The Clearing

by Lina J. Potter

  Lily’s eyebrows shot up. “So what?”

  “My lady, the last time he was here, the earl said that Shirvey was not to be housed with the servants.”

  “Is that so? My husband trusts him?”

  Emma nodded. Lily gave an encouraging smile.

  Keep talking. Then we’ll see if I approve or not.

  “Was your husband still the agent the last time Shirvey was here?”

  “Shirvey arrived with the earl and with Etor the last time. You weren’t yet…”

  “Not married yet?”

  Emma nodded. She could tell that the countess was not averse to a little gossip.

  “My lady, that was when the earl appointed Etor. Etor told me to pack my things and get out of the castle. So I did.”

  “What about Shirvey?”

  “He didn’t seem to care.”

  “Did he know Etor well?”

  “They spoke like old friends.”

  Lily nodded for her housekeeper to continue. Emma told her about conversations she had “overheard” (read: eavesdropped on) between Etor and Shirvey, about the earl and his daily hunting excursions, about Etor’s wife, Tara, who deserved hanging…

  She began to piece together an interesting picture. The earl didn’t care about what went on at the estate. Shirvey and Etor were friends. Close friends. And according to Emma, Shirvey was the more senior of the two.

  So where does that leave me? Etor was stealing from me. Was he keeping it all or sharing it? Is my husband a fool, or does he really just not care?

  Lily dug deep into her memory. Nothing came to the surface.

  Fine. I see two possibilities. The first: Etor was planning to steal as much as he could and then run off before he was caught. The second: this was a long-term plot organized by someone important. Is it possible that’s what’s been going on here? Easy. Could Shirvey have been covering for Etor? Even easier. I can’t let him go. I’ll talk to Jamie. On second thought, no, I’ll do it myself. I wonder if belladonna grows here. Or henbane? I won’t kill him, but I’ll make him wish I had.

  She thanked Emma profusely and hinted that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a spy network at the castle. She was tactful.

  “Emma dear, when we have guests at the castle it would be nice to know who they are and what they want. Otherwise, we might put a hunter in the music room or serve meat to a man who is fasting. All for the comfort of our guests, of course.”

  Emma knew exactly what Lily meant.

  Then Lily had another idea. She suggested that Emma have Mary take Shirvey his meals and clean his room.

  That Mary can’t keep her skirt down, but she wants to keep her job here. No one else would put up with her. If she’s nice to him, maybe she’ll be able to get some information for me.

  That order issued, Lily headed off like a military commander flanked by two Virmans.

  Things are getting interesting around here. Why didn’t I ever read Machiavelli? Ella tried to get me to read him, but I was busy studying for a pathoanatomy test. All that intrigue would help me now. Even when I had to take psychology I stuck to the pharmacology section. I just don’t have the knowledge and experience for this!

  Lily tried to be everywhere at the same time, but towards evening she started to run out of steam. The day came back to her as a series of disjointed images. She remembered Miranda crawling under a cabinet and pulling out a mountain of dirt. She glowered at the cleaners and they grabbed their mops. Miranda ran off to see if there was any dirt behind the fireplace. Her Virman guards watched the little girl with amusement. She thought it was a game, but she was learning: learning to give orders and make sure they were followed, learning to check other people’s work. It was a skill she would need. Lily had never served in the army, but she had learned some of the skills from watching her father. She would teach Mirrie what she needed to know before it was too late.

  When she got to Jamie’s workshop, she saw that he knew how to give orders. The peasants he had working for him didn’t like it. They were trying to talk back, but Jamie was having none of it. Nobody in the workshop cared two pennies that the countess had just walked in. When one of the peasants shouted at Jamie and raised a hand, Lily’s Virman guard slapped him upside the back of the head. He didn’t seem to have put much force behind it, but the blow put an end to the argument.

  Lily smiled at Jamie. “I hope you aren’t having trouble with your workers.”

  The peasants stared. Then they got back to work.

  Her next stop was the future playground, where the men had already put up posts for wings, a merry-go-round and chin-up bars.

  This will be fantastic! You won’t find me looking up at the sky and waiting for Aldonai to come down and help. Because he won’t.

  Back to the castle, then back to the courtyard, then back to the castle…

  Then Leis appeared out of nowhere. “My lady, can I do something to make up for my oversight?”

  Lily looked surprised. “Your oversight?”

  “I didn’t know I was harboring a fool.”

  “You were at the questioning last night. What did he say?”

  “Tom was hired to kill you. He was playing cards and lost a lot of money. Someone told him he could pay back his debt or meet the end of a knife. The only other choice he was given was to kill you.”

  “How sweet.”

  “He agreed to do it, but he’s no murderer.”

  Lily nodded. Leis was probably right. She wouldn’t have gotten away from a true murderer. But there was no knowing – maybe the next time her ill-wishers would send a professional.

  “I understand that he’s not a hardened killer, but I won’t pardon him.”

  “I’m not asking you to, my lady.”

  “There will be time to hang him later. Let him sit in the dungeon for now. Did he see the person who hired him?”

  “They were introduced by the owner of the Red Rat tavern.”

  “How much was he paid?”

  “They just wrote off his debt and gave him some money for the road.”

  “I see. Would he recognize this person again?”

  “Yes, if he sees him.”

  She nodded again. “Then he can live for now. Leis, how did you miss this?”

  He hung his head. She pressed on. “I don’t know how I can trust you now.”

  “My lady, I…”

  “I’ll have to write to the earl. He’ll decide what to do.”

  “My lady, I’ll make it up to you. I promise!”

  He was ready to do anything to keep the earl from finding out.

  Lily stayed in her role. “What if he isn’t the only one?”

  “My lady!” The look on his face was priceless. Lily began to feel ashamed for making him suffer.

  Where’s your conscience, Lilian Broklend? The poor man’s going to have a heart attack. He’s an honest soldier.

  Still, she continued to sigh and push a guilt trip on Leis. When she felt she had worked him over enough, she sighed, “Here’s how it’s going to be. I want you to send five soldiers to take my father’s man Taris to Altver. I believe he will be ready to go in a day or two. Once they’ve seen him to Altver, I want them to gallop back here, unless Taris gives them other instructions. If he does, they are to obey. The rest of your men are to keep an eye on the peasants. I need to put this castle back in shape. You can see for yourself that the walls are falling down, the moat is a moat in name only, and we have no ability to defend ourselves. That’s going to get fixed.

  “As you wish, my lady. But my men aren’t builders. We don’t know about such things.”

  “Neither do I. I want you to find some builders and make sure that the peasants follow their orders. That way, I can take my Virmans off of that job. When I go down to the sea in a few days, I want you to send two soldiers with me. Is all of that understood?”

  Leis nodded glumly. He wasn’t pleased with the assignments Lily had for him, but he was in no position to argue. She remembered ar
my life well and made use of everything she had seen and heard.

  When a man’s already in the wrong, you can always punish him for something else.

  She needed men who would be loyal, and Leis was that kind of man. As long as she cultivated his sense of guilt, she would eventually tame him. She couldn’t put all her hopes in the Virmans. They could set sail and go back to Virma any time they pleased. Leis’ men were stuck here. They would have to serve her for a good long time.

  I can do this. I have to.

  By evening, Lily felt like she was the one who had been digging out the moat all day. Her arm ached like a bad tooth. Her forehead was hot. She had been drinking huge quantities of anti-inflammatory tea. She could tell that Emma had been to see Jamie, because throughout the day a servant girl had been bringing her hot herbal teas. Lily was grateful to him. The tea helped. She would have been much worse off without it.

  Miranda had run around so much all day that she fell asleep at the dinner table. As soon as Lily laid her in bed, however, she opened her eyes and demanded a story.

  In a low voice, Lily told her the story of Elise and the wild swans. She changed the stepmother into an aunt who wanted to kill Elise’s brothers and force Elise to marry her son, who was fat and ugly and stank like a trash heap.

  The story is better that way. I’m her stepmother, after all. No reason to get the child thinking in the wrong direction.

  Lily waited for the little girl to fall asleep. She kept her voice soft and low, but Miranda was overexcited and couldn’t calm down. She got to the point where Elise was weaving shirts out of nettles for her brothers.

  Oh hell!

  Aloud, she continued the story, but in her mind she began to spin completely unrelated thoughts.

  Nettles. I wonder if I could make paper out of nettles? They’re thick and fibrous, and we have plenty of them around the castle.

  The story of Elise and her swan brothers continued.

  That’s a project for next year, but I hate to put it off. I know what I’ll do: tomorrow I’ll send the village children to hunt for nettles, and I’ll tell them they might get a prize if they bring back enough. That should do the trick…

  Lily knew that fall was always a busy season, but once winter set in she would find time for chemistry experiments. And while burdock was a useful plant, there were moments when Lily was ready to sell her soul for a roll of good old toilet paper, a stick of deodorant, some scented soap and a loofah.

  I bet I can get my hands on some sea cucumbers to make loofahs. I’ll have people go hunting for them next spring. Scrubbing myself with a rag is getting old.

  Miranda started to snore. Lily covered her with a blanket and left her room.

  She got her bandage changed and drank some herbal tea before bed. After a moment’s thought, she took a small glass of the local grain alcohol. It was terrible, but it helped. Lily fell asleep instantly. If someone had picked that night to attack her, she would have been dead without even knowing it. However, there were Virmans standing at both doors to her room, and they had sniffed out every corner of the castle before she went to bed, even the fireplaces.

  At some point in the night, Lily woke to find Miranda in bed with her. She must have woken up and decided that she’d be better off in Lily’s bed.

  Lily remembered getting in bed with her own mother. She would snuggle up to her and smell the familiar scent that told her she was home, where she belonged. Little Miranda wanted the same thing.

  Poor baby. She can stay here if she wants.

  Lily stroked the girl’s dark hair. She rolled over to take the pressure off her hurt shoulder and fell back into a dead sleep. She would think about everything in the morning.

  Jerrison, the Earl of Earton, looked glumly at his cousin. They were standing on the deck, passing a bottle of red wine back and forth and watching the moonlight on the water.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “I’m wondering what Anna and Lidia are like.”

  “That’s a complicated question.”

  “Very. I have to spend the rest of my life with one of them.”

  “Just see which one has the bigger breasts.”

  “Jess, that’s nonsense. Both kingdoms can benefit us. I won’t choose a woman for her breasts. How strange you are. I’m not marrying for myself, but for the state.”

  “If that was true, your father would have told you which one to marry.”

  “Like your father did you?”

  “He didn’t exactly order me. We’re in trade. August has a non-hereditary title in the second generation. He has boatyards, boats, people, trade connections…”

  “I know. Lilian is almost one of us.”

  “That doesn’t make it any easier to lie in bed with her.”

  “How is Adele any better?”

  Jess’s face gave way to a dreamy smile. Adele hadn’t given in to him yet. They had been close once, but a servant girl had walked in and spoiled everything.

  “I see you’re making progress,” Richard encouraged him.

  “That’s more than you can say.”

  “I won’t risk it. Anyone could spread the gossip to my future bride.”

  “So you’re going to live like an Aldon?”

  “Not exactly. I’ll have some fun when we get to port.”

  “That’s risky. Don’t catch anything…”

  “Will you go with me?”

  Jess nodded. “I will. And I’ll check each of your lovely ladies myself.”

  What Adele doesn’t know can’t hurt her. That’s for sure.

  Richard laughed and began to talk of important matters: women.

  Jerrison did not suspect that the servant girl had been given orders not to leave her lady alone with the earl for more than fifteen minutes. Adele was afraid that willpower alone was not enough. She was a young, healthy woman who was used to regular lovemaking, and he was a good-looking young man who was used to taking decisive action. How could she put him off? She couldn’t. But somehow, she would have to keep him out of her bed.

  Adele’s plans for the earl were serious and long-term. He was handsome, and his wife…

  Who cares about his wife? Aldonai could call her home any day now, and someone will have to comfort the grieving widower.

  Adele smiled as she looked at her reflection in a small mirror. The polished sheet of metal had cost a pretty penny. Her old mirror had been scratched and scuffed. When Jess saw it, he gave her this new one – perfectly round, with a beautiful frame. No, she had no intention of letting a man like that get away. She would catch him for good. And that meant that she wouldn’t sleep with him until she was on firmer ground.

  Then we’ll see what happens.

  Adele would never have considered herself to be in love. She didn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. Jess was a tool she wanted to use.

  Why not? He has what I want! I wonder how Alex’s plan is progressing?

  Her cousin was a man of his word. When he said he would get rid of that awful woman, Adele knew he meant it. Her only worry was what she would do about Alex later. She doubted that Jerrison Earton would be willing to share his lover – or his new wife – with another man.

  But will Alex leave me alone? Probably not.

  An icy smile crept across her face.

  Who said I have to stop seeing Alex? We’re like two boots in a pair. He’s intelligent and good looking, and he’s talented in bed.

  She remembered certain episodes from the past and caught her breath, aroused by the memories.

  Jess Earton needs an heir, and so do I. But after that…even nobles have accidents sometimes.

  Adele leaned back on the hard cot in her cabin and allowed herself to daydream about the future. She wanted money, and power, and her cousin.

  There’s no law that says I can’t have it all. And I’ll do my best to get it.

  Alas, sometimes man plans but the gods laugh.

  Lily had planned to ride down to the sea, but in
the morning she woke with a high fever. She reflected miserably that her new body was not built for hard work. At home, her shoulder wound wouldn’t have stopped her: she would have taken some antibiotics and dashed off to work. It had happened before.

  Now, however, her muscles ached, her head was splitting and she felt like she might throw up. She recognized all the symptoms of infection.

  Lily tried to stand, but the best she could do was crawl to her chamber pot. Mirrie woke to the sound of retching and stared at her in horror.

  “Call Martha,” Lily told her.

  Martha was sleeping in the next room and was soon roused. She began to moan and pace in circles around the child. Her child. Lilian Earton.

  Lily tolerated this for a few minutes before rebelling. “Nanny, call Emma for me and then help Mirrie get dressed and wash her face. Mirrie, if Martha tells me you’ve been a good girl, I’ll tell you one new story after lunch and two in the evening.”

  “Can I have two stories after lunch?”

  “You mean two after lunch and one in the evening? We can do that.”

  Mirrie shook her head. “No, two after lunch and two in the evening!”

  “I’ll think about it. Get moving!”

  The little girl dashed off. Martha shook her head. “Lily dear, you can’t even stand. How can you promise to tell her stories?”

  “Just call Emma for me.”

  Lily didn’t have the energy to say more than that. She was sick to her stomach.

  This body can’t handle running around the castle, especially after a wound like that. Why do I keep overworking myself? I remember going to class with a fever of 104 and then staying in bed over winter break. If it hadn’t been for my roommates I might have died.

  When Emma ran in, she saw that the countess’ eyes were large and round and she could barely stand. Instead of screaming, she called for Jamie. The two of them spent the next hour helping Lily drink a bitter remedy and rubbing a malodorous ointment into her red, swollen shoulder.

  Ok. Maybe I need to lie down for a little bit. What can I accomplish while I do that?

  First, she asked for the papers from her study. Martha protested loudly. It wasn’t right for a lady to work so hard, and she wished her little Lily would have a bite to eat and take a nap.