I forced my limbs to relax back into the soft chair. I needed to guard myself more closely—I hadn’t meant to react so obviously to the sound of my name, a sharp reminder that this man and I did not know one another. I schooled my features into calm and inclined my head.
He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m so glad that you’re safe. And that you came here to me.”
“I was surprised to learn you were still in the capital.”
“You were?” His brows creased as he looked across at me. “When your own safety was not assured, and with that usurper sitting on your throne?”
I shrugged, struggling to keep my voice light. “You must excuse me for not realizing my safety was of particular concern to you.” I held his gaze, willing strength into mine.
“Concern?” He stood abruptly and turned, rubbing a hand down his face before turning back toward me again. “Of course I was concerned, Blanche.”
I drew in a shaky breath and thrust my clasped hands into my skirts to hide their trembling. Despite the years of rejection, already I felt myself succumbing to the allure of believing I still had family who cared for me.
“Snow.” My voice came out almost too faint to be heard. I swallowed and tried again. “My friends and family call me Snow.”
He stilled, something passing through his eyes that I couldn’t read. When he sat back down, he moved slowly as if unaware of his own movements, his eyes still glued on me.
“You look so much like her, you know,” he whispered. “Except for the coloring.”
I swallowed again and nodded. “So I’ve been told.”
Silence stretched out again, and I could feel the weight of it. Far too much hung between us to be resolved simply or with a single conversation. I needed to remember why I was here, and it wasn’t for a family reunion.
“I heard that you were the one to go to for information,” I said, and he straightened, the new softness in his face replaced with an alert look. “I need to find out what has happened to a huntsman named Alexander.”
I hadn’t expected the name to mean anything to him. But I had hoped for an assurance that he would look into it, question his sources, perhaps, whoever they might be. But there was no mistaking the look on his face as soon as I spoke Alexander’s name.
I sat up straight. “You know him? Alex?”
“Of course.” He looked at me questioningly for a moment, and then understanding transformed his face. “He didn’t tell you?”
A sick feeling filled my stomach. “Tell me what?”
“I thought you had sent him to me. I suppose he never said…But he certainly allowed me to assume.” He narrowed his eyes, as if distracted by his memories, before shaking his head. “He came to me on your behalf. With notes from you for other members of the court. I was so relieved to hear you were alive, that the woman who calls herself queen hadn’t managed to get to you. I only wish Alexander had been willing to tell me where to find you. It would have made things easier when…”
I leaped on his words. “When what?”
He grimaced, his expression half sad, half apologetic. “When Alida acted on her suspicions and had him arrested.”
Part II
The Rebel
Chapter 15
“Arrested?” I leaped to my feet, only to wring my hands together before sinking back down again. Better arrested than dead, at least.
But how long before one became the other?
“Has he been harmed? What has she done to him?”
My grandfather’s mouth twisted, and he sighed. “He’s in the castle dungeons for now. A little roughed up, perhaps, but nothing he can’t handle.”
I glared at him, but his expression didn’t change, and I was the first to look away, sighing. I might not like it, but he was right. Alexander was tough.
“So how are we going to rescue him? What have you been planning?” I tried to focus on the problem and not on images of Alexander bruised and bloodied, lying on some pile of straw in the dark of a cell. Far away from the open sky and trees he loved. All for me.
The duke’s jaw tightened, and I narrowed my eyes. “You are making plans to rescue him, aren’t you?”
“It’s not exactly that simple. And you are my first priority. Now that you’re here…”
I stood to my feet, anger spilling out of me.
“No. Rescuing Alexander is our first priority.”
He made no move to stand himself, his hands reaching out in a placating gesture. “Once you are on the throne, in your rightful place, freeing him will be a simple matter.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “We are not taking that chance. The queen could decide to have him killed at any moment. After all, she was willing to kill me—her own stepdaughter.”
At that he did stand, his face nearly as angry as mine. “She is not the queen. You are the queen.”
I refused to back down, meeting his gaze without flinching. Fear for Alexander gave me courage where fear for myself had only leached it away.
“Then, as your queen, my orders are that rescuing Alexander is our number one priority. Starting right now. I would like to hear preliminary plans by the end of the day.”
A look almost of wonder crossed his face. Slowly he dropped onto one knee.
“Yes, my queen.” He looked up at me, the look of warmth from earlier returning as his voice dropped to a whisper. “You look just like her right now.”
It took all of my will power and training to keep my face stern and impassive.
“In the meantime, I would like the chance to wash and sleep,” I said.
He stood quickly to his feet. “Yes, of course. You are no doubt exhausted after…” He looked at me questioningly, but I didn’t feel the need to enlighten him about where exactly I had been hiding.
He gave a wry smile but didn’t press me further. As he led me from the room, he spoke quietly over his shoulder.
“My servants are to be trusted, but I would still prefer not to advertise your presence more than necessary. Bronson has already directed my new housekeeper to prepare a room for you herself.”
I didn’t need to ask to know where he had sourced a new housekeeper. Hopefully his own steward and housekeeper had been left behind in Lestern and weren’t feeling threatened by the new arrivals.
“So Alexander brought my notes to you,” I said as we walked.
The duke nodded once. “He believed that I would have the necessary connections and acumen to contact them safely.” He glanced at me briefly. “And he was right.”
I clenched my teeth, upset not that Alexander had shown the good sense to involve my grandfather, but that he hadn’t spoken to me about it. Had it been his plan all along? At least it explained why he had been so reticent with information on his final visit, slipping away without giving me a proper update. Our little plan hadn’t been relying on only the two of us, after all. And clearly he had been reluctant to tell me the truth of his activities.
But reluctant because he feared I would disapprove, my prejudice against my mother’s father too great to allow me to see good sense? Or merely because he had feared to wound me by bringing up the grandfather who had never loved me?
I gave an internal sigh. And there was my answer. I might doubt myself, but Alexander had always acted only out of care for me.
“Your list was sound,” my grandfather said, as if wishing to reassure me. Not that he understood the reason for my crestfallen state. “And happily I have been able to add some names to it. I believe your disappearance panicked Alida. She has been making hasty decisions, and we have reaped the benefits.”
I looked at him questioningly.
“She has raised taxes and demanded excessive displays of loyalty from the court.” He raised one sardonic eyebrow. “Expensive displays. And she has limited freedom of movement among the populace.”
“Even for the nobles?” Surely she could not be so foolish.
He shook his head. “Not yet. It has mainly been her own ser
vants, and to a more limited extent the citizens of the capital. But your court isn’t foolish.” He gave a harsh laugh. “Or not all of them, anyway. They can see which way the wind is blowing. How long before she extends her decrees and restrictions? It is no way to rule, and even your father would never have countenanced such actions against his own people.”
I hissed in a breath at his derisive mention of my father, and the duke looked quickly away. A heavy silence fell between us as we climbed yet another flight of stairs. He stopped in front of a plain door.
“Blanche.” He quickly corrected himself. “Snow, I mean. I didn’t intend to suggest—”
I shook my head and brushed past him, opening the door for myself. It had been a long night, and I didn’t intend to discuss my father with my grandfather. Not right now, anyway.
He put out a hand to prevent the door closing. “I apologize for the room. You should have the grandest suite, of course. But as I said…”
I sighed, staring pointedly at his hand. “It doesn’t matter. None of that matters in this situation.”
He hurriedly removed his hand from the door, but a sudden thought made me stop before closing it.
“These nobles—the ones you say will support my claim. I want to meet them for myself. Look them in the eye.” I didn’t pause for his opinion. “You’ll arrange it?”
He held my gaze, a look in his eye that might have been approval, before nodding once. I started to close the door only to pause again.
“And don’t forget Alexander. I want a plan by this evening.”
I didn’t even look for his nod before thrusting the door closed. When I turned, the housekeeper herself was waiting for me, a joyful look on her face.
“Your Highness! I’m that pleased.”
I managed a weak smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Preston.”
She bustled about, assisting me as if she were one of my maids or a lady-in-waiting. Now that I finally found myself in a safe place, I could barely muster the energy to lift my arms to assist her in removing my gown. And as I sank into bed, I had to admit that while I felt too many conflicted feelings about my grandfather to even name them all, there was one feeling I couldn’t deny—relief at having someone to share my burden. Someone older and more experienced to carry the load and do what needed to be done.
See—weak, said my inner voice. Weak, as always. But I was too tired to pay much attention, sleep already reaching out to claim me.
When I woke that afternoon, it took me a second to remember where I was. And then a second more to believe it. As I had crept through the forest toward the capital, I would have more easily believed that my next sleep would be in the castle dungeons than in a guest room of my grandfather’s home.
But that thought promptly reminded me of who had been spending his nights in the dungeons, and I hurried out of bed. Bearing in mind my grandfather’s warning, I didn’t make use of the bell pull to call for a maid. Instead I washed in the basin and pitcher left out for me and began to struggle into the simple dress I had brought with me.
When the door suddenly opened, I froze half-way through the process, caught in an awkward pose. But only Mrs. Preston came through, carrying a tray laden with food. As soon as she saw me she put it down and rushed over, tutting and protesting as she did so.
“You cannot wear that old thing, Your Majesty!”
I noted that sometime between last night and this morning her familiar old address for me had changed. Was my grandfather responsible?
She soon had the dress back off and had opened a large wardrobe. Somehow my grandfather had managed to have it stocked with elegant and expensive gowns fit for a queen. Presumably while I slept, since I couldn’t imagine they usually lived there. I looked at them with some misgiving. How much was I to be indebted to him when I still didn’t know what had caused his about-face toward me?
But only a moment’s reflection reminded me of the task I had set him. Did the presence of these dresses mean he had already arranged a meeting for me with the other loyal nobles? Just the thought made me submit unprotesting to being dressed in an elaborate gown of deep royal purple embellished with golden embroidery. If I wished to win over my court, I needed to look the part of a queen.
Mrs. Preston hovered over me as I ate and then hurried me through the house back to the same sitting room as the night before. I wasn’t in the least surprised to find my grandfather already there awaiting me. The sight of him sent a strange mix of resentment and relief coursing through me, leading my stomach to riot against the food I had just filled it with. I took a deep breath and pushed it back down into place. Now was hardly the moment to be sick.
“Grandfather.” I gave a regal inclination of the head in response to his formal bow.
He surveyed me with pleasure. “I’m glad to see we had your measurements correct.”
The dress wasn’t a perfect fit, but it was close enough that I didn’t challenge his words.
“I have been wondering how you managed such a thing.”
He smiled. “As you may have noticed, I have been fortunate enough to expand my staff of late. And one of my new acquisitions is a skilled seamstress recently departed from the palace. An excellent woman, I am told, who knew your measurements by heart. She has been hard at work ever since she arrived many weeks ago.” He gave me another bow. “An act of faith, you might say, that I would have the opportunity to host my queen.”
I shook my head. It seemed he thought of everything. And that explained the fit. My adventures in the forest had made their presence felt in my body, bringing subtle changes to my shape. I would have to search out this seamstress and get her to adjust the gowns.
I opened my mouth to ask about Alexander, but the duke cut me off.
“I have done as you commanded.”
I looked at him eagerly, but his next words deflated me somewhat.
“We are to host a small party here this evening. A select gathering of like-minded members of the court. And even a few of the city’s more wealthy and influential merchants.” He looked at me with a knowing look. “No dancing, you understand. Just an evening of music and conversation. By invitation only, naturally.”
He worked fast, I would give him that. And his ability to arrange such a thing at this short notice said much in support of his earlier words about his own power and influence. I studied his face. My father had often spoken with me of his thoughts and observations on the members of the court—with one notable exception. A glaring omission in my understanding of the nobility of Eliam.
“So tell me, Grandfather, how you can act against the queen with such impunity, while the rest of the court cowers in fear.”
He looked over at me with raised brows. “I have not gone so far as to actively oppose her, you understand. Although she no doubt suspects—or even knows—that I stand against her.” He paused. “There’s a reason your father married your mother. And it wasn’t just because she was so beautiful and loved by everyone who met her.”
A wistful expression crossed his face before it turned business-like again. “My estate is the largest in the kingdom, and the oldest. Our family is well-connected and well-respected.” He smiled, showing his teeth. “And we are extremely wealthy.”
He shook his head. “And I have one other advantage as well.”
“Oh?” I cocked an eyebrow at him, amused by his calm summary of his strengths.
“I’m not a sixteen-year-old girl living in the queen’s own home.” Something like anger flashed in his eyes. “I’m old and wily, and I come with a great many servants—and, more importantly—guards. If she wishes to move against me, she could not hide her intentions. It would have to be a show of force. And she seems to retain enough sense to know that if she did such a thing, the entire court would turn against her. At the moment their fear keeps many of them in check. But if she showed herself so willing to act against the court itself, their fear would propel them in a different direction.”
He shook his head. “My deat
h at her hands would probably be the single most effective thing I could do for your cause.” He gave a wry smile. “But I’m afraid I’m not quite altruistic enough to hope for such an eventuality.”
“No, indeed.” I shivered. Whatever I felt for my grandfather, I didn’t wish for Alida to have him killed. “Thank you for organizing the meeting so promptly.” The words tasted a little bitter in my mouth, but I forced them out anyway.
He smiled. “It was my pleasure.”
I drew a deep breath. “And Alexander? You have plans for his escape?”
“Ah.” His smile fell away. “That is not such an easy matter.”
“No, I did not suppose it was.” I met his gaze steadily, letting him read the resolution in my eyes. When it came to Alexander, at least, I had no doubts and no hesitation.
He sighed. “A direct assault is naturally out of the question at this point.”
I inclined my head. “Naturally.”
“Which means we must attempt to get both in and out of the dungeons without detection. And we must bear in mind that we don’t know what state your huntsman will be in.”
My heart seized at his words, and I tried to pour extra steel into my expression. I would not leave my oldest friend and most loyal subject to the queen’s mercy for a moment longer than necessary. And your love, reminded my inner voice. Don’t forget that. I pushed the thought away. Even if I was not in love with Alexander, he would still deserve better than to be left in captivity until we had managed to free the entire kingdom.
My grandfather sighed again. “One of the guards who takes regular shifts on one of the side gates is open to receiving a bribe. I have dispatched someone to discover when he next has night duty. I believe a team of three will be the right size for the job from there.”
“Excellent.” I nodded once. “There will be four of us then, since naturally I will be one of the party as well.”
Chapter 16
My grandfather might claim me as his queen, but that didn’t mean he would allow such a pronouncement to stand without argument. A great deal of argument. In fact, we were still arguing about it when the first guests of the evening arrived at the front door of the ducal mansion.
A Dream of Ebony and White: A Retelling of Snow White (Beyond the Four Kingdoms Book 4) Page 13
