“I know, and with all the scrutiny she’s bound to be under for being common-born, I’d hate to tarnish her reputation when the circumstances are completely my fault.”
Stopping abruptly, George turned to face her, his eyes blazing. “This isn’t your fault, Jax. You need to stop blaming yourself. Uma knew what she was getting into when she accepted the position. Hell, if anyone is to blame, it’s me. I should have been aware there was a threat to your throne.”
Jax could see from his forlorn expression that the guilt had been eating away at him. “How could you have known? I read the same reports as you do, George. Every morning. There has been nothing to indicate any type of plot or uprising.”
He suddenly seemed a decade older than his thirty-seven years. “I just feel that I’ve failed this duchy one too many times.”
Knowing he referred to the murder of her parents, she grasped his arm. “You are my oldest friend and the only man I truly trust besides Perry.” Perhaps even more so, she shamefully admitted. “You have not failed me in all our years together. Regardless of the actions of others, you have been true. Do not forget that.”
He broke away from her gaze and bowed his head for a moment, clearly overcome by her words. “Thank you, Your Grace. I needed to hear that.”
“And my guests need to see me. Let’s go,” she said, navigating away from the unpleasant topic.
He resumed his march, leading the way, and within minutes, Jax heard her name ringing out through the banquet room, announcing her arrival.
Perry was already seated in his usual chair, his father beside him. Having instructed the stewards beforehand, Jax made sure Duke Crepsta was seated to her right to make him feel as welcome as she could. In Uma’s absence, Hendrie had taken over, checking that everyone was in their assigned place, skillfully covering up Uma’s empty chair by sitting in it himself.
As she glided across the room, Jax could tell she was going to be in for a long evening. Perry’s brothers were seated on either side of their father and Duke Crepsta’s wife, which meant that aside from Perry, her closest friends and family were four chairs away, an unsuitable distance for conversation.
Charles gave her a slight wave as she walked by, nodding his head in the direction of his clearly smitten sister and Lady Carriena, each of whom were in fawning discussion with their male companions. She managed to mask her laughter, but she could see from the sparkle in Charles’s eyes that he knew he had tickled her.
Arriving at the head of the table, looking out at the sea of faces greeting her, Jax once again wondered if someone among their party had a hand in Uma’s disappearance. The Shadow Brethren were hired assassins. Who was to say Uma’s kidnappers weren’t for hire themselves?
Clearing her throat in preparation to speak, she gazed serenely at the faces of her newest guests. “Greetings, my dear friends from Pettraud, Crepsta, and Mensina. While I am proud to call Duke Mensina family, I am honored that soon the same will be said about Duke Pettraud.” She stopped to raise her golden goblet, first toward her grandfather, then her future father-in-law. “Saphire holds its friends dear and seeks to protect them with all her strength,” she said, her eyes sliding to Duke Crepsta. She saw him blush under his peppery beard. “May we celebrate that bond these next few days.” She lifted the glass to her lips, taking a deep, refreshing sip.
“Long live Duchess Jacqueline!” Her grandfather led the chorus with gusto.
Settling down to her plate, Jax prayed that no one would ask about Uma, and it was not until the main course of pork tenderloin arrived that Philippe, after surveying the table, cleared his throat.
“Your Grace, I had hoped to meet your new lady-in-waiting. She wasn’t around when we were received this morning. Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder whether she actually exists.” He clutched his napkin in his hand, assessing her reaction with a snide stare.
Jax smiled, although it did not reach her eyes. “Without her, this dinner wouldn’t be happening, dear Philippe. Uma has been effortlessly managing the wedding preparations. I demanded she take the evening off and rest. She, of course, wouldn’t hear of it, but considering it was a direct order from me,” Jax paused, hoping her false bravado was working, “she complied.”
A bemused smirk slid across the eldest Pettraud brother’s face. “My, my. I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer before seeing if a commoner can really do the work of a nobleman.”
“Really? You need proof?” Darian’s voice raised in challenge, despite his being several seats down the table.
“I meant no offense, Sir Fangard.” Philippe’s apology rang false.
Darian’s expression turned steely. “It’s Duke Fangard, if you please.”
Jax jumped in to deescalate the tensions. “Yes, Philippe, I ask that you show the Duke the respect he deserves. After all, Cetachi is a valued friend of Saphire.” She watched with narrowed eyes as the arrogant man bristled at her reprimand.
Duke Pettraud coughed loudly, but the distraction did not deter Jax from noticing that he kicked his son under the table.
Cringing, Philippe straightened in his seat. “Apologies, Duchess.”
She noted that he did not extend the same courtesy to Darian.
Perry shifted in his seat, his cheeks burning at his older brother’s lack of decorum. She couldn’t help but remember Perry’s boyishly improper behavior when he first arrived in Saphire and how little restraint he’d used with his own words. But he was never cruel, even then, as his brother now appeared to be.
The hush that followed deafened the room. Jax took it upon herself to use the quietness to her advantage and engage in conversation with her friends seated farther away. “Lady Carriena, Viscount Emyr? Did you enjoy your ride on the grounds today?”
Always one to revel in the attention of a room, Carriena eagerly filled the silence. “Indeed. We traveled quite some distance, did we not?” She looked to Emyr and Bran for confirmation. “All the way to Lake Saltrine, I believe. Although,” her brows drew together, “I will be the first to admit I did get a little lost along the way. Luckily, the good Baron here found me,” she said with a nod to Skander.
Jax’s eyes darted between Bran and Emyr. What had commanded their attention to the point they hadn’t noticed Carriena was missing? The presence of an attractive woman such as herself would have been hard to forget when in their company.
“Did she give us an earful for taking off without her, or what?” Emyr chuckled, sharing a joke with his brother.
“You must have been preoccupied with something truly extraordinary to leave my friend behind.” Jax hoped she sounded light and teasing as she pressed for more information. It occurred to her that the Viscounts had been away from the castle around the same time as the attack on Uma’s carriage.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Perry’s face go pale, as if he had had the same thought.
“The scenery was just that distracting, I guess,” Emyr replied, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly.
Unsatisfied with the answer, Jax tried not to look too dismayed. She didn’t want to raise suspicions of anything being amiss.
The room slowly filled with chatter, Philippe’s outburst forgotten by everyone except Jax, and perhaps Darian, by the time dessert arrived.
Duchess Crepsta moaned with delight as she tasted the flambéed peach tarte. “Oh, Jacqueline! My compliments to the chef.”
Jaquobie spoke up from his chair a few seats down. “Her Grace’s executive chef has studied with the masters in Savant.”
That seemed to impress the squat woman. “My dear, we must send ours to learn some of these dishes,” she said to her husband.
The exchange brought a genuine smile to Jax’s lips. It was her great-grandfather who had taught her father that a world-class chef was the best delegate to conduct diplomatic relations, hence the reason the late Duke Saphire had ensured the highest quality kitchen staff.
The sommeliers were more conservative with the frequency in whi
ch the wine was poured this evening, for which Jax was grateful. She didn’t have it in her tonight to go along with the drunken shenanigans of her guests, and she was relieved when everyone said good night at dinner and departed with their courtiers leading the way to their suites.
Jax and Perry stood together at the door, bidding their guests good night as everyone sauntered off.
“Apologies once again on behalf of my son, Duchess,” Perry’s father offered when he stood opposite them, the last in line. His lavender eyes watched the shadows disappear down the hallway before turning to Jax to say more. “I worry about that elitist behavior of his. I don’t know where it comes from. My wife was so diligent in her quest to instill good values in him.”
From his wistful tone, Jax wondered if the Duke had doubts about his oldest son becoming a wise ruler. Philippe’s display so far had left her unimpressed.
Beside her, Perry stiffened at the mention of his mother, who had died a few months before Jax’s own parents.
Knowing she would have to mediate this sensitive conversation, Jax chose her words with care. “Perry has told me many wonderful things about your wife. I know my parents were very fond of her.”
“Your father and I often joked that Penelope and your mother’s bond was the only reason he and I were friends.” He looked incredibly sad at the memory of his late wife. “I wonder if I’ve done her a grave disservice, considering how the boys have turned out.” He cast a look at Perry, and Jax took his arm in a show of support, fearing Duke Pettraud was about to say something crushing. “Not you, though, Percival. Despite the odds against you that were created by your brothers and, I suppose, myself, you have turned into a fine young man. You’ve done more for your duchy than all your brothers combined.”
Perry’s mouth dropped open, speechless. Jax, too, felt her heart beating so wildly she thought the Duke might be able to hear it.
I guess the sommeliers were a little more covert with their wine pouring than I thought, Jax surmised, for it seemed too much mead could be the only possible reason for this loose-lipped admission.
“Well, good night, you two.” The Duke clasped his hands behind his back and strode away, following his assigned courtier.
“Did that just happen, or am I hallucinating?” Perry said, breaking the stunned silence between them once they were alone.
Jax broke into a grin. “I believe that just happened, Percival.”
Perry laughed while shaking his head in disbelief. “‘A fine young man’. My father called me a fine young man.”
Jax linked her arm through his. “Why are you surprised? Are you not a fine young man? That’s who I thought I was marrying.”
He ignored her teasing, still shaking his head. “I can’t believe it,” he said in a whisper.
Jax thought he might have been speaking more to himself than to her. As Perry took time to process his father’s elusive praise, she reflected on the conversation as well. Duke Pettraud’s criticism of Philippe troubled her more than she cared to admit. This was his duchy’s future leader, one of her strongest allies. She couldn’t imagine cooperating with anyone who behaved daily the way Philippe had at dinner. She initially thought it was a one-off outburst, but the Duke’s words made her think this was Philippe’s normal attitude. And what about Perry’s other brothers? What were they up to that made the Duke believe his wife would be upset by how they turned out?
From Perry, she knew them to be bullies but that was back during their childhood years. Surely by now they had grown out of tormenting people. She didn’t know a thing about their work within the dukedom, and the more she thought about it, the more worried she grew. Long ago, she thought her marriage to Perry was all that was needed to ensure a continued ally in Pettraud, but once the mantle passed on to Philippe…she wasn’t sure she wanted someone like him standing at her side in the political arena.
“I feel like our thoughts are going in opposite directions,” Perry said, interrupting her swirling ideas. “You don’t look pleased.”
“I am happy for you, of course,” she said, giving his arm a tender pat, “but I’d be lying if I said your father’s words didn’t have me worried.”
“You’re concerned about Philippe?”
“Aren’t you?” Jax countered. “You know him better than I, Perry. Does he really have it in him to govern his people with a just and fair hand.”
His eyes darkened. “Of course not. But that’s because my feelings toward him are more than a little jaded.”
“I don’t think you should be so quick to dismiss those feelings, my love. You have seen his true self.”
He snorted. “I have, and he’s an ugly beast, that is certain. But what can we do about it?”
In an ideal world, Jax knew exactly what she would do: seat someone else on the throne. But unfortunately, that was not how succession worked in the realm…yet. “We must be careful, for now. But this is something we will need to reconsider at a later time.”
“You mean, once my father either steps down or dies?”
She gave him a sharp look for being so crude. “Let’s be honest. Your father is never going to step down.”
Perry conceded with a shrug. “True.”
As forthcoming as she had been with her thoughts about Philippe, Jax decided to keep one thing to herself. It was obvious that the eldest Pettraud heir had some pent-up resentment over Darian and Uma’s ascension to power. As images of the overturned carriage flashed in her mind, she wondered if he had decided to act on it.
Chapter Nine
“A pleasant evening, Duquessa?” Vita asked as she entered the Duchess’s chambers to ready her for bed.
Narrowing her amethyst eyes, Jax assessed Vita’s grim expression. “Why do I feel like you already know how it went?”
Fluffing a pillow, Vita paused before answering. “The kitchens were bustling about Lord Philippe’s comments when I was down there collecting my supper.” Pulling back the bedsheets with care, she continued. “I’ve never known a household that has more respect for its mistress than yours, Jacqueline. All anyone could talk about was how impressed they were with how you handled the matter and stood up for Duke Fangard.”
“Philippe’s behavior was brutish and uncalled for. I would never let anyone speak that way to guests at my table…or anyone, for that matter.”
“He does sound like a cad.”
Jax met her maid’s remark with a grunt. “You can say that again.”
“Well, let’s hope you don’t have to go out of your way tomorrow to entertain him.”
Jax stood still as Vita went to work unlacing her gown. “Fortunately, I have other matters to attend to than Lord Philippe’s entertainment needs.”
“I thought you had put all matters of state to rest for the weekend,” Vita commented as she slid Jax’s nightdress over her head. “What are you working on now?”
Jax bit her tongue. “I just meant there are other guests here that I’ll be devoting my time to.”
“I saw the Viscounts of Carwyn earlier today while I was walking through the castle. I didn’t realize they would be here.”
“Do you know them?” Jax asked, surprised that Vita knew of the brothers.
“Oh yes,” she replied with a nod. “They used to frequent my father’s vineyard in their youth. Rumor has it that their father, the Marquess, shipped them off to Savant regularly because they caused so much trouble at home.”
“Really?” Jax’s curiosity was piqued; Perry had failed to mention this to her. “Do you know what kind of trouble they got themselves into?”
Vita bit her lip. “I’m not one to spread vicious gossip, especially since this all happened when they were much younger.”
“Says the girl who gossiped to me about the gossip in the kitchens,” Jax countered with a knowing smirk.
Blush crept from Vita’s cheeks to her neck as she tucked her unruly dark hair behind her ear. “Well, Duquessa, it was rumored that the Viscounts participated in a gambling circ
uit run by some unsavory characters.”
While Jax did not gamble herself, she found it hard to believe that the brothers would be reprimanded for the vice. “What do you mean ‘unsavory characters’?”
“The group was led by members of the Shadow Brethren.”
Jax sucked in a breath. The Carwyn brothers had ties to the Shadow Brethren?
“What’s more,” Vita continued, wringing her hands, “is that the nature of the gambling was quite vulgar. Bets were taken against whether or not a commoner could survive a fight with a wild animal. Quite a few people died before the ring was disbanded.”
“How horrible!” Jax winced at the inhumanity. “No wonder they were punished.” She couldn’t believe she was playing the doting hostess to such brutes. Did Perry know about his friends’ shady pasts?
“Again, this was over a decade ago, and since then, the brothers have paid full restitution from their own inheritance to the families who lost loved ones in the fighting, something they, themselves, insisted upon doing to repent,” Vita explained.
“What happened to the Shadow Brethren who were involved?”
Vita rubbed her chin in thought. “I believe most were apprehended and hanged for their crimes. I remember hearing that only one managed to elude capture, but I don’t know what happened to him.” She turned to the door to take her leave for the night. “My father tries to keep informed about the guild, so as not to sell wine to the wrong patron, if you know what I mean.”
“Do you happen to know if there are any other criminal factions in the realm, Vita?” Jax asked. Perhaps Vita knew who was behind the sword-and-serpent crest.
She tossed back her dark hair with a laugh. “Another criminal organization dare compete with the Brethren? Good Virtues, no.”
Jax sank onto her mattress, her hopes dashed. “Stimulating conversation, as ever, Vita. Good night.”
“Good night, Duquessa,” she replied with a curtsy and left the room.
Lying her head back on the dove-feather pillow, Jax examined the silky canopy above her, searching for answers that were not there. Her doubts surrounding her guests began to multiply. She had Philippe with his grudge against commoners, Carriena and her father’s financial woes, and now the Viscounts and their ties to the Brethren. What if the Viscounts only appeared to sever ties with the organization? Could they be behind Uma’s disappearance? With dread, she recalled that Bran and Emyr had been off riding unsupervised around the time the carriage was attacked. First thing in the morning, she would ask Jaquobie to mandate that courtiers accompany all guests during their leisure activities and not just act as their escorts to and from areas of the palace. With this new threat, she didn’t want to take any chances that something might slip past their watch.
Throne of Threats (Ducal Detective Mysteries Book 5) Page 9
