“Aston Smith. Who knew that by condemning you, I would also condemn myself?”
**
Jacob arrived at the palace of Queen Eve and the former King Roland a bit before noon. With the ball a week away, he’d decided to move to the palace from the inn and stay with the other royalty arriving early. Queen Eve sat beside him in the library, an old volume open in her lap. The marquess glanced at her, noting the bags under her eyes, the way her hair fell limply around her shoulders. Grief had not been kind to the lady. Even her blue eyes seemed dimmer than usual.
“Your majesty,” he started, but stopped, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t count how many summers he had spent in this palace, studying with his father. Now, both his father and the kind King Roland were dead. It amazed him how fast everything changed.
“No need for formalities, Jacob. You know I think of you as my own son,” Eve scolded, turning her eyes to him.
Jacob nodded and looked away. “I’m sorry, Eve. I wish I could have been here,” he offered.
The queen smiled at him, though the expression was forced. “There’s nothing you could have done, Jacob. Lady Jade was here with her father’s finest knight, and even he ended up injured.”
Jacob whipped his head to the side to meet Eve’s eyes. “Jade was here? With Sir Aston Smith?”
The woman shook her head. “I know not what his name was. I know only that he arrived with Lady Jade about an hour before my husband was murdered. Jade was with him, in the room with The Rogue Royal. I don’t know how she managed to escape, but a servant of mine saw her rush from the room before my husband screamed.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m sure the princess was terrified, being in the same room as that monster. She must have seen his face,” Jacob said, leaning closer to the frail woman and setting his hand lightly atop her knee.
Again, the queen shook her head at him. “He wore a mask, my servant said. No one recognized him.”
“Have you heard from Lady Jade? Is she attending the winter ball next week?”
“I received word from King Aric that he has not heard from his daughter in a month or more. He was unaware she had been here. Your guess is as good as anyone’s,” Eve replied. She stood then, filing her book back onto one of the library’s many shelves. “Be comfortable, Jacob. There is a week until the ball and more royalty is arriving daily. Don’t fret about what cannot be changed.” The queen set her hand gently on Jacob’s shoulder before leaving the marquess alone with his thoughts.
**
Ernst was uncomfortable. Seated across from his mother and father in their carriage, he felt like a stranger. No one spoke; what was there to say when you rarely saw each other? He looked out his window, watching the brown and white countryside ease past. It was customary for him to attend the winter ball with his family, but it was odd without Jade seated beside him.
Jade had known who he was from the beginning. She’d been the one to find him that night seven months ago, covered in vomit and blood in his room. She’d fretted over him, searching for wounds before discovering the blood was not his. He’d cracked then, telling her everything; she hadn’t looked at him the same since.
She used to be his little sister, the one he needed to protect. Now, she was the one protecting him. She’d had countless opportunities to turn him in, to tell everyone the Rogue’s identity. She never did. Even now, traveling with that knight, she still wouldn’t betray him. Jade was the strongest, smartest, stupidest woman he’d ever met. What did she have to gain, keeping his secret?
Ernst sighed and stared at the empty seat beside him. Would Jade appear at the winter ball with her knight? Would Aston Smith risk being seen when the knight was just as wanted as he was?
**
Jade breathed a sigh of relief as Knight’s Inn came into view. After two days of riding and a night in the snow, she was ready for a real bed. She left her horse with Aston and entered the inn, immediately taking in a deep breath of the warm air. She rubbed her arms as she walked to the front desk, greeted by the same woman as before.
“A room for two?” Jade asked, looking the lady over. Her bosom spilled from the low cut neckline of her dress, leaving little to the imagination. Her hair needed to be washed and her makeup looked cheap, but there was still something beautiful about her.
“Fifth door on the right,” the lady answered, handing Jade a small iron key. The princess paid and made her way up the stairs, stepping into the room she would share with Aston for the next week. She quickly unpacked their costumes, glad to see that the silk hadn’t wrinkled much on the journey. She hung the costumes in the small wardrobe before lying on the bed, covering herself with the thick, wool blanket provided.
She was asleep in moments. Subconsciously, she felt Aston slide into bed beside her and squirmed closer to him and the heat he provided before sighing in content and falling deeper into her slumber.
**
The week leading up to the winter ball was uneventful. Jade still hadn’t shown Aston their costumes and, as the night approached, the knight became more and more worried.
“If the mask doesn’t cover my face, someone is bound to recognize me,” he told Jade for the hundredth time.
“Stop worrying, Aston. The disguises are perfect.”
“How many blond royals and nobles are there?”
Jade looked at Aston, a brow raised. “About a hundred,” she answered.
The knight sighed and looked away, thinking he should have asked how many fiery red headed females there were.
Jade went to him, sitting beside him on the bed. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. There will be so many people there, you probably won’t see Talbot or Donn anyway,” she assured him.
“I know, I know. I’ve never been somewhere I wasn’t wanted before is all,” Aston said, taking her hand in his and giving her a light kiss on the cheek. Jade smiled and stood, going to the wardrobe. She turned to face her knight, holding the handles behind her back.
“Ready to see your costume?” she asked, a smile growing on her face.
The glisten in her eyes scared the knight, but he decided to appease her anyway. “As ready as I am going to be,” he answered.
Jade frowned at him but opened the door anyway, pulling Aston’s costume from the wooden rod it hung on. She held it up for him to see.
The emerald silk was the same color as Jade’s eyes. Golden buttons made their way down both sides of an emerald coat, finer than anything he’d seen before. Emerald leggings were partially hidden under a pair of brown pants that cut off mid-calf. The mask Jade was holding was half white with emerald beading lining the outer rim. The other half was green, elegant white scrollwork branching out from where his eye would peek out.
“That’s astounding, Jade!” he exclaimed, standing and taking the garments from her. He peeked over her shoulder, hoping to see her dress, but she quickly closed the door and shooed him from the room to change.
“The ball starts in an hour. If you don’t plan on making a grand entrance, I suggest you get ready now,” she called after him, watching as he disappeared to the washroom at the end of the hall. She locked the door and went to the wardrobe, pulling out her own dress.
“This is it,” she said, her nerves bunching in her stomach, before stepping out of her breeches and into the beautiful gown.
**
Aston shifted uncomfortably in the hall. He’d been finished changing for half an hour and Jade had locked him out of their room. Instead, he was stuck outside, smiling at people going and coming down the hall who looked at him as if he were crazy. Turning around, he knocked again.
“Jade, people are staring at me,” he whispered, hoping she would answer.
“I’m almost done,” she called back, and the knight heard her laugh.
Aston sighed and leaned against the door. If she didn’t hurry, they were going to get their grand entrance after all. The last thing he needed was for everyone at the ball to turn to look at them when they e
ntered.
As Jade stepped from the room, he feared they would anyway.
Her auburn hair was piled atop her head, some of her tight curls hanging down from their elegant perch. Silver stones adorned her hair, shining every time she moved. Her dress was the same color as his suit, the same color as her eyes. It fit tight to her waist and then billowed out, hiding every bit of her figure underneath its canopy. A bit of white tulle stuck out from the bottom, crinkling when she stepped. White silk lined the top and created a sash at her waist. The dress was tight across her chest, allowing just a bit of breast to peek over the top. She’d added small diamonds in her earlobes and her mask was made the reverse of his.
Aston stared as she stepped from the room. If he hadn’t already thought her beautiful, his opinion would have instantly been changed.
“You look beautiful,” he breathed, though he was sure the words weren’t necessary. Surely someone as stunning as Jade already knew.
“And you look like a handsome prince,” she replied, taking the hand he offered her. Now when people stared, he was sure they were looking at the woman on his arm and not at him. If he were those staring eyes, he would not be able to tear away from Jade either.
As they exited the inn, Aston directed his princess to the chariot he’d hired for them earlier in the week.
Jade’s eyes lit up in surprise. “A chariot to take me to the ball? How noble of you, Aston Smith,” she said, a smile in her voice as she allowed him to help her into the chariot. As soon as he was seated beside her, the coachman closed the door behind them and they were on their way to the ball.
“We should think of different names to call each other. I can’t be Aston, and you can’t be Jade. It can be a true masquerade,” Aston gently warned, turning to look at the woman beside him.
“You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that,” she answered, setting her hand against her chin in thought. “I always wanted to be named Bella.” She turned her eyes to Aston.
“Bella it is. And you can call me Richard,” he said.
Jade laughed and he smiled at her. “I miss that boy. I hope I get to see him again.”
“Me too,” the knight replied, somber. He’d gone a full week without thinking about his situation. Now it crashed down on him again. A light kiss on his cheek brought his attention back to the current moment.
“Everything is going to be fine,” Jade told him again.
“It’s the heart afraid of breaking that never
learns to dance. It’s the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It’s the one who won’t be taken who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.”
- Bette Midler -
Twenty
Jade marveled at the palace as the coachman helped her from the carriage. Lit inside and out with candles and lanterns, the winter wonderland she’d come to know and love seemed more beautiful than usual. Sneaking a glance at the man beside her, she thought she knew why.
Aston looked nervous; his eyes kept darting around, watching for someone who might recognize him.
The princess took his hand, making him focus on her. “Relax. If you look like you don’t belong, someone is bound to notice that you don’t,” she told him, giving him a small peck on the cheek. The knight took a deep breath and offered her a curt nod, kissing the hand he was holding before starting for the door.
Jade glided along beside him, looking every bit the lady that she was. She seemed to float along the ground, and Aston was suddenly insecure. Did he look like a prince, standing beside his princess? Or did he look like what he was, a man unworthy of holding her hand? Shaking the thought aside, he held his shoulders back and tried to appear comfortable, though he was nowhere near.
As they entered the palace, he was pleased to see that nobody turned to watch them. They were introduced as Lady Bella and Sir Richard before they were allowed to descend the grand marble staircase leading into the ballroom. Aston found himself staring; in all his time as a knight, he’d never stepped into a ballroom before. He’d never had reason to.
King Roland had spared no expense when this room had been designed. Fifty-foot ceilings, grand, marble columns, and rich golden tiles caught Aston’s attention. A gold chandelier the size of thirty horses hung from the center of the ceiling, shimmering with candlelight and casting glistening lights across the room. A small marble slab rose from the ground at the front of the room, and that was where the violinists stood, playing slow, soothing music as pairs danced across the floor.
A tug on his arm told Aston that Jade was tired of his gawking and ready to head into the crowd. He allowed her to pull him forward, trying to look natural but feeling he wasn’t doing a very good job. People stared at the couple as they passed, undoubtedly wondering why they’d never heard of Lady Bella and Sir Richard before.
“Relax,” came Jade’s urgent whisper, and Aston forced his shoulders to loosen and his frown to turn into a subdued and friendly smile. When he caught people staring, he nodded his head at them and marveled at how they would smile back and look away, as if his smile was the only reassurance they needed that he belonged.
As his princess led him further into the circling crowd of bodies, Aston realized one very important fact; he didn’t know how to dance. Jade chose that moment to stop, turning to face him and taking one of his hands in hers while placing the other on his shoulder. He placed the hand she wasn’t holding on her waist, but didn’t move aside from that.
“I don’t know how to dance,” he whispered, eyeing the couples around him. They all moved the same, circling in the same direction, the men lifting their partners in unison. As a knight, there was no need for him to know how to dance.
“It’s simple. Just follow me,” Jade encouraged, moving her right foot toward his left. Aston moved his left foot back, then followed with his right foot as Jade moved her left. Soon, they were moving with the circle; right foot, left foot, right, left. “Now, pick me up,” Jade commanded, and Aston lifted her into the air, watching as she joined the rest of the women in the room, her hands planted on his shoulders.
He smiled up at the princess, her eyes shining with laughter. He set her on the floor and the circle continued. Aston didn’t stop until the song ended, and even then he didn’t let go of Jade. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her.
“Thank you,” he said when he pulled away.
Jade smiled at him. “You’re welcome. Shall we get something to drink?”
Aston allowed his princess to pull him from the crowd, moving to stand beside her. Another song started, this one faster paced, and the knight was grateful she hadn’t tried to teach him the new dance that began. The fast steps made him dizzy to watch, and he couldn’t comprehend exactly what was happening.
A cup was pushed into his hand and Aston looked down. A small, metal goblet of yellow liquid filled his grip, and he looked at Jade with a frown. She laughed at him.
“You were off in your mind somewhere again. I had to bring you back,” she explained, taking a sip from her own goblet. Aston brought the cup to his lips, puckering them at the overly sweet taste.
“What is it?” he asked, eyeing the beverage warily.
“Punch. It’s a mix of pineapple juice, orange juice, and just a hint of rum,” she explained, taking another sip.
Aston set his cup on the table. “Royals drink odd drinks. What happened to water or mulled wine?” he asked, looking around.
“It’s almost Christmas, Aston. There’s a reason it’s called the season of high spirits,” she laughed.
Aston laughed as well and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He jumped when someone tapped him on his shoulder. Turning, he was met with stunning green eyes. The man wore white leggings with a royal blue tunic. A brown leather belt and brown boots completed the ensemble. The mask he wore covered only half of his face and was the same blue as his tunic. A silver sword cut across the mask, the hilt starting at his forehead and the blade slashing
through his eye and down to his chin.
“You’re not from these parts, are you?” the ebony haired man asked. Aston shook his head. While he didn’t want to be recognized, he didn’t particularly feel like lying about who he was either. “Where are you from?”
“Um..”
“Leave him alone, Ernst,” Jade said from behind him.
Aston turned to face her. “You know him?”
Jade nodded.
“Well, dear sister, I didn’t see you there,” Ernst said, pulling his sister into a hug.
Jade pushed away from him, moving to stand beside Aston again, almost protectively.
Something passed through Ernst’s eyes, but his smug smile stayed in place. “So, I’ve been found out. Ernst du Halen, at your service,” he said, bowing low.
Aston nodded at him, bowing slightly; something about the prince made him wary. He had a fleeting thought that Ernst wasn’t a man you turned your back on.
“It’s very brave of you, sister, showing up here with your knight,” Ernst said, glaring at his sister. She was being dumb; why would she bring Aston here? Did she want to get the man killed?
“Speak quieter, Ernst! What if someone hears you?” Jade scolded, her voice low. She glanced around, but no one paid attention to their exchange.
“What if someone were to see you?” he fired back.
“Do you want to dance, Jade?” Aston asked, stepping between them and taking her hand. With one last look at her brother, Jade nodded. As Aston stated to lead her away, she turned back around.
“Please, don’t tell Father, Ernst. I’d just hate if something happened to Aston and I let our little secret slip,” she said, giving him her most innocent smile.
As they once again disappeared into the crowd, Aston looked over his shoulder at Jade. “That’s your brother?”
She nodded, not meeting his eyes.
“What did he want with you?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I haven’t seen him in a long time,” she lied. She knew exactly why Ernst confronted her. As long as he kept his mouth shut, no one would recognize Aston. Unlike royalty, knights had no faces to go with their names in the minds of other royals.
Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) Page 14
