Kingdom of Ash and Soot

by C. S. Johnson

  But a long, thoughtful moment later, I decided since Lady Penelope had the power to make me suffer, it would be best not to provoke her—especially when I was already tired from the past several hours of wardrobe demands. “I suppose that is true.”

  “Of course it is. Now, stay still. Do not cause my lovely seamstresses any duress. One more dress for today, a riding habit for later this week, and then we will be finished here.”

  I kept my groan to myself and prepared to feel another hours-long session of aches and stiffness as I was prodded and poked and measured.

  Watching her scribble notes on a small tablet of stationary, I realized Lady POW had yet to tell me anything specific about her special assignment—or why she was concerned with Dr. Artha’s death.

  “What is the stealth habit for, exactly?” I asked. “I can’t imagine I will need to wear this while I’m dancing and flirting outrageously out in Society.”

  “You’re so inquisitive, Eleanora.”

  “I wouldn’t be, if you would answer my questions.”

  Lady POW gave me a sly smirk. “True. I don’t know yet what this assignment will demand of you. I was not expecting you at all, and now that you are here, I feel as though I have our Dezda back.”

  Lady POW’s gaze moved across my face and over my messy curls. I saw her sadness, and I mourned for my mother’s loss once more. This time, it was not just for my own loss, however; I saw more than ever that her absence had removed me from an entire life I could have known, and one in which there were more people to embrace.

  “But,” Lady Penelope said, her voice snapping back to its professional tone, “luck favors the prepared. You might need such a suit if we need information or reconnaissance.”

  “You mean espionage?”

  “You would be surprised at how often the right information has saved lives,” Lady Penelope said. “It is easier to save lives with the right information than to simply take out threats.”

  I nodded. My only real experience with a threat seemed to be Alex, with his pretentious and licentious expressions. Kicking him and occasionally bloodying him up was simple, but then, he was really a simple villain.

  “Will we begin looking into Dr. Artha’s death?”

  “You will not be worried about that,” Lady Penelope said. “I will handle that. I have contacts sending me information. For your end of the mission, we will go out to shop and socialize. We will need to make arrangements to be invited to different houses and parties throughout the season.”

  “Dr. Artha’s death seems like a bigger concern,” I said. “Especially since he was your lead contact and he was murdered.”

  “You would do well to remember that murder is always a serious business. I will not involve you in this aspect of my mission, Eleanora. It is risky, even for an experienced spy.”

  “Dr. Artha was my father’s friend,” I said. “I remember him from when I was younger. If he was murdered, and there is something I can do, I should do it, should I not?”

  “That question is now mine to answer, both as your grandmother and your direct leader, and I have told you what you will do about it.”

  “But skipping around Society seems ... ” I searched for the right word, knowing that Lady POW would likely not care if I feared boredom or vanity, especially compared to the threat of murder. “Inefficient.”

  “It is actually very efficient, in terms of my inquiries. Remember, the Diets will be meeting again before the year is out,” Lady Penelope said. “We will need to keep the elites entertained to avoid suspicion. With my arrival, we will have plenty of it already. Especially since I will not be able to manipulate Cecilia into helping me as I had originally planned.”

  “Suspicion?” I frowned. “What are you talking about? There’s no need to worry about anyone being suspicious of us. Unless it’s possible you were lying about my father’s will?”

  Lady POW clapped her hands together. I had a feeling she was getting impatient herself, considering my previous concern for efficiency was marred by my own arguments. “You do not have to worry about Cecilia anymore, Eleanora. As I have said, you are free from her. You are under my protection now.”

  I stood there, wrapped in pins and measuring tape, wearing only my undergarments. I had to wonder if this was truly freedom, or if it was only a different kind of cage.

  But there was one thing I wanted to know for certain.

  “You had a message from Queen Victoria for Cecilia, but nothing for Ben or for me.”

  “Yes. When your mother moved out here, she married Dolf. He was almost bankrupt, and I bought the manor’s property, as I said before, in order to help them out. When she died, I largely left it to my man of affairs. He had years in between her letters, as he was inquiring if she wanted to buy the property back. She never seemed to have the money for it. When Queen Victoria requested my presence here, I came with the intent to befriend her and settle our accounts.”

  “You are not going to do that now.” There was no question behind my statement.

  “Heavens, no. Now I will see she suffers in any way I can imagine. And I will stay here, overseeing your entrance to Society and Benedict’s education. I will look for a new house in the city, but this one is suitable for now.”

  I felt my breath catch as I asked the question I had wanted to ask since she had revealed herself. “You really did not know about me or Ben, did you?”

  “I see your powers of observation and deduction are well-honed. This is to our benefit. Even if you will have nothing to do with the murder, you will need to pay close attention to what you see and observe as you go about your role,” Lady Penelope replied.

  She was right about my powers of observation. That was proven once more as I noticed she did not answer my question. “When did you find out about us?” I tried again.

  “It wasn’t me, initially. Amir was the one who found you.” She sighed. “When he saw you in town yesterday, he came rushing back to our hotel and told me he had discovered something of critical importance. I thought it was something related to the mission, but then ... ”

  Suddenly, I would have given almost anything to have been there, to see the look on Lady POW’s face, when Amir told her about me.

  “And Ben?” I asked.

  “You told me about Ben, just after I saw you myself for the first time.”

  “I remember that.”

  “Good. You will need to have a good memory,” Lady Penelope said, trying to switch topics.

  I did not let her. “Máma never wrote to you about me and Ben at all?”

  She shook her head.

  My throat was suddenly dry as I remembered meeting Amir. Briefly, I was torn between disgust at his thieving and my despondence over my mother’s secretiveness; it was hard to decide which one felt worse.

  “You mustn’t hold it against her,” Lady Penelope said. “Believe me, I could hold it against her enough for the two of us.”

  “Why did she—?”

  “Everyone has secrets, Eleanora.” Lady Penelope sat down at her small desk again, looking glum. “Everyone lies, everyone has secrets, and everyone has regrets. In the end, the truth cannot hide forever. But if you are to take your mother’s place in the Order, you must accept you may never know some things. You will spend your life searching for truth, but there is no guarantee you will find it.”

  “I will,” I insisted.

  Lady POW gave me a rueful look. “Careful. Your naïve illusions will get the better of you if you let them. Thankfully, you will be following my lead on this mission.”

  “But surely that doesn’t mean I will be running around and following your orders blindly?”

  She gave me a look, and I knew at once that Lady POW was expecting exactly that.

  I grimaced. “Really?”

  “You’ve followed Cecilia’s orders for years, from what the staff and others have told me,” Lady Penelope pointed out. “And I know you do your best to follow the teachings of the church.”

/>   “My faith in God is not blind, and neither is my fear of Cecilia’s wrath,” I argued.

  “True. But in regards to Lady Cecilia, I will say that you will need to unlearn what she has taught you. Being under another’s authority is not necessarily something to abhor. A bad master, yes. But not mastery itself. She is not to be feared.”

  “I know you have taken care of her for the meantime,” I said slowly, “but it might be a long time before I trust in it.”

  “And you have that right. But I would request you speed it up as much as possible. And not just for your own sake, but for your brother’s, too. It is clear she has managed to do more damage to him than you.”

  There was no denying she was right about that. “You are correct. But that does not mean I will follow your orders without explanation.”

  “I am the leader of the Order, Eleanora. It is your job to follow my orders, whether you know why or not. My goodness, do you want me to put a formal request, as though I was petitioning the House of Lords? I will never understand your generation’s comfort in bureaucracy.” She gave me an assessing gaze. “But ... ”

  “But what?”

  “But you and I must find a way to work together. So I will tell you this much. I was telling you the truth that I have been sent to Prague by the request of Queen Victoria. She wants to make sure this area is secure, especially with all the trouble she is facing in India right now.”

  As Amelia began to pull the newer set of sleeves off my arms, I asked, “What’s happening in India?”

  “Trouble,” Lady Penelope replied. “There are several in the government who are making an appeal to the queen to become their ruler.”

  “But India is on the other side of the world,” I said. “How would she be able to rule it from England?”

  “The same way she rules her other land holdings in the Americas and in Australia,” Lady Penelope said with a sharp smile. “By good and gracious force, and the goodwill of God.”

  I frowned. “I guess that’s quite an accomplishment. The Bohemians here cannot even rule themselves. The German Diet has been in power for so long. I do not know much about politics, but even I know their stalemates are legendary.”

  “Which is another reason why I have been asked to come,” Lady Penelope said. “There are always people who look for something to be discontent over, and there are always people who seek to make their discontent the government’s problem. The rule of law is precarious enough in this region, and the recent causes for alarm are particularly unsettling. If Prague was not experiencing an economic boom thanks to Bohemia’s coal industry, we would see much more of a political uprising.”

  “I guess if the death of Dr. Artha was enough to disrupt the country, it is something to be concerned about.”

  “It is not just his death. The other two similar deaths were members of the Upper House of the Lords, who had a lot of influence in the, the German-speaking Parliament of Bohemia and Austria. The representatives from Mlada and Beroun were killed, supposedly by Jews.”

  I frowned. The death of Dr. Artha, and the other deaths that Ferdy and Clavan discussed the other night suddenly seemed even more sad.

  A new thought struck me as I stood there. I have a reason to go and see Ferdy again!

  My body prickled with excitement as I cheered silently, while Lady POW paced around the room.

  “Of course, it is possible they are using the Jews as a scapegoat. Still, this is discomforting. There have been other deaths, too, where the Parliament members have likely been poisoned.”

  “Poison.” I shuddered. “That sounds awful.”

  “It is. Especially since the Order has identified the poison in question. It makes it look like the individual has had a heart attack. It is only hours afterward that the skin turns blue at the fingers.”

  “If it works so well, why did they kill Dr. Artha in the street?” I asked. “And the others, too?”

  “It is possible, though very unlikely, that the two Lords had a natural immunity to the poison,” Lady Penelope said. “Thus, a different means of disposal would be required.”

  “And Dr. Artha?”

  “We don’t know yet if he was killed by the same people. That is one thing we are looking at in this investigation. But reputation and representation, Eleanora. Just because something looks a certain way, doesn’t mean it is true. Once you see that, you begin to see everything else.”

  A small smile flitted to my lips as I recalled Ferdy’s similar observations. “I suppose you’re right, even though I have yet to see it.”

  “Then you must understand why this is too important for you to go about untested,” Lady Penelope said. “There is more than your comfort at risk, Eleanora.”

  I snorted. “It’s been years since I’ve had a life of comfort.”

  “Even in your life under your stepmother’s cruelty,” Lady Penelope said, “you have been sheltered from the world’s pain. Do not think pain only takes something away from you. You have experienced things being taken away, but you have also been given things as a result.”

  I suddenly felt very small, as the world around me grew and I shrank.

  In that moment, I did not know what was more overwhelming to me; the idea that my pain, as great as it was some days, was small compared to the world’s, or the idea that the world’s problems were much bigger and much more complex compared to mine.

  As if she sensed my displacement, Lady Penelope nodded prudently. “You have lived your life here, on the outskirts of Prague and across the Vltava. As you grow older, you see more of the world and its politics, its hypocrisy, and its illusions. The trick is not to allow it to drag you down.”

  I was uncomfortable with the bitterness in her voice, but it was not enough to stop me from seeing that, despite her cynicism, Lady POW was still determined to accomplish her goal. “Yes, Lady Penelope.”

  She gave me an approving look, no doubt at my humble tone. “Whatever our association comes to be, Eleanora, I will always be your grandmother, and I am very proud to have that title. When Eleanor died, I thought all was lost. And now I know that I was wrong. Of all things I could have been wrong about, I am very glad it was that.”

  Looking me up and down with a critical eye once more, she added, “Which is why I am going to tell you now that you will need to go on a diet and begin an exercise regime as we make our way into Prague’s Society. You are much too soft around your middle to be considered fashionable. The empress would be frightened if she ever met you in this state.”

  I groaned. “Empress Elisabeth is much too thin,” I said with a shudder. “I have heard the rumors that she has a thirteen-inch waist, and if my hips are good for birthing, I doubt I will ever have her proportions.”

  “If you are going to add to your stepmother’s comeuppance, we must make you a sensation, yes?”

  She must have expected me to nod or voice my agreement, but my accommodating disposition was gone. “A sensation is more feasible than a stick, Madame.”

  Lady POW chuckled. “Oh, Eleanora. You do remind me so much of Eleanor. You will be a legend among the town within a fortnight.”

  Pudgy hips and all, I thought with a smirk.

  *9*

  ◊

  Before long, I had the distinct feeling that if I was going to be a sensation in less than a fortnight, I was going to spend at least half that time deprived of sleep and food.

  “Come along, Eleanora,” Lady Penelope called. “We have several more appointments to keep yet.”

  “Surely you are jesting,” I muttered under my breath, as I hurried after Lady POW. We had just come from a milliner’s shop, and I was certain I had seen enough hats and bonnets and caps to last me a lifetime.

  I yawned as I caught up to my grandmother’s spritely steps and decided to be grateful we were at least out in the city. Lady Penelope had spent the previous evening drilling pure boredom into my flesh in the form of etiquette review. I had been astonished to find whole books dedicated to d
iscussing how a lady should walk and laugh and fold her hands and a million other useless things.

  My mind felt so stuffed, I had several nightmares surrounding The Ladies’ Guide to Excellence and Etiquette, easily the most loquacious offender. I decided once I learned enough for Lady POW, I would burn that hideous book.

  “This has been a wonderful day for shopping, Eleanora.” Lady Penelope glanced around Prague’s crowded streets. I had to agree; there had been some snowfall over the past couple of days, preventing us from heading out for any significant errands, but today the sun was out, and the chill in the air added a shine to the whole city. “By the time we are finished here, all of Prague will know who you are and how much you are worth. No one will be able to resist talking about you.”

  “I hope it is not because you have paid them to do so,” I said as a coachman offered me his hand. I climbed up into the coach and settled in the cushions across from Lady POW, while another one loaded some of our new purchases into the back.

  “I guess this is the cover part of your plan?” I glanced outside, peeking through the silken coach curtains. As we passed by, heads turned, eyes widened, and mouths dropped.

  Lady POW chuckled as I buried my backside even more into the seat cushions. “You will need to get used to this, Eleanora,” she said. “You will need to command their attention, and not only keep it, but manipulate it to achieve your ends.”

  “I’ll go ahead and write that down.”

  Lady POW only nodded curtly at my supposed diligence before starting another lecture of some sort.

  Another reason to envy Ben, I thought. He was allowed to stay home in the shadows, while I was forced into the limelight. I did not get a chance to talk with him earlier, before Lady POW summoned me to try on my new walking dress, but I knew he was starting his own form of training with Harshad and Amir.

  At the thought of Lady POW’s associates—the sympathetic thief and the angry colleague—I decided not to envy Ben after all. Instead, I focused on my own good fortune.