Several of the noble women at the table gasped, and Mariana shifted so she could see her mother’s reaction to this. The Queen steepled her fingers under her chin but said nothing.
Pir Leo glanced at the King, who also remained silent, watching the diners. Then the Sahdeer returned his gaze to Ursula.
“I merely asked the Progenna if she would be willing to give me her decorating ideas.”
Ursula clucked her tongue and shook her head. Mariana knew her older sister didn’t think much of the eighty-four-year-old man who had lost three wives in odd circumstances.
“I thought your third wife was a strong Water Sensitive,” Ursula said. “Surely she decorated your home for you.”
“And she did a fine job.” Pir Leo took Mariana’s hand, startling her. “But times change. Lady Esmerelda has been gone for three years. It may be time to think about taking another wife.” He squeezed her fingers, his single eye crinkling up and his scar puckering ghoulishly.
Ursula’s voice drew his attention back to herself, allowing Mariana to remove her hand from his. “Is this an offer to wed the Progenna?”
Mariana stared at him, opening her mouth to protest, but the older man spoke first.
“Such an opportunity has not presented itself, but the Progenna is a lovely young woman.” Pir Leo stared down at Mariana, and she got that ice-down-her-back feeling again. “I am sure the King has plans for the future of both of his unwed daughters. I will leave that to his wisdom.”
“As is only right,” Ramone said. The solemnity of the Cognate Prince’s voice drew all attention to him at the end of the table where the King sat. Ramone rarely spoke for the King. Mariana wondered how much of this had to do with their last conversation.
“I am sure our father King will find suitable young men for my sisters,” Ramone continued.
The Sahdeer of Valentine’s smile faded, but under the table, he placed his hand on Mariana’s knee.
Stunned and alarmed, she squeaked and jumped to her feet, knocking her chair backward. As though he had no idea what had caused such a reaction, Pir Leo's mouth dropped open and his single eye grew wide.
All the diners stared at her as well, and several of the lesser noble women attempted to hide grins behind their napkins.
“Mariana?” the Queen said. “Is there something wrong?”
Thinking quickly, the Progenna dropped into a curtsy. “I’m afraid I find this conversation uncomfortable. I will retire to the library for a few moments to compose myself. If that pleases Your Majesties.”
“Fine,” the King said, turning back to his fish course. “I think a new topic of discussion would benefit all of our digestions.”
Mariana hurried out of the room, wishing she could stay in her bedchamber for the rest of the night.
****
Mariana shut the library door behind her and leaned back against it. This evening was a disaster.
Not only had her parents ignored her painted face and her ungloved hands, but neither of them actually told the Sahdeer of Valentine he would never marry her. In fact, given that he’d been her escort into the dinner, she had to wonder if that wasn’t exactly what her father was considering.
She shuddered at the thought of spending the rest of her life with that man, but what frightened her more was wondering what had killed his three wives, all of them much younger than he was.
Her breaths came deep and fast as she paced back and forth in front of the line of bookcases that covered the wall across from the door. Her father couldn’t have made an official marriage agreement with Pir Leo, or he would have said something when Ursula asked the question.
However, he didn’t deny it either.
Mariana wasn’t as informed about political maneuvering as her father, and she’d never been formally trained in the inner workings of the kingdom like Ramone and Liliana had been. Still, her rank as Progenna meant she would never inherit the crown, and it was surprising how many court attendants and hangers-on virtually forgot she existed.
She had spent most of her childhood and youth sneaking into rooms and hiding behind curtains, trying to find ways to get her father’s notice. At first, she’d wanted to get caught so he’d have to acknowledge her existence, even if that meant him punishing her in front of a room full of nobles.
However, it became clear to her even if she were caught hiding in a room where he was meeting with all his most important advisors, her father never punished her. That task was left to her mother, and the Queen did not like disobedience. After being denied dinner and losing a favorite dress three times, Mariana decided to stop interrupting her father’s meetings.
That was when she realized it was just as easy to sit quietly in a corner, hidden by shadows or the back of a big chair, or behind the curtains at a window seat. If she didn’t make a sound, she wasn’t found out and could learn all kinds of things no one would tell her directly.
She learned which Margraves and Sahdeers slept away from home more often than necessary. She learned which Presumptives or lesser sons and daughters were possibly not fully related to their noble fathers.
More than even these juicy tidbits of gossip, though, she learned a little bit about how the kingdom was run and how much influence certain Sahdeers held over her father. The reason for some of this influence was still a mystery to her because no matter how hard she tried, her father held secret meetings she never found out about. This had to be true because she’d hear him refer to things when he was with his ministers she never heard anywhere else.
Now that she was of marriageable age and had spent a year out in society, she’d stopped worrying about when the next political meeting was in favor of spending time with other noble girls her age, shopping or gossiping about those lower in birth.
Wandering the village of Talla, close to the palace, with her friend Natalia gave her a chance to pretend she wasn’t a misfit, royal but not Sensitive. The girls liked to walk the wooded pathways between the palace and the village and dream about handsome men who would ask to court them, never once asking about their prospects or Sensitivities.
Several other girls came and went as part of their pack of friends over the Autumn Season, some with Sensitivities so weak as to barely register with the Abilities Tester, and others who had so many brothers and sisters that even if there were land in the family, they’d never own any.
Their conversations and games rarely touched on anything political, and Mariana had enjoyed the respite from worrying about how to address a visiting dignitary or whether she’d be allowed to sit with the Ladies after dinner or banished to the nursery.
Those days ended last autumn when she made her debut, and she hadn’t seen Natalia since leaving Aldlake, the capital of Valborough. She hoped Nat’s family was just delayed and would arrive in a few days. Mariana had no one else to talk to about her feelings in regard to Pir Leo’s actions tonight.
That train of thought made her shudder. She had to find some other suitable man to wed, before the Sahdeer and her father could come to an understanding.
A quiet knock interrupted her worry.
“Progenna?” Jessamae’s muffled voice came through the door. “The Queen says it is time for you to return to the meal. The soup course is finished.”
Mariana pulled herself together and, holding her head high, she opened the door. Jessamae gasped when she saw the face paint, clasping her hands to her mouth.
“Progenna?”
“Oh, for Elements’ sake, Jessamae. I am a woman now.” Mariana walked proudly back to the dining room.
****
“I understand the lineup for this year’s Eltano Cup is a strong one.” The King took a sip of his wine. He nodded once in acknowledgment as Mariana re-entered the dining room.
Pir Leo stood and bowed toward her as she approached her seat. Mariana hoped that twisted expression on his scarred face was supposed to be a smile. She ignored him, however, instead choosing to accept Pir Walter’s hand when he offered it to help h
er to her seat.
“Frederick,” the King said loudly, drawing away all the attention Mariana’s entrance had attracted. “Are you planning to have a horse in one of the Eltano Cup races?”
The Cognate Prince’s Head of Household sat at Ramone’s right hand, and he inclined his head in the semblance of a bow toward the King.
“This year, my filly, Satin Jewel, will be running in the Princess Cup, Your Majesty.”
“Ah.” The King tapped his chin with his forefinger. “You don’t feel confident to go up against Sword out of Gold in the Queen’s Run?”
Frederick smiled and dipped his head again. “I’m afraid Satin isn’t up to the standards of the royal stables. Gold Dawn was an excellent sire, but I’m afraid I haven’t had the same luck as the King with my breeding.”
“Satin Jewel is out of Scarlet Sunrise, isn’t she?” George Evan leaned forward to look at Frederick. “I would like to talk to you about combining our stables.”
Frederick’s face lit up, and Mariana shook her head. The man was altogether too serious, except when he talked about his animals.
“Scarlet is ready to be bred again,” he replied. “Is Shadowed Dream available?”
“Dream won the Eltano Queen’s Cup two years ago,” Pir Walter said quietly, leaning toward Mariana. “George Evan has been considering the right mares to breed him to. I had hoped the King would be interested.”
Mariana nodded, but the only thing about the Eltano Cup races she cared about were the parties. Surely, if Frederick and George Evan were able to come to an understanding about combining their stables, one or both of their families would be in a position to throw a massive ball.
“Mariana,” the Queen said, bringing the Progenna out of her daydreams of finding a new dress for the Mindenwalls’ Race Day party. “Did you know Pir Leo has purchased the right to buy six of this year’s foals from the royal stables? I understand he hopes to have a filly in next year’s Progenna Cup.”
Mariana’s blood froze as Pir Leo placed his hand over hers again.
“It would be my honor if you would consent to help me pick which of the foals to take back to my estate.”
Bella cleared her throat, a sound as disturbing as her father’s laugh. Mariana wondered, wildly, what a quiet evening at their home would be like.
“Father, I told you I will do that with you. I am sure I am more knowledgeable about horses than the Progenna.”
Because you look like one? The thought rushed into Mariana’s mind before she could censor herself.
“That won’t be necessary, Bella.” Pir Leo never took his eyes from Mariana’s naked hand. “You will be much too busy making the estates ready for when you take the veil.”
“Father.” The color drained from Bella’s face.
“Sahdess?” the Queen said, sounding as surprised as Bella did shocked. “What is this?”
Bella swallowed and took a deep breath. An awkward smile claimed her lips as she focused her attention on the Queen.
“My father speaks prematurely, I’m afraid. We have discussed the possibility of my entering the Convent of the Sisters of the Earth, if and when my father remarries and produces an heir.” This last was said with a glare at her father and Marianna.
Mariana’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. This couldn’t be happening. Valentine had practically announced he was seeking to remarry soon, and from his actions, she knew who he planned to do that with.
Servants entered the dining room at that moment, laden with platters of wild pork, beef roasts, whole turkeys and pheasants, and two different kinds of deer. As serving girls set plates in front of each diner, Mariana slipped her hand away from the Sahdeer’s and covertly wiped it over and over again on her skirt.
She would never get the feel of his cold, fleshy fingers off her skin. Why had she left her gloves outside?
When the first platter was held for her consideration, the aroma of spicy roasted boar filled her nostrils, but before she could take a portion, her stomach cramped, threatening to disgorge all she had eaten already. She gasped and felt a chill run through her whole body, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
“Progenna?” Pir Leo leaned toward her. “Are you feeling well?”
His words brought all conversation to silence. Mariana’s vision both tunneled and blurred until all she could see were blobs of color in front of her. She knew this had to be her dinner, and she wondered why everything appeared to be similar shades of brown.
Suddenly the room began to spin, accompanied by a loud buzzing like thousands of honeybees.
Mariana shoved her chair back. “Mother, I…” The words came out of her mouth slurred and mumbled.
Ursula was at her side, but Mariana had no memory of her sister moving or even standing up at her place at the table. “What is it, Mariana? What happened?”
Mariana leaned into her sister’s arms, and the room went black.
Chapter Five
“This kind of thing has never happened before.” The King paced the small office on the top of the southwest tower of the North Byspell prison.
He hated this place. It barely had enough room to move around, and he needed to pace tonight.
However, it was the last place anyone would look for the man who knew some of the most important information in Valborough, including all the secrets of the King.
Kylan, the Abilities Tester, had been doing the job since Jonathan’s father was a boy. No one knew how old the mage was, where he’d come from, or when he started discovering Abilities.
When Jonathan’s grandfather came to power, he moved Kylan into this hidden room to prevent any spies who would misuse the knowledge of a person’s Sensitivities, especially the King’s.
While Jonathan understood the need for such secrecy, he often questioned the need for Kylan’s room to be so small, but whenever he’d suggested a change, the Abilities Tester always politely declined without giving any reasons.
“Well, Majesty, that’s not exactly true.” Kylan sat on his bed with his head bowed over a book filled with his own scratchy writing.
King Jonathan reached the far wall and spun around. “What does that mean?”
“The Progenna’s reaction was unusual but not totally unprecedented.”
“You told me you’d only ever seen one other person with her Abilities.”
“This is true.” The mage nodded but continued writing.
“Blast it, man. Look at me.”
Kylan lifted his head, his left eyebrow raised in question. “Yes, sire?”
“My daughter became ill at dinner tonight, before the main course was served, and you tell me it has to do with her Abilities. I thought they wouldn’t show any signs until she was bonded. What is going on?”
“As I told you when the girl first came to me, she is unusual but not unique.” Kylan put his pen back in its holder next to an inkwell on the small table that served as a night stand. Then he closed the book he’d been writing in and carefully placed it in a desk drawer.
“What do we do about it?”
“Do?” Kylan tilted his head. “Why do we need to do anything about it?”
“I intend to stay on the throne until I die and for that to happen, no one can know what she is until such time as I decide. If she goes around getting sick in public, won’t someone begin to suspect something?”
Kylan placed his hands on his lap, one on top of the other. “The only thing anyone will suspect is she is ill. Thanks to you, everyone believes Mariana is an Insensitive. As no other Sensitivity manifests in physical illness, there is no reason for anyone to think otherwise. With all due respect, sire, you may be overreacting.”
“Alexandria is committed to seeing Ramone take the throne after me. If she suspects Mariana’s powers are growing, it wouldn’t be good for my daughter.”
****
When Mariana opened her eyes, the curtains in her room were open and sunlight streamed in. Had she only slept the night? Would she still have a chanc
e to speak to her father before he made an agreement with the Sahdeer of Valentine?
Jessamae had done more than open the curtains. She’d left a pot of tea and a plate of cranberry scones.
Mariana’s stomach growled at the sight of the food. She was feeling better. Today, she would talk to the King. He had to listen to her wishes in this. Certainly, he’d never force her to marry a man for whom she felt such loathing.
Ursula burst into the room just as Mariana sat down at the small table under the window.
“Mari, you’re awake.” She hurried over and sat down at the table. Without asking, she poured two cups of tea and took a scone for herself. “I’m glad. Mother said I wasn’t to bother you if you were still sleeping, but I couldn’t wait. You have to hear what happened after you left.”
Whatever Ursula had to say had her so excited she barely stayed in the chair, practically bouncing up and down as she crumbled the scone into bits on her plate.
“Urs, stop.” Mariana placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “What happened?”
“George Evan asked Father for permission for us to wed.”
Mariana stared at her sister. This couldn’t be happening. “I didn’t even realize the two of you had spent any time alone together.”
“We’ve only danced once, at my debut ball.” Ursula fingered the hem of the flouncy sleeve of her lilac gown. “The request came as a surprise to me, as well. I’ve always thought he was handsome and all that, but I never thought about him as a husband.”
George Evan had walked Ursula into dinner the night before. Did that mean Father knew the request was coming? What did it mean that Pir Leo had escorted Mariana? The Progenna felt herself break out into a cold sweat.
She swallowed. “What did you say?” Maybe if Ursula refused the match, Mariana could refuse Pir Leo.
Ursula stared at Mariana as though the younger woman had lost it. “I said yes, of course.”
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