Palace Intrigue

by Lina J. Potter

  Mirrie was quiet for a moment. Then she looked up at her stepmother. “Lily, I want to make you proud.”

  Lily put her arms around the girl and kissed her. “Good. Because I want to be proud of you. Now, tell me something. Do you think the children will make fun of you when you go back to class?”

  “Yes,” Mirrie said glumly.

  “Then here’s what you do…”

  ***

  Later that evening, a glowing Mirrie reported back to Lily on her success in the classroom.

  “You were right. When I went back in, Bjorn told me I was too dumb to ever be a countess.”

  “Did you get upset?”

  “No, I didn’t! I told him to meet me in the hall a ten night from now to see who’s dumb. We’re going to compete on our history facts!”

  “Good. We’ll have to do a lot of work these next ten days.”

  “Will you help me?”

  “Of course.”

  ***

  Adelaide Wells was in deep despair. Her plan to seduce Jess again had failed. He was avoiding her. When he saw her at events, he acted as if she didn’t exist.

  That interfered with her plans, and she began to wonder if her life might be in danger. She was afraid to think what fate awaited her at home in Ativerna if Jess was no longer her protector. Even if the king let her live, she would be banished from polite society and forced to earn her keep as a prostitute; she had to act.

  Once her bruises had gone from purple to pale green, she paid another late-night visit to the earl’s rooms.

  “Come in,” he called in answer to her knock. When he saw who it was, his face turned cold. “What do you want?”

  Adelaide fell to her knees. “Listen to me, Jerrison!”

  “I don’t want to. You should leave.”

  “But I haven’t done anything to you!”

  His face turned red. “Didn’t you sell my gifts to pay men to kill my wife?”

  “I didn’t do it! It was Alex! If I hadn’t obeyed him, he would have married me off to someone horrible.”

  Jess sighed. He knew that much could be true. Adelaide’s dead husband’s cousin would certainly have had the authority to give her away in marriage as he saw fit. If he had demanded her jewelry, she could not have refused.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was afraid of losing you. I love you so much…”

  “You’ve already lost me.”

  Adelaide looked down and blushed. “Does that mean that our child will never know his father?”

  The earl stared at her for a long minute. “Our child?”

  “Yes. Our son or daughter.”

  “But I…”

  “We were cautious, but this is the will of Aldonai.” She played her role with abandon. “I have lost my connection with the moon, and my breasts are heavy. Look…” She opened the front of her dress. Jess’ eyes were drawn to her creamy breasts, but he forced himself to look away.

  “I’ll give you money for a midwife. And I’ll never touch you again.” He took a fat wallet out of his desk and tossed it to Adele. She made no move to catch it, so it fell on the floor at her feet. “Poison it before it’s too late. You may have slept with other men, for all I know.”

  Adelaide’s eyes shone. “I would rather be an outcast than poison my own child!” She ran from the room, slamming the door behind her.

  Once she was alone in her own room, she locked the door and sat down on her bed. She knew she had played the scene well. Jerrison believed that she was pregnant; that was enough for now. He was hard as stone, but she would chip away at him.

  ***

  Jess poured himself another cup of wine, but he didn’t drink it. Instead, he got up and went to find Richard.

  He walked in without knocking. “Adele is with child.”

  “Is it yours?”

  The earl thought for a moment. “It could be.”

  “Do you believe her?”

  “I don’t know. I bought some herbs to keep this from happening, but maybe they didn’t work.”

  “Idiot. You should have stayed away from her.”

  “I know.” Jess sat down and put his face in his hands.

  “What will you do now?”

  “If it’s mine, I’ll have to do something for it.”

  Richard nodded. He would have done the same. Then he had a thought. “Take her to a midwife before you do anything else. Make sure she really is with child. She’s lied to you before.”

  Jess straightened up. “Excellent idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Because you’re upset. Have a drink.” He poured two cups of wine. They drank together in companionable silence.

  ***

  Adele jumped. There was a man in her room.

  “Do you have a moment of time for me?” It was Gardwig’s jester. Adele didn’t know his name, but she had heard rumors that he was close to the king. Normally, she would have screamed at the sudden appearance of a strange man in her room, but she had drunk a large cup of wine after her scene with Jess, so her sense of danger was impaired.

  Instead of crying out, she stood up from her bed and gestured at the armchair by the fireplace. “Have a seat, sir.”

  Altres sneered. “I suppose you’re feeling afraid now.” Adele tried to look haughty, but he continued without waiting for her to speak. “If you go home, you’ll end up in prison or with your head on the block. The best you can hope for is expulsion from the kingdom. Do you think they won’t catch you in that lie? You’re no more with child than I am.”

  Adele gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

  “If you play nice with me, I’ll help you.” The jester tried to make his voice friendly. “You won’t have to count your pennies or rub paint on your bruises. You won’t have to be afraid.” He was gratified to see her eyes fill with tears. “Listen to me. I will send a midwife to see you. She will tell the earl that you are pregnant. We can discuss my terms later.”

  “But…”

  “Consider this an advance for your services.” The jester unlocked her door and slipped out, closing it softly behind him. (He had entered the room through a secret passage while Adele lay on her bed with her face to the wall, but he had no intention of letting her know that.)

  ***

  Jess brought a midwife to examine Adele. The woman confirmed that she was with child. That put Jess’ former lover in a difficult position. On the one hand, Jess was polite and careful around her. On the other hand, however, Prince Richard stared at her with poorly concealed hate whenever he saw her.

  The jester said nothing.

  ***

  The children at the castle worked to make the history challenge as hard as possible. Each child wrote a question and placed it in the large gold cup Lily had found for the occasion. Miranda and Bjorn took turns pulling out questions and answering them. A panel of tutors--Damis Reis, Lons Avels, and Maria Reichart—judged whether their answers had merit or not. Lily had warned them to be as strict as possible, so after each child’s answer, the tutors unrolled their heavy scrolls and read the relevant passages aloud. The audience, which consisted of servants and Virmans, cheered for the children and sometimes even ventured their own guesses.

  In the end, Miranda beat Bjorn by three points.

  While the audience good-naturedly cheered, Miranda threw her arms around Lily’s neck and whispered, “I love you, Mama!”

  Lily stroked her daughter’s shiny, dark hair and whispered, “I love you, too, my dear.”

  ***

  The Great Khangan had a fiery temper, but he showed unusual restraint when Tahir’s letter was delivered to him by one of the palace healers. He knew that his eldest son--handsome, kind and wise beyond his years--was dying. The young man’s condition was dire so, instead of allowing himself to vent his anger that Tahir had run away and left his son in the hands of lesser healers, the Great Khangan took a deep breath, broke the seal and began to read.

  After a wordy introduction, Tahir
explained that he had not run away out of fear, which the Great Khangan believed was a lie. Tahir informed his lord that he had gone in search of someone or something that could heal the heir to the Khangan throne. And, Tahir rejoiced to announce, he had found her—the Countess of Earton, a woman gifted by the Star Mare to be able to diagnose the boy’s trouble without even seeing him.

  According to the countess, the boy was being poisoned. She said the poison could be given many ways--applied to the skin or bedclothes, or mixed into food, it was impossible to know. However, she was confident that she knew the name of the poison. It killed slowly, damaging the body as it did its evil work.

  If the Great Khangan wanted to see his son healthy again, he would have to discover who the poisoner was or send the boy away from the palace. If he liked, he could send the boy to Earton. It was a long journey, but all the better to put great distance between the heir and his poisoner.

  The countess suggested the Great Khangan test her theory by giving the boy extra milk to drink and having him soak in a bath filled with pine needles every day. If he started to feel better—or if he at least stopped getting worse—the answer would be clear.

  The Great Khangan set the letter down and considered its contents. He had never heard of a woman healer before, but he would try the milk and the pine baths. Tahir wrote that Ali Akhmet din Tahirjian could confirm that the countess was a great healer, and the din Tahirjians were a wealthy, noble family who valued their ties with the palace.

  In all, it was a strange letter, but it gave the Great Khangan something that felt like hope.

  ***

  Much to Torius Avermal’s dismay, he had been unable to find out exactly what Karl Treloney was up to. The merchant was obviously doing well for himself, but the people the mayor could rely on to make discreet inquiries didn’t know much about him. In the end, his letter to Lily was disappointingly brief.

  When she received it, Lily resolved to write and ask her father and Hans to see what they could discover about the merchant from Altver.

  In the meantime, she continued to keep a close eye on the food that was served to her and Miranda. No spices or unfamiliar ingredients were allowed. Everyone at the castle knew the rules at the countess’ table.

  All would have been well, but Damis Reis continued to hound and annoy her. Lily began to seriously consider sending him on an expedition through the snow to Altver. He was a decent tutor, but he was getting on her nerves. She didn’t like how he looked at her, or how he “accidentally” brushed up against her hand, and she didn’t appreciate the winter bouquets of greenery he always brought back for her when he went on walks.

  She decided to do something about the lovesick tutor at the first opportunity, hopefully before he had a chance to cause trouble.

  ***

  Damis Reis thought he was making excellent progress with the countess. She couldn’t possibly have failed to notice his attentions. He hoped that when he was able to get her alone, she would drop the show of strength and display more feminine traits. He expected to see embarrassment, timidity, surprise…

  What he didn’t expect was what actually happened. One afternoon, Lily called for him to come to her study. When he arrived, Lons Avels opened the door for him and then waited outside. Without looking up, Lily said, “Now tell me, Reis, what exactly do you think you’re up to?”

  ***

  Lily had prepared for this meeting. She had chosen the location and her dress very carefully in order to make a strong impression. She wore a loose black dress that hid her curves, and she had had Lons remove the chair that normally faced her desk so that Damis had to stand in front of her like a guilty schoolboy.

  When she finally looked up, her eyes were icy.

  He was lost. “What do you mean, My Lady?”

  “I mean the looks, the bouquets, the brushing up against me. You have been pursuing me for a month. Why?”

  Damis was taken aback by her directness, but he decided to play his game as far as it would take him.

  “My Lady, forgive me for my impertinence…”

  He expected her to say something here, but she just stared at him. He told her how he had looked forward to the trip to Earton, and how delighted he had been to meet her. He recounted how her beauty and intelligence had won him over, eventually causing him to fall in love with her. Since she had shown him no notice, he had started to court her as actively as he dared.

  ***

  Lily listened to this nonsense and wondered what it really meant. Of course, she considered herself a good-looking woman, but that didn’t explain why this poor man was so love-struck. However, she held her tongue. In her training as a doctor, she had learned that sometimes, the best thing you can do is let a person talk.

  Damis, meanwhile, kept talking. He complimented her eyes and her hair, which he compared to a river of gold reflecting the sun’s rays.

  He’s a tutor, Lily thought to herself, just a tutor. In this world, he’s got no right whatsoever to even consider falling in love with a countess. He has to know that. What is he really up to? Does he think I’m so lonely out here that I’ll fall into his hands like a ripe apple? Or…

  At first, the new thought seemed ridiculous. But then she remembered the old saying: just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t after you. She knew that the law only allowed her to divorce Jerrison Earton if she caught him committing adultery. If the situation was reversed, however, and he found out she had slept with another man, he could send her to a convent, which would actually be more like a prison.

  Is my husband trying to set me up?

  Once she tried the theory on for size, she decided it fit. Someone—whether or not the earl—wanted to be able to blackmail her.

  At that point, Damis ran out of things to say and decided to swing into action. He fell at Lily’s knees and started kissing her hand.

  Lily jerked her hand away. “Let go of me!”

  Unfazed, the man grabbed her knee and tried to move his hand up her thigh.

  “Let go!” Lily shouted.

  Suddenly, Damis cried out and fell forward. Nanook, Lily’s Virman puppy, had heard the anger in her mistress’ voice and decided to take matters into her own paws. She leaped on the tutor from behind and bit him in the shoulder. Once he was down, she stood on his back to keep him from getting up.

  “Good dog!” Lily cried. “Hold him there!” She ran to the door and called for her guards.

  Ivar was first into the room. “My Lady?”

  “Take this man away!”

  Lily was too upset to say more, but Ivar knew what to do. He picked up the tutor and held him by the back of his shirt with his feet at least a foot off the floor. Martha had come running when she heard the commotion, and now she stood by Lily’s side with a hand over her mouth in horror.

  “Did he offend you, My Lady?” Ivar asked.

  “He tried to, but Nanook got to him first.”

  Ivar looked the limp tutor up and down. “Shall I cut off his head, My Lady?” Damis whined something indistinctly. Ivar hit him upside the head. “Where did he get the courage to venture a hand against your person, My Lady?”

  “I’d like to know that myself, Ivar. I want to find out what he was promised and who promised it to him.”

  Ivar hit the tutor again. “Did you hear that, you son-of-a-bitch? Talk, and you may yet live to see tomorrow.” Then he let go of the man, and Damis slumped to the floor. At first, he tried to repeat the same old story about how much he loved the countess. After a couple of blows to the head from Ivar, he changed his mind.

  Next, he tried to convince them that he was acting out of self-interest, but alone. When Ivar kicked him hard in the side, he decided to tell the truth.

  Lily, Ivar, and Martha listened and shook their heads.

  Damis had been hired in Lavery. He really was a tutor, but he couldn’t keep his hands off pretty girls. When the father of one of his students came after him with a pair of sheep shears, he ran away
and got a job in the capital—where no one knew him—teaching the children of Baron Yerby. Before long, he was enjoying the favors of the baron’s wife.

  After a few months, the baron told him he was no longer needed in their household, and that he could get him a job teaching little Miranda Catherine Earton.

  Lily had never heard of Baron Yerby before.

  “Who promised to pay you for seducing me?”

  Damis swore it was Baron Yerby that made the offer. The tutor stood to get five hundred gold coins if he managed to get caught in bed with Lily, and three hundred gold coins if he slept with her but was not able to procure witnesses to the fact.

  “I’m surprised that a countess’ honor costs that much,” Lily said grimly. “It would have been cheaper to kill me.”

  “I wasn’t involved in any of that!” Damis exclaimed. He started to shake at the thought that they might suspect him of attempted murder.

  Lily continued to press him. “Why try to seduce me when I was already pregnant?”

  Damis’ face went white. “They told me there wouldn’t be a child.”

  The countess stood up and turned to Ivar. “The miscarriage… What has he done?” she whispered. She took a deep breath and regained control of her thinking. “Ivar, have someone search his things.”

  “Yes, My Lady,” the Virman replied.

  An hour later, Jaimie came in to look at the red powder they had found in Damis’ chest.

  “I know this weed, My Lady,” he said. His eyes were troubled. “Women have always used it to get rid of unwanted children.”

  Ivar looked over at the tutor and said nothing.

  Damis froze, obviously wondering what would happen to him.

  Lily winced and looked away from him. She had no desire to see him beheaded. “Put him in the dungeon. I’ll deal with him later.”

  As Ivar dragged the tutor away, he tried to whine something to the countess, but she was no longer thinking about him.

  It looks like I have two serious enemies at the same time. One of them is this Yerby. The other one is Adelaide Wells’ cousin who sent the hired killers.

  She knew from Hans that Alex was in prison awaiting execution.

  But who is this Yerby, and who is behind him? Karl Treloney is supposedly connected with someone important in the capital, and I doubt his contact is a lowly baron.