Palace Intrigue (Medieval Tale Book 3)

by Lina J. Potter

  After much gnashing of teeth, Damis realized he had two options: he could court Lily more aggressively, or he could try to engineer a compromising situation between the two of them…with witnesses.

  ***

  One evening after dinner, Tahir followed Lily out of the dining room. When they were alone in the hall, he asked, “My Lady, where does mercury come from?”

  Lily sighed. “Are you still thinking about the prince? I suppose he could be getting the mercury from anywhere.” She thought for a moment. “But since he isn’t vomiting every five minutes, I suspect he is either breathing it in or absorbing it through his skin. That is just a guess, Tahir. I am not Aldonai. I can’t see all the way to the Khanganate to tell you what is wrong with him.”

  The old man put a hand on her arm. “Would you come with me to the Khanganate?”

  She stared. “What would I do there? I am a woman, Tahir, and the men in your land think even less of women than they do here.”

  Tahir sighed. The countess was right. If he took Lilian Earton to the Great Khangan’s palace, the courtiers would see her as an attractive woman and a potential bride, but not as a great healer.

  “Write to the Great Khangan. Tell him you suspect his son is being slowly poisoned. But I will not go there with you. I have to pay my respects to the King of Ativerna in the spring, and I can’t leave Miranda or the estate.”

  The old man nodded. “I understand, My Lady. I will write in my own name.”

  He looked very small, with his robe wrapped tightly against the chill. Lily took his hand. “Remember this, my friend. There will always be room for you in my house. You are not a guest here. You are my brother.”

  Tahir wiped away a tear.

  “Thank you, My Lady. I will write to my friends in the Khanganate. Perhaps they will be of some assistance to the prince.”

  Once Lily was alone in her room, she found she was still thinking about mercury and where it could be found in nature. She sat down on her bed and massaged her aching feet.

  I’m a doctor, not a chemist. Someone else will have to find the poisoner.

  ***

  If only she had known what Tahir was planning…

  He had studied Lilian Earton at close range for many weeks. He knew that she never turned away a person in need.

  ***

  A letter from Lilian Earton to Hans Tremain:

  Greetings, Leir Tremain.

  I want you to know that my neighbor, Baron Donter, made an attempt to kidnap Miranda. He was unsuccessful and died during the attempt. I have learned that there is a lawful heir to the estate, and he happens to be someone you know: Jaimie, the young herbalist who came with me from Altver. His mother, Marianna Donter, ran away from his father because the man was having an unnatural affair with his own sister and threatening to kill his wife once the heir was born.

  I have people keeping watch over the Donter estate for now, and I am prepared to turn it over to the rightful heir once I receive confirmation of the king’s will on this matter.

  Pastor Vopler has copied out all of the documents, which I am sending for you to give to His Majesty. I hope this question will soon be resolved in Jaimie’s favor.

  In another interesting development, my men discovered my former estate manager, Etor, in the baron’s dungeon. I will not recount here what he told me. You may read it in his own words, which are attached. I will only say that I was astounded by his cunning and villainy.

  I await news from you.

  As always, I remain your true friend,

  Countess Lilian Elizabeth Mariella Earton

  Lily re-read the letter and nodded. It would do. She wouldn’t show her claws until the time came. Let them think I’m sweet and soft.

  ***

  The king received Jerrison’s letter on a day that had already proven to be unpleasant. He had just learned of an uprising on the border. It was winter, and people were hungry; it was hard to stop marauders.

  Still, he felt he had to answer his son’s letter. His pen scratched over the parchment.

  To the Earl of Earton,

  I have no idea where you got such a poor opinion of your wife. She is perfectly intelligent and in control of herself. I only wish the same could be said of you.

  Were you aware that your wife was being poisoned, and that this led to her miscarriage and almost to her death? Did you know about the attempts on her life? And did you know that at least one of the men who tried to kill her almost harmed little Miranda in the process? I suppose you will find it interesting that these attacks were planned by none other than the cousin of your fair Adelaide Wells. Their confessions are attached.

  I expect to see you here at court when your trip is over. In the meantime, question the lady about her involvement and send me a full accounting.

  Edward the Eighth, King of Ativerna

  He sealed the letter and handed it to his steward. It would be up to Jess to find out what was going on.

  ***

  Altres watched Anna’s face. She was white as a sheet.

  “You listen to me. Tonight’s ball is your last chance to interest the prince. If you fail, I will take over and do what I must.”

  “I can do it.” Anna’s lips trembled.

  The jester shook his head. “Can you throw yourself on him at just the right moment?”

  Anna nodded.

  “I will have two ladies-in-waiting follow you. As soon as you are alone with the prince, they will come find me. That will give you just a few minutes. Use the time as best you can.”

  Anna nodded more emphatically. The jester frowned. He had little faith in the girl, but his back was to the wall.

  ***

  “Are you going to the ball?”

  “I have to. I’ve lain around in bed too long as it is.”

  Jess studied his cousin’s face. “And a good thing, too. You look like yourself again.” Richard looked royal in his black and gold tunic. “The bitches will faint when they see you.”

  “Ladies, Jess. Ladies.”

  Jess made a face. “If you say so. I think they’re all whores if you dig deep enough.”

  “That depends on who you keep company with,” Richard shot back.

  The earl put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook. At first, Richard thought he was crying, but when his cousin looked up, red-faced, he realized Jess was laughing. He slapped Jess on the back. “Let’s go.”

  “I’ll be right there. I got a letter from home. I’d like to read it. No one will notice I’m not there. They’ll all be looking at you.”

  Richard sighed and went out.

  Jess turned and went back into his room, shutting the door behind him. He broke the seal on the king’s letter and began to read.

  After a long silence, the letter dropped from his hand.

  After another silence, he picked up the transcribed statements both hired killers had given.

  Moments later, his door flew open, and he raced down the hall to find the traitorous Adele.

  At the ball. Where else?

  ***

  Anna had done her best. Her yellow silk dress highlighted her dark hair, and the fine amber necklace around her neck was the same color as her golden-brown eyes. None of her maids could tell that she was terrified. If she couldn’t pull off the plan, the jester wouldn’t need her anymore.

  Once the ball started, Prince Richard was cool and polite, as always. He complimented her on her dancing and then proceeded to pay as little attention to her as he could.

  Anna took a deep breath. It was now or never.

  “Your Highness, could you give me a moment of your time?”

  “Of course,” Richard replied. We are in the middle of a crowded ballroom. What could possibly go wrong?

  Anna took him by the hand, and they slid away to a heavy curtain that screened an alcove by one of the large windows. Just then, Jess rounded the corner into the ballroom and saw his cousin’s golden head as it disappeared behind the curtain. He wanted Richard
to help him pin down Adele’s story, so he began to push his way through the crowd of dancers toward the window.

  ***

  No sooner did Anna’s lady-in-waiting give the signal than Jess shoved her out of his way. She squawked, but he pulled open the alcove curtain.

  “Richard, I need you right away!”

  His cousin raised an eyebrow. “Have the courtesy to notice her highness.”

  Jess swore under his breath and bowed to the princess. “Forgive me, Your Highness.”

  Anna gave a little nod. She was too upset to speak.

  Jess grabbed Richard by the sleeve. “I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.” He looked over his cousin’s shoulder at Anna. “Pardon us, Your Highness. Shall we take you to your father?”

  When the princess said nothing, Richard took her by the elbow and led her back through the crowd to where her father sat watching the dancing. He explained that she was feeling unwell before turning and following Jess out of the room.

  Once they were alone, he waited patiently for Jess to stop pacing back and forth. Finally, the earl stopped and looked his cousin in the eye. “I had a letter from your father. The attempt on my wife was organized by Adele.”

  “What?” The two friends stared at each other in shocked silence.

  ***

  Altres had been observing the implementation of his plan when he saw Jess burst into the alcove. He had no idea what had upset the earl, so he waved for the lady-in-waiting to stay in position and slipped away after the two young men. Every castle has its secret passages, and the jester knew his brother’s castle like the back of his hand. He’d be damned if he didn’t find out what the Ativernan guests were up to.

  ***

  Richard and Jess flew back to the earl’s rooms. Richard’s head was spinning.

  Did Adele really think Jess would marry her?

  As far as he knew, Adele was burning through the money her husband had left her. There was no reason in the world for the Earl of Earton to bring her into his family.

  “Jess, could this all be a mistake?”

  “Not the way your father tells it,” Jess replied grimly.

  “But it makes no sense. Adele isn’t smart enough to plan a murder. Someone else is trying to incriminate her.”

  Jess’ face lightened. “Maybe so.”

  Then Richard read the confessions, and his doubts were dispelled. It was Adele. She might not have devised the plan, but she certainly knew about it. After several days of torture, the cousin had told everything: about his affair of many years with Adele, about their plan to kill Lilian and Miranda, about their hopes of marrying Adele to Jess and then getting rid of him. In the end, Adele would inherit everything and petition the king for permission to marry her first husband’s cousin. Richard snorted when he read about how Jess’ expensive gifts to Adele had been sold to hire the killers.

  When he read through the confession made by Leis’ soldier, he looked up at Jess with a face that was gray. “He was one of your men.”

  Jess slapped his hand on the table as he stood up. “So what? I didn’t issue the order!”

  “Can you make August believe that?”

  “Whether he believes it or not, Lilian is my wife.” Jess’ eyes flashed. The earl’s usual expression of self-satisfaction was gone, and his face actually looked handsome.

  “I remember what the marriage contract said. My father witnessed it.” Richard gave a little smile. “Your goose is cooked.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They wouldn’t have been able to get to her if she was living with you in the capital.”

  Jess jerked his head in annoyance.

  Richard pressed on. “Didn’t you read the letter? My father says she was drugged. There’s nothing wrong with her when people aren’t feeding her poisonous herbs.”

  Jess looked over Richard’s head. His left eye was twitching.

  The prince turned on his cousin. He had had enough. “This is all your fault,” he said slowly, with emphasis on each word. “If I were you, I would build a new church in gratitude to Aldonai! Your wife has managed to keep your daughter out of harm’s way, and she has done you a good turn cleaning up the estate for you. I don’t see what you have to be displeased about.”

  Jess’ shoulders slumped. He looked like a man who had been kicked in public. No matter how he looked at it, the whole awful mess was his fault. He had allowed a pair of thieves to run his estate, and he had put his wife in danger by taking a cold-blooded killer as a lover.

  He stood up heavily. “I’ll go get Adele while you finish reading.”

  Richard looked up and nodded. Then he picked up the confessions again. Ten minutes later, Jess stomped back into the room with a weeping Adelaide Wells in tow.

  ***

  Adelaide was in shock. Jess had dragged her out of the ballroom in front of everyone. When she had asked him what the matter was, he had growled for her to hold her tongue if she didn’t want to get slapped. She hated a scandal, so she said no more.

  Her brain was working overtime. What happened? Is he jealous of the marquis I was dancing with? Or is it something else?

  Jess opened the door to his room and dragged her inside. She tripped but caught herself. When she straightened up, she found herself looking into the eyes of Prince Richard.

  The prince looked disgusted, and when he spoke, his voice was cold. “Adelaide Wells, can you explain to me why your cousin wished to have Jerrison’s wife murdered?”

  Adele flinched. Alex told everything? Oh, Aldonai…

  She had pretended to faint many times in her life, but this time it was for real. Before everything went dark, she noticed that the floor was rushing up to meet her face.

  Jess didn’t even bother to catch her.

  ***

  Richard looked down at her body on the floor. “You’re a dead man,” he said quietly, raising his eyes to gaze at his cousin.

  “Would you stop that?” Jess felt like he was losing control of his mind.

  “I am telling you the truth. I read through everything while you went to find your lady love.”

  “And?”

  “Your song is over.”

  Jess threw his hands up in the air. “You think I don’t know that? I gave her jewelry. I slept with her. Now I have to try and prove that I didn’t know anything about it!”

  “Exactly. I wish you would think with your head instead of your manhood.”

  “I do think with my head!” Jess exclaimed. “I’ve been putting up with that fat fool of a woman all for the sake of August’s boatyards!”

  “Maybe so, except that she isn’t a fool after all. My father says she’s gotten rid of the thieves you let in and may even be turning a profit on the estate. That was your job.”

  Jess made no reply.

  Still, on the floor, Adele began to give signs that she was coming around. Richard handed his cousin a cup of wine. Jess poured it over her face.

  Adele groaned and opened her eyes. She looked pitiful. With her hair in disarray and her dress stained with wine, she looked more like a sailor’s whore than a fine lady. She began to weep, which did nothing for her appearance.

  “I…didn’t…”

  “You didn’t what?” Richard interrupted her sniffling.

  It took a while for Adelaide’s story to come out, and neither man believed a word of it.

  Everything was Alex’s fault. He had forced the poor widow to sell her husband’s estate and move to the capital. Any plotting was his alone. She would never do anything to hurt her dear Jerrison. Alex was trying to blacken her name because she had refused his advances. Her dear Jerrison should remember that she had never refused any of his advances…

  As Richard listened to her story, he reflected that she would get away with it. There was no proof other than Alex’s word. He knew Jess was thinking the same thing. In the end, Jess pushed her out the door and locked it behind her.

  Turning to his cousin, he held out his hands, “What d
o you think?”

  “I think Alex was telling the truth. My father’s guards are very good at questioning suspects.”

  “We can’t lay a hand on her here. People would talk.”

  “Of course. She can wait until we get home…or until Father manages to get rid of her…by accident.”

  “He could do that,” Jess agreed.

  For a few minutes, no one spoke. Then Jess sighed. “I feel sorry for her.”

  “You should feel sorry for your wife,” Richard snorted. “I remember how drunk you were at your wedding. I suppose you behaved like a pig on your wedding night.”

  Jess turned red.

  “You didn’t even talk to her, did you? You just had your way with her and sent her off to live in Earton.”

  That was about the size of it, judging by Jess’ guilty face.

  Richard put a hand on his shoulder. “Then what happened? Did you make it up to her later? Did you ever even talk to her?”

  Jess blinked. “How could I? She was always giving me little things she had embroidered. I never knew what to say.”

  His cousin laughed out loud. “I see how it is! You give expensive presents to your whores, but your wife gets nothing. And when she gives you a gift, you ignore it.”

  “Maybe I really am the fool you think me,” Jess muttered.

  “I only hope you see it. Now think. You gave her an awful wedding night. You ignored her whenever you saw her afterward. Did you throw away her gifts?”

  Jess hung his head.

  “And you sent her off to live alone in Earton. Did you visit her?”

  “I did…sometimes. I brought a doctor with me. She seemed insane. She wouldn’t even look at me, and she was always yelling at people.” Jess was pacing the room at the memory of his wife’s strange behavior.

  Richard got in his face. “Someone was poisoning her, you idiot. What else was she supposed to do?”

  “I didn’t know that…”

  “And yet she managed to put a stop to it and save your estate for you!”

  Jess’ face still betrayed anger. Someone who didn’t know the earl well would have assumed he was angry at himself, but Richard knew better. He shook his head.

  Jess looked up, his eyes desperate. “Now I have to convince my uncle that I wasn’t part of the plot.”