The Reign of Trees

by Folkman, Lori

  Illianah fixed her gaze out the window and on the passing countryside. “Do not count on your money buying into my past, Valencio.” Saying as much might give him too much insight as to her identity, but she did not want him thinking that he could ever become a part of her life.

  The remainder of the carriage ride passed in relative silence. She did not even speak when they stopped at an inn for lunch. She sat as far away from his as possible in hopes of not conveying a message that they were a couple to the patrons of the inn.

  It was just a touch before nightfall when they arrived in the small coastal village of Bouron. “I had hoped to take you to see my ship, but it is growing dark too quickly. Had we left a little sooner ….”

  “I can assure you I have no interest in ships.” Truly, her father’s quest for selling vessels was the cause of the disintegration of her life. She did not care if she ever saw a ship again.

  “Then we shall get you to my estate quickly so you can see the grandeur of it before it is consumed by the blackness of night.”

  Valencio explained how he had recently purchased the estate and while it was grand, it had fallen into disrepair. It had been the summer home for Duke Liosh and his family, yet the Duke could no longer afford to keep it, as he had built a new estate farther inland. “I will need your help as we rebuild the old estate. It is in need of a woman’s touch.”

  The thought of purchasing furnishings for an old seaside estate should have brought Illianah joy, but it did not. She could not imagine ever finding joy while in Valenico’s home.

  ***

  The estate was exactly as Valencio had said: majestic, yet in a bad state of disrepair. Of the hundred rooms, only a dozen were habitable. “You have a staff of how many?” she had asked upon her arrival.

  “Five. My footman. The butler. The cook. The stable hand. And yourself—for now.”

  She had ignored the reference to their supposed marriage and had said, “You will need more. That is not a proper staff.”

  “That is under your charge,” he had replied. “You will go to town tomorrow and hire your staff.”

  When she headed out into the village that morning, with Valencio first taking her to see his ship, it became clear to Illianah that everything Valencio did was deliberate. He was like a puppet master controlling her strings. She was not free. Not in the least. She was given the charge to hire, yet she could only hire those whom he deemed acceptable. She was also told which shops she could purchase from and the exact limit she was allowed to spend at each store. Her day was scheduled tightly—from the time she was to eat breakfast to the very last minute before the candle could be blown out at night. After a week working for Valencio, she would collapse into bed and fall asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Not only was she exhausted from her physical labors, she was mentally fatigued as well, as she had to try to keep her wits ahead of Valencio’s constant patronizing.

  Valencio had not yet left for sea, as she hoped he would. “I thought you were to sail out immediately,” she said one morning at breakfast.

  “Do not be so quick to get rid of me. I want to make sure you are settled before I leave you here all alone for the winter.”

  “I think you have seen that I am perfectly capable …”

  “Yes, perfectly capable. Yet, not perfectly loyal.”

  “I do not know what you mean,” she said, keeping her chin high so he knew she did not fear him.

  “The war, My Lady. You ask about it incessantly. One might think you are waiting to see the outcome before you commit your life to me.”

  Illianah took a bite of her bread to give herself time to think of her response, but he spoke again before she was able. “I have noticed your interest in the war, as have others. It makes people ill at ease, Katherine, as they know you are not a native of Vieve. They do not trust you.”

  “You are being dramatic. I am just as impartial as any other citizen of …”

  “You are a Burchessian!” he yelled, hitting the table with his fist. “Do not assume me to be an imbecile just because I am not yet titled.”

  Her hand froze over her food. She could not move it to her lap, nor could she tell it to stop shaking.

  Valencio crackled with laughter. “Did you really think you could hide your citizenship from me? Burchessians are more arrogant than any other people. The very way you look down your nose at people indicates you were born of noble birth in the country which now wages war upon our helpless neighbors, and yet you do not have the discretion to hide your allegiance to Burchess, even in the presence of strangers.”

  Her mouth opened to proclaim that he was wrong: she felt no allegiance to Burchess, but thankfully her mind told her to not speak of this. The only thing worse than having a Burchessian in his household would be having a traitor to the throne of Burchess hiding within his walls.

  “You are forbidden from inquiring of the war, Katherine. Even while I am gone. Do not mention it. Do not ask of it. Do you understand?”

  “I am allowed to inquire after the welfare of my people,” she said, her voice firm and unyielding.

  “But that is not what it is. It is something more.” Valencio scrutinized her carefully, likely thinking if he looked at her emotions close enough, she would betray her secrets.

  “Excuse me: I am quite done,” she said, standing and shoving her chair back in one swift movement.

  Valencio stood quickly as well. “You are not done until I say you are done. Now sit.”

  The look upon his face reminded her of the snarl of a ferocious wolf; her body began to tremble with fear. But she did not back down. “A true gentleman would never demand that his guest not leave the table.”

  “Ah,” Valenico said with a wicked laugh. “But I am not yet a true gentleman, am I? Nor are you my guest. Sit.”

  ***

  Her relationship with Valencio seemed to progressively degenerate. He was more demanding and less patient, to the point that yelling at her was a daily occurrence. Illianah feared him, as she suspected she had yet to see him entirely lose his patience, especially when many of the new servants whispered that Monsieur Valencio ruled with a sharp hand. But she could never let him see that she feared him. She frequently lashed back at him verbally, hoping he would see he had no control over her. However, she felt that her backlashes fell short, as he seemed to enjoy watching her struggle to keep her dignity.

  She was not foolish enough to continue to inquire about the war, but he did not have power over her ears. If others were talking of it, she could not be stopped from listening.

  The village and mill of Peroso had fallen to Prince Harrington just days after Donovan had come to Vieve. The latest news from the capital was that the village and mill of Tabo was now under attack. With that news, questions and speculations over what would happen next were on the tongues of every citizen. The common voice of the villagers of Bouron agreed that the Deltegran capital would be next in Prince Harrington’s sight. Also, it was commonly accepted that Deltegra would fall. King Henrick and his son would be dethroned.

  “Prince Harrington will show them no mercy,” Illianah heard one man say.

  “King Henrick is as good as dead,” another said.

  Illianah was at the market, purchasing new pots from a traveling vendor; when she heard the prediction of King Henrick’s death, she dropped the pot she was looking at. She did not dare cast her eyes around to see if others had noticed how clumsy she was and she was certain her face looked as white as a ghost. She quickly finished up her business with the vendor and returned to her carriage. Illianah nearly forgot that she was being accompanied by the cook, but the stout woman caught up with Illianah just before she ordered the driver to leave.

  “Are we leaving so soon, Mistress?” she asked.

  “Yes. I have had enough for today.”

  The cook did not seem to take notice of Illianah’s flustered and disoriented state and simply climbed aboard. Of course, the topic she chose to talk about on the ride back
to the estate was the very one Illianah was trying to escape from: the war and the imminent deaths of the royal family of Deltegra.

  “I do not wish to speak of it,” Illianah said a bit too harshly.

  The cook sat back into the carriage so that Illianah could no longer see her face. Illianah sighed heavily. “I apologize for my harshness,” she said. “I already had an earful in the village about the war, and it is … grim. Too grim to think about.”

  It seemed as if the cook accepted the apology. She sat back up and said, “I would have thought you would be happy with this news, what with you being from Burchess.”

  “Death and destruction never makes me happy, no matter where I am from.”

  Illianah could scarcely complete her daily tasks, as her mind seemed to be stuck in Deltegra. It was exactly as Donovan had thought it would be. Either he would starve to death or be forced to surrender. She could not accept either option.

  Since she had not yet been given her month’s pay, she did not have the ability to purchase parchment. She could not ask to borrow some, as Valencio would demand to know who she needed to contact. Illianah waited until she was certain the entire household was asleep and then she crept into her master’s study. She did not dare to write the letter in the study, in case he might wake and find her there, so she brought the parchment, the ink, and the quill back to her bedchamber. Her words were selected with precision, in case someone besides Prince Henrick should read her letter.

  Donovan,

  I fear for your safety. I believe death is marching close toward you. It would not be dishonorable for you to leave under these circumstances. Please, get out while you can.

  I am at the seashore in Bouron. Once more, I bid you to come to me.

  Yours,

  Lily

  She sealed the letter and formulated a plan to have it delivered to Andoradda. It would be complicated and she would need a great deal of money to accomplish it, but it was not hopeless. Only difficult.

  ***

  The fatigue she had been fighting since her arrival at the Bouron estate finally seemed to win the battle. Through the thick fog of sleep, she could hear someone banging on her door and calling out for Katherine. Who is Katherine?

  But the banging at her door continued, and a man’s voice said, “Do not make me break this door down.”

  Valencio!

  She quickly threw back the covers and put her feet on the cold floor. Her robe was at the desk, as was her folded letter to Donovan and the evidence that she had stolen from her master. He banged on her door again. She did not have time to hide the ink and the pen. “Coming,” she said as she grabbed the letter and tucked it in the pocket of her robe.

  Illianah put her foot in front of the door so it would only open a crack: just enough for him to see that she was not dressed.

  When he saw her face through the small slit in the door, he immediately cursed at her and told her she had overslept. “I have been waiting an entire hour for you to join me for my breakfast instruction.”

  “I think you are entirely capable of eating one meal on your own,” she said. “You do not always need my assistance.”

  She began to shut the door, but Valencio shoved it open, pushing it into her foot in the process. Her first reaction was to cower in pain, but her second reaction preempted her first. “Sir!” she said firmly, drawing her robe tight around her chest. “I am not yet dressed. You may not enter my chambers.”

  “You were up late,” he replied. “You were writing a letter, weren’t you?”

  His eyes went to her desk, where the bottle of ink gave an unspoken answer.

  “Where is it?” he asked as he moved to the desk. He lifted the blank sheet of parchment she had saved to enclose Donovan’s letter and found nothing else.

  “I did not get around to writing it. I grew too tired.”

  Valencio again swore at her and said, “You are a liar and a thief. I trusted you in my home.”

  He began to toss her things around the room as he searched for her letter. After the first minute of searching, his anger intensified. He went so far as tossing her mattress from her bed, where he found Donovan’s dagger hidden there. Valencio tucked the dagger into his waistband and said, “Such wiliness, Katherine. What other secrets do you hide?”

  When Illianah gave no answer, he shoved her nightstand, making it crashed sideways upon the floor. “Where is the letter?” he again demanded.

  She did not want to lie to him again, yet she did not want to counter her claim that she had not written a letter, so she said nothing. He rushed to her side and put his forearm across the top of her chest and shoved her into the wall. “I asked you a question!” he yelled, his foul-smelling breath making her want to shrink away from him. But he had her pinned. She could not move, not even an inch.

  “Get off me, you filthy, stinking pig!” Illianah was amazed that she was able to yell back and that her voice did not shake with fear. Somewhere deep within her mind, she had told herself to never show weakness in front of Valencio, no matter how hard he tried to assert control. It seemed that if she gave him even the smallest amount of power over her, he would worm his way into her soul and destroy her forever. She could not let him know how terrified she was at this moment.

  He smiled wickedly and said, “This is nothing, my darling,” and again pushed her back against the wall. Within his eyes came a look of discovery and he backed away from her. “Empty your pockets, Katherine.”

  “No! I will not!” The desperation in her voice must have confirmed her guilt, making his smile grow larger.

  “Either you do it, or I will.”

  “You have no right …” she began to say.

  “I have every right. You have stolen from me. Now empty your pockets or I will be glad to do it for you.”

  Illianah knew she had lost. He would again push her against the wall and proceed to feel through her pockets. She would not let him violate her.

  She produced the letter from her pocket and then hung her head low, making it so she did not see the look of smugness she was certain he was wearing.

  He opened the letter, and while she did not dare look at him, she could tell from the silence in the room that he was reading her words. “Donovan?” he asked, his voice sounding as if he had taken a knife to the back. “Who is this Donovan?”

  Her head hung even lower. She would never answer Valencio’s question and reveal Prince Henrick’s identity, or her own.

  Valencio was instantly upon her again, but this time he grabbed her by the hair at the top of her head as he shoved her into the wall. The pain quickly radiated through her head and she knew he had seen the grimace upon her face. “Ah, you did not like that, did you ‘Lily?’”

  She said nothing.

  “Tell me who he is or I will hit your head upon this wall until it is stained with your blood.”

  “I do not fear you, nor do I fear death,” she said, her voice wrought with anger.

  “I doubt that,” he said. He let go of her hair and stepped back, his chest heaving from the exertion.

  “You have betrayed me,” he said, now pacing in front of her. “You have promised to marry me, and yet you are writing to another and bidding him to come to you. You are an adulteress.”

  “Yes, I am,” she said, trying to push away the laughter that was coming into her heart. She was more of an adulteress than Valencio could ever imagine.

  “And you are not ashamed?” he yelled.

  “Oh yes,” she answered, not able to keep the sarcasm from her voice, “deeply.” While at one time, Illianah was ashamed for letting her heart have thoughts of another man while married to Leif, she no longer felt that it was him whom she belonged to. It was Donovan, even if their love could never be publically recognized. Yes, she felt shame for being with Valenico when she really should be with Donovan. But after Valencio’s poor treatment of her, she no longer felt as if she owed him anything.

  “Since I do not trust you, I will not lea
ve you here alone while I am at sea.” He had said just days ago that he would finally sail at the end of this week; Illianah could not wait to see his ship disappear into the distance, as she had known that would be the last she would ever see of him. But …

  “You will marry me before I sail or you will come with me on my voyage.”

  “If I am with you on your ship, who will run your household? Who will make certain it is ready for a lord?”

  “At this moment, that is not my concern. I am concerned that the woman I planned to marry is deceiving me. You never intended to marry me, did you? You planned on leaving with your Donovan before I ever returned from sea.”

  “No,” she answered honestly. She had never planned on leaving with Donovan: she had only hoped for it.

  “You will not receive your pay until I am back from sea, but I do not think even that is enough to entice you to stay. And since I doubt you are strong enough to survive three months at sea and I do not want you dead yet, we will marry on Friday, the day before I sail. I will notify the preacher. Now clean up this mess and get dressed.”

  Valencio left her standing breathless against the wall; he took her letter with him. Not that it mattered if he took the letter—there was no way she could send it to Donovan now. She needed her month’s wages to pay for the post.

  She could not marry Valencio on Friday. Her conscience would force her to tell the preacher that she was already married, which would result in Valencio discovering her true identity. He would hold her for ransom and she knew his treatment of her would be nothing like the treatment she had received while being held for ransom in Deltegra.

  The only thing she could do was run from Valencio.

  ***

  Valencio watched her like a hawk that day. She could not move into another room without him following her; yet he could not follow her into her mind.

  Illianah had thought up a plan. Valencio had several fine horses in his stables: Illianah planned to take one and ride off into the dark night. She would have to stick to the highway, as she did not know any other way to get back to the capital of Vieve and then to Deltegra. She would have to be fast and never stop, not even for a moment. She would have to make certain she slipped out quietly so that she would have at least an hour’s lead on Valencio and anyone he would send to pursue her.