As soon as Alicia entered the hall, she was attacked on all sides.
“What a lovely shawl!”
“You look charming today!”
“That color is quite stunning against your hair. Is that from your daughter-in-law?”
Alicia smiled and replied to all the compliments. “Yes, it is a lovely shawl.” Get your hands off it! “Yes, it is from Lilian.” Keep smiling if you want one “You’ll have to ask her where she gets them from. I might be able to help you get in touch with her.”
After several conversations like this, Alicia was getting tired of the attention. She had just told a lady of her acquaintance to write to August Broklend when a man’s voice behind her caused her to turn.
Speak of the devil! “I am pleased to see you, Lord Broklend.”
“As am I to see you, Countess. You look charming.”
“Thanks to your daughter, of course.”
August smiled. “Lily’s doing well.”
“You must tell me, Lord Broklend. Did you help her buy these beautiful and highly unusual things?” She ran her fingertips over the fine lace cascading from her shoulders.
“Of course not, My Lady. I’m afraid to say I have not seen as much of Lily as I would like since she moved to Earton. I feel very guilty about it, actually.”
Alicia frowned. “Then how could she have bought such lovely things in Earton?”
“She takes after me,” said August with a wide smile. “Now tell me, My Lady, has my son-in-law written to you?”
“No. Has he written to you?”
“No.”
“That is strange.” The countess and the shipbuilder stood together in silence. Both were thinking along the same lines. If Jess didn’t already know about the things Lily was making in Earton, what would he say when he found out?
Alicia broke the silence. She might have been mean, but she wasn’t stupid. “August… May I call you that?”
“Of course, My Lady.”
“And you must call me Alicia. We are relatives, even if we have only seen each other a few times.”
“You are always at court, My Lady, and there is nothing for me to do here.”
She smiled modestly. “I know. You are at home on your boats. Edward speaks highly of you.” Not the king, not His Majesty, just Edward. It was a hint of her friendship with the king and the degree of honor she was conveying on him.
“I’m flattered.”
“Now tell me, my son…” Alicia had her reasons for asking about Jess. Lately—ever since he received Lilian’s letter—Edward had been angry with Jerrison Earton, and Alicia was concerned that her own position might be at risk. She was an intelligent woman, and she knew that if Lilian shared her secrets with anyone it would be her father.
August saw no reason to hide anything from Alicia. “Your son, My Lady, is an unusual man. He has a creative mind, and he is exceptionally talented in worldly affairs. He is like a bloodhound on a scent when he’s tracking down something for the boatyards, and he is doing his best to learn the shipbuilding business. He has good brains, education, and talent. If he is interested in a problem, he will work day and night to solve it.”
Alicia looked away. “That isn’t all you want to say, is it, August?”
“Of course not. The reverse side of those talents is that he cares little for people. I see it when he is at the boatyards. If he needs a man, he uses him. As soon as he doesn’t need him, he throws him away.”
“But…”
“I know. Everyone does that to some extent. But he takes it to the extreme. Here is an example.” August paused for a breath. “There was an old man who had been working for me for forty years. I valued his skill and his service, so I gave him lighter duties as he got older. Then one day Jess fired him.”
“So what?”
“He has a family. Our Lord did not bless him with sons, but he married off all three of his daughters to good men. His sons-in-law are in the shipbuilding trade. One of them worked for me. He wanted to quit in protest, and he’s a carpenter with a gift from Aldonai. If I hadn’t intervened in time, my business would have gained a bad reputation.”
“Jess can be harsh at times.”
“Yes, and often to the detriment of his own interests.”
“But he is successful, I believe…”
“He is, but he simply gives orders to managers who do his work for him.”
“That takes talent, too.”
“It does. But your son, My Lady…”
“Alicia.”
August took a deep breath. “Alicia, your son ignores other people’s interests without even noticing what he’s doing.” He had done it—used her first name. They were not enemies, not yet.
“Has he ignored your daughter?”
“Lily never complains.”
Alicia caught the subtext. Lily doesn’t complain, but that doesn’t mean she is happy with her position. She doesn’t complain, but she could be keeping score against her husband and biding her time.
“Lilian is coming for the spring season, and Edward asked me to take her under my wing.”
“I’ll be grateful for that, Alicia.” His green eyes were serious. The dowager countess reflected that Broklends never forgot anything, good or evil.
What rabid dog bit you, Jess Earton? Why couldn’t you treat your wife decently?
August straightened up and held out a hand. “May I invite you to dance, Alicia?”
The old shark blinked. “Me? Dance?”
“You, My Lady. I would like to share a dance with an intelligent, charming woman.”
Alicia appreciated the compliment. She also realized that her thoughts were no secret to August.
Jess, you’re an idiot! If the daughter is anything like the father…and now, you’ve made her mad! I’ll rip your head off when I see you! No, Edward will rip it off, and I will stand off to one side and applaud!
***
Edward was late for the reception for a very simple reason. He was finishing a game of backgammon with Hans. He was losing, but he wouldn’t give up. Backgammon had stuck to him like cloth to a wound. It was one of the few ways he had to relax, moving the amber pieces around the board. When he played the game, his thoughts flowed freely, and on this day, they turned to Earton, as they often had of late.
“The countess’ salt works are truly a wonder. I tried the first shipment, and it tastes just as good as rock salt, except for a slight touch of bitterness. The profits from this venture will be royal.” He looked up at Hans. “Did the countess really come up with the idea on her own?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. She said it was silly to live on the coast and pay dearly to salt one’s soup.”
“How long ago did she start the venture?”
“It was already built when I arrived in Earton.”
“Why didn’t Jess say anything about it?”
“Your Majesty, the countess gave me to understand that his lordship…if you’ll forgive my impudence…”
Edward waved a hand to show that any impudence would be forgiven. Then he threw the dice—five and four.
“The earl is interested in nothing but hunting.”
“While the countess…”
It was Hans’ turn to roll the dice—three and six. “She says she was in a fog from the time she arrived in Earton.”
“Were there reasons for that?”
“I do not yet know, Your Majesty. I discovered nothing to explain it while I was there. The countess promised to write to me. I will ask her about it.”
“Please do.” The king threw the dice—six and six. His Majesty stood up from the table victorious. “I also want you to pay a call on Jerrison’s manager here in town. Tell him not a single letter is to go to Earton without my seeing it first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Hans bowed and made his exit. Edward sighed, checked his reflection in the wonderfully clear mirror, straightened his crown, and went in to see his guests.
Life went on.
***
A letter from Jerrison Earton to His Majesty Edward the Eighth.
Your Most Gracious Majesty,
Allow me to fall at your feet with the smallest of requests.
At this point, Jess dropped the courtly style. He didn’t have enough self-control to see it through, and he knew his uncle disliked excessive verbiage.
Uncle, I beg you to write to me in greater detail about what has happened in Earton. I am hearing these things for the first time. Earton is a quiet place. My grandmother lived there for almost twenty years and never saw so much as a horse thief. No sooner did I send my daughter there, however, than the nightmare started. Pirates, slave traders, thieves… I can believe that Etor was dishonest, but the rest of it shocks me. I do not understand!
What you say about my wife is just as surprising. You saw her once, whereas I have seen her many times. She is stupid, hysterical and prone to fits. After reading your letter, I begin to wonder if someone else is behind all of this and telling her what to do. I would like to know who it could be, and what he is after.
I must tell you that I sent Miranda with a large number of servants so that there would be someone to take care of her. Lilian has never shown any capacity for work of any kind. She is only interested in embroidery and food…and prayers. How could she have changed so suddenly? None of this makes sense to me.
What has happened to my daughter? Is she alive and well? Should I have her sent back to the capital?
Uncle, please tell me your thoughts on these things!
I remain your devoted servant,
Jerrison, Earl of Earton
Altres Lort, who made a habit of shamelessly reading all the letters sent by the Ativernan guests, put the letter down and snorted.
I wonder what’s going on in this Earton place.
He decided to ask his secretary for all the information he could find on Earton. He would also send someone to Jess’ estate to do a little quiet looking around.
Who do I have out that way? Rolf Relamo. He’ll do. He’s a chevalier, and good-looking. Just what the countess needs to keep her from getting bored over the winter. I’ll send him a message by pigeon this very day!
***
“I want it!”
Few men can refuse a favorite daughter when she says these awful words while gazing at her face in a wonderful mirror that, while small, reflects her features much clearer than any piece of polished metal. King Leonard looked down at his daughter. Larisia was enraptured by her own reflection and noticed nothing else.
He looked at the merchant. “What miracle made this thing? Is there anything foul about it?”
“I bought it in Altver, Your Majesty,” said the merchant, silently counting his profits. “Baron Avermal promised me that there is nothing foul in it. Look at the thing yourself. It bears the mark of Aldonai.”
Lily had insisted on that. Helke had made her trademark and his own mark off to one side. In the middle of the mirror’s back, he engraved a large, embellished sign of Aldonai. The church approved of such uses.
The king cleared his throat. “That is true. If this thing were the work of Maldonaya, it could not bear our lord’s mark.” He turned to his daughter. “To be safe, take it to our aldon to have it blessed.”
“Yes, Father.” Larisia put the mirror back in its box and raced off.
King Leonard turned back to the merchant. “Name your price.”
The merchant’s price was reasonable, and the king knew it. Later that week, he put the man’s name on a list of traders released from paying profit tax for half a year. It was worth the small loss to make Larisia happy.
Leonard loved his daughter. He also loved to spoil her. Some people said she looked like a rat, but in his eyes, she was a beautiful princess.
***
“I beg you, My Lord!”
Things were no better in the Khanganate, where the Great Khangan’s favorite wife was stroking a fine piece of lace with trembling fingers and looking up at him with large, tear-filled eyes. The rest of her face was concealed by her head covering, but he could see enough to know how strong her emotion was. She would not forgive him if he refused her this thing. No, there would be no shouting or weeping. On the outside, everything would remain the same. She would only be cooler when she spoke to him. But eventually, a rumor would get out that the Great Khangan had refused his favorite wife a small trinket, and that perhaps his treasury was running low.
The Great Khangan was a wise man. He believed that a wife must be satisfied with her lot in life. If she was, she would go to any lengths to keep her husband happy. There were men in his kingdom who held their wives in line with fear, but the Great Khangan disdained such methods. And he could certainly afford the fine pink cloud of lace and the glossy hair comb.
“How much do you want, merchant?”
The man bowed and named his price. The Khangan frowned, but in the end, he ordered his secretary to pay. It was an expensive gift, but no one else had anything like it.
If she gets tired of it, I’ll just take it away and give it to another wife.
The merchant reached into his bag. “I have a scroll here that describes how such a thing is worn, Your Majesty.”
That evening, the Great Khangan got a good look at his favorite wife wearing the new lace—and nothing else. Her gratitude gave him immeasurable pleasure that lasted most of the night. In the early morning, he finally fell asleep thinking about how much better life was when his wife was content.
***
Altres ran his eyes over the report. He didn’t know what to make of its news. The renowned healer Tahir Djiaman din Dashar was in Earton. The jester frowned. Why would a wise man like Tahir be staying in the middle of nowhere?
He put the parchment down and leaned back in his chair. It was obvious that Tahir was hiding from the Great Khangan, but why had he chosen Earton? Rolf Relamo had nothing to offer on that subject.
Altres dashed off a quick note instructing his spy to find out more and report back in detail.
Then he had another thought: Should I invite the famous healer to Wellster? The whole world knew that Gardwig was a dangerous man, but very few people knew how sick he really was. There was no guarantee that the learned healer could help, but it was worth a try. Altres loved his brother, and he needed him to stay alive.
***
Just then, the great healer was watching the countess’ hand as she moved her pointer around a drawing of the human body. He had studied the art of healing for many years, but always blindly, often guessing. It was pure pleasure for him to learn about such things as muscles and nerves from a professional like Aliya, for it was Aliya, and not Lily, who conducted the lesson.
“That was the path of systemic circulation. Here is the path of pulmonary circulation, which goes through the lungs.” She tapped on the parchment. “It begins with the right pulmonary artery in the right ventricle. Blood from the body is carried to the lungs, where the alveoli enrich it with oxygen. After that, the blood returns to the left ventricle.”
“My Lady, I understand that blood carries oxygen and that we would die without this oxygen. Can you tell me, then, why a man dies when he inhales smoke? Isn’t smoke the same as air?”
Lily took a deep breath and explained about hemoglobin, erythrocytes and carbon monoxide. Tahir listed raptly as if she were singing his favorite song, taking notes all the while.
When she was done, he looked at her for a long time. Finally, he said, “My Lady, I believe you could heal the Great Khangan’s son. In fact, I am sure of it.”
“What is wrong with the boy?”
As she listened to his tale, Lily’s face grew darker. The Khangan’s eldest son—his heir—was sixteen. His symptoms—headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fevers—could signify almost anything. But he was also short of breath, and his gums bled. That was interesting. She asked a few questions about the boy’s diet and soon ruled out scurvy.
What else could it be?
Tahir mentioned that t
he boy complained of a metallic taste in his mouth and of pain upon swallowing.
Lily’s eyes grew wide.
“Tell me this, Tahir-jan. Do the tips of his fingers and nose have a pinkish tint?”
“They do, My Lady.”
She shook her head. “Then I am afraid for him. There is little anyone can do against the poison that causes these symptoms.”
“Poison?” Tahir was aghast.
Lily explained as best she could how mercury slowly poisons the body. She could not, however, answer the question that Tahir immediately posed,”Who is doing it?”
“I have no idea. I might be able to discover the poisoner if I were there, but I can do nothing from here.”
Tahir looked down at his hands. “So the boy cannot be saved?”
“I suppose he could be saved if one could stop the poisoner and give him a very long course of treatment. And even that would depend on how much damage has already been done.”
“If only they had your knowledge in the Khanganate!”
Lily thought for a moment. She saw no danger to herself in communicating her fears to the Great Khangan. If he found the poisoner, he would be grateful to her. If he did not, it wouldn’t be her fault.
“Tahir-jan, can you write directly to your friends in the Khanganate?”
“I would rather not put them at risk.”
“Then let’s send a letter to Baron Avermal and ask him to send it on with the next merchant ship headed to the Khanganate.”
The healer looked up at her. His eyes were shining. “If the heir is still alive, I might have hope…”
Lily gave him a broad smile. “You could go home again.”
“And leave you, Lily-jan? Never!” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If you want me gone, you will have to drive me from your land, Lilian Earton.”
The countess’ smile turned bittersweet. “Thank you for that. But you do understand, don’t you, that my husband can order the affairs here as he wishes?”
“He would never be so stupid as to stop you from helping people. Your knowledge could save thousands of lives! Even tens of thousands!”
“It is your knowledge, Tahir. I am merely your student.”
He put a hand on hers. “As you wish, Lily-jan. Just do not ask me to leave.”
Palace Intrigue (Medieval Tale Book 3) Page 17