The Ducal Detective (Ducal Detective Mysteries Book 1)

by Sarah E. Burr

  “What do you mean? You think she’s bitter that we haven’t bonded, or something?” Jax huffed at the absurdity of it.

  “I’m just saying that it might mean that she does not feel like she owes you anything if you really don’t have a personal connection with her.” Captain Solomon stood up, closing the drawer with finality. “I’m going to go speak with the guards about who entered your room last night to see if they can confirm her entrance. For now, I’ll have someone escort you to the banquet hall, where I request you remain until I find you.”

  Nodding like a scorned child, Jax did not object as George led her out of the room. Her confidence was in shambles. How could Uma do this to her? If she took the key, then she must be involved with the larger plot, possibly being the one who added bloodsleaf to her parents’ traveling canteens. All the times the young woman took care of her and looked after her, had she been bitter that Jax was not more appreciative, more endearing? How had Jax been so wrong about the loyalties of her closest servant?

  She was near tears by the time she arrived in the dining area, her patrol finally leaving her side, backing quietly into shadowed corners to observe. Seeing an empty hall, she plopped in the nearest chair and stared ruefully at the untouched place settings, suspecting Perry and Arnie had not yet been there for breakfast.

  The creaking of the door opening startled Jax, turning around to see a paint-splattered Perry. His white tunic was completely covered in blotches of blue, yellow, green, and red. He grinned at her sheepishly, the dried paint on his cheeks making him look like a clown. She couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance, feeling a lightness in her chest that warmed her. “My goodness, what trouble have you been causing so early in the morning?”

  Perry chuckled as he grabbed a sweet roll from a platter and stuffed it into his mouth. “Well, I thought that since I’d used up so much of Arnie’s paints, I’d return the favor and make some to replenish what I’d taken. Turns out, your lady has quite the well-stocked ingredient cabinet. I practically could mix up any color with the pigments she keeps on hand.”

  “Oh really? Are you trying to get me to challenge you?” Jax flirted casually, enjoying his presence by her side. With him beside her, she could momentarily forget about the madness happening floors above her.

  He almost choked on his roll, laughing. “Forgive me, but no. As accomplished as you are, I highly doubt you are also a talented alchemist.”

  “I might surprise you.” Jax bantered, feeling bold from the adrenaline of the morning.

  “Then tell me, what color would you get if you mixed minx flower with elder root?” Perry asked coyly.

  Jax rolled her eyes, knowing she was in over her head. “Purple?”

  The lord snagged another roll and munched on it triumphantly. “Minx flower isn’t even a real thing, Jax. Come now, honestly.” He teased her, wriggling his paint covered hands in her face. “But in all seriousness, you have been very generous with your lady-in-waiting for her to afford such elements. I mean, I was able to make yellow out of sun blossom and honey bane, blue from bird nettle and jasmine, red from bloodsleaf and yarlsbark, green from holly bow and mince…”

  Jax knocked over an empty goblet by her arm. “Did you say bloodsleaf?” Her eyes shone with true terror.

  Perry looked at her strangely, for she was not one to interrupt out of politeness. “Yes, her cabinet was well stocked with it. Tricky thing to come by, I don’t know where she found it.”

  “Arnie bought the bloodsleaf?” Jax felt like the floor dropped out from underneath her, falling into darkness.

  “Yes, Jax, are you all right? You look paler than porcelain.” Perry rushed to her side, grabbing her shoulders to help steady her.

  “I need to find Captain Solomon immediately, Perry. Please, help me!” Jax exclaimed, bursting to life in his hands. She raced from the banquet hall, her assigned guards quickly following along with a confused Perry. “Captain Solomon! Captain Solomon!” Jax screamed, her voice echoing through the halls. She needed the head of the ducal guard to help her make sense of it all.

  “Your Grace!” George sprinted down the staircase from the floor above her, clamoring to her side, his expression telling her what she already knew.

  “Arnie. Arnie was the one who betrayed me. She betrayed her duchy, George,” Jax spat, shaking at the realization that her dearest, most trusted friend, was a traitor.

  “How did you figure it out?” Captain Solomon shot a questioning look as Perry joined them, still covered in paint.

  “Lord Pettraud was telling me how he was mixing paints using Arnie’s stock cupboard. He found her supply of bloodsleaf.” Jax’s voice didn’t sound like her own. It was cold and unemotional.

  The captain’s face revealed a wave of great sadness. “The guards confirmed she entered your chambers last night. Only Uma and Arnie are allowed access to your rooms, Jax. She’s been on the clearance list since you were seven years old.”

  A hot fire ripped through her chest, her heart aching in pain. Winded, she leaned back into Perry, using his sturdy frame to support her. How could her peach do this to her? They had been best friends since childhood. Her godparents were Arnie’s mother and father. How could she do this? “It’s not possible, George. Arnie was with me in Hestes when they were poisoned.”

  Captain Solomon’s shoulders grew heavy. “After we spoke in your study, I had some men ask the kitchen staff who prepared the rations for the duke and duchess the morning they departed for Mensina.” He motioned to two younger guards standing behind him. “They reported that while the food was prepared that morning, the water canteens had been chilling in the cold cellar for a day or two. Specifically, since you and Arnie stopped by the palace for a brief luncheon on your way south.”

  “Your Grace, some of the kitchen staff said they remembered seeing Lady Aranelda in the kitchens that day,” one of the guardsmen piped up, looking incredibly uncomfortable with the news.

  “We must find her, Captain. I want her brought before me.” The Duchess of Saphire commanded, her voice tinged with rage and betrayal.

  “I’ve sent men to find her, Your Excellence, but it appears she left the palace early this morning. I’ve sent our fastest patrols out to find her.” Captain Solomon saluted his men, dismissing them.

  “If she left on horseback, who knows if they’ll be able to catch her,” Perry spoke for the first time, his face grim.

  “Arnie is useless on horseback,” Jax mumbled, searching her memories for reasons why this had happened, how she had lost her best friend to this deadly scheme. She couldn’t have been acting alone. The footprints near the ambush site were from noblemen, but Aranelda was the last of her family’s line, so it wouldn’t have been a familial plot. And how did she know to look for the scrap of fabric?

  Jax yelped as the pieces came together. She’d been so focused on Cetachi, because of the bloodsleaf, that she completely dismissed that Monsieur Duval said the monarch silk could have come from Tandora or Crepsta. Crepsta, the homeland of her beloved Hadrian, whom she desperately wanted to marry. What better wedding gift than helping the Duke of Crepsta claim the throne of Saphire? “I know where she would have gone, George.”

  Although she argued and threatened a night in the ducal dungeons, Captain Solomon would not let Jax accompany his legion of men on the chase. Deep in her heart, she knew Arnie would have fled the palace to meet Hadrian at their lovers’ rendezvous, an abandoned cottage on the outskirts of Creblin, an insignificant town on the border of Saphire and Crepsta. During their years in the Academy, Arnie frequently snuck off to the spot, while Jax skillfully covered for her absence in class or seminar. In recent years, her duties to attend Jax had limited her ability to visit the retreat, but Jax knew her friend still met up with her suitor every so often.

  She sat in the throne room, lit by only the sunlight filtering in through the windows. She felt like her insides had been turned to stone, the depth of Arnie’s betrayal silencing her heart like some sort of ma
gical enchantment. Her face was streaked with silent tears, her eyes a mirror of a thousand memories. She and Arnie had been through everything together. How could the woman she loved like a sister do this to her? To them? How had a man’s hand in marriage become so much more important?

  She barely heard a side door click open. “Jax?” Perry’s voice trembled with trepidation. “I remember after losing my mother, all I wanted was for someone to sit with me. Not to talk or to comfort, but just to share the same air, to know I wasn’t alone. It may seem silly, but today, I bet you might feel like you lost someone.” He climbed up the stairs leading to her platform, his tailored boots hardly making a sound on the stone.

  Closing her eyes, she let his words reverberate through her mind. He was right, in a way. She had lost someone. She had lost the one person left in this world that she truly loved. And she felt like she had lost some of herself, too. She felt his body move beside her, crouching next to her throne. “How is it possible that this hurts worse than finding out my parents died?” She whispered, ashamed to share such an intimate revelation.

  Perry took a deep breath, his voice soft and tender. “I suppose you knew you would eventually have to live through the passing of your parents, at some point in your life. I don’t think you ever expected Arnie to do something so savage as this, and that might be why the betrayal hurts more.” He reached out a warm hand to clasp hers, squeezing it comfortingly.

  At his touch, she opened her purple eyes and looked at him. He had changed into a dark green tunic and washed away the paint. He sat there on the floor next to her, holding her hand, looking out into the empty throne room. She slid gracefully out of her chair and shuffled to his side, leaning into his broad chest. “Thank you for being here, Perry.”

  He kissed the top of her head, pulling her close. “Always, Jax.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The captain of the ducal guard sent a messenger ahead of their party to inform Jax that they would be arriving at the palace with their captives shortly. Uma helped her wash her face and put on her most formidable gown, a dark green dress that was exquisitely stitched with dark flames around the hem. She looked like an avenging queen, having selected a black onyx crown to wear for the interrogation. Never had she felt more fearsome or powerful.

  She informed Courtier Jaquobie about the investigation and that the ducal guard had captured Arnie with several Crepstian rogues. She gave him credit for quickly processing the whole situation with grace and refinement, and in turn, he took her into his own private library and strategized how Saphire was to deal with this treachery. “We don’t want to risk starting an outright war with Crepsta until we figure out how deep this plot goes, Your Grace. I suggest we send a dispatch to Duke Crepsta and inform him of what we have learned, requesting he meet us on neutral grounds for a discussion. Perhaps we will find out he knew nothing about what his nephew was involved in, and we can let the duchy of Crepsta go on its merry way. But this only will happen if we treat our captives well. If the Duke finds out we roughed up his nephew, he may not care why and send his army after us.”

  For once in her life, Jax was thankful for Jaquobie’s advice. “I’ll remind Captain Solomon that these prisoners are to be treated with respect, as much as they don’t deserve it. Can you put together the missive to send with the dispatch, Courtier? My presence is required in the throne room.”

  “Of course, Your Grace,” Jaquobie bowed and escorted her to the door. “You can do this, Jax. I have faith in you.” He whispered, almost inaudibly as he closed the door. The Duchess felt her face warm with surprising fondness.

  Perry stood in the outside hall of the throne room, obviously waiting for her to arrive. In his hand, he had a raspberry tart, which he promptly placed in her hand. “I thought you might need a little something before all hell breaks loose.”

  Jax looked at him wryly. “You think I’ll perform that badly?”

  “Oh goodness, no, not what I meant,” Perry stammered, his face turning the color of the jelly pastry.

  She shushed him with a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, how did you know these are my favorite?”

  The young lord looked down at the floor. “I see you take one with you from the banquet hall every morning after breakfast.”

  She glanced at him in muted shock, embarrassed. “I didn’t think anyone ever saw me do that!”

  Perry met her gaze with sincerity. “It’s hard to notice anything else when you’re in the room, Jax.” He took her hand and kissed it, his eyes never breaking their connection. “Good luck in there. I’ll be here for you when it’s all done with.”

  In that moment, the stone wall encircling her heart began to crack. “Come in with me, please.” Her request was barely a whisper, but her companion nodded his understanding.

  Sitting from atop her throne, Jax felt a frantic surge of fear at what lay on the other side of the imposing door. She prayed for the virtues to give her the strength not to make a scene when Arnie came through those doors. With all the emotions she was dealing with, she hoped she could keep herself in check, and not disappoint Jaquobie, who stood resolutely on the steps leading up to her platform.

  So, when the time came for Captain Solomon to lead his band of captives to the foot of her throne, she was surprised that she felt nothing. Seeing Arnie’s wild and unkempt figure, Jax felt like she was looking at a stranger. No thoughts about their past, their childhood, flooded her mind. The woman before her was not someone she recognized. Struggling against the grip of the guards, Arnie began screaming her name, using her title, her personal name, even her nickname. But it fell on deaf ears. Jax sat there, feeling nothing for the traitor before her. At last, she forced her gaze down on the fallen woman with grim triumph.

  “Aranelda of Saphire, we have evidence proving that you poisoned the Duke and Duchess the morning they left for the Mensina tournament. We have reason to believe that you did this on behalf of the duchy of Crepsta, with the intention to either kill myself or invade Saphire during this time of mourning and claim the throne for Duke Crepsta. Do you deny these claims?” Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, Duchess of Saphire, stood tall in front of her throne, looking down on the band of conspirators.

  “Claim it for my uncle?” Jax looked behind Arnie to see golden-haired Hadrian stepping forward. “That’s what you think this is all about?”

  Jax turned her full attention to the pompous earl, raising an eyebrow. “If I have gotten it so horribly wrong, Earl Crepsta, please, enlighten my court.” She motioned for him to speak his mind.

  “My wretched uncle would never have gotten his hands on Saphire. Aranelda and I were planning to take your throne for ourselves!” Hadrian sputtered, laughing maniacally.

  “Why did you seek the throne?” Jax asked sharply.

  “Because then my uncle would have to bow to our demands. For years, he has been blocking my attempts to marry Aranelda. She wasn’t suitable for me because she didn’t come with a duchy. He wanted me to marry into a ducal line, so I could rule a duchy of my own. But he never understood that we truly loved each other, and that I was not going to let her go.” Hadrian reached out and grabbed Arnie’s hand, clasping it desperately. “We decided that in order to be rid of him, I needed the power of a duke, and I needed a duchy. With Arnie’s connections here, everything else fell into place.”

  “Did you really think you’d succeed in overthrowing my rule?” Jax inquired, her tone a staunch bit disbelieving.

  “We planned to assassinate you,” Hadrian boasted, “and without an heir to your ducal line, we would have swooped right in. Arnie is widely known as your closest friend and has gained the respect and love of your people. They would have welcomed her with open arms, especially the amber-eyed noblemen. To have one of their own in power; it would have changed the world.”

  “And you think the ducal guard would just let an outsider take the Saphire throne?” It was Captain Solomon’s turn to spit out a question.

  “I have been recruiting a small
army of my own out on my estate, unbeknownst to my uncle. They were prepared to take the castle using force, if needed.” Hadrian began to strut around, clearly unhinged with delusions of grandeur.

  “I’ve heard enough. Captain, I’d like you to lead a delegation to Crepsta. Take one of our court scribes with you to provide a transcript of this meeting with my seal.” She watched the cluster of robed men in the back of the room, furiously writing down every moment of this session. “I believe Hadrian needs to be returned to his uncle,” she stared coldly into Hadrian’s eyes, which were suddenly overcome with fear. “I think the Duke shall be held responsible for this warmongering nephew of his.”

  “Please, let me go with him, poppy.” Arnie’s plea was small and almost lost in the clamor of Hadrian and his men, but Jax heard it like a piercing shriek.

  “You will address me as ‘Your Grace,’ should you ever have the honor of addressing me again. No, Miss Aranelda, you will remain here in Saphire, locked away for the remainder of your traitorous life.” Jax spat, not deeming the broken woman before her a glance.

  Courtier Jaquobie cleared his throat. “Your Grace, the penalty for treason is death, should you choose.” His words hung in the air like a guillotine.

  At this, the Duchess gazed at her former lady-in-waiting for a long moment, remembering Hadrian’s words ‘We planned to assassinate you.’ Words that would haunt her forever. “I would never take the life of a friend, Courtier. She will be escorted to the dungeons immediately.” With that proclamation, Jax descended from her pedestal, taking the outstretched hand that awaited her and walked out of the throne room with Perry.

  Epilogue

  The delegation returned with Captain Solomon at the helm a mere fortnight after their departure. Duke Crepsta had been utterly appalled by the actions of his nephew and condemned him to death by hanging from a tree on Hadrian’s own estate. George had brought Hadrian’s seal as proof that the man had been dealt with properly. The army amassed by the Earl had been blackmailed into believing Hadrian and his cronies would murder each man’s family if they refused to join in the fight, and subsequently pledged their loyalty to Duke Crepsta by enlisting in his own ducal forces.