Lumiere rambled on, trying to be funny and provocative, but all I could think about was how Lady Penelope was now Karl’s prisoner.
Or, I thought, with a perverse sense of pleasure, he is hers.
But still, everything seemed to spiraling out of control. Karl had announced our engagement at the party last night. He had managed to get Lady POW to agree to it, even to the point she worked to convince the crowds of its truth.
I was engaged. Karl knew my secrets. Ferdy was dead. Lady Penelope was captured.
I put my head in my hands. Where did I go wrong?
All I wanted to do was scream, but Lumiere distracted me as he raised his glass. “Ferdinand is an excellent match for you. He needs someone who will keep him grounded. Of course, Karl would prefer he was grounded in a different sort of way, if you would believe it.”
Suddenly, there were no tears left. I felt the full measure of my temper burst free. “I knew you were involved in all of this.”
“This what?” Lumiere batted his eyelashes at me, trying to look innocent. “I have no idea of what you’re talking about.”
“I might not know the specifics now, but I am sure Amir will tell me.”
“Oh, please. Amir wouldn’t tell you we were friends. You are too close to her, and he knows how Pepé feels about me, considering who I am.”
“Oh? And just who is that?” I asked.
“I am the prince of secrets and shadows, of course,” Lumiere said. “I am the son of Louis Valoris, the head of the League of Ungentlemanly Welfare, and heir to the power of the British and French Empires—and the Austria-Hungarian Empire, too, if my father gets his way.”
Before I could respond, he guffawed with laughter. “Ah, it is so good to laugh, especially after such a trying week. Assassinations and betrayals and set-ups are all so tiring, and I’ve had to plan plenty in the last few days.”
I blanched at his words. “You’re a monster.”
“Yes,” he murmured, seeing my reaction. “Yes, I suppose you are right. But as my father always says, it is the mark of true power to operate in the daylight. Alas, I am not quite there, but I at least have enough power to tell you that I am involved in all of this, and I am truly sorry to distress Naděžda’s daughter in such a way. But one day I will make it up to you, and this is my oath. Didier, take note of today’s date and my promises to Lady Ella.”
I clenched my fist. “I don’t want your promises.”
“You might one day, especially if a certain Bohemian prince is involved.”
“Leave Ferdy out of this!”
“Well, you do have a point,” Lumiere conceded. “After all, he is dead. It’s not like there was a chance that he would survive an attack so stealthily planned by moi, would he?”
The last of my hope perished inside of me. “I’ll kill you,” I hissed, already leaping at him. Didier moved to block me as I raised my fist, ready to fight off Lumiere with all my strength.
Before, I had been too conflicted to fight. But Ferdy’s fate, and Amir’s role in it, and now everything else, had killed something inside of me. I was no longer bound to protect Ferdy in this world, and I owed loyalty to no one other than myself. In that moment, I lived only to inflict pain and torture on Lumiere.
Didier managed to grab a hold of me, but I heard him grunt as I hit him instead.
Before I could fight any further, a new voice called out to stop us.
“Yes, Lumiere, Miss Ella is correct. You are a monster, and you do not need to be here at all. I think it is time for you to leave.”
Eliezer was suddenly standing beside me, reaching out to put a hand between me and Lumiere. I blinked at the sight of him as he appeared, and I took the time to make a second look as he positioned himself between Lumiere and me. He was not much taller than me, and I likely could have fought him and won. But there was a commanding presence about him, one that did not waver.
It was surprising to see him again, and even more to be on my side; I had never really talked to him, and he was always so busy with his listeners and other friends when I was at the Cabal. I would have expected him to ask what was going on, but as I watch his dark eyes narrow at Lumiere, I realized they had already known each other.
“Oh, look who it is. Little Eliezer, I was wondering when I would get to see you again. Imagine my surprise to find you here, and after the Sabbath has begun, too,” Lumiere cheered. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the blond locks with a sense of showmanship and glee. “I have missed you terribly.”
Eliezer wore a look of disgust as he faced Lumiere. “None of us have missed you.”
“Now, now, falling leaves return to their roots.” Lumiere pouted. “A Jew is always a Jew, even if he prefers the Catholic church his father raised him in. Certainly Clavan would agree with me on that, and he is the proprietor here, non?”
“That is not the issue. All are welcome here at the Cabal,” Clavan spoke up, “but welcomes can wear out, Lumi, and you are better off leaving before yours does. We will not have you upsetting our Ella.”
“Oh, such a bother.” Lumiere sighed, before he stood up and bowed to me. “I was having such a lovely time, too. But then, I suppose I cannot blame you for your affections toward Ella. She is quite her mother’s daughter.”
Didier followed him, but instead of bowing to me, he reached for my hand to shake it. I was surprised, given my own violent response, but he gave me the same smile as he had before at the Estates Theatre. “I look forward to seeing you again soon, my lady. Perhaps even sooner than you realize.”
“I don’t know if I would be so delighted by our next meeting, sir,” I replied. “If I have my way, our next meeting will be our last.”
“With all due respect, I doubt that, my lady,” Didier whispered. “But should you wish to come and find us, we are staying at the port on the Salacia.”
It was only when they were finally out of the door that I turned to Eliezer. The loops of hair at the side of his head were bobbling with unexpressed anger, and I could tell he had done himself a favor as much as he had helped me.
“Thank you, sir,” I said, struggling to contain myself. I breathed in deeply, hating that I had been stopped even though I knew I would not have survived the fight had it been allowed to continue.
“You’re welcome.” Eliezer looked me over. “You should stay away from him, but I have a feeling you already know that.”
“What do you know about him?”
“He is a proficient liar and good at making people believe what he wants them to believe. He is no friend of ours, even though he would like to be.” Eliezer gestured to the Cabal. “He used to come here before with his father, when we were both younger.”
I glanced over at Clavan. “How long have you been in business?”
“The Cabal has always been a place of entertainment,” Clavan said. “My father fancied himself a performer, but thankfully my mother convinced him he should have alcohol readily available for his audiences. Our family was kicked out of the Jewish Quarter for that, but I am content to remain its neighbor. Elie has been a real help in turning it into a place of information rather than entertainment.”
“Much to Jarl’s displeasure, I’m sure,” Eliezer said. He straightened the yarmulke on his head and excused himself as another man, one I assumed was Jarl’s Uncle Rhys, called out to him.
Clavan came up beside me. “I hope you do not let Lumi’s words bother you.”
“It is not his words so much as his actions,” I said.
The anger inside of me continued to burn without mercy, and I decided it was time to end the waiting. It was time to face Karl, Lord Maximillian, and Lumiere. It was time to confront them, to trap them, and to get them to confess to their treachery—anything to ensure that they were stopped. It was too much to wait for them to give me their trust, to allow them the space to continue when I knew they were guilty, even if it meant revealing myself and the Order to Society.
What difference did it make
in the end? I had already failed.
Ferdy was dead.
I decided to start with Lumiere. He seemed to be the most deserving of my anger, and I had a feeling that, with Amir still missing, I would have less trouble convincing Lady Penelope to act.
Faye appeared once more, this time with more blankets. She insisted I stay in her room for the night, and then I could go home in the morning. I agreed only because she wanted me safe, and it was true that I was in no condition to return home on my own.
The situation did press into me the resolution that I would never leave the house without my dagger again.
*17*
◊
Even after the emotional upset and the previous night’s performances, the long hour of walking home did nothing to temper the storm inside of me. I burst into the manor, my boots covered in mud and snow, my gown and Faye’s cloak flowing out behind me with a mix of wind and rage.
“Eleanora? Is that you?” Harshad called out to me, but I did not stop.
I was putting everything together inside my mind as I made my way to my room. I slammed the door shut and immediately began to pull off my clothes. I paused only for an extra second as I felt the thin fabric of Faye’s cloak. I knew the material was cheap and the stitching was worn, but the friendship I had with her, and the other members of the Cabal, was not deserving of anything so fine. I knew this was true, even before learning she had slept in her parents’ room, while Clavan slept in a chair.
If I died avenging Ferdy and condemning Karl, I hoped they would remember me fondly.
My stealth habit was tight against my skin as I finished getting ready. My hood was up, my mask was in place, and my dagger was at my side. I would find Lumiere, I decided, starting with his ship, the Salacia. Ferdy’s letter had shown me that they were all working together, and Lumiere had confirmed it. All I needed was some physical proof. Maybe I could find more letters from Lumiere to Karl or Lord Maximillian, and then I could take it to King Ferdinand and Empress Maria Anna. Then, they could send it off to Franz Joseph, so he could see the degree of treachery involved by his cousin and his cohorts.
“Nora? Harshad and Xiana are waiting for us in the library.”
Ben’s voice was full of concern and a brotherly cadence I could only marvel at, especially in light of our recent troubles. It was as if he knew I no longer had to worry about dividing my loyalty between him and anyone else.
“I’m coming,” I said as I hurried to fix my hair. I tugged at the combs Ferdy had given me, the ones which always seemed so innocuous. I paused in putting them away, taking a moment to study them, thinking of how Lumiere had called them the crown princess combs.
When I had woken up in the castle after the attack, only to find myself in Ferdy’s room, I was conflicted over whether or not I wanted him to love me. He was a prince, even if he was kept a secret from the rest of the kingdom.
Now, as I curled my fingers around the combs, I only felt angry with myself. I was in love with a liar. Once more, Ferdy had put himself—and me, and my mission—in danger, all so he could keep a hold on me.
No wonder Karl had him killed.
Ferdy had finally pushed his brother too far. And since he was dead, it was up to me to fix things.
“Nora.” Ben knocked on the door again.
At the sound of his voice, I jolted out of my pained reverie. “I’ll be there in a moment,” I snapped. I was glad Ben and I had resolved some of our differences, but I wanted only a few moments all to myself, to grieve and to plan my vengeance.
I put the combs down in my drawer, lying them next to my mother’s locket and my father’s pocket watch. Recalling Lumiere had a similar watch, I picked it up and opened it, marveling once more at the workmanship. A pattern of gold circled its way around the clock, twisting its finery around each of the numbers. It had been many years since I had wound it to work, but I felt the comfort of my father’s memory in just holding it.
Máma’s locket also shimmered up at me, calling to me like a little child eager for attention. Opening it, I saw the small miniature of me and Ben on the one side, and my father’s picture on the other.
From everything I remembered about her, I knew my mother loved me and Ben. I never saw her disagree with my father, and when they were together, I only ever saw her smiling. Ben had told me before she had suffered from periodic bouts of melancholy, and I supposed it was unusual to think of my mother as only ever happy. But with Ben and me, and our father, too, it was still hard to think we were not enough for her.
Studying my father’s picture, I knew Máma had loved Táta. And whatever her past held, I could face it, knowing she had known true love.
I thought of Amir, and how my mother had loved him, too. He did not go with her when she wanted them to run away together, but she had loved him enough to ask.
I rubbed my thumb over my father’s picture again. He looked so young in the picture. I wondered when it had been completed.
Curious, I pulled the picture out of its small frame. The miniature slipped through my fingers and fell. I was just about to reach for it when I realized it was not the only picture in the frame.
There was a smaller picture tucked away behind it, of a younger man with dark brown eyes and hair the color of a starless night. There was no mustache on his face, but I recognized him regardless.
Amir.
I pulled out his picture to study it, setting my father’s portrait aside. He wore a military jacket of the Ottoman Empire, but no smile. His hair was parted differently under the strange cap. I looked it over and smiled; the picture was like a portal, linking me not just to Amir’s past but a whole other person’s life.
On the back of Amir’s picture, I saw the same scraggly shape of his scar, next to a small drawing of a dagger.
My mother’s dagger, and Amir’s scar.
Beside it, there was a date listed: 4/25/1847. The date did not mean anything to me, but I recognized the importance of the drawings easily enough. Amir had mentioned before, I recalled, that love was connected to suffering. I could imagine my mother suffering as she held onto his memory, even as she embraced my father and their future together.
I looked back at the picture of Táta. Had he known of my mother’s devotion to another?
Did my mother know of Amir’s pain, to the point he would betray me and Lady Penelope?
After another long moment, I carefully tucked the locket and its hidden contents into my drawer, along with the combs Ferdy had given me. I loved them all—my mother, my father, and Ferdy. Yet they all held secrets, some of them I was still trying to discover.
Harshad was right, I thought. Some secrets are kept as a matter of trust, bringing two people closer, and some were destructive, forcing others apart.
I could not say which result was more true as I made my way down to the library.
As I entered the room, I was surprised to find the portrait of my mother hanging over the fireplace mantle. Lady Penelope had promised me before that she would have it restored, but it was still a shock to see my mother’s blue eyes staring down at me.
“There you are,” Harshad said. He looked down at my outfit and nodded. “I see you have come prepared.”
“I’m more than prepared,” I insisted, pulling my dagger out. The violet-colored alloy gleamed a dangerous purple in the firelight.
“Excellent. But I am not sure you understand the gravity of the situation.”
“Karl has captured Lady Penelope, and Lord Maximillian and his new best friend Lumiere Valoris are preparing an assassination, a set-up, or both,” I said.
I was gratified to see Ben’s eyes widen. Even Harshad seemed surprised.
“We know that,” Ben said. “But how did you hear?”
“Someone told me,” I said, ready to tell him what happened.
But Harshad interrupted me. “Do you also know that Karl is requesting your presence at the Potocki house this evening?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it. I sigh
ed and shook my head.
It figures that Karl would complicate my anger. His brother had a knack for it, so I shouldn’t be this surprised.
“After you left the museum dedication earlier, he found a way to convince Lady Penelope to grant his request for your hand.” Harshad began to pace the floor, and I started to get worried. Lady POW was the one who paced incessantly, and for Harshad to be adopting her mannerisms likely meant he was more worried than he wanted to admit, possibly even to himself.
“If he thinks capturing her will convince me to bend to his will, he’s going to be surprised,” I recalled Lumiere mentioning something like that earlier, but I had been too upset to notice it. I tucked my dagger back into its sheath. “We’ll get her back.”
“He blackmailed her,” Ben said.
“At his own peril,” I asserted. “Lady Penelope would not allow herself to be manipulated like that unless she knew how to control it.”
“She managed to buy us time by agreeing to his schemes, I am sure, but that’s all,” Harshad said. “We were just about to go search for you. Lady Penelope is only able to work as a member in the Order by maintaining her cover as a respectable dowager duchess. While money does have a tendency to silence people, Karl, as the secret heir to the throne and the leader of a growing nationalist resistance, has the power to damage our reputation and diminish our ability to protect others.”
“She could just kill him,” I said, unapologetic in my anger. “That would solve a lot of problems.”
“The last thing Queen Victoria needs is a spy who killed the son of a ruler,” Xiana said. She took a step out of the shadows, her calmness and power clear. “Her Majesty is already facing a large amount of problems at home and abroad. The Order was sent in to stabilize the area. This is not official Crown business, or the League would have been sent in. While it may be a quick solution to our troubles here, killing Mr. Marcelin is not advantageous in the long run.”
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