by M. J. Haag
“Mama wants us to go to town now for news,” I said. “Cecilia is supposed to come with us, too.”
“I do not envy you waking her,” Porcia said. “I’ll be ready shortly.” She closed the door in my face.
Turning, I went to Cecilia’s door, knocked loudly, and stepped back. When the door flew open, I was ready for her scowl.
“Mother wants us to leave for town immediately,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Mother would never wake me this early.”
I lifted my hand and gestured to Maeve’s closed door down the hall.
“Go ask her if you must. I’ll wake Hugh and be waiting for both you and Porcia outside.”
I turned and was about to walk away when she grabbed my hair and pulled me back. I didn’t cry out or struggle. Instead, I tilted my head as much as I was able and looked at her.
“I wanted to go alone. She insisted you go, too. I’m to walk the market and you’re to make social calls with Porcia.”
A smug smile curved her lips, and she released me with a shove. She didn’t see my answering smile as I descended the stairs. As Porcia said, I was learning. I had no choice. I either played their game or died like Catherine and Heather. It was time to move beyond manipulation and subtle defiance. It was time to show them all how strong I could be. I would be risking everything, but I saw no other way.
Hugh grumbled about the hour but quickly readied the carriage when I said it was Maeve’s wish we leave immediately. The ride to town was tense and quiet. Hugh dropped me off in the market district then took Cecilia and Porcia away.
I walked along the market, speaking with a person here and there, watching for signs of sickness. There weren’t any, for which I was grateful. If there had been, I would have had no reason to leave the market.
Keeping a friendly smile on my face, I started on the route that would either lead to my salvation or demise.
I walked toward the Brazen Belle.
Chapter Fifteen
A hush blanketed the whorehouse this morning. A few patrons snored on the porch, likely the same place where they’d fallen asleep in a drunken stupor the night before.
Without hesitation, I walked boldly up the front steps and entered the establishment’s large common room. It was less debasing than the back room I had been in previously. The women were covered, mostly, and there were tables and a bar for food and drink.
One of the serving women, sitting at a table, looked up at me, boredom in her gaze.
“Your nilly need a lick?” she asked. “I can do it for three coppers.”
I had no idea what she meant by nilly but knew I didn’t want her licking anything of mine.
“No, thank you. I’m here for Rose.”
“She’s in the kitchen. Sleeps by the fire.” She waved me off and resumed her bored picking of loose stitches on her gaping bodice.
Leaving the common room for the direction she’d waved, I stepped into the kitchen. Rose lay on a mat near the dying fire. As I watched, she shivered lightly in her sleep. Despite knowing what she was, I went to place more wood on the fire for her.
“That’s kind of you,” she said softly without opening her eyes. “Kindness is not often freely given.”
“I used to think it was,” I said, sitting on the stool near her so we could continue to speak quietly.
She opened her eyes to look at me.
“I thought you might be back. Too bad talking to the tree didn’t work.”
“How did you know?”
“A little bird told me,” she said with a wry smile.
“I need your help.”
She chuckled.
“I knew that when you first tried to speak and couldn’t. But I can’t help you. That curse holding your tongue is layered and deep. Only the one who cast it can remove it before it’s done.”
“Done?”
“All curses have an end. Once the goal is met, the curse will break on its own.”
I thought of the curse that Maeve cast last night. How the ill would become well again once the bells tolled to announce the Prince’s return.
“I don’t want you to remove it. I want something else. What I want will likely place you in grave danger, though. You might already be in danger, now, just for speaking with me. And, I have no means to compensate you for your help.”
The old woman cackled softly.
“You have means of which you do not yet know.” She motioned for me to help her up. Her grip was strong on my arm as she struggled to her feet.
“As for the danger,” she said, straightening to her full height, which towered a few inches over me, “I’ve never been bothered by it before. Why should I start today? Tell me what it is you ask of me.”
“Can you cast a spell on me to prevent any physical injury?”
She gazed at me thoughtfully.
“Is someone hurting you?”
“I can’t answer that.”
She studied me a moment then frowned.
“You already have a layer of protection.”
“How do you explain the bruises?”
“This protection is something deeper. An awareness of others. A sense of danger.”
I snorted.
“Well that failed me, too, when the—” I wanted to scream.
Rose gave me a pitying look. “I can give you something more. Something that will reflect any physical blow.”
“Not reflect. Absorb.”
“Are you certain you don’t want to see the one hurting you hurt in return?”
I looked at the floor, trying to think of something to say to help her understand. “If you and I were in a field together, and I struck a bull with a sword then hid, would the bull look for me because I struck it or would it attack you because you were there at the time it was angered?”
“Ah. You’re protecting someone else. Won’t this person be hurt in your place?”
I thought of Kellen’s peaceful face the last time I saw her and hoped not. Yet, I could no longer keep choosing her life over others. The memory of how it felt when the droplets of Catherine’s blood hit my back would haunt me forever, and I didn’t want more of such memories.
“Perhaps. But it’s a risk I must take. And after you cast the spell, I’ll need you to cast another.”
Rose’s brows rose.
“Another? You ask much.”
“Once you’re finished, I cannot be allowed to speak of what you’ve done for me. For your protection and for those I protect.”
She studied me intently.
“That I can do.”
“Will casting these spells hurt anyone?”
Her expression softened.
“No, child. No one will be harmed. Are you ready?”
She held out her hand to me. I glanced down at it, hesitating to put my trust in the woman before me.
“What did he do?” I asked, meeting her gaze.
“Pardon?”
“The pig. What did he do to cause you to curse him?”
She laughed slightly.
“You are a clever girl.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
She grinned and took my hand. A tingle of energy swept through me.
“The creature you care for wasn’t always a pig. I only gave him his true form. Helped him, if you will.”
The tingle grew stronger, burning its way under my skin to my very bones. I gasped then cried out. She placed her hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.
“Just a bit more,” she said. “You’re doing well.”
The heat intensified until it felt like fire in my blood. Darkness swamped my peripheral; but before I welcomed its embrace, the heat vanished, replaced by a cooling numbness.
“There you are,” she said, removing her hold. “By word and deed, you will not break or bleed. Nothing made of magic or by man will harm you. You will not speak of this or any past dealings with me, save in reference to the old woman whose pig you still tend. Both
spells will break the moment you wed.”
“Wed? Why then?”
“Because you won’t need the protection of the spell when you have the protection of a husband.”
“What if it’s a prospective groom who is beating me?”
She patted my cheek.
“You’re too clever to marry a brute. Trust me. You will not need it once you wed.”
“How do you get your power if not by taking life?”
Rose’s brows lifted.
“You are in a dangerous position, aren’t you? How are you here?”
“Obedience won me some limited freedom. But I’m never truly free. What’s been done here might already be known.”
Rose cackled.
“That’s very unlikely, child. This is my domain. What happens here is always private.”
I stood, hoping she was right.
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. As for your payment, I will call upon you in the future should I have a need of something. No more than two small favors. In addition to what I’ve already given you, I will tell you this. Magic is nothing more than the manipulation of the power in every living thing around us. To most it’s an intangible energy. To a few gifted, it’s the means to rule the world or to help those they love most.”
I nodded, not entirely certain I understood what she meant. She seemed to sense that because she grinned at me and waved me off.
“Go. You’ll want to set that clever mind of yours on a reason why you visited a whorehouse.”
“I already have one. Has anyone gotten ill here?”
The humor left Rose’s eyes.
“Two girls last night. Why?”
I shook my head and shrugged. “Do you know who they had entertained?”
“A guard from the castle, I believe.”
I nodded.
“Thank you, Rose.”
She didn’t stop me from walking out. There were a few more patrons in the common room. One of the girls coughed lightly as she spoke to a man more interested in her breasts than her health. I hurried out the door.
The warmth of the day wrapped around me as I made my way back to the market. Vendors were set up now and fully shouting the superiority of their goods. I stopped at a stall to purchase something to eat and saw the vendor cough lightly. Moving on without ordering, I saw more signs of sickness already spreading in the market.
My stomach growled, and I wondered if Rose’s spell would protect me from falling ill. Another thought struck me, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Cecilia being struck by this magical plague. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see her suffer. Well, perhaps nothing other than Maeve’s own suffering.
Not far from me, a woman coughed into her apron and the material came away bloody. The person she was speaking to saw the stain and backed away. A nearby vendor coughed, the sound wet and gurgling and looked at his hand.
“Sickness,” someone said.
A hush consumed the immediate area before everyone started yelling and moving. Some fled the market, likely for fear of becoming ill. Others remained, looking lost as they too began to cough.
“The King will help us, right Mama?” a child asked his sick mother.
“Yes, darling. He will.”
Despite the recent searches that had scared so many, our ruler was still well loved. I wondered how long that would continue as the sickness Maeve had created slowly brought the Kingdom to its knees.
I left the market and waited near the spot where Hugh and the sisters had left me. It didn’t take them long to return. Hugh coughed lightly into his hand after he pulled the carriage to a stop.
“I’ll open the door for myself,” I said quickly.
When I climbed in, Cecilia and Porcia were sitting opposite one another. I took the seat beside Porcia, and she gave an aggrieved sigh.
“You should have ridden on top with Hugh,” Cecilia said, a knowing smile on her face.
“How many people have fallen ill?” I asked.
“Not many,” Cecilia said with a shrug. “But it doesn’t matter. There is no doubt that mother’s spell will work. It’s only a matter of time before the King falls ill.”
Her smugness ate at me. I wanted to strike out at her. Knowing that there would be no repercussions only made the urge harder to resist. Yet, I did resist it. If Maeve did not yet know what I’d done, I would prefer to keep it secret as long as possible, for I now had a plan.
Maeve was pacing the steps when we pulled into the yard. Through the window of the carriage, our gazes locked. The rage there didn’t bode well for me. But, I didn’t regret my decision, and I hoped my feelings would remain unchanged no matter how she sought to punish me for what I’d done.
“Where were you?” she demanded when I stepped down. “You were in the market, and then you were gone. The mirror would show me nothing.” Her gaze flicked from me to Hugh, and I lifted my hands, pleadingly as I sidestepped his meaty fist.
“I went to the Brazen Belle, Mama. Please.”
She motioned for Hugh to stay.
“Explain yourself. Why did you leave the market?”
“The market was quiet, which I would expect at the hour, and I saw no one ill. Since the sickness started with a man in the castle, a man close to the King and to the guards, I went to the place the guards would most likely go during their free time to determine if the sickness was spreading. I didn’t know the mirror wouldn’t be able to find me. I swear. And, I did find sickness at the Brazen Belle. Two of the girls were already abed with it, and another coughed in the common room as she spoke to one of the men. When I returned to the market from there, I saw signs of it in the increased crowd. It’s spreading quickly, and people are beginning to panic.” I gestured to Hugh. “Hugh’s coughing, too.”
A slow smile curled Maeve’s lips.
“Very well done, Eloise, my sweet. I apologize for getting so angry for nothing.”
Cecilia made a small noise. When I glanced her way, she was glaring at me. Beside her, Porcia had gone pale and watched her sister with a hint of dread.
Maeve reclaimed my attention by wrapping her arm around my shoulder and hugging me to her side.
“What kind of reward would you like?” she asked.
“Reward?” The word struck fear in me. Maeve’s rewards were often a calm before a new storm.
“I need no reward, Mama. Helping is enough.”
“Come, now,” she squeezed my arm harder. “I insist.”
I glanced at Cecilia and Porcia. The hate in Cecilia’s eyes only burned brighter now.
“I don’t want any of us to fall ill,” I said, looking up at Maeve. “Cecilia and Porcia are my sisters. I would spare them from what I saw. Coughing up blood cannot be pleasant. Hugh too, if it’s possible.”
“Consider it done.”
I glanced at Cecilia, but her expression hadn’t changed. If she tried hurting me again, my secret would be discovered far too quickly.
“You three go inside and fix us something to eat. I’ll see if I can do something to make Hugh feel better.”
The purr that had crawled into her voice made me sicken. I could well imagine what she intended to do with Hugh. I only hoped he would be cured of the plague in the process.
Following a healthy distance behind Porcia and Cecilia, we made our way to the kitchen door. As soon as it closed behind us, Cecilia whirled on me.
“You simple fool,” she snarled. “You wasted a gift rarely given on an unnecessary request.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “I was trying to make amends.”
“Amends?” She growled and paced the room. “We are her daughters. We are essential to Mama’s plans. Of course she wouldn’t allow us to fall ill. Not this close to the Prince’s return. You could have had anything. You could have asked her to bring your sister home or to set her free, and Mama would have done it.” Cecilia rounded on me. “She will never give you this opportunity again.”
<
br /> I didn’t let her words distract me from the moment.
“I understand that you want to blame me, but know that my ignorance is not my fault. You both know Mama and her ways better than I. Either of you could have spoken to me. Could have helped me understand. As I said, I was trying to make amends. I want the anger between us gone.”
Cecilia stared at me for a long moment.
“So long as she treats you like her favorite, that will never be.”
I sighed.
“I don’t seek her favor; you know that. Your anger is misguided.”
“Are you suggesting I should be angry with Mama?”
“I suggest nothing. I’m only stating the truth.”
She cast a glare at me then looked at Porcia.
“I have a headache. You can help Eloise make us something to eat. I’ll be upstairs.”
Porcia said nothing as Cecilia stormed from the room. But the look she gave me afterward was just as full of anger as Cecilia’s.
“How have I angered you?” I asked, pretending to be exasperated.
“You are far from ignorant. Mother’s proclaimed your cleverness time and again. Surely you knew she wouldn’t allow us to fall ill. You purposely chose no reward.”
“Untrue. Mama’s,” I said, stressing the word since she’d used the word mother, “lessons can be quite severe. I wasn’t at all certain we wouldn’t fall ill.”
Some of the anger left Porcia’s eyes.
“Go fix lunch,” she said, sitting at the table.
Uncaring that she wasn’t willing to help, I began fetching what I needed to make a light soup. However, the distant clanging of bells reached my ears before I managed to cut more than one slice of bread. I looked at Porcia. Her gaze flicked to me then the door.
“Her time has come again,” she said softly. “She will finally realize her dream.”
I saw the way Porcia’s hand trembled.
“What is her dream?”
“To rule,” she said simply.
The door banged open and Maeve strode in, her bodice loosely laced. She beamed at both of us.
“The bells have rung for the King’s fall from health. The end has begun. Go get Cecilia.”
Porcia hurriedly left the kitchen, and Maeve focused on me.
