by A. R. Rend
“Doctor Wens gave you something to sleep. We stopped adding it to your soup yesterday. He thought that we should just keep you asleep for a few days,” continued Mim, still petting his cheek tenderly. “We were just waiting for you to wake up after that.”
Phillip grunted and cleared his throat.
“Milly filled me in about the wheels,” Phillip tried. He didn’t really want to talk about what happened to him anymore.
“Ah, yes. Madeline is moving along at full speed now,” Mim said with a grin, her nose scrunching up almost mischievously. “And since Fend is dead, murdered, no one really wants to cross Madeline! All those little guild mates of hers are just waiting to buy wheels as she makes them.”
“Good. I’m glad I killed Fend then,” Phillip said with a grin and let out a slow breath.
“You… you did kill her? I mean, I admit I assumed you had and had thought so but,” Mim mused and then paused as she considered what he’d just said. She then turned her head and looked to Mildred and the other guards. “You guys wouldn’t tell me one way or the other what happened. Just that she died. Despite me saying I thought he’d killed her.”
“Dark horse girls don’t care for you or anyone else,” Bobbie said expressively and with some heat. “We serve Philly and that’s it.”
Mim’s brows drew down in confusion, before she laughed and shrugged her shoulders. Looking back to Phillip, she looked positively delighted.
“So you really did kill her and you admit it outright,” she said, grinning at him.
“Yes, with a spoon. Stabbed her repeatedly in the neck,” clarified Phillip. “She tried to drug me. Rape me.”
“Good! Good. That’s what I honestly expected, ” Mim said with a look of wonder and approval on her face. Leaning down, she kissed him quite firmly, her hands on each side of his face. There was a collective holding of breaths in the room at the action.
Mim released him and leaned back a few inches, gazing into his face.
“Phil, my sweet, sweet Phil. I’m really going to have to get you to knock me up,” said Mim without a care. “If you give me a little girl with half the intelligence, bravado, and courage that you do, they’ll take over a city by themselves.
“You give me a little boy, and I guarantee they’ll end up marrying whoever is running the county they’re in. Maybe even the duchy. You’re just full of wonderful surprises.”
Then Mim kissed him again, this time pushing her tongue into his mouth. She was practically crawling into his bed as she continued to kiss him hungrily.
At which point someone yanked her off him, to which Mim only started laughing at.
The room slowly descended into an argument about how kissing him wasn’t allowed.
Phillip only smiled, watching the chaos. Glad to be back amongst what he knew.
Even if it was Mim, Mildred, and the Dark Horse girls collectively arguing about what Mim was allowed, and wasn’t allowed, to do.
Twenty-Six
Sitting in his recliner, Phillip was enjoying being alone for the moment.
After everyone got louder than he wanted to deal with, he’d asked them all to please leave. While he enjoyed their company, right now he didn’t want to hear them argue loudly.
And if he was being honest, he really wanted to sit and think.
To collect his thoughts and figure out what’d happened to him in the last two weeks.
From murdering someone who tried to rape him to sleeping three days after having been released from prison. There were too many larger-than-life incidents inside that time period and what’d happened to him that he couldn’t process it.
At least not effectively.
His mind kept wanting to scurry away from everything rather than confront it. To give battle to it and wrestle it down.
Or that’s how his mother would describe dealing with her own demons.
He’d seen first-hand the aftermath of battles and knew that a great many soldiers suffered long after a fight ended. That they in turn were forced to combat, battle, and survive inside their own heads.
Except Phillip was finding he wasn’t as strong as he believed himself to be.
His mind just skittered away every time he tried to force it to go back to what’d happened to him. Only for it to blank out and provide him with useless thoughts about things that didn’t matter.
The one time he did manage to corral his thoughts on the subject he ended up breaking out in a sweat. His hands going tingly and cold as well as his heart beating in an odd fashion in his chest.
Giving up, he let his head hang down, his eyes closed.
It wasn’t something he could apparently handle at the moment. Regardless of how he tried, approached it, or convinced himself that it was doable.
A quiet knock on the door caused Phillip to lift his head up.
“Please, come in,” he called, looking to the door at the hallway.
Surprisingly, the door to Alice’s room opened instead.
“Oh. You’re up. How wonderful,” said his wife, looking at him from the doorway. “Mim mentioned you were awake, but not that you’ve managed to get out of the bed.”
Moving into his room, she pulled along a trolley behind her. It had a tea-service and lunch sorted out on it. If he didn’t miss his guess it looked to include everything from sandwiches, fruit, pastries, and what looked to be smoked meats.
Then the smell of it all hit him and he found he was famished and quite thirsty.
Closing the door behind herself, Alice came into the room fully and walked her trolley over to where he sat.
Turning her head, she looked to the door to the hallway. Hesitating for a second without doing anything, she stood there. As if she’d come to a decision, she walked over to the door that led to the hall and locked it.
“I’m with Phillip and will be caring for him,” Alice called through the door. Not waiting for an answer, she came back over to him and started to set out two settings.
“Thank you,” Phillip murmured, watching her as she did what was traditionally his own job.
“Of course. You’re my husband and future father of my children,” Alice said as if she didn’t even consider this an issue. “As soon as I heard you’d woken up I started preparing all this for you. I wasn’t sure how hungry you’d be, though. So I brought lighter items as well as heavier items.
“It’ll all keep until tomorrow morning as well, so you can pick at it at your leisure. I suspect you might end up going back to sleep after you get some food into yourself.”
Unable to help it, Phillip watched Alice without any of the negative or hostile emotions he’d held for her. In a short period of time, since coming back from seeing his mother, she’d worked diligently at repairing what she’d ruined.
To the point that even he couldn’t quite argue that she wasn’t just on equal footing with everyone else, but trying to push ahead. Mildred, Mim, and Alice were all struggling to persevere.
All without damaging the other parties or attacking them.
It was impressive to him given he’d seen how catty and awful his sisters had been at times with one another. Under his mother’s rule they were expected to mend their differences once the “battle was over” however.
Fighting was expected, lingering feelings weren’t allowed.
I wonder if this is that.
That the battle between Alice and I is over. That I need to accept a neutral state and let it go where it goes.
She… she’s certainly proved she cares.
Watching Alice as she did her best to prepare tea and lunch for him, he couldn’t help but notice her nervousness. She was making mistakes for a proper placement, but he wasn’t going to slight her kindness.
This was being done with a warm heart without expecting anything in return.
“The Doctor said you had a ‘commotion in the mind’. I don’t quite understand what that means,” admitted Alice as she finished up. Phillip had three different plates in front of himself n
ow. From a light serving of food to a heavy and filled plate. “But what it came down to, was you’d been struck very hard in the head and would need time to rest. That there was nothing else to be done for it and it would likely heal all on its own, or not at all.”
Phillip felt somewhat surprised by that and picked up the lightly filled plate.
“Well, I can honestly say I feel better today. So at least we don’t have to worry about it never healing,” Phillip offered as he began to eat the sliced strawberries on his plate first. Given the abnormal cuts, that they weren’t all the same size, and there was one that even had a piece of stem to it, he imagined Alice had cut these herself.
She’s putting in the time and effort.
Her, Mim, and Mildred.
Though… Lenore… didn’t come.
That’s rather disappointing.
Regardless of how he approached it in his mind, no matter how much he didn’t want to feel slightly resentful, he faulted Lenore. Faulted her for not doing exactly what Alice done.
Perhaps even more so when he realized that they would have received the letter at the same time and had very likely discussed it. That Lenore could have just as easily gone with Alice.
“Ah, I’m extremely glad to hear that,” said Alice with obvious relief in her voice. “So very glad. Ah… that’s… ah, it’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. Even better than when the countess sent me that letter that Halis had been hung.”
Phillip didn’t quite revel in Halis’ death as Mim and Alice clearly were. Neither did he regret that she was dead. In fact, he regretted her death less so than even Fend’s.
“I have a few questions I want to ask you. But first, I must confess to you, dear wife, I killed Fend,” Phillip admitted and continued to eat, lifting his eyes up to Alice’s.
“I figured you had,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders and a wave of her hand as she sat down next to him. “You’re your mother’s son, after all. You may be handsome, Phil, perhaps one of the most handsome men I’ve seen when you smile, but I know your background. I’ve seen the way your mind works and your personality.
“Your mother raised a very fine young man. But she also raised one that would preserve his honor. With violence if necessary.”
Alice nodded her head and then shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing. That it wasn’t just within the realm of possibility, but expected.
“You taking Fend’s life fits in quite well with what I expect of you, Phil. It’s why when I read Milly’s letter, I rushed back as quickly as possible,” Alice continued. “I had already assumed you’d killed her. I wasn’t sure how much evidence I’d have to destroy, witnesses silenced, bribed, or… ended, and whose palm I’d have to grease.
“It’s why I stopped in with the countess first before coming to collect you. Regardless of what happened, you were leaving with me one way or the other.”
There was an odd heat in his chest at her words. Like a flame that was set in his stomach and the top of that fire was licking at his heart.
“Why did the countess bend over backward to appease you? Are you really that powerful?” Phillip asked, watching Alice.
Chuckling with her mouth full, Alice shook her head and swallowed the large bite of a pastry she’d taken.
“I’ve invested quite heavily in her war effort to support the queen. She isn’t a vassal of your grandmother, nor does she serve with your mother, but she does assist her. I felt it prudent to assist the countess in turn,” confessed Alice.
“You didn’t bring it up. You never even hinted at it,” Phillip pressed, somewhat confused.
“There was no reason to bring it up. Nor was it something I wished to tell you,” said Alice, meeting his eyes with her own. “Or at least, tell you right now. Milly wouldn’t really be able to compete with something like that. So it wasn’t worth mentioning. I’m trying to be as fair about this as I can. As I promised you I would.
“I just figured I’d be able to tell you after we reaffirmed our wedding vows. Somewhat as a surprise and maybe… maybe get you to praise me.”
Alice said the last and broke eye contact with him, turning back to her plate and taking another bite. Apparently that’d been a bit too much for her to say in the end.
“As to how powerful I am… well, not that powerful. I have more than enough money to splash it around and make waves,” mused Alice. “Not enough to cripple anyone. I have more than my share of favors and those who owe me. I’ve certainly got a number of contacts in the right places as well. High and low.
“I just happened to have made some arrangements and investments that would hurt the countess quite a bit. Enough that she really didn’t want to test me over something her sheriff had done. Regardless if it was a distant relative of hers or not.”
It was a relative? No wonder she signed off on it without really looking into it.
And working beyond that thought, why Mim and Alice feel like they can’t really push any further.
Chewing, Phillip nodded his head at his thoughts and her words. It all made sense from a political point of view. No one would really want to test those kind of waters given his background, Alice’s investments, and the Rias family as a whole.
Especially if you knew your relative was in the wrong. That you had only two choices, appeasement, or digging deeper.
I wonder what I’d do if I was forced to choose in such a way.
“What other questions did you have?” Alice asked, smiling at him.
“Lenore got the letter and stayed?” he asked. He wanted absolute clarification in this matter. It was bothering him and he needed to know the truth.
Because there was the distinct possibility that he was missing information. That he was overreacting given the situation.
“She received an identical letter to the one I received,” answered Alice after a moment of contemplation. Her words were slower than he’d expected and she seemed uncertain. “Forgive me, it’s hard to discuss it to a degree as I feel I’m possibly sabotaging her chances.”
“And the letter, it conveyed the situation to you accurately?” pushed Phillip. He needed to know the details.
“Yes. Mildred put in everything one would need to know, to verify the severity of the situation,” confirmed Alice. “She confirmed for me that she wrote the same letter to Lenore, that she did myself. I also was there when Lenore received her own letter.”
Chewing at the inside of his cheek, Phillip considered his nearly empty plate.
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was certainly what he needed to know.
“Could Lenore have come with you?” Phillip asked.
“I did offer for her to join me. She declined,” confirmed Alice. “I didn’t wait around to give her a second chance, however. I left immediately and didn’t look back.”
Biting his lip, Phillip couldn’t keep himself from thinking on that. From realizing that Alice prioritized him above all else, and Lenore hadn’t.
Mim, Mildred, and Alice had done all they could.
“It’s very likely that she wasn’t allowed to leave,” offered Alice. “Once I’d left, I’m sure my mother told Lenore to not leave. Given what she’s trying to accomplish, she probably felt it worthwhile listening to her.”
In other words… in trying to make herself the head, so she could demand me, she didn’t prioritize getting back to me.
Or so my thought process goes. I could be wrong.
Phillip had heard his mother and sisters discuss “fighting for the objective” and not getting lost in the battle. A general could forget themselves in the battle, especially if they were winning, and lose sight of their goals.
“And while I’m on that line of thinking,” muttered Alice and then she let out a heavy sigh. “Without Milly’s rather prompt letter, or having gone and fetched Mim, there would have been nothing stopping the sheriff until I or Mim finally returned.
“As much as I want to be the hero. To claim all the glory and credit for
myself. Were it not for your dedicated Dread Maiden, I wouldn’t have even known. Nor would Mim.”
That’s very true.
I can assign all the credit I want to Alice and Mim, but without Milly… it wouldn’t matter.
“Now, what else? I want to make sure I answer all your questions before I start talking about all manner of things that don’t matter,” said Alice as she leaned toward him. She put her elbow on her knee and gnawed at a toast point while she gave him his full attention.
“Milly kinda told me what was going on with Madeline, but not really. Could you elaborate on it?” Phillip asked, then realized he’d made an error. He had never asked her to actually handle the business for him. “If you got involved with it, that is.”
“Mm. I did involve myself. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t sure what was going on. Not to mention I wasn’t about to let anything happen while you were… indisposed,” Alice apologized. “Milly and I have been working quite well together with Madeline.”
Clearing her throat, Alice set down the toast she had in her hand back to her plate. Then she looked thoughtful.
“As far as I can tell, Madeline is dealing straight and clean with you. The percentage of her sales that’s yours as part owner has come in for every purchase,” began Alice. “Additionally, she’s been adding a number of extra deposits to each sale to pay toward the debt she owes you all.”
This was everything he’d heard from Mildred as well, which certainly made Phillip feel better so far.
“Beyond that, I provided her with coin on your behalf to cover her costs for inventory and people,” said Alice. “I assumed you’d want to remain involved in this, so I didn’t think it would be a problem. I did make sure to go over each agreement I made in your name to insure they were similar to the previous ones and matched them.”
“I… yes, thank you, Alice. That’s exactly what I would want,” agreed Phillip. “I’m sure Milly, Mim, and Lenore would wish the same.”
“I assumed so. Which is why all the agreements list all four of you, and not just you,” Alice said with a flick of her left hand, her chin still resting in the palm of her right. “She didn’t ask for much yet. Her income from the sales is more than likely providing more than enough for her to get what she needs.