to them now?”
“Nothing, your highness. The king will order him to stay at home and not show up at the capital. His older son will become the official heir. That’s it.”
“Just like that?”
Lily was genuinely outraged.
That bastard! If his plan had succeeded, Miranda wouldn’t be here right now! Poor orphans are cared about only as long as they are rich; once they become financially poor they are thrown away like garbage!
“My Lady, his plan failed.”
“So what?”
“We have nothing on him—only the testimony of a commoner.”
“And what if Reiss was a nobleman?”
“It would have made things easier. Otherwise, what do we have against him? His evil thoughts?”
“He tried to do evil and got caught,” snapped Lily. “What about his confession?”
“He confessed under torture.”
“He did confess all the same!”
“The nobles have already made a fuss over the Yerbys, to quote, ‘being captured, held hostage and found guilty on the grounds of pathetic evidence from some pedagogue.’”
“So, the king had no other choice but to give in.”
“Alas!”
Lily put down her fork. She had lost her appetite completely.
“This means that he will be able to cause my family more trouble.”
“Not anymore. He doesn’t have any profit incentive anym
ore—”
Hans realized that his argument sounded unconvincing.
“I will ask the king for a mandate on Yerby’s lands and will send them our representative. Would it suffice, My Lady?”
Lily nodded. Either way, her mood had now been destroyed.
“Hans—”
“Yes?”
“Who supported Yerby?”
“They swear that it was the Duke of Falion.”
“WHAT?”
“Duke Falion, My Lady. Not the marquess.”
“Does it even matter? Like father, like son.”
“You can talk to the son.”
Is it worth speaking to him? Had it happened before, she would have rushed to get things straight. But now there was no guarantee that Falion was telling her the truth. What if Yerby himself was lying? They had not checked him with a lie detector. However, they had shown him the torture chamber and even made threats.
But would I have been able to maintain a lie under such circumstances? Depending on what was at stake. Sometimes telling a lie is the only way to stay alive.
What if—
“Hans, are you aware of the fact that any crime leaves a financial trail?”
“My Lady?”
“Look. They needed money to pay for my murder. They handled the transaction through Karl Treloney. Indeed, the money did not come out of nowhere. It was either withdrawn from somewhere else or received as a tax payment.”
Hans nodded. “You want to see if there is a connection between the Yerbys and Falion, am I right?”
“Absolutely. If interpreted correctly, financial reports can tell a lot of things.”
“Unfortunately, I have no hours in the day to—”
“I will find someone to handle it, someone from the Eveers, they will take to it like a duck to water. Besides, if they want to maintain a good relationship with me, they will say yes.”
“I agree. They would do anything. Do you think it wise to—”
“And what alternatives do I have?”
“You could leave it as it is. You could simply stop trusting Falion.”
Lily bit her lip. She could not believe that Falion could trick her so covertly. She refused to believe that she had been told lies. This upset Lily. She had trusted that man; he seemed so serious with her.
“The duke tried to help me make peace with my husband.”
“Is that so? Did he tell you to create a family with him?”
“N-no, not exactly.”
“In that case, do not delude yourself. Make no mistake, Lilian. I respect and love you dearly, so please hear me out. I advise you like your elder brother: never trust anyone from our high society, ever. The honey of their words has long been poisoned.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to offend him with mistrust, but I also don’t want to be a fool. The best option is trust but verify.”
Hans shook his head.
“My Lady, you cannot allow for even the tiniest spot to mar your reputation—”
“Do I have a reputation?”
The question was ironic.
“I promise to be careful, at all times, but I want to know, Hans! Do I not have a right to know?”
“As you say, My Lady.”
“I implore you, Hans.”
“I will do everything in my power. You might want to speak to Helke.”
“I will. Whoever visits next will be quickly subjected to examination.”
“We will do everything to make sure the criminals pay for their deeds.”
Lily nodded contentedly and continued with her dinner. Boiled broccoli was not the most delicious of dishes, but very healthy. A sure way to looking fit was to settle business matters while dining—it guaranteed a loss of appetite.
Hans stabbed a piece of meat with a fork, finished chewing, and gathered the courage to speak on an unpleasant subject that he had been putting off for a while to not worsen his relationship with the countess.
“Lilian, are you aware of the fact that the embassy is coming back soon?”
“I am,” sighed the countess. “I know, Leir.”
“Your husband is coming, too.”
Broccoli suddenly tasted like a boiled rag. Lily’s appetite was totally destroyed. She pushed the plate away and sighed.
“I know.”
“I—”
Hans’s unconfident blundering reminded Lily of her former father, the Major Skorolenok. She stopped him with a wave of her hand.
“Say it. It is the king’s order, am I right?”
Leir looked at her with gratitude.
“Yes, Lilian. The authorities issued an order.”
“What does His Majesty want then?”
“He wants you to make peace with your husband.”
Lily sighed, pushed aside her disgusting dinner and looked at Hans.
“How exactly do you envision it? Do you imagine him saying ‘Darling, you survived despite all my efforts, and I am happy, so let us be happy together?”
Hans only shrugged.
“As far as I am aware, they plan to talk sense into him before letting him speak with you. Are you all right, Lilian?”
She remembered what talking sense into someone meant and chuckled. She waved her hand.
“Don’t worry, Hans. Imagining it makes me laugh.”
Hans imagined the king spanking the count, and it made him put his glass aside. It was not proper to laugh with a full mouth. Watching Hans struggle made Lily laugh even harder. This shared fit of laughter made them look at each other in a different light.
“His Majesty ordered me to have a conversation with you. Can I be honest with you, Lily?”
“Of course.”
“Making peace with your husband is your only option.”
“Is that so?”
“Your projects are too profitable for the treasury. His Majesty would sooner kill you than let you leave Ativerna.”
Lily had no doubt about it. The story with the Venetian artisans had made a strong impression on her.
“I can stay.”
“Stay and divorce? Believe me, that would make you an outcast in high society; it would be a scandal.”
Lily sighed.
“What if I become a widow?”
“His Majesty will not let you remain a widow for long. He will find a person who is loyal to the Crown and make you marry.”
“I suppose he won’t take my preference into account.”
Damned be the medieval mentality, to Maldonaya with it, thought Lily.
“So, I have to make up with my husband and live happily ever after?”
Leir Tremain shrugged.
“You have taken the first step, haven’t you?”
“It was to save my own life and the life of Mirrie.”
“Now, do the same to make your lives better.”
Lily grimaced.
“To sell myself for money?”
“No. Just try to arrange your life in a more comfortable way. Is that so frightening?”
“To be forced to live with someone? Yes.”
“Maybe you could try to fall in love with your husband? Maybe you will like him.”
“I have no doubt that many find living with my husband quite satisfying,” hissed Lily.
“So what if he could be yours?”
Lily resembled an angry cat.
If! I cannot be entirely open with Hans, he is merely following orders. What should I do with my husband? Should I throw myself into his arms and scream, “Romeo, I am all yours”? Or maybe meet him with a kitchen knife in hand and explain who the boss is? Rat poison might be another option… No, never. Miranda…
Remembering the blue of her daughter’s eyes tamed her anger. Lily sighed.
Marriage without love? Could be worse! We will find a common language. People have gone through worse things. On the contrary, am I not a woman after all? I am a woman! I have a hundred-year-old experience behind me. I can make anyone fall in love with me.
Hans watch
ed the change of expression on Lily’s face, from baldly rebellious (‘to Maldonaya with him’) to surprisingly complacent (‘I’ve got this!’). It was strikingly familiar.
“Lilian?”
The woman looked at her friend.
“Hans, report back to your superiors that the countess agrees.”
“Do you really agree?”
“I don’t want to get on his bad side.”
She said it in such a tone of voice that it made Hans pity the earl.
On the other hand, Jess Earton had asked for it himself.
***
It all began with Hans’ report.
“My Lady, Douglas Faymo and Anvar Rockrest had a meeting.”
“What of it? They are relatives, after all.”
“That’s right, only for some reason they didn’t meet at home, but in a private room.”
“Did you have a chance to listen to their conversation?”
“No. But the boys swear that Douglas came to the office with money, and left without it. The amount was large.”
“So what? Maybe he decided to invest money in a business. Maybe it was his savings.”
“What business? The same night Anvar hired ten killers in a port tavern.”
“What for?”
“Here comes the most interesting part. They plan to ambush the road to Taral.”
“Suiciders?”
“Oh, no. Do you remember those toys with liquid fire that the Virmans use so successfully?”
Lily shuddered.
“Do they own any?”
“Yes, and in great quantity.”
“That means we have a chance. Fire, arrows—”
“We will surprise them right at the crime scene.”
“When?”
“My boys are on watch for them. I suppose tomorrow or the day after.”
“Can you let me know, so I don’t ride Lidarh when it happens?”
“My Lady, you don’t need to be present!” Hans looked angered. “You are not going anywhere.”
“Oh, really?”
“Leave it to the men to fight. We will choose someone from amongst our men, put a wig and a dress on him—”
“What if they run away?”
The Price of Happiness: A Strong Woman in the Middle Ages (A Medieval Tale Book 5) Page 3