by Lily Thomas
Adorra raised an eyebrow, “Thank you for the speech. Unfortunately, I do not think myself ready for finding another man. You will have to forgive me for not taking your advice.”
Isabel smiled, “I’m not saying you need to find another man, yet. I am only trying to tell you there will be others. There are always others.”
“I’m not you. I can't possibly do what you have been doing.”
Isabel shrugged unconcerned. “I was married off to an older man. He doesn't visit my bed often, so I have found myself some others to pass the time. There is no harm in that.”
“Ask your husband how he feels about other men in your bed.” Adorra glared at her, one true friend.
They were so different, and that was probably the one reason why they were so good together. Isabel challenged Adorra’s beliefs and views of the world around them. While Adorra had saved herself for marriage, Isabel had broadened her views without the restrictions of marriage.
“I am sure he has other women in his bed as well.” Isabel waved it off like it was just matter of fact.
Adorra's eyes widened in amazement. “Does it bother you at all?”
“Not in the least.” Isabel chuckled as she poured herself a cup of tea. “He is about thirty years my senior. Trust me. You will never miss anything by not marrying a man that old.” She smoothed out the skirts of her dress. “I can’t tell you the number of times he visited my bed, could get it to rise,” she lifted a finger and made a lifting motion with it, “and then blamed me for his shortcomings.”
“Lord Gothar hadn't any time to get old. His life was too short.” With the thought of Lord Gothar coming back to plague her, she felt her eyes grow moist. “Excuse me.” Adorra quickly vacated her seat by the window and left Isabel's company before she embarrassed herself with an audience.
Isabel had already done so much, like the night of Edmund’s murder. Adorra couldn’t possibly repay such kindness and felt bothered Isabel had seen her in such a vulnerable state.
She was well on her way to healing. The major factors affecting her now was the fact Lord Gothar had been killed right in front of her and the fact that their future had been cut so short.
The manor gardens ended up being her next refuge for hiding from Isabel and her alarming life stories that Adorra had no wish to hear. Adorra already had enough life stories of her own with her missing sister and dead family members.
“You can’t flee me that easily.” Isabel found her in the gardens, her pastel dress blending in with all the roses that were in bloom. “You need to talk to someone and let it out before it shreds you from the inside out.”
“There’ve been rumors.”
“What type of rumors?” Isabel slowly walked around the garden with Adorra following after.
“Rumors about Jasmine and despite my best efforts, I listened into those conversations.”
“What did they say?”
“The most common I’ve heard floating around is that maybe Jasmine had run off with a man, or she had been jealous of my impending wedding, or someone had kidnapped her.”
Isabel nodded her head. “People love to gossip, don’t they? And they don’t care who they hurt.”
Adorra knew that the only theory that might be true was that her sister had been kidnapped. With all her heart, Adorra knew Jasmine wouldn't have left her willingly. They were the only family they had left.
“Do you believe any of the rumors?”
“Maybe the kidnapping rumor, but if it was true why has there been no ransom? Surely, if someone had kidnapped her, then they would be contacting me for something at some point, and they must know I’d be willing to pay.” She’d made sure to spread the word that she would give anything to have her sister back.
Thinking back on the day that Jasmine had disappeared, Adorra did remember not seeing Keir for the whole day. Keir had always been around Lord Gothar since Keir had been his manservant. He was a puppy dog following at the heels of his owner, looking for a good praise or a tidbit thrown his way. For the whole day, Lord Gothar had acted like it wasn't unusual and had been able to explain it away. Yet Adorra wasn't so sure now.
Keir had, after all, disappeared after Lord Gothar's death as well. She knew he wasn't the killer though because he wouldn't have been tall or broad-shouldered enough… but it was strange. It could be a coincidence, and she had no proof of anything, but it was still there lingering in the back of her mind that Keir may have done something with Jasmine.
With a sigh, she glanced at the guards that had followed her and Isabel outside. This was not ideal. She was beginning to feel like a prisoner, constantly under a watchful eye.
“Will you tell me what is in the letter already?” Isabel asked desperately leaning over to get a peek at the writing.
A week had passed since their outing into the garden together, and Isabel had been right. Talking about all those horrible rumors with someone had gotten a bit of pressure off her chest, especially since Isabel had been a kind ear who always listened with rapt attention. She had a way of making people feel like they were the most important things in the land, and Adorra loved that about her friend.
Adorra frowned at the letter she held within her hand. “It is another marriage proposal.”
Tapping a finger against her chin, Isabel counted. “That would make, let’s see, two, no wait, that would be three marriage proposals this week.” Then she smiled. “And may I point out they are all from men that would make fantastic catches?”
“It's too early!” Adorra barked at the letter in her hand.
“Not for men. You are a catch with the money you have. Though Lord Gothar didn't have much to his name other than an older family title, but you have all that he had now and his title.” Isabel bit into a biscuit crumbs falling to the ground.
Adorra glanced back at the letter she had in a death grip. “I only just stopped wearing my mourning clothes. Can’t they wait until I give signs that I’m ready for suitors?”
“The moment you stopped wearing mourning clothes was the moment it was fine for them to court you.” Isabel put the rest of the biscuit down on her plate.
“So, if I still wore mourning clothes these letters would cease?” She glanced over at Isabel.
Isabel shook her head of brown curls. “The proper mourning time has passed. They would still send you letters, so don’t you dare think about wearing those god-awful black gowns.” Isabel visibly shivered in disgust. “I was never a fan of black.” She brushed a hand down her blue dress with love.
Adorra heaved a sigh. She wasn’t ready for this amount of attention.
“It’s fine to reject them, Adorra. No one would expect you to take any of them seriously. At least, not now. But at some point, your remarriage would be expected.” Isabel sipped some tea from her glass. “A woman in your position would need to remarry. You have enough money right now, but later on down the road?” Isabel shrugged.
Her two guards chose that moment to stride into the hall.
“Leave!” Adorra pointed a finger at them as she stood up from her seat. She was done with this. Enough was enough already.
They stopped, their eyes going wide at her outburst.
“I’m done being followed. No more!” She swiped her hand through the air. “If the killer wanted me dead, I would be dead by now. Be gone!”
They looked between themselves and then over at Isabel.
“Don’t you look at her!” Adorra dropped the latest marriage proposal and grabbed a letter she’d written. “Take this to our king.” She strode over to them and shoved the letter in one of the guard’s faces. They both just stood there staring at their feet. “I pay your wages, so if you wish to continue to be employed, you best hop to it.”
One of the guards snatched the letter out of her hand, and they both left quickly, tearing through the doors of the hall and into the courtyard. She didn’t enjoy threatening their lively hood, but she couldn’t take being watched for one more second.
“Finally. They’re gone.” Adorra felt some relief finally wash over her. Her shoulders sagged a bit as the stress of being watched left her.
“They were here to protect you,” Isabel said calmly from where she still sat. “Don’t take your displeasure out on them.”
Adorra raised a few fingertips to her forehead and rubbed her temple. “They were here because of my advisors. They were here to drive me insane. If the killer wanted me dead, I’d be long gone. He isn’t coming back for me.”
“You don’t know that for sure though, Adorra.” Isabel pierced her with hazel eyes.
“I do, Isabel.” She was growing weary of everyone acting like she was a delicate flower that’d been crushed. Yes, her petals were bruised after all the recent events, but all she’d needed was some time for her heart and mind to heal. “It’s time I take back the running of the manor and my life.”
Isabel nodded. “I agree with that. There is no way you can recover from all this unhappiness until you return to a normal life and get back into a rhythym.”
“Will you go back to court and give this letter to someone for me?” Adorra reached into a hidden pocket she’d sewn into the skirts of her dress, withdrew it, and handed it to Isabel.
“Yes.” Isabel reached out and took the letter from her with a couple of fingers. “Who should I give it to?” She asked as she noticed there was no name written on the outside of the parchment.
“My friend, Lady Alice Cheeseman.”
“I will give it to her the moment I arrive,” Isabel promised, and she knew she could trust Isabel. They’d been friends ever since they’d met at court… she was almost like a sister.
Adorra grasped Isabel’s hands. “Thank you.”
Isabel sighed. “I suppose it’s time for me to leave. My bags have been packed and loaded onto a carriage.”
“I’ll miss you, but this is the right thing to do. You need to head back to your life at court, and I need to continue mine.”
“Be sure to write me. I want to know you are well, and if at any moment you need me, I will come back. Or you can join me at court.” Isabel pinned her with her eyes. “I mean it. Your welcome at any moment.”
“I’m not ready for court yet.” Even the thought of court had her stomach rolling. “Those women have enough to gossip about without me adding to their fuel. They will only renew the scars that are finally scabbing over.” She might be healing, but she knew those ladies at court would dig in their claws and rip her apart for their own amusement to distract themselves from their own horrible lives.
“True.” Isabel agreed. “Then write me for now. Just let me know if there is anything else I can do.”
“I will and be sure to keep me informed about the war with the giants.” In the recent months, she hadn’t thought about it much. But now that she didn’t have a husband or a sister to worry about, it only left her to lose sleep about the giants.
Isabel grimaced. “So far, there is nothing cheerful to pass along, I’m afraid. War is so distasteful.” Isabel reached out and squeezed her hands a little before leaving the hall in a flutter of fashionable fabric. “Write me!” She called out.
Adorra breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Isabel outside and watched her friend hop into her carriage.
Finally.
She raised a hand and waved as Isabel’s carriage left with a clatter as the hooves of the horses beat against the cobbled courtyard. She had gotten rid of anyone who would coddle her, and it felt so good. If her heart was going to heal once and for all, then it needed time to work itself out without interruptions.
“A letter for you, m’lady.” A servant rushed up to Adorra as she sat at her desk by a window in her room.
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled fondly over at the other woman. “Thank you.” She reached out a hand and eagerly took the letter from the servant. Turning back to her desk, she read the name on the envelope, Lady Alice Cheeseman.
It’d been a couple of days since Isabel had left, and Adorra had begun to think the letter had never reached it’s intended destination. Thankfully, Isabel and Alice hadn’t let her down. And it warmed her heart.
Her fingers trembled as she slipped a finger between the parchment, breaking the wax seal with a small pop. She took another breath as she unfolded the paper and saw the writing on the parchment.
“It is good to hear from you again, Adorra. It has been too long indeed. I did as you asked and made inquiries here at court. No one seems to know where Lord Gothar’s manservant has gone. It appears he has disappeared.”
Adorra glanced up from the parchment in her hands. Disappointment soared through her at this revelation. Keir had gone into hiding after his lord’s death. She may have loved Edmund, but she never understood why he trusted Keir so much. She’d never trusted the snake, and his disappearance wasn’t helping his case.
She glanced back down at the parchment.
“From what I hear here at court, Keir was the type of man who sent shivers down women’s spines. I fear your suspicions could be correct from everything I’ve heard. If your sister did indeed disappear on the same day that Keir went missing, I can only assume the worst. I wish our letters were more cheerful, and I hope this will assist you with your search.”
Adorra sucked in a shaky breath. Then lifted the parchment over the candle sitting close by on her desk. She didn’t need people knowing she was looking into Keir. If he was around, she didn’t want it to reach his ears that she was coming after him.
He may not be the right man to fit the shoulder-doorway-breaking murderer of her husband, but he could be the possible source of her sister’s disappearance. At this point, Keir was the best lead she had, and she was determined to do her sister right by following the lead.
Chapter 5
Mathar bent over his kill. The large buck had one of the best racks he’d laid eyes on. He’d never found a ten point buck before, but he wasn’t only hunting for pleasure. This deer meat would be useful. He yanked out the arrow that had flown true and killed the buck instantly. It’d been the perfect hunt.
Unwrapping the rope from his saddle, Mathar strode over to the buck and tied the rope around the beast’s neck, then he tossed the end of the rope over, what appeared to be a sturdy tree branch and pulled the deer up. He grunted with the exertion as he slowly wrapped the rope around his arm as he tugged on it. The fibers of the rope dug into his skin.
Once he had it hanging, he walked over to the base of the tree. He kept the rope taut and tied it around the base of the tree. After a couple of quick knots, he had it secured.
Now he could get to skinning and harvesting the meat off the buck.
Removing a hunting knife from his pack, he strode over to the buck and wrapped a hand around one of its legs to hold it steady. He drove the knife into the buck and opened up the belly of the deer and began the careful task of removing the organs.
The sound of hooves beating against the cold ground had Mathar’s head shooting up, and he watched as a fellow ice giant rode through the snow, racing straight for him.
Slowly, he pulled away from his kill unsure why he was about to receive a visitor. It wasn’t usual for him to be interrupted during a hunting trip.
The man pulled up on the reins, his snorting horse throwing out its front legs as it stopped suddenly, snow flying everywhere. “King Dryden and queen Jasmine have requested your company in the castle gardens.”
Mathar glared at the ice giant in front of him. “Did they say why?” Did they know they were interrupting his day? His pleasant mood slowly waned as he realized he would have no choice but to cut his hunting short.
The servant shook his head.
“Did you even ask?”
“I would never presume”
Mathar waved a hand in the air, cutting off the servant. Of course, he wouldn’t feel comfortable questioning his king and queen. The man just took orders.
He gritted his teeth. Dryden and Jasmine usually left him alone after what he did
for them a few months ago. It didn’t bother him that they’d asked him to kill a man. Killing a man who deserved it, or didn’t, had never left a bad taste in Mathar’s mouth, but there was an unsettling feeling in his stomach about this summons. They would have a task for him, he was sure.
“Let the king and queen know I will be there as soon as I’m finished here.” They might be requesting his presence, but they would have to wait. Perhaps it was stupid of him, but he wasn’t scared of angering his king.
The man nodded, his white hair waving around his shoulders before he turned his prancing stallion around and raced back to the castle.
Mathar sighed as he turned back to his kill. In no time, he skinned the dear and harvested the meat. Once he had it all packed away in packs attached to his horse’s saddle, he discarded the carcass, leaving it for the wild animals to pick at. It would be an easy snack for them in this constant cold of the ice giant mountains.
Then he mounted up and rode for the castle. When a king called, people hopped to it. He might not be afraid of angering his king, but he wasn’t about to make Dryden wait any longer then he had to.
Within an hour, the dark stones of the castle came into view. It never ceased to amaze him how formidable the castle looked with the white and green backdrop of the surrounding snowy mountains. Jasmine always referred to it as a fortress for demons, and he wasn’t too sure he could disagree with his human queen.
Mathar plowed through the village. People scattered out of his way as his stallion galloped through the cobbled streets. The moment he rode into the castle courtyard he leaped off his horse and tossed his reins to a stable hand who rushed to his side.
“Make sure my steed and deer meat are seen to.” He’d spent time hunting and collecting that meat, and he didn’t want it to go to waste.
As he headed off, he looked down at his hands which were still covered in blood from the buck. Quickly, he bent over, grabbed a handful of snow, and used it to wash away the blood. It wouldn’t do to show up before his new queen with blood covering him.
