Chasing Shadows

by Ashley Townsend

  Her breath came out in a rush as the ground forced her hands against her diaphragm, and she flopped around awkwardly to free the squished and scraped appendages from under her body and relieve the pressure on her lungs. She glanced up sharply, fully expecting to be discovered by the guard and then promptly fired from her duties. However, the howling wind over the lip of the street had blessedly muffled her gaffe, and the guard continued down the street without a backward glance.

  Greatly relieved that her cover was still intact, she let out a shaky breath and used her scraped palms to straighten her skirt. She stood on quivering legs with a muffled groan, wishing she had landed on a patch of snow instead of the dry ground she had been praising a moment ago.

  Wary of making the same mistake twice, Sarah was careful to lift her skirts to keep her ripped hem from catching again as she continued to shadow the man. She followed stealthily behind him down the deserted street. Though he was still acting agitated, there was nothing that led her to believe he was involved in anything that might prove useful to Sarah’s investigation. She bit her lip, wondering if she was chasing shadows, wasting her time when answers lay elsewhere.

  The man slowed and then stopped before one of the smaller buildings, and Sarah quickly dove behind a rough-hewn porch before he spotted her. It didn’t fully cover her, but she had left enough distance between them that she hoped he wouldn’t notice her crouched against the wall or the tell-tell clouds of warm air leaving her parted lips.

  She poked her head up carefully and watched as the man took the steps and the stoop in one large stride, rapping twice on the door. After several long moments, during which Sarah wondered if the man’s knock would go unanswered, the door opened and a woman emerged from the darkened building. Sarah shifted slightly to have a better vantage point from her hiding place, removing her slipper from a small puddle of melted snow as she did so. The dark-haired woman turned toward her at that moment, and Sarah ducked her head to avoid being spotted by those familiar eyes.

  Jade.

  What business did a guard have with a prostitute? Sarah mused. She couldn’t help but feel that there was more to this visit than the obvious and peered over the porch again.

  The young man was speaking in low tones that Sarah couldn’t hear, though he appeared a little flustered in her presence. Jade watched him disinterestedly, choosing to remain silent as he filled in the quiet for them both. After having floundered with his words long enough, he at last reached into his coat pocket and produced a letter that he held out for her to take.

  Sarah stared at the missive, devoid of any markings except for a large blob of red wax that held it closed. Jade took the envelope with long fingers and glanced at it before nodding curtly to the man and shutting the door in his face.

  He appeared as surprised as Sarah at such an abrupt dismissal. He blinked, recovering quickly, and hopped back down the steps, moving toward her hiding spot. Sarah pressed her back against the corner of the porch and crouched as low as possible, though her thighs shook in her awkward position.

  As the young man’s shadow moved closer, she instinctively forced her body against the wall and watched with wide eyes as he came into her line of vision, moving past the porch. His pace was clipped and he didn’t glance around him as he hastened out of the street, completely ignorant of Sarah’s cramped body tucked into her hiding place.

  She remained in that uncomfortable position, watching his back until she lost sight of him in the crowd before standing slowly. Her legs felt numb, and she tried stepping from foot to foot to regain feeling. She would make a very poor stalker or P.I., since she couldn’t stay in one position for five minutes, but her quick thinking had kept her from being discovered, and she felt a small sense of satisfaction in that knowledge. Her spirits deflated when she remembered that she hadn’t actually discovered anything except that Jade was receiving personal notes from the castle. . . .

  The envelope!

  Sarah suddenly recalled the wax on the front of the missive. As she worked, she had seen the royal crest woven into tapestries and ingrained in pieces of wood around the castle enough times that she could draw it from memory: A warriors sword with an intricately woven, ornamental handle hovered vertically over the center of the royal crown, reaching from top to bottom of the crest. The small figure of a lion, crouched in the attack position, teeth bared in a roar, was set just to the right of the scene. Although she hadn’t gotten a good look at the design in the wax of Jade’s letter, she had seen enough to bet her soggy left shoe that there were similarities.

  Excitement and anticipation moved through her veins, though it took her feet a full minute of awkward hopping to regain enough feeling for her to sneak down the empty street up to Jade’s stoop. It was hardly likely that she would discover anything—the guard hadn’t dropped any clues when he was there—but Sarah couldn’t possibly let the opportunity to snoop pass.

  She scanned the snow for any sign of a clue or anything out of the ordinary, and when that proved fruitless, she used her bare hands to sift through the white powder. She was so intent on her task and the deranged hope that she might actually find something that she didn’t hear the door above her open.

  “May I help you with something?”

  Sarah jumped at the note of amusement in the woman’s voice. She straightened and saw Jade smiling at her, almost condescendingly, and then watched as the woman’s face took on a look of recognition.

  “You were with William the other day.”

  The statement caught Sarah off-guard. Their encounter had been so brief, with Jade pointedly ignoring her throughout the entire thing, and Sarah hadn’t expected to be recognized so easily. Then again, from her tone of voice it sounded like Sarah’s presence that day wasn’t as important as the fact that she had been with Will. Though Jade’s eyes didn’t move, Sarah felt like she was being assessed and dismissed in one brief glance, and her defenses rose in response.

  “I was.” Sarah’s tone was casual but guarded. She didn’t volunteer any more information and simply returned the steady gaze directed at her.

  Jade arched one of her perfectly manicured brows at the unspoken challenge, and her painted lips spread into a supercilious smile. It was the same one she had given Sarah the other day, and she wondered briefly if Jade reserved the expression specifically for her to make her feel insignificant, or if she was just fortunate enough to be around when the woman felt the need to belittle someone.

  “You must forgive my lack of manners that day,” Jade said, sounding cavalier as she flicked her thin fingers in the air as if to dismiss the entire event. “I was simply surprised to see the two of you standing together. You see, I am so used to him coming alone.” Sarah could tell her apology was insincere and had been about to excuse herself from the woman’s presence until she caught those last words. Though she knew they were carefully chosen to do the most damage, she couldn’t help the defensive anger for Will that rose up in her chest.

  Sarah tried to maintain her calm, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from narrowing at the dark-haired woman. “I seriously doubt that. Will’s too honorable and too much of a gentleman.” Praising Will’s character helped to alleviate those unwelcome doubts that had crept into her mind at Jade’s words. Sarah squared her shoulders, speaking with more confidence this time. “He would never.”

  Jade tipped her head to the side and studied her, her expression almost pitying, as though she disliked being the bearer of bad news. “Wouldn’t he, pet? Do you really know your friend so well?”

  For some reason, Jade’s immediate assumption that they were only friends rubbed Sarah the wrong way. She knew everything that the older woman said was an intentional stab meant to inflict damage, but Sarah still chaffed at the insinuation that she and Will could never be more than friends, and that he and Jade had been something . . . more.

  The jab hit its mark and stirred up old doubts that Sarah thought were long ago buried. And the fact that Jade could make her question Will
’s honor with a few carefully selected words sickened her.

  Sarah raised her chin defiantly. She resisted the urge to remove the pendant that was neatly tucked inside her dress and shove it in the arrogant woman’s face as proof of her and Will’s bond. But she wouldn’t give this woman the satisfaction of thinking that she had rattled her—more than she had. “I think I know him better than almost anyone.”

  Jade’s dark eyes sparkled wickedly like a cat that had just cornered its prey. “You just might. After all, you were the one who spent so much time with him this past summer.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully with a perfectly rounded nail. “Or perhaps that was another child.”

  Sarah couldn’t keep the surprise from her face, too shocked to register the insult to her age. “How do you know about that?”

  A laugh emerged from Jade’s lips. “Oh, pet. You would be shocked at the things I am privy to through my customers. But I would have to be deaf not to have known the stir you two caused when he carried you into his livery during that storm, and then you didn’t emerge until late in the day.” She clicked her tongue. “Well, people began to speculate, my dear.”

  Sarah hated that complete strangers were questioning both her and Will’s character, and she felt ill over the fact that he had been forced to live with the disapproving looks and whispered rumors, while she had been complaining about packing for her dorm. She hadn’t realized it was so bad when she left.

  Jade was watching her face closely. Her deceptively gentle expression couldn’t hide the satisfied gleam in her eyes. “And then you left him broken-hearted soon after, did you not? Men do strange things when they feel abandoned.” The comment hit hard.

  “That’s ridiculous.” Sarah tried to muster as much assurance in her expression and voice as possible, but the uncertainty and guilt were surely written on her face.

  “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you simply ask him?” Her gaze swept over the cloak Sarah wore. Did she recognize it as the one Will had been wearing yesterday? Then her dark brown eyes lowered to the torn hem of Sarah’s black dress, and she clicked her tongue in compassion. “You should fix that before you see him. Keep in mind, pet, he’s still a man, and looks are important.” She dipped her head cordially, a small smile on her full red lips. Then she stepped backwards over the threshold into the shadows of her home and closed the door in Sarah’s face with one final, meaningful look.

  ~Chapter 13~

  Sarah stared at the peeling wood, feeling every last one of the unpleasant woman’s words sink in. None of it was true; she knew that.

  She staggered backward a step and then took off down the street, completely ignorant to her surroundings. She couldn’t stop the doubt and fear that coiled around her like a malignant disease, clouding her vision until all she could see was her own questions and worries as she stumbled blindly out into the open, fists clenched in anger at Jade and over her own easily swayed faith.

  She felt ridiculous for doubting Will’s character, since he would never question her morals. In reality they had only spent a week together, yet she felt like she knew his character better than anyone. Jade’s comment about that being true sent her mind racing almost against her will. People who had known Will for most of his life were quick to judge him when he had simply been helping a stranger out of the rain. Was there a foundation for their immediate condemnation, a reason for them to doubt his motives?

  Their opinions and Jade’s carefully selected words shouldn’t have mattered to her. She told herself they didn’t, and her mind worked furiously to make her believe this and remove the niggling doubt.

  Standing at the edge of the rundown street, Sarah’s eyes grazed over the busy square, unseeing, as she tried to process the lies she had just been fed. Jade was obviously in love with Will, or at the very least marking her territory and letting Sarah know he was off limits. The lies were just a pathetic attempt to scare Sarah away. Well, it wasn’t going to work.

  Unmoving, Sarah glanced at those milling about. It appeared most of the townsfolk had come out of their homes to wander the square today. Were these some of the faces who were spreading rumors and joining in the gossip? She wondered if any of them recognized her as the girl with whom Will presumably had a secret rendezvous, but no one stopped and stared or even turned their head to look at her. Sometimes being invisible had its benefits.

  Taking a deep breath, she moved out into the traffic of the square, trying to blend in with the people around her and disappear into the crowd. She kept her face to the snowy ground as she walked across the street, her thoughts dominating her focus. Nervously, she toyed with the short end of the white sash that was tied around her bicep, causing each sleeve on her plain black dress to flare at her elbows.

  Someone jostled her from behind as they pushed their way through the sea of bodies. Sarah gasped and stumbled sideways into the path of a large horse and rider. The horse reared back at her sudden appearance, and she stared, wide-eyed, at the flailing hooves of the massive creature as it shrieked in protest. The rider tried to calm his frightened animal and then proceeded to shout obscenities at her. Sarah gaped at him, too startled to move, and felt rough hands grab her arm and pull her out of the man’s path.

  She looked up sharply to see a strange man pulling her alongside him. “Just keep moving,” he said lowly, jaw clenched.

  “Stupid wench!” the rider spat at her retreating form. Sarah gaped at him over her shoulder. It hadn’t even been her fault!

  She let the man guide her across the street with a firm grip on her elbow. “Never been called that before,” she said, trying to make light of the situation, but her voice quavered and her laugh sounded breathless to her own ears. The encounter had left her hands shaking.

  He brought her over to the produce vender’s space, and the gray-haired man hurried around his cart, wide-eyed. “I saw what happened. Are you all right, miss?”

  Her heartbeat began to return to normal, and Sarah nodded as her protector released her. “Thanks to him, that is.”

  “It was my honor to remove you from such profanity,” he replied.

  The vender clapped the frowning young man on the shoulder. “That was quick thinking, Richard.”

  “You should have heard the obscene things he said to her.” The man—Richard—looked appalled at the rider’s actions, glaring at the man’s retreating form.

  “Richard—”

  “Insolence like that is the reason why these people suffer,” he went on, as though no one had spoken. “Is a man supposed to stand by and watch such intolerant behavior? Dagwood, I am telling you, only a son of a whore would speak to a lady in such a manner. And in so public a place!” He clenched his fists. “Such slime should hardly be allowed to wander the street.”

  “Really, boy.” The vender looked meaningfully at Sarah, appearing embarrassed at the younger man’s vehemence.

  Richard swallowed, ceasing his tirade, and gave her an apologetic look. Sarah quickly snapped her mouth closed. “Forgive me. I have proven myself to be no better than that cad.”

  She had been surprised by the rider’s insults, but Richard seemed to have taken it personally. Her shock melted into a grin of amusement over his gallantry and obvious abhorrence of the rider’s behavior. “I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve heard worse. Not directed at me before, but still.” Pointedly hooking a thumb over her shoulder, she added, “Had a bit of a potty mouth, didn’t he?”

  Both men looked surprised, then the lines on old Dagwood’s weathered face stretched as he laughed. “You’re a resilient one, aren’t you?”

  Sarah glanced at Richard. His red-brown hair had been tousled in the wind, resting in short, tangled strands that he raked back from his broad forehead. Somewhere in his twenties, the deep furrow between his brows seemed out of place, and she was glad to see it lessen as his serious expression eased.

  “Thanks for the hand back there,” she said, her warring thoughts from earlier falling t
o the back of her mind.

  His golden-brown eyes softened, shoulders relaxing. “You looked like you had seen a ghost.”

  “Just not all that fond of horses,” Sarah admitted wryly.

  Richard’s frown returned. “Or obscene gentlemen. Despicable,” he spat.

  Sarah’s grin widened at his expression of consternation. “I think the boys where I come from could learn a thing or two from you.”

  Salt-and-pepper eyebrows rose on Dagwood’s forehead, and his jovial manner returned. His eyes lit with a spark of mischief as he leaned in closer to her and lowered his voice. “You just tell us when, and Richard and I can whip those lads into shape.”

  She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in her chest and escaped her lips. He grinned back, and even Richard smiled a little, although he looked surprised at their easy banter.

  Dagwood moved into the enclosure his carts created to finish filling her basket, saying over his shoulder, “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  “The butcher was out,” Richard replied. He toyed absentmindedly with the long chain around his neck, and Sarah could make out the faint outline of words on the back of the wooden pendant. “I’ll place your order later.”

  Dagwood shot a look behind him, his expression wry. “You appeared a tad worked up when you returned. Is everything all right?”

  Heaving a sigh, Richard subtly shot Sarah a look out of the corner of his eye. “Simply tired of the injustice around here.” He dropped the wooden pendant against his chest, and Sarah caught sight of the intricately pressed shape of an animal; it might have been an eagle or a lion—she couldn’t say for certain. But whatever it was, he had talent.

  Dagwood nodded as if he understood and turned back to his work. “Did you do that?” She waved a finger at the wooden figure.