by Barb Hendee
I wasn’t certain anything would impress Lord Allemond, but I could at least make sure nothing went wrong. The salmon had just been delivered, and four large fish were in cold storage in the cellars.
Thinking on this, I was caught unawares when Jarrod said, “And you know I’ll expect your help with this land deal. I want your best efforts.”
As realization hit me, I couldn’t draw breath. My father had told him. Then my shock began to fade. Of course, Father told him. How better to sweeten the deal? I had so much hoped to leave that part of my life behind. The disappointment was crushing. Still, there was nothing for it now. Jarrod knew, and he’d use my ability every chance he had.
With a soft sigh, I was about to ask him whom he preferred me to focus on when Kai broke in.
“I don’t see why we have to suffer through this at all.”
Forgetting about me, Jarrod turned on him. “Don’t you? Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not the eldest! If we’re to gain Rolf a seat on the council, we have to match them tit for tat, and we can’t have them looking down on us.”
That was his goal? To gain Rolf a seat on the Council of Nobles? He was dreaming. New members were voted in by sitting members, and none of those men would ever vote for a Volodane.
Jarrod wasn’t finished. He pointed at me. “That’s where she comes in. Look at this place. Tablecloths. Tapestries. Porcelain dishes. Flowers on the table. Tonight, she’ll help make us look like one of them, and that’ll throw Allemond off his game. I’ll secure this deal and show him who we are.”
I kept silent. He’d only referenced my help with appearances.
Perhaps he didn’t know about my ability. Perhaps my father hadn’t wanted him to know. Had I been about to give myself away needlessly?
“I’m not saying I don’t like the changes here,” Kai answered. “I’m only saying we shouldn’t have to play up to the likes of the Monvílles to gain Rolf a seat on the council. We shouldn’t have to play up to anyone.”
“Then you’re a fool,” Jarrod answered. “And that girl is wasted on you. She should have married Rolf.”
Kai’s body went tense, and I feared he might be about to say something he’d regret.
“Might I be excused?” I asked to draw Jarrod’s attention. “I need to make sure your new clothing has been properly ironed.”
“Mmmmm?” he asked absently. “Oh, yes. Off with you.”
* * * *
As soon as Jarrod gave me leave, I fled from the hall and hurried down the passage toward the stairs to the tower. I wanted a few moments in my room. Kai didn’t know it, but he’d done me a service by interrupting before I’d given myself away. Had Jarrod learned the truth, I’d have spent the remainder of his life reading anyone he doubted or wished to spy upon. From now on, I would guard my secret.
I made it only halfway to the entrance to the tower when Betty came trotting behind me. “My lady.”
I stopped. “Yes?”
“Lavonia is asking for you in the kitchen. She says the fish has gone bad.”
“Gone bad?”
“That’s what she says, my lady.”
To my surprise, Lavonia had actually volunteered to prepare and bake the salmon, leaving Ester free to focus on the sauces and other courses. But the salmon was to be the first, and therefore most important, course. I’d paid well for fish caught that very morning, and I’d checked them myself upon delivery.
Poor Betty appeared distraught.
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “I’ll go and see about it now. I’m sure she’s just being overcautious.”
I wasn’t sure of any such thing, but I turned around and headed west toward the kitchen. Upon arriving, I found it a busy place.
“Betty says there is a problem with the fish?” I asked, stepping through the archway.
Lavonia turned with her usual poorly hidden sneer. “They’re spoilt. We can’t use them.”
Everyone stopped working and listened to us.
I shook my head. “That seems unlikely. I checked them myself upon delivery. Those fish were caught this morning.”
“They’re down in the cellar, in the coolest room,” Lavonia said. “You want to come down with me to check them?”
Her eyes had narrowed and something in her voice caught my attention. My encounter with Jarrod and Kai had only reinforced my determination to leave a part of myself behind, to live a new life without invading the minds of others.
My father had also trained me to never read anyone without his express instructions. Doing so on my own would be the worst breach of rules imaginable. But this was a new world and I was living under new rules.
I couldn’t be blamed for any mistakes with this dinner tonight. Even the thought terrified me. What would Jarrod do if every detail weren’t perfect?
And in this moment, I had little doubt that Lavonia was up to something.
Reaching out, I let my own thoughts sink into hers.
A flash of hatred hit me like a wall. She hated me with a passion. Her life had been easy before my arrival, and she saw me as the reason her life had changed for the worse. Then I saw an image, a plan of her leading me alone to check the fish. They would be the same fresh salmon I’d already checked.
But days ago, she’d bought four salmon from the son of a fishmonger, and she’d let them spoil in the sun. I saw an image in her mind of her preparing and sending out the spoiled salmon for tonight’s dinner, and then in the aftermath, claiming she had warned me in front of all the kitchen staff, and that she’d shown me the spoiled fish, and I had insisted she serve it anyway.
She was going to ruin Jarrod’s dinner party and blame me.
I pulled from her thoughts, frightened and yet uncertain what to do. To dismiss her, I would need proof, and even then, I may need one of the lords of the house to back me up.
“I’m sure the salmon are fine,” I said. “I checked them myself. Please feel free to prepare them later.”
She shrugged. “As you like.”
Turning, I left the kitchen and headed for the front of the keep as a plan formed. I’d go to the barracks and find Sebastian. He was usually there this time of day playing cards. I’d show him the spoiled salmon out back of the hen house, and he would help me.
With purpose, I made my way out to the courtyard and across to the barracks. I’d never been here inside before, but the doors were open.
Stepping in, I found myself in a large room and then stopped at the sight awaiting me.
Tables had been pushed up against the walls, and about ten of the guards were watching two men in a sparring match. One of the men was a handsome young guard named Daveed. I only knew his name because he was a close friend of Sebastian.
The other man was Kai.
Daveed and Kai both used heavy wooden swords, as if playing a game, and indeed they did appear to be enjoying themselves. Kai was happy. Daveed swung at him over and over again, and Kai’s body moved like water as he avoided being struck every time. Some of the guards were laughing at how easy he made this look.
I stood mesmerized, watching his grace and natural skill. Finally, he whirled like lighting and struck back, catching Daveed across the shoulder and knocking him sideways.
In that moment, Kai spotted me in the doorway, and he straightened. Unfortunately, Daveed didn’t see me and thrust hard with his wooden sword, hitting Kai in the back and making him stumble forward.
I gasped, and all the men turned.
Sebastian was nowhere in sight.
“Oh, sorry,” Daveed apologized to Kai.
As Kai caught his breath, he appeared confused regarding my presence here. “Megan?”
That was the first time he’d ever said my name.
My plan altered quickly. “Could you please help me with something?”
“Now?”
“Please.”
After a brief hesitation, he tossed the wooden sword to a guard and came to join me. I didn’t wait and hurried around the side of the keep toward the back, where the hen house and gardens were kept.
“Where are we going?” Kai asked.
It seemed so odd to be speaking with him like this, but I answered, “You’ll see.”
I led the way to the back of the hen house, right to where I’d seen the salmon in Lavonia’s thoughts.
There they were, spoiling in the sun.
Pointing down, I said, “I’ve been worried Lavonia might be up to something to ruin your father’s dinner, and I found these. I fear she intends to substitute them for the fresh ones I had delivered this morning.”
His eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“So she could blame me. She’s unhappy with some of the changes since my arrival. A short while ago, she called me in to ask me to inspect the salmon stored in the cellars. She did this in front of everyone there. Afterward, I came out here to look around, and I found these.”
This last part was a weak explanation for my find, but he didn’t notice.
“Did you dismiss her?” he asked.
“I have no proof. I wasn’t certain what to do, so I went to find you.”
“Wait here,” he said.
With that, he walked through the garden and vanished inside through the back door. A few moments later, he came out again with Cora and led her through the garden.
“What is it you wish me to help you with, my lord?” Cora asked, sounding nervous.
Then she saw me.
Kai pointed down at the fish. “Did Lavonia put these here? Does she mean to serve them tonight?”
Cora’s face went pale. “Oh . . .”
His mouth opened slightly. Until then, I’m not sure he’d believed me. “She did?”
Stricken, she didn’t answer him.
He stepped closer. “Cora, tell me. This is important.”
But he didn’t sound threatening, and I got the feeling these two knew each other fairly well. They were about the same age.
“Oh . . . Kai, I’m so sorry,” she said, using his given name. “I should have said something. I know I should have!”
“But why would she do this?”
Without speaking, Cora glanced at me with a guilty expression.
He shook his head in disbelief. “Inside,” he ordered us both, and then he strode back toward the door.
We followed him to the kitchen. Ester was at a table rolling crusts for tarts.
As we entered, Lavonia saw us coming.
“Lavonia, you’re dismissed,” Kai said. “You’ll get a month’s wages, but I want you out the front gates within the hour.”
She was startled, even frightened for an instant, her gaze moving to Cora and back to him. Then her expression shifted back to its normal state of challenge. “You can’t dismiss me. I’ll go to your father.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked. “Shall we go see him now? Should I show him those fish behind the hen house and tell him the story Cora told me? He’ll do more than dismiss you.”
In truth, Cora hadn’t said much. I had. But his words silenced Lavonia as the weight her of situation began to sink in.
Kai turned to Ester. “I want her gone within the hour. You’ll have to make due tonight without her.”
A flash of relief crossed Ester’s eyes. “Yes, my lord.”
He nodded, glanced at me, and motioned to the doorway with his head. Then he walked from the kitchen and started up the passage toward the great hall. I followed. About halfway there, he stopped. We were alone.
“Why did you come to me with this?” he asked. “Why didn’t you question Cora and dismiss Lavonia yourself?”
“Could I have dismissed her myself?”
“Of course. Why didn’t you?”
The past weeks of fear and uncertainty and feeling completely unprotected all weighed down upon me and rushed back up. “Because I have no idea what I’m allowed to do!” I cried, not caring if anyone else heard. “And I’m afraid of doing something wrong! What would happen if I displeased your father? You dislike me so much you wouldn’t care if he tossed me out the gates.”
Kai stared down at me. Then he blinked several times.
“I don’t dislike you,” he said finally. He seemed on the verge of saying something else but shook his head. “Deal with the household staff as you see fit. My father couldn’t care less what you do so long as everything runs smoothly. I thought you understood that.”
Turning, he strode away, walking too quickly for me to follow.
But my feet felt stuck to the floor anyway. If I had full control of the staff, my world had just shifted—for the better. Even more, I kept hearing his words . . .
I don’t dislike you.
* * * *
That evening, I headed for the dining hall at precisely the right moment.
Tonight, my hair hung loose with several strands in the front over my forehead and pinned up with a small jeweled clip. I wore kohl at the corners of my eyes and beet juice on my lips. My gown was burgundy silk with a v-neckline.
Stopping at the entrance to the hall, I looked in to take stock of what awaited me. All four Volodanes were there, wearing the new clothing Betty and I had made for them. Kai looked especially fine in a sleeveless black tunic.
The hall was clean and properly arranged. There were white cloths on the table along with porcelain plates, silver cutlery, and pewter goblets. The centerpieces added color.
My gaze drifted to the guests: Lord Allemond, his wife Rosamund, and his brother, Phillipe. Several of the Volodane guards stood discreetly near the walls, along with several of the Monvílles’.
With a deep breath, I stepped forward and entered the hall.
Allemond was the first one to see me, followed shortly by everyone else, but I couldn’t help a stab of satisfaction at the flicker of uncertainty that passed over his face. “Megan?”
I smiled and held out one hand—as my mother would have done. “My lord. How lovely to see you.”
Kai stared at me as well, taking in the sight of my v-neck dress and my hair.
Lady Rosamund showed nothing besides false pleasure, kissing my cheeks. “How nice it is to see you looking so . . . well, so soon after your marriage to the youngest of the Volodanes. We’d heard nothing of it at all until it was over.”
This was a carefully worded barb about my hurried marriage and to suggest there had been speculation over the reasons, and of why I’d been passed off to the youngest of the three sons.
I pretended not to understand and beamed back at her. “Thank you. I am settling well into my new home.”
Phillipe Monvílle leaned over and kissed my hand. “My dear,” he said, although he’d never taken notice of me before.
Kai’s body went stiff at the sight, and I worried he might ruin the dinner party. But he remained in place, and the moment passed.
“Shall we all sit and enjoy some wine before dinner?” I asked.
This was the signal for everyone to be seated. Wine was always served before dinner at these gatherings. Jarrod took his cue from me and sat at the head of the table. Normally, a hostess would alternate the men and women.
“The seating won’t be proper,” I said, smiling at Rosamund. “We are too outnumbered by the men and must do our best.”
At this, her brow furrowed slightly, as if my easy countenance concerned her. “Yes, quite.”
On the inside, I felt anything but calm. We all sat, and Lord Allemond examined the porcelain dishes and pewter goblets. He frowned at their fine quality and shifted in his chair.
It was clear that none of this was playing out as he’d expected.
Betty and Matilda poured wine from the best cask my parents had sent.
Not long after, the fish course arrived.
I was so nervous that I wasn’t certain how much I could eat, but I tasted the salmon. It was perfect. Lord Allemond tasted it as well. He’d not expected the food to be perfect.
Glancing down the table, I could see Jarrod enjoying his guests’ disappointment.
After that, as further courses were served, Sebastian took over the conversation. Neither Jarrod, Rolf, or Kai had anything to say to the Monvílles, but Sebastian was better at small talk and kept our guests entertained.
Kai appeared especially uncomfortable in the mix, and he looked over at me a good deal. I knew he didn’t approve of this event—which he’d called “putting on a show.”
He brightened only once when Phillipe spoke to him directly. “I’m sorry I didn’t arrange any matches for entertainment here tonight. There wasn’t time, but I’ve always been astonished watching you in the ring at Partheney.”
I had no idea what he meant by “match” or “ring,” but Kai actually smiled at him. “Thank you. Next time perhaps. We have plenty of room here.”
Rolf entered the conversation to ask about their wheat crop.
By the time dessert arrived, nothing had gone wrong.
Then, just as we were finishing strawberry tarts with cream sauce, one of the Monvílle guards carried in a small harp. Watching this, Allemond frowned at his wife.
“Oh, my dear,” she said, sounding strained. “I’d quite forgotten.” She tried to smile. “It is a wedding gift. We’ve not heard Megan play in some time and hoped to impose upon her.”
The Monvílles were then rewarded by the moment of discomfort on the part of the Volodanes. No one had told them I had often entertained my parents’ guests with music.
Once again, the Monvílles had hoped to embarrass Jarrod, probably thinking that I would be too shattered to consider such a public display of myself.
Looking directly at Jarrod, I said, “Father, would you like me to play?”
I’d placed him back in control of the situation.
He nodded.
Standing, I went to the harp and settled myself, drawing upon the strings to test them. First, I played a lively, cheerful tune, and then I glanced over to see Kai staring at me.