***
Hans Tremain wasn’t as lucky. He still had to deal with the conspirators, even though everything worked out well. His aims were achieved, and His Majesty was pleased. On the one hand, he put the life of a monarch in danger. On the other hand, there was no serious danger. He could always choose to back off, but the last criminals had to be caught. His Majesty was waiting for his report the next morning.
“Did the Falions confess their guilt?”
“Yes, Your Majesty! It was originally started by the Ivelens. After several unsuccessful attempts, Fallion had suddenly run out of money. He also had a few unsuccessful investments and decided to act. The Ivelens were too shrewd to not use their weapon.”
“It didn’t help him much,” winced Edward. “When did the Falions get involved?”
“Almost immediately, after the first stage. Someone had to give them money. The Falions were far from poor.”
“Oh, yes.”
Edward grinned. Not poor at all! From the heirs, they only had one daughter. He could send her to a nunnery, or even give her into marriage. He would give her whatever the treasury didn’t need. She couldn't do any harm. It was best not to spread rumors about royal cruelty.
“At first, the plan was very simple…”
Hans reported, the king listened, the prince joined in, and the conversation dragged on for several hours. At the end of the conversation, the man was rewarded.
“What do you want for your work? You worked hard, investigated. Without you, we would've never caught them.”
There were moments in life when it was best to be proud and not ask for anything, for they would offer and give by themselves. There were also times when one had to ask. Otherwise, one wouldn’t get what one needed or wanted.
Hans bent low.
“Your Majesty, I don’t dare to bother you with my trivial requests.”
“Speak plainly,” Edward winced. He was tired and wanted to lie down. His health was poor.
“Your Majesty, allow me to marry.”
“Marry whom?” inquired Edward.
“She is one of the lace-makers who works for the countess. She is from the common people, and I need your consent to marry.”
Edward only waved his hand.
“I will give you both the barony. You deserve it. Is that all?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hans was happy and took his leave.
***
In the morning, Lily woke up with a bad feeling. Without opening her eyes, she remembered the conspiracy, Alexander, and the events of the previous day. Warm hands embraced the woman tighter. Jess pulled his wife closer and gave her a big kiss, making the unpleasant thoughts disappear. Lily happily gave in. It is so good to be loved! Lily’s morning was starting well.
Hans showed up when the couple had already finished their breakfast. They were deciding where to go for a walk.
“My Lord, dear Countess, could I have a few minutes of your time?”
Jerisson looked at his wife. Lilian nodded.
“We will be happy to. What is it about?”
“Let’s go to the study,” Jess gave Hans a friendly nod.
He didn’t speak on his behalf but on behalf of the state. Jess was always next to Lily. Hans kept his word, and Jess was quite friendly with him. The three of them made themselves comfortable in the chairs. Hans took a sip of juice (there was no alcohol in the house because the countess was pregnant), sighed, and began explaining.
“Lilian, even in Earton, the attempts on your life looked somehow unsubstantiated. Even then, I suspected several people, including you, Earl.”
Lily snorted but didn’t comment.
Jerisson winced but did not begin to explain. Adelaide Wells had screwed him over so much that he had barely managed to clear his name.
“When I started untangling the strings, there were times when they tried to kill me. I decided to lay low for a while. I didn’t doubt your safety. I only had to wait for your visit to the capital to see. You gave me Yerby on a silver platter.”
“What happened to them, by the way?”
“They all died.”
Lily winced. Jess nodded approvingly.
“Good. I hope they died a painful death.”
Hans shook his head.
“I wasn’t the one who issued the order. I only wanted to speak to them, but the father died in his cell, and the son was poisoned. I did nothing about it but realized that I was dealing with someone of high rank. I wondered who it might be. Yerby named Falion. The elder one was away, and the younger started making frequent calls to Lilian Earton.”
“Falion? I assumed he was simply looking for how to get some benefit?”
Jess shrugged.
“Am I only interesting as a source of money?” asked Lily in a sad voice.
Jess kissed her hand.
“You’re amazing, my dear, but I hope that Falion didn’t manage to realize that.”
Hans snorted.
“He didn’t. Lilian Earton is very bad at keeping secrets. I kept all my suspicions to myself. I watched and drew conclusions. Falion was quite rich, well-known, and close to the king. Why would he play games? When the conspiracy against the Ivelens became known, I noticed that Alexander Falion was generously giving out his money to his hangers-on—to Reynolds and a couple of others. Those people didn’t live in grand style, didn’t play, and didn’t buy expensive whores. Where did the finances go then?”
“Toward the conspiracy?” assumed Jerisson.
“Mercenaries, weapons, they planned to strike soon. I didn’t have any choice but to get ready.”
“Did you provoke them to strike yourself?”
“No.”
“Is this true?”
Lily’s voice revealed mistrust. Hans noticed it but chose not to pay attention.
“Lilian, you treated Falion as a friend. Even more, I saw that you expressed interest. Did he confess his love to you?”
Jess frowned. Falion declared love for my wife? He’s lucky to be in Stonebug right now.
Lily nodded, answering Hans’ question. It wasn’t exactly as he described it, but a woman always knew if a man was infatuated with her.
“There were other agents in your house apart from my own.”
“Who?”
Lily understood everything straight away. Hans shrugged.
“One of Alicia’s servants.”
“Who?”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s already dead.”
“You killed him?” clarified Jess.
“No,” Hans was happy to change the subject. “Not me. It was Falion. When he found out that the countess was pregnant, the servant fell over. It was fatal for him.
“Did he fall on a dagger with his throat?”
“He hit his temple against the fireplace.”
“I see.”
“Half of the information that Falion knew came from me. It was me who passed his father the news about the countess’ pregnancy and that she and her husband were insanely in love with each other.”
“This must have strongly hurt his pride.” Lily nodded.
“Insulted pride is a terrible thing. He sympathized with you, perhaps even loved you and thought himself a real gift for any woman. Then you suddenly rejected his feelings. You didn’t even want to try.”
“Try for the place of a mistress?”
“There were some women who would've fought for being a mistress.”
Lily snorted.
“This is too much!”
“As for Jerisson Earton, you and Falion had a disagreement,” Hans smirked.
Jess fidgeted in his chair.
“Yes, a couple of times.”
“Was it over a woman?” guessed Lilian.
“The girls preferred blue eyes to gray,” explained Hans. “The marquess got upset about it.”
“And here, I choose you before him again.” Lily nodded understandingly. “Could you share in a bit more detail?”
�
��One of my colleagues approached the conspirators and pretended to be one of them. He claimed that he could help to get rid of the king by keeping him in the palace. He also hinted that all of them were in danger of getting caught.”
“Did they believe him?”
“We were very convincing.”
“What was my part in the plan?” asked Lily.
“I caught on live bait. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lured them in so easily. One of them had hatred, the other one jealousy, the third one had his own motives. They were lured in. The only thing left was to strike and put my bait out of danger,” Hans said with a smile. “Forgive me for the comparison, most noble Countess.”
“I’ve already forgiven you.”
“The earl waited in a secret passageway. You were armed; the guards were also nearby. I did all in my powers to make it safe for you. I believed in myself, and the result wasn’t disappointing. The conspirators are captured; all knots are untied. The only thing left is to live happily ever after.”
Lily sighed.
“Is it really true? Has the danger passed? Are there no more enemies?”
“I swear on my honor.”
Jess made a joyous stretch.
“I already have a child, the second one is coming, not counting the nephews. The house will soon turn into a place of havoc!”
Lily snorted.
“Maybe I will give birth to twins. You have that gene running in your family.”
Jess sighed demonstratively.
“Twins? I’m too old for it.”
“I also want to marry.” Hans sat back in a chair, stretched his legs, and smiled slyly.
“Marry whom?” Lily jumped out of her chair.
“Marcia.”
Lily fell back in the chair.
“You’re so sneaky! When did you manage?”
“Will you not give permission?” joked Hans.
“I will! Both consent and dowry.”
“His Majesty has already given me a dowry. My wife and I will get a barony.”
Jess whistled in appreciation. The reward was more than decent. But Lily didn’t give up so easily.
“In that case, the wedding dress is on me! Marcia will be the most beautiful princess in the kingdom, I promise.”
“I will be glad. What a perfect promotion for Mariella!” joked Hans.
“It will be a great promotion,” snapped Lily. “I am so happy for you!”
Jess was also happy. The fewer bachelors there were, the less they would look at his wife. Richard was the only one left. It makes me so angry how he’s not yet married!
Hans took his leave and left. The spouses were left on their own. They sat in silence. Lily was the first to speak.
“I cannot believe that there’s finally peace.”
“What are you talking about? What about the guilds, the merchants, Loris, not to mention Avesterra. Someone from abroad must have supported the conspiracy.”
“Will they all try to kill us?”
“Hardly, but they can make our life pretty nasty.”
“Will we manage to cope with it?”
“Of course,” reassured Jerisson. “We are together. You, me, Hans, His Majesty, Richard, and the Virmans. Of course, we’ll give them a fight.”
“I pray they let us go to Earton. If not, we’ll be fine here, too. We will open our fashion house and hospitals; we will live, educate our children, and enjoy life. We could think of so many more things together.”
Lily looked at her husband. Love? She was still not sure if what she had was love. It was very different from her and Alex.
Romeo and Juliet, Edward and Jessamine, Lons and Anna—there were a lot of romantic heroes, but all their stories ended. Lily and Jerisson were different. Was the result emptiness? Only people who are obsessed with Mexican soap operas could say that. There were many kinds of love. There were many couples who nourished their love with friendship. Hundreds of couples first married and only afterward, took notice of looks, learned how to trust each other and how to organize house chores. Such families ended up happier than the couples who were “insanely in love.” Will I manage to create something similar with Jerisson? Lily didn’t know. Why not try? We have already started. We’ve got a daughter and expect another child. The rest will follow. Either way, life was moving in its own way. Only time would tell.
Chapter 8
A glimpse into the future.
The grand opening of the Fashion House ‘Mariella’ was a sheer delight. The eyes of ladies and their husbands shone with admiration, well-trained servants in liveries carried drinks in beautiful twisted glasses. A lot of luxury items were exhibited around the room. At the entrance, every visitor was given the gift of a glass rose. The owners of the salon were the centerpiece of the event—Jerisson, a tall, slim man in dark green, carefully holding his pregnant wife by the elbow and not taking his eyes off her.
Tall, fair-haired, wearing a black-and-green dress trimmed with unimaginably expensive lace, Lilian was already in the seventh month of pregnancy. Even so, she felt great. She had no toxicosis, no pigmentation or any complications. On the contrary, she was cheerful and happy. The only oddity was that she was always craving apples. Perhaps I lack iron, thought Lily.
So far, the pregnancy was developing normally. It wasn’t even that noticeable. Many people thought her big. The closest people knew; the rest could go to Maldonaya. Lily answered the courteous bow of one countess and politely noted that jasmine scent would suit her dark hair and blue eyes. The bottles were in the left corner of the room. The samples were beautiful—fans, sprayed with perfume. Lily greeted an elderly duchess and noted in passing that their veiled hats would go charmingly with her lace mittens. “This place is delightful, Your Grace!” Jerisson kissed the woman’s angular hand, making the old woman ecstatic and led his wife further through the salon.
“Baron, I hope you are here with your wife today.” She was always glad to see Avermal. He reminded her about the times when Lily first came into this world and was only learning to survive. Although unknowingly, he gave her his support.
“My regards to you, My Lady. Of course, I am with my wife. She has gone to look at your glass figures.”
“Is it possible to call them miracles?”
“You flatter us, Baron!”
Lily didn’t consider glass flowers and animals to be works of wonder, neither had she much regard for luxurious glasses and huge mirrors. Lenses were real miracles, and they made it possible to produce microscopes and telescopes. So far, that science had remained in the hands of Aldonai. It is better that way.
Lily was no longer trying to speed up progress. This new world was more tolerant of novelties, and the church tried to cooperate. She would leave new knowledge in the hands of the aldons, except for medicine. Technical progress shouldn't be ahead of ethics and morality. Inventing the telescope would mean the discovery of bacteria and lead to someone coming up with biological weapons. As long as there were wars, people would try to invent weapons.
“My Lord, perhaps you will allow me to see you tomorrow and talk about business.”
“Of course, Baron.”
The baron addressed Jerisson, but he was looking at Lily. The earl had the last word, and the proprieties were observed. Lily’s husband had greatly eased her load, having taken part of the responsibilities on himself. He was much better at negotiating than Lily, and it saved her hours. Of course, they were living in a medieval society, and he was a man and aristocrat, so everyone obeyed him. Jerisson himself became interested in experimenting with lenses.
He dreamed of inventing microscopes and telescopes. He carried out experiments with the glassblowers and little by little, was getting closer to his aim. He had to rethink a lot of things, after being poisoned by an “innocent princess” and saved by the former “pink cow.” Jess had become much more responsible. He was expecting Lily to give birth and educate Miranda, hoping that the girl would grow up to be a wonderful person. It was still under question
whether she would have to live in the Khanganat, besides her fate in a harem might come unexpected. Lily often told Miranda tales about the Orient based on true events. There were Roksolana and several others. Lily didn’t remember their names, but those women ruled the state, albeit from behind their husbands. Their job was to raise Miranda strong and clever. She would make her own fate.
Miranda was in love with Amir. The prince had recently departed for the Khanganat and ordered his embassy to sort out the everyday morning delivery of flowers and chocolate for Mirrie. Perhaps they could be happy together. Maybe it was love. No one could say if it was a creative or a destructive feeling. Love helped Jess create, whereas it destroyed the life of Marquess Falion. He had professed his love to Lilian Earton. Hans wasn’t going to conceal interrogation protocols from Jerisson. Alexander did love Lilian, as well as he could. That was the main reason why he failed. He was selfishly possessive. The feelings he had for Lilian had nothing in common with love. Perhaps he got it confused with greed, his wish to take everything for himself. Love was selfless, it only made another person more generous. Let the poets deal with possessive love. Jess knew that it had nothing to do with the real feeling.
Perhaps back in the royal study, the conspirators would've let Lilian live. She was useful for the state. It was silly to kill the chicken that could lay golden eggs. They would have killed Edward and Richard after they signed an abdication. They wanted to put on a good face. Maybe they would've abused or raped Lilian. Yet they would’ve let her live. When the destiny of the kingdom was at stake, it wasn’t the time for personal drama, so Falion confined himself to verbal abuse. He wanted to enjoy seeing her unhappy.
***
When Lily found out about Falion’s confession, she only shook her head. Hans destroyed the remains of her feelings for Alexander, having at the same time, destroyed her trust in men. Perhaps Hans had done her a favor.
She would never forgive or forget, and she would be able to trust her husband to a certain limit. Was it different before? There would never be a person whom Lily would open up to about her previous world. There would never be a person who would understand her completely.
The Price of Happiness: A Strong Woman in the Middle Ages (A Medieval Tale Book 5) Page 38