Patting down her stylish, short blond hair, Carriena snorted. “Well, I didn’t exactly expect you to be here.” Her lilac eyes narrowed, and she looked the spitting image of her formidable father. “What in the Virtues are you doing at Galensmore?”
Jax ushered Carriena out of the entrance hall and into the parlor. “It’s a bit of a long story, I’m afraid.”
Dropping her saddlebags with a thunk, Carriena plopped down on one of the longue chairs, a scowl eclipsing her sharply attractive features. “Well, I’ve got nothing but time since the Academy’s been shut down until further notice.”
Jax clutched the back of an arm chair for support. “What? Why?”
Founded shortly after the Rebirth and the establishment of the Realm of Virtues, the Academy had enlightened scholars for centuries with its extensive curriculum. She’d never known a time in history when it had closed its doors.
Carriena’s confident persona faltered for the first time since she’d breezed into the manor. “It seems that not every academic is as open-minded as we might have hoped they’d be.” Seeing Jax’s confusion, she continued. “Saphire’s new social philosophies have caused tensions among the scholars, both professors and students alike. Particularly those from Savant or Beautraud. In the past month alone, I’ve had to intervene in several physical altercations. The ‘Freedom Seekers,’ as your supporters have begun calling themselves, are at odds with the traditionalists, and instead of academic discourse, everyone is resorting to violence.”
Jax’s heart constricted, and she reached for her chest. “Virtues. I never—”
Carriena held up a hand to silence her friend. “This isn’t your doing. These Freedom Seekers are following their own agenda, and the traditionalists are not blameless. A fair share of fights have been started by their hand or harsh words.” She tilted her head back and leaned into a pillow. “The headmaster decided the school was no longer a conducive environment for learning, what with all the turmoil and disruptions. He’s suspended the term until the realm has worked itself out of this messy state.”
Jax sank onto the foot of Carriena’s longue chair, her head in her hands. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
Carriena gripped the Duchess’s shoulder, pulling her upright. “I’m sorry that even our realm’s brightest minds are still stuck in the dark. While I might not agree with their tactics, I’ve listened to the Freedom Seekers speak. The oppressive restrictions on those who are common-born are not right or fair. Despite the obstacles in the way, I truly believe you have forced the Realm of Virtues down the right path. You shouldn’t feel sorry for that.”
Jax clasped Carriena’s hand and gave it a grateful squeeze. “Thank you. It’s good to hear you’re on my side.”
“Always.” Carriena grinned. “Now, what are you doing in my new home?”
Laughing at the former princess’s abrupt change of subject, Jax shook her head in wonderment. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Well, last you’d written,” Carriena began, “you were lamenting about how you and Perry never even had time for a romantic getaway before Savant and Beautraud started giving you problems about the Isla DeLacqua purchase.”
With that as her cue, Jax rehashed the past few months for Carriena, giving her a quick rundown of her departure from Saphire for Kwatalar, her tumultuous stay at Ogdam Oasis, then the events that had transpired in Pettraud. As she rounded out her numerous woes by detailing Raulph’s attack, she wondered if this was the first time in her life Carriena Brunovaris had ever been rendered speechless.
“So, I’ve just been a bit busy,” she concluded.
Jax’s flippant remark forced Carriena out of her silent shock with a chuckle. “I’ll say.” She paused, moving closer to her friend. “How are you holding up, dealing with all this? Letting Perry go off on his own…that couldn’t have been easy.”
Leave it to Carriena to dive right into the source of her greatest worries. “I know he’s matured since I first met him...”
Carriena’s lips pursed into a frown. “You know, you can still love Perry with all your heart, yet believe he’s not cut out to be a Duke.”
Jax’s withering gaze would have silenced anyone else, but Carriena pushed on. “Take it from someone who knows what it takes to rule a nation…and not wanting that burden.” Her expression softened. “I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for freeing me from a future I never wanted. I’ve been happier at the Academy these past few months than I ever was as Crown Princess.”
Jax’s anger calmed as she listened to her friend’s earnest words.
“I spent my entire life preparing for a role I was forced into, simply because of my bloodline,” Carriena continued. “I didn’t think it an honor or a duty, like you did, Jax. I thought it was a prison sentence.” Her lilac gaze flashed with vibrant intensity. “What kind of leader would I have made with a mindset like that? The people of Isla DeLacqua deserved better, and I’m glad you were the one to save them.”
Jax wiped away a few stray tears that had sprung from her friend’s regal eyes. “I’m sorry you suffered for so long.”
Carriena’s expression darkened. “When I heard the Freedom Seekers speak about how the common-born people of the realm have suffered, it really put everything into perspective. I spent so long feeling sorry for myself, thinking ‘woe is me’, when there have been much greater problems facing the world.” Grabbing a fistful of her traveling gown, her knuckles whitened with hot rage. “And now to learn your life has been threatened because you simply want to make the world a fair and just place for everyone?” A low growl edged from her throat. “If I had known, I would have throttled Duke Savant myself during his visit to the Academy.”
Ice flooded Jax’s veins. “When was this?”
Carriena’s gaze lifted to the ceiling as she counted back. “Well, I suppose this was almost two months ago now, probably around the time you were preparing to travel to Kwatalar.”
Jax stroked her chin in thought. “Do you know why he was there?”
Carriena’s forehead wrinkled in concentration. “He’d come to visit the library. Something about wanting to review the Academy’s collection on the Rebirth.”
Jax contemplated the Duke’s actions for a moment before voicing the theory rolling around in her mind. “I don’t recall the Academy having many texts from that time period.”
Carriena shook her head. “Certainly not as many as the head librarian would like.” She scanned her friend’s face. “What are you thinking?”
Jax drummed her fingers on the edge of the chair cushion. “I think the Duke went to the Academy’s archives to see if there was any mention of maulroot and its connection to the Duchy of Savant.”
“Maulroot?” Carriena scrunched her nose. “Oh, you mentioned that before. It was the poison used in the chocolates at the Oasis, right?”
Jax nodded. “The only reason we were able to determine its origin was through an old Ancient Faith tome our hostess had in her library. The Ancient Faith priests used maulroot to poison the rebel forces. When the Faith was eventually overthrown, the Children of the Virtues decided to eradicate the deadly plant.” Jax held up a finger. “Save for one specimen that resides in the private ducal gardens in Savant.”
Carriena’s eyes widened. “I bet the Duke came to the Academy to check to see if we had any texts referencing the maulroot and its history.”
“That’s what I’m thinking as well.” Jax cupped her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think it was ever Duchess Tandora’s intention to have her assassination plot traced back to the three sovereigns. Even if it had been successful, my allies wouldn’t have stood idly by and let my death go unavenged.”
Shuddering, Carriena rubbed her arms. “Good grief, Jax. How you can talk about such morbid things with ease…again, it’s a good thing I’ll never become a Duchess.”
Turning her face away from Carriena to conceal her rolling eyes, Jax stifled a small sigh. When woul
d her friends realize she didn’t take these things lightly? She was just better at hiding her terror beneath her royal mask. “If you truly believe that,” Jax said, finally meeting Carriena’s gaze, “why have you been ignoring your father since the acquisition took place?”
Sticking her tongue out, Carriena rose from the lounger and meandered over to one of the windows facing the sprawling grounds. “He spent my entire life admonishing me for my faults. He said I should be proud to take the throne, what a great responsibility it was, our family’s legacy. Yet, the entire time, he never listened to his own advice and nearly ran the duchy into the ground.” Her scowling reflection haunted Jax. “Why should I forgive him for belittling me and my dreams my entire life?”
Jax stood and moved to her friend’s side. “I know it might not seem fair, but have you ever considered your father treated you the way he did simply because he believed in you?”
Carriena grunted.
“He believed you could be the ruler Isla DeLacqua needed, the kind of ruler Isla DeLacqua deserved.” Jax wrapped an arm around Carriena’s slender shoulders. “He wanted you to be the kind of leader he could not, to pull his legacy out of the darkness and into the light.”
Carriena shirked away her embrace. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“I believe Jacqueline has a point.”
Both women turned toward the doorway, where Thanasis Brunovaris stood in the shadows of the threshold.
Carriena’s cheeks blossomed red, and Jax felt her stiffen beside her. “Hello, Father.”
Jax didn’t need her problem-solving skills to know she should leave. “I shall give you two some time to talk.” Retreating from the room, she tossed one last glance over her shoulder. “Uma, Vita, and I are planning a picnic and some lawn games out in the back garden, should you like to join us,” she said, including both father and daughter in the invitation.
Once she’d retreated into the main hall, Jax followed the murmuring voices coming from the kitchen, finding Uma and Ellamae piling a variety of foods into a large wicker basket.
“We’re only planning to be outside for a few hours, aren’t we?” Jax laughed as she assessed the copious types of cheeses, pies, fruits, and breads littering the basket.
Uma shrugged. “Well, if we really want to round up some of the handsome guardsmen for our entertainment, I figured it would be best to entice them with food.” Uma’s face flushed at her bold remark.
“Well, then, by all means,” Jax said, grabbing a link of smoked sausages and tossing them into the basket, “fill it to the brim.”
Happy that her lady-in-waiting had found a way to divert her heart from Hendrie’s indifference, Jax left Ellamae and Uma to put the final touches on the picnic. “I want to stop by George’s room and check in on him. I’ll meet you outside in just a few minutes.”
‡
Jax tapped her knuckles against the polished wood before entering the chamber. The air inside had cooled substantially back to normal temperatures, partly due to the open window letting in a fresh late-morning breeze. The curtains had all been pulled back, allowing as much light in as possible, banishing any shadows from view.
Her amethyst gaze rested on George’s figure, propped up by pillows in the middle of the canopied bed. As miserable as he looked in confinement, seeing that he’d followed orders alleviated the tension in her neck.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, gliding over to his bedside.
George’s steely gaze softened at her concern, but annoyance still masked his features. “I’m fine. Just like I was last night, yet I’m still not allowed to leave this blasted mattress.” His eyes narrowed at Charles, who sat on the opposite side of the bed from where Jax stood.
Charles simply chuckled. “I fear the Captain is getting tired of following orders.”
“Imagine how his soldiers must feel,” Sabine chirped from a corner of the room. She stood in front of a bookshelf, as if she’d been interrupted from making a reading selection.
Jax’s lip curled at the jest. “Have you decided to join us outside after all, Sabine?”
“Oh, no,” Sabine said, her back now turned as she surveyed the bookshelf. “Charles was just telling me he’s never read the poems by Irinachold, even though many of his father’s plays are based off of them.” Sabine’s disappointment was evident in the slump of her shoulders. “I thought I might find a copy somewhere in this house, but no luck.”
“My father wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of poetry, I’m afraid.” Jax flashed the woman an apologetic smile. “But if you have any interest in reading some of the war epics written about my ancestor, Allonious Xavier, then the downstairs library can surely be of help.”
Sabine flopped down in the rocking chair nestled beside Charles. “No, that’s all right.”
Jax gently lowered her hips to the bed, careful not to disturb George’s still-healing body. “Our unexpected visitor turned out to be Lady Carriena.”
George’s face registered confusion and shock. “Wha-what unexpected visitor?”
Jax’s gaze darted to an ashen Sabine. “You didn’t tell him?”
The young woman bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. It’s just, when I arrived, Charles had just gotten George to accept he was in for another day of bed rest. I didn’t think it would help his recovery…”
“That is not for you to decide, Sabine.” George’s admonishing tone was much harsher than required, even in Jax’s opinion. After all, even if the visitor had come for nefarious purposes, there was nothing George could do in his current state. Perhaps that’s where his anger is stemming from.
Jax saw no regrets in the Captain’s face as Sabine’s eyes watered.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, almost inaudibly.
Charles patted her hand, while giving George a punitive stare. “She thought she was acting in your best interests, Captain. May I remind you that there are plenty of other guardsmen here to protect the Duchess. You are not the only one required to put your life on the line for her.”
Stunned silence followed as Jax and George exchanged dubious looks. Never in all the years she’d known him had Charles Montivarius spoken out so forcefully.
Whatever had come over the physician seemed to falter as his face reddened. “What I meant to say was,” his golden gaze dropped to his lap, “that your injuries are still far too great for you to take physical action against any type of threat.”
George’s fists tightened on the sheets, and Jax jumped in to defuse the situation. “And it’s all water under the bridge, because there was no threat to begin with. Carriena has just come home from the Academy.”
“This early in the year?” Charles’s forehead wrinkled, as he’d recently graduated from the Academy himself. “The term doesn’t end for another month or so.”
Jax bowed her head. “I’m afraid the headmaster shut down the Academy due to unrest among the scholars. It seems my dispute with Savant and his allies has filtered down into the world of academia.”
A calculated expression settled over George’s features. “Word is spreading.”
“Unrest?” Charles scratched at his wispy blond hair. “That hardly seems befitting for Academy scholars.”
Jax smirked at the veiled stereotype. “Many of the people who attend the Academy may be enlightened, but most are noble born. If they feel their way of life is being threatened, who knows how they might lash out.” She glided over to one of the windows, relishing the fresh air washing over her. “If anything, I’m heartened to hear about these Freedom Seekers, promoting my vision for equality, although I don’t condone their tendency to engage in discourse through the clashing of fists.”
“With the Academy closed, did Carriena mention where these Freedom Seekers would go?” George asked, shifting against the swell of pillows surrounding him.
Jax shook her head. “She didn’t. I’ll see what more I can find out from her.” As much as she wanted to talk to George regarding Duke Savant
’s visit to the school’s archives, she decided to wait until they could speak in private. “Vita, Uma, and I will be heading outside for the day. Charles, Sabine, if either of you need a respite from your positions, please don’t hesitate to fetch me.” Her gaze rested on George’s brooding glare. “Captain, I’ll leave you to your recovery.”
Crossing his arms, George grunted his thrilled response.
Bidding Sabine and Charles a wordless farewell, Jax wandered downstairs in search of her friends, ready to forget all her burdens and relax in the sun.
Murmurs from the parlor signaled Carriena and her father were still deep in conversation. Giving the room a wide berth, Jax strolled down the hallway leading to the study and the small estate library. Sabine’s search for poems reminded her she needed a book of her own to preoccupy her thoughts while they lounged outside.
Extending her hand to pull back the library door, Jax found herself staring face-to-face with a wide-eyed Vita.
“Goodness, Duquessa, you nearly stopped my heart.” Vita’s hand flew to her throat as she calmed her breathing.
Jax laughed, shaking away her frayed nerves. “I had no idea the lawn games were kept in the library.”
With a tilt of her head, Vita frowned. “What?”
“Weren’t you gathering the croquet set for our afternoon outside?” Jax noticed her friend seemed a bit frazzled, and she had an odd feeling that it wasn’t merely from their near-collision.
Vita’s features relaxed. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I got a bit sidetracked.”
“How are your parents doing?” Jax moved past the young woman into the library and began to skim the titles. Indeed, most boasted something about Allonious Xavier’s life and deeds.
When Vita didn’t answer, save for a confused look, Jax turned to her and prompted her again. “Your letter from home?”
“Oh!” Her lady’s maid shook her head, as if admonishing herself for her foolishness. “Yes, they are quite well.” Her eyes misted over, revealing her homesickness. “The vineyard managed to turn a profit this summer, for the first time in a few seasons. And my eldest sister is…engaged to be married.” The words seemed to catch in Vita’s throat.
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