He laughed. "It is fortunate she did not recognize you, then, or you would have your own reputation to live up to."
Lucky indeed, I thought. Or perhaps not. If she has Hilliard, she may also know where Damara is.
The countess was speaking animatedly with another woman with a long face who appeared to have little interest in the countess' company.
"If anyone knows what happened to Sarelle, it will be her." Jon nodded in their direction.
It would not be that easy to find out why Sarelle died, but at least I knew where to start.
Chapter Twelve
"COUNTESS LORELLE IS one of many widows from the war between Danhad and Neaux. Until a six-month ago, no one knew much about her," Jon said with a triumphant smile.
"What happened six months ago?" I asked. I peered up from a stack of books on genealogy as I referenced the list of names Jon had given me. Each name on his list had been from high-standing families and members of the royal council.
Jon took a seat across the desk from me and leaned forward on the polished wood.
"She spread a rumor about Queen Celeste and her pet lord, Eeland Yette, he's a minor lord with a lot of ambition. He's risen quickly in the council in recent years, it seems, and he is often seen in the queen's company. The countess pointed it out, and it seemed she made quite a few enemies."
"Interesting." I frowned and puzzled through the revelation.
"Wait, that's not even the best part." Jon stood and held his hands up. "She's also very rich. She controls lands northwest of the palace that are rich in farmland, from which she makes a very healthy income."
"Why does it matter if she's rich?" I scowled at him. He probably is itching to get her in league with him as well. I suppose some people only crave power.
"Her wealth is a draw to many, and her suitors are... numerous, but—" He held up his finger for dramatic effect. "It's said she has turned each one away, after a time. The rumor is that she has sworn to love no other man than her late husband."
"How do you know all of this?" I asked.
His grin widened. "I have my ways."
I frowned and looked down at the parchment on the table. Countess Lorelle had arrived in Sanore after years away from court and had immediately set her sights on the queen. Either she was very brave or very foolish.
"We'll need to leave soon," Jon said. "Intrigue does not wait."
He headed for the door, and I watched him leave, contemplating his motives. Is he in it for the power, or is it something more? In our short time together he had given me no cause not to trust him, but I kept him at arm's length just the same. He was a means to an end, no more.
I dressed, assisted by my maid. She braided my chestnut hair and twisted it into a crown on top of my head. It was simple and elegant. It fit the persona I had crafted for myself as Aoife Sixton. I wore a cream gown with gold stitching and small glass beads arranged like a sunburst along the bodice. It was a gift from Jon. He had bought it for me after we had been invited to the countess' villa.
I went down the stairs to await Jon. Johai was waiting in the foyer, wearing his new livery. It was black and fitted at the waist and shoulders. He turned to regard me as I came down the stairs, but it was as if his eyes went right past me.
"Johai," I greeted him when I reached the bottom of the stairs.
"You need to be careful, Maea. I don't trust him. What if he is drawing you into a trap? We don't know anything about the countess," Johai said with a glance towards the stairs where Jon should be emerging at any moment.
"Why would he wait until now to spring it, then?" I asked. Johai had been growing more paranoid by the day, which only worried me further.
"I do not know what the man's mind is. You say he wants to find Sarelle's killer, but why, for what purpose?"
I, too, had asked myself those very questions, and I had yet to come up with a satisfying answer. "Sabine wants to prove that Adair is involved in Sarelle's murder would be my guess. She's trying to end Adair's rule."
"To what end?" Johai asked.
I turned away from him, pretending to be adjusting a necklace I wore, which was links of gold with yellow gems in between the links. At least he was speaking with me again. It had been a few days after the handfasting before I could look him the eye once more. I did not like him voicing my own concerns. I wanted to trust Sabine and believe that she was working with Jon for the good of the people of the kingdom that she now shared in ruling.
Jon came down the stairs after that, and I was saved from answering Johai's question. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I thought he had heard our conversation and was amused by it. "Maea, you look stunning." He took my hand and kissed it, with a smirk in Johai's direction.
His valet was brushing off the brown doublet he wore. The fabric was off-white and embroidered with stars in a golden thread.
"Thank you," I said and peered at Johai. His mouth was downturned.
"Shall we adjourn?" Jon asked and offered his arm to me. I took it with my fingertips lightly touching the crook of his arm. I wanted to avoid as much intimacy as was possible, especially in front of Johai.
We climbed into the carriage, and once the door shut behind me, I glowered at Jon. "Why do you taunt him like that?"
He smiled lazily and leaned back in his seat. "Why not?"
"Unlike for you, to Johai and I, finding out who killed Sarelle is paramount. If the countess knows anything about Sarelle's death, it will be priceless." Jon's smiled widened, and I turned to look out the window. He is playing with me. Is this all a game to him? "Tell me, is the countess a member of the Order?"
He made a stern face that reminded me of Johai. "I would think not. The Order is no place for a woman with a head full of nothing but gossip and fetes."
I fought a creeping smile. Jon's impression of Johai threatened to break my wall of indifference. His laid-back nature was infectious and threatened to put me into a lulled sense of security. I could not trust him. We may have made a truce, but that did not mean I could let my guard down. Even behind my disguise, I was not safe. After that woman had attacked me at the palace, I knew this would not be an easy task. The royal family was covering something in regards to Sarelle's death, and I aimed to find out what and how it related to Johai and me. Even if the countess was not a member of the Order, she may have information I could use. Or this could all be a detour to take me away from my real path.
The ride was quick, and we were soon outside the countess' villa. The carriage came to a lurching halt. Footsteps scurried on the stones outside, and the door swung open. A small man with black receding hair stood outside.
"Duke Sixton, Duchess Sixton, welcome to the home of Countess Lorelle of the renowned family Theene. My lady wishes that I bring you into her home and see to your comfort."
I shot Jon a confused look before letting the man take my hand in his gloved one. I stepped out onto the street in front of the countess' villa and looked up. The architecture was different than most homes in Sanore. There was a large balcony that looked out onto the city streets that I am sure had a breathtaking view of the city rolling out beneath it. The villa was a pale pink marble that was veined with black. The roofing was clay tiles in a dark burnt red. The exterior wall was topped with decorative metalwork that looked like blooming flowers.
"This way, your graces." The servant hurried through a pair of wrought-iron gates and towards the double doors that led into the villa. The servant wore burgundy livery, the color of rich wine and covered in a pattern of golden stylized flowers.
He showed us through the front garden. Arbors of wisteria lined the walkway, and their sweet scent drifted through the air. Small purple petals carpeted the ground, and the sound of our footsteps were muffled by the soft covering.
"My lady will meet you in the drawing room with her other guests," the servant informed us as we mounted the stairs into the house.
Inside the foyer was a grand room. A spiral staircase was set at the back of the
room, and the floor was covered in polished mahogany. There were several niches with decorative vases and sculptures all around the room. There were so many it almost felt cluttered.
I shared a confused look with Jon. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, drinking in the room. Either he was too eager to notice my confusion, or I had walked into a trap. Johai was back with the carriage and Beau with him as well. When the countess had extended the invitation, I had thought we were to dine with her alone, but her servant made it seem that there were other guests here. We were shown to the drawing room. When we entered, Hilliard stood up from his seat on one of the couches beside the countess and bowed to the pair of us. When he rose, I met his gaze, half-hoping he would recognize me behind my disguise. I had hoped he would be there that night, and I had prepared a message to give to him. I needed their help, but they were in danger just as I was, and I dared not reveal them unless that was what they wanted. When I looked at him, however, he glanced over me as if not seeing me at all.
"Jon, what a pleasure." The countess had risen and crossed the room to greet us. Today she wore a goldenrod gown that was generously adorned with lace and pearls sewn into the bodice in the shape of flower buds. She kissed Jon on both cheeks before pulling back and taking stock of me. "And you, the beauty who has stolen the charming Duke Sixton's heart.
"My lady, I thank you for welcoming me into your home." I bowed low as someone of my pretended birth would to a superior.
There were several others in the room. A middle-aged woman with a high-cut, stone-gray gown that looked like it was strangling her. Beside her sat a rotund man with a large, black beard and long, black hair that was loose and wild. He wore a doublet in black and gold and a large gold chain on his breast. Each of his fingers had a ring with large gemstones in every color of the rainbow. Across from them was a man with a long, narrow face. He was tall and thin with a severe expression. Beside him sat a girl not much older than I. She had tarnished blonde hair that she wore pulled back at the base of her neck. She wore a pink gown that was high cut beneath her breasts and swelled over her pregnant belly. Around her neck were many strings of pearls. Finally, a fifth man by himself sat beside the fire. He looked over at me beneath thick eyebrows and lank black hair. He was the simplest dressed among the guests, and he looked me up and down with a downward tilt of his mouth. I had seen him before at the palace with Queen Celeste. He must be her infamous advisor. What is he doing here?
"Danhadine. Ah, I love your culture. Tell me, are you from the east or the west?" the countess asked as we sat down beside her on the couch, which she had been sharing with Hilliard. He had absconded himself to the other side of the room, not far from the queen's man.
"The west, my lady, I grew up in the foothills not far from Neaux," I recited my practiced lies.
"Oh, then have you ever been to the ocean?"
I thought of the continual ebb and flow of the ocean, the scent of it on the air and the cry of gulls. "Yes, I have."
"Oh, now I am quite jealous. I have always wanted to look upon the great eastern ocean. If you've been east, then I am sure you've been to Keisan. I bet you were a favorite at court."
I was absorbed by memories of home, and I did not guard my words as I should have. "I would not say so, my lady." My original background story was that I had lived my entire life in the western province of Danhad and that I had never been to court. It was easier that way. Now that the words were spoken, I could not take them back without revealing my lie.
Jon noticed and stepped in to assist me. "My wife went as a child. I believe her father guarded her rather closely. Is that not right, my dear?" He patted my hand as I nodded to corroborate his story. "I am lucky to have gotten her hand at all." He tilted his head as he looked at me, and the look was one of adoration.
"Oh, please tell me you had to overcome terrible odds to win her hand! Kinard and Lysette went through so many troubles before they found one another." She gestured to the severe man and the young pregnant woman. "Kinard had just lost his wife to a pox, and he is without a male heir, and Lysette is from a well-placed family in Jerauch. Her father came here to make his fortunes in trading fur and iron but fell on hard times. Then I found her, the jewel she is, working in her father's shop down on merchants' street while I was shopping for a gown for Lady Hue's gala last spring. Did I not, Kinard?"
"So you have told me," the severe man, Kinard, said with a nod of his head.
The countess did not seem to hear him as she continued her tale. "Now if only I could find Garthin a wife, if his sister Belaline will approve." She smiled at the round man and the woman with the high collar.
The man smiled, but the woman gave him a dirty look, and his expression drooped.
The countess sighed. "True love does not come often but in tales, it seems. Though I have heard romantic things about the wedding of King Adair and Princess Sabine. I have it from sources that the king loved her from the moment he laid eyes upon her and she him. They were like torn lovers until her father relented to the marriage and the binding of our kingdoms. Which I think is for the best."
Perhaps she knows nothing more than gossip and drivel, I thought dourly. This evening may be for naught after all.
"We had a torrid love affair," Jon said in reply to the countess' tirade. "I loved her since we were children, but she never returned my affections. Her father is a wealthy gem merchant, you see, and he had plans to marry her to a Jerauchian merchant's son once she came of age."
"Oh, who is your father, dear?" the countess asked.
I fought the urge to shoot Jon a dirty look. That was not part of the story. I thought quickly, however, and replied using my false father's name. "Alonse Dineth."
She gave me a puzzled expression before saying, "Oh, Alonse, I met him at a soirée in Westeria just after the war. A charming man, you must send my regards in your next letter to him. Eeland, you've dealt in gems. Have you met Sir Dineth?" She looked over to Eeland.
"No," he replied, and his voice was like a cold bath being dumped over me.
I felt his eyes on me, and I avoided his stare by fiddling with the fabric of my gown. I am in over my head. I did not expect there to be other people here. How can I keep these lies straight with so many eyes on me? The conversation turned after that, and the countess directed much of the conversation and more often than not onto topics she seemed to have much knowledge in, and she appeared to know everyone. A servant came and announced dinner was ready. We headed into the dining room. Hilliard followed after the countess and linked arms with her. I decided to focus on approaching him, but the countess kept him close, and I knew if I showed the slightest interest in Hilliard, she would sense it and question it.
Jon offered me a bended arm, and we walked together to the dining room. As the countess and Hilliard went before us, I took a calculated risk and whispered in Jon's ear, "I know that man from Danhad. He was in Duchess Damara's employ. Why do you think he is here?"
He looked at the back of Hilliard's head. "An excellent question, I shall find the answer for you." He smirked as he pulled out my chair for me at the table. Jon was bolder than I, and he seemed well matched to direct the countess in the right conversation.
"Lorelle, you have yet to introduce us to your friend." Jon smiled at Hilliard, who did not return the expression.
"Oh, this is Hilliard, my companion. We met here in Sanore, and we have been inseparable since." She smiled at him, and he nodded his head in her direction without a change of expression. "We're madly in love as you can see." She patted his hand.
"You make a lovely couple." Jon smiled at the two of them.
"Now, Jon, you must confirm some rumors I have heard. Is it true that Queen Sabine is with child?"
My head shot up, and I, too, looked at Jon for answers. He did not look at me as he answered the countess. On Jon's right, Eeland raise a bushy brow and watched him as he answered. "Before I left for Sanore, the magiker confirmed the queen is with child. She is expected to deli
ver this winter coming."
"How delightful! And to think, if she has a son, it will be third in line to the throne of Neaux!"
"Is there no one else before the child?" I asked, both surprised and perturbed by this revelation. I had prophesized their son. That must be Adair's plan, to use the boy to take the Neaux throne. Their son was also the harbinger of destruction. He was one of the omens that foretold the rise of the specter. Gooseflesh rose along my arms.
"Well, Princess Arlene never married after her betrothed died in that horrible accident. Princess Marie-Celeste is of ill health; that is why her husband sent her back to court. I have heard she cannot bear children. Poor thing." She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "And Queen Celeste never did give birth to a live son. The only one in line between Sabine's possible son and the throne would be King Reginald's younger brother, Prince Reynard."
"Then Prince Reynard will inherit the throne after his brother; then his son would be next in line before Sa—Queen Sabine's child?
"Yes, if he had a son to pass it on to. He has not taken a wife yet. He was engaged to the Danhadine, Princess Sarelle, before she, too, passed." She sighed and took a long sip of her wine.
"Some say the prince murdered his betrothed in a fit of jealous rage when she was found in bed with a lover," Garinth said, and his sister frowned at him. "Well, I heard it said," he protested sullenly.
"I heard it was Princess Arlene that did it. Princess Sarelle died just the same way Princess Arlene's betrothed died, in a hunting accident," Kinard supplied.
I was surprised by the interest in the topic. Up until then none of the guests had found it necessary to contribute to the discussion.
"Everyone at court heard the rumors, but they say it was an accident—a fall from her horse, I believe it was." Kinard's young wife, Lysette, said with a small blush on her cheeks.
Her husband raised a brow at her but did not reply. They were interesting theories to be sure, but I could not say for certain they were not just rumors and hearsay.
[fan] diviners saga 02 - diviners curse Page 15
