“I can honestly say I’m shocked. When you first told me we were going into Axian, I thought we’d never make it out alive.”
“Yet, you still came.” Reid started walking.
“That’s what friends are for.”
“You’re my best friend.”
He smiled. “Likewise. Even though you’re a woman, I won’t hold it against you,” he teased.
They made their way farther into Ellington, heading north.
“I don’t remember Ellington being so…” Harlan didn’t finish his sentence.
The fields they passed weren’t nearly as prosperous as the ones in Axian. The homes here were smaller, simpler, and more rundown. “I never realized,” Reid said. Since she’d lived here all her life, she assumed this was normal. She hadn’t known there was a possibility for more.
“Do you want to pass through a town so we can sleep at an inn for the night?”
The air was turning colder, the clouds growing thick, and the smell of rain hung in the air. “I’d love to.” She’d spent one too many nights on the ground, and she had no desire to sleep in the rain.
They had to alter their course a little to the west to pass through one of the smaller towns. At the only inn, Reid and Harlan ducked inside the two-story structure made entirely from wood. The interior was dark, the furniture worn. Reid blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting.
The man behind the counter eyed her. “Can I help you?” he asked Harlan in a gruff voice.
“Two rooms for the night,” Harlan said.
The innkeeper scratched the side of his nose. “Is that a woman?” he asked, pointing at Reid.
“I am a woman,” Reid answered, irked he hadn’t addressed her directly.
“Why are you dressed like a man?” he asked.
“That is none of your business.”
“This is my inn. It is my business.”
Harlan put his hand on Reid’s shoulder. “This is Duke Ellington’s daughter, Lady Reid Ellington. I am escorting her home. She’s dressed appropriately for the journey we’ve been on. Once she has a chance to freshen up, she will put on clothes befitting of her station.”
The innkeeper nodded. “Fine. But you can only have one room. I can’t give one to a woman. It’s not right.”
“I understand,” Harlan said.
Clutching the strap of her bag, Reid tried to keep her temper in check. Taking a deep breath, she went over to the fireplace, ignoring the men as they finished talking. If she listened to another word from that vile innkeeper, she’d end up punching him. Since it was going to start raining at any minute, her need for a warm bed overruled her desire to smack some sense into him.
Harlan joined her. “Let’s go.”
Reid followed him upstairs to their room. It was so unfair that women didn’t have the same rights and privileges as men. “I should have put my cap on before we entered the inn,” she mumbled. “Then I could have told him I was a man.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He looked at her. “But in those clothes, you’re clearly a woman.”
Reid loved her Axian clothes. They made her look like a fierce woman warrior. Like Princess Nara.
The following day, Reid dressed in her old clothes, put her hair up under her cap, and pretended to be a man. The act felt wrong. She was hiding part of herself to conform to society and its expectations—and that wasn’t right.
After leaving the inn, they procured two horses for the remainder of the journey. As the two friends rode home, Reid spoke little to Harlan because she was so wrapped up with her thoughts. Thoughts about northern Marsden, how the men treated women, and what women were and were not allowed to do. She kept comparing that to what she’d seen in Axian. In Axian, women worked, wore what they wanted, and could even join the army. It was the opposite of northern Marsden in many ways. Did that make it better? Or was it simply different?
They traveled for three days straight, pushing the horses hard. When Reid’s castle came into view, tears filled her eyes.
After parting ways with Harlan, who was eager to check in with the apothecary, she steered her horse toward the stables.
Royce rushed out to grab her horse’s reins. “Welcome home.”
She dismounted. “It’s good to be back.”
“Your father has been worried about you.”
“I’m sure he has.” With her bag still slung over her shoulder, she headed inside the castle and went directly to the great hall. At the table, Kamden sat reading a book.
“I’m home,” Reid shouted, startling her sister.
Kamden shrieked and jumped to her feet, the book forgotten. Running over to Reid, she threw her arms around her. “I’ve missed you.”
Reid squeezed her sister. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Well, well, well,” Duke Ellington said, coming into the room. “Is that who I think it is?”
Reid ran over to her father, hugging him.
“Are you home for good?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.
“No.” Clutching the strap of her bag, she added, “We need to talk.”
The duke nodded. “Go get washed up. You smell like a horse. I’ll have supper prepared for us. Then we’ll talk.” He lumbered out of the room.
“It has been so boring around here without you,” Kamden moaned. “You have no idea.”
“When we sit down to eat, I want you to tell me about everything you’ve been up to. But right now, I need to do as Father said.” Reid left the room before her sister could ask any questions about her trip.
After she rushed up to her bedchamber, she found it was exactly as she’d left it. Even the chess set was still on the floor. She turned in a slow circle, trying to decide where to hide the box. Since it was designed to look like a book, she placed it on her bookshelf between two of her favorite titles. It blended in as if it had always been there.
After stripping out of her dirty clothes, she wrapped a robe around her body and went to the bathing room down the hall. They didn’t allow the few servants they employed on the second level of the house, so Reid had to light the fire in the hearth. Once it took, she went over to the ropes, dropping the bucket down into the well located on the first floor. The bucket hit the water and she started cranking the handle, pulling it up. Reaching out, she grabbed the full bucket, dumping the water in the wooden tub. Only ten more buckets to go.
Once the tub was full, Reid removed her robe and stepped into the lukewarm water. It wasn’t nearly as luxurious as the baths she’d taken at the king’s castle. However, after over a month without bathing, she didn’t care.
She scrubbed her body and hair. When she finished, she got out of the tub, put her robe on, and headed back to her room. Standing in front of her armoire, she stared at her clothing options. All plain pants and generic tunics. Nothing like what she’d seen the Axian women wear. Sighing, she randomly grabbed clothes, not really caring what she put on.
Downstairs in the great hall, platters of chicken, potatoes, and carrots filled the table. Already seated, Duke Ellington and Kamden waited for Reid. She took her seat, and they began eating. Kamden rambled on about the new book she was reading. Then she proceeded to tell Reid all about her visit to their sister Ainsley’s house.
“I think you’ve talked enough for one evening, child,” Duke Ellington told Kamden. Turning to Reid, he said, “Let’s go to my office.”
“You’re leaving me?” Kamden whined.
“Your sister and I need to speak.” He pushed his chair back and stood, then exited the room.
“When we’re done, I’ll come find you,” Reid said to her sister. “We can have a slumber party like we did when we were children.”
Kamden’s eyes lit up. “I’d like that.”
Reid exited the great hall, went down the hallway, and entered her father’s office. He was already sitting at his desk, making their meeting seem oddly formal.
“Close the door,” he ordered.
She did as
he said before taking a seat across from him.
“Where have you been and what have you been up to?” He stared at her, the expectation for an honest answer clear.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” she answered. However, there were ways of revealing enough without saying anything. When her father opened his mouth to argue, she held up her hand and asked, “Are our soldiers still at the border?” After crossing the Gast River, she hadn’t seen any soldiers stationed in the area.
He shook his head. “I told them to return home.”
Looking into her father’s dark eyes, she felt a million questions surface. She didn’t know which one to ask first. Was he keeping secrets from her? Had he received a letter from Prince Henrick? What did he think of the state of Marsden?
The duke leaned forward on his arms. “You know as well as I do there are no raiding parties from Axian coming into Ellington.”
The opening to a conversation they needed to have about the state of the kingdom. And as she suspected, her father knew more than he let on. “Do you think Prince Ackley and Prince Gordon realize that?” What she really wanted to know was whether Eldon was making all of this up, if he was lying to his own siblings, and if he intended to invade Axian. She had no idea where Ackley and Gordon stood on the matter.
“I’m not certain. The princes could have made up the story about the raiding parties as an excuse to come here to check up on me and test my loyalty, or they could’ve come here because they believe their brother.”
The problem was that Reid had seen the raiding parties. She suspected they were nothing more than miners from Bridger pretending to be from Axian. Most likely, the king had hired them. What was troubling was the fact Eldon knew Ackley and Gordon could easily dispose of the men. Which indicated he didn’t want any witnesses alive. Henrick’s words came back to her. He feared the king would kill her once she delivered the box. “What if I told you I have something in my possession that could change everything?”
Duke Ellington leaned back in his chair, observing his daughter. After a moment of silence, he said, “Royce told me you were presented at court as Lady Reid Ellington.”
“That is correct.” Her father had always wanted to see her dressed as a lady. Too bad he’d missed the opportunity.
“I assume the royal family knows you’re a woman. I lied about it, so I am guilty of treason. My land isn’t deeded to a male heir. Yet, the king has done nothing to punish me.” He folded his hands together.
“You are correct. The royal family knows I’m your daughter, not your son.”
“Knox told me you were sent to Axian, although he didn’t know why.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to explain.
She wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn’t. “Yes, I was sent there for…something. I’m not at liberty to discuss the details.”
“Who sent you?”
“I can’t say.”
“Are you being blackmailed?”
“I went so you would be pardoned and our land would be deeded differently.”
“You said you have something in your possession that could change everything. Does that mean you have the pardon and deed?”
“No, I don’t have those yet. But I expect to have them soon.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you have?”
That was the problem—she couldn’t tell him what she had. Instead of answering, she said, “Have you ever been to Axian?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because it’s so different from here.” If he’d been there, he’d understand.
The duke ran a hand over his face. “Your mother was from Axian.”
She blinked, sure she’d heard her father wrong. “What?”
“I met her before Hudson was king. Things were different then.”
Why hadn’t he told Reid this sooner?
“I hear Axian is a great deal different now that Henrick is in charge. He has changed many of the rules we live by in Marsden. Some view that as treasonous.”
“Have you ever met Prince Henrick?” she asked.
“I want you to tell me what you have in your possession.”
Shaking her head, she only said, “Something that guarantees your pardon and deed.”
The lines around Duke Ellington’s eyes deepened. “I don’t want you negotiating with King Eldon. I am the one who lied—not you. It’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around.”
Was that because Reid was a woman? Or because her father thought he should be the one to take care of everything since he was the head of the household? She let her head fall back against the chair. Why did everything have to be so complicated and confusing? “You told me you were friends with King Hudson.”
“True, to an extent.”
“What do you know about his relationship with his twin brother?”
The duke’s eyes darkened. “Who sent you to Axian? Eldon? Or Ackley? I need to know.”
“I’ve been ordered not to say.”
He nodded. “When do you plan on traveling to the City of Buckley?”
“I’ll leave in a couple of days.” She stood and went to the door. Her father gazed out the window, lost in thought.
The following days fell into a routine. The same routine Reid had before Prince Ackley and Prince Gordon barged into her life. Duke Ellington thought it best his daughter continue as a man even though a handful of people knew the truth.
Since Harlan was busy working at the apothecary’s, Reid didn’t get a chance to see him. After being with him for so many weeks, it was odd to not have him around all the time. One evening, she went to town and met Knox. They sparred, but it was awkward now that he treated her differently. He was too careful with her. It bothered her immensely. Why couldn’t things be as they were before?
“What has you all upset?” Kamden asked as Reid stomped into the great hall.
Reid had just finished speaking to the watchman, and she was on her way to do some accounting in her father’s books. Instead of answering, she asked her sister what she was doing at the table.
“Sewing.” Kamden held up the dress she was working on.
“Do you like sewing?” Reid asked, examining the material and pins lying on the table.
“I don’t dislike it.” Kamden shrugged. “It keeps me busy and helps pass the time.”
Reid pulled her cap off, letting her hair down. Maybe if she’d grown up sewing, she would understand it better. “Where’s Father?” she asked, massaging her aching scalp.
“In his office.”
“Can I ask you something?” She sat next to her sister.
“Of course.” Kamden set her sewing down and faced Reid.
“Are you happy?”
“That’s a silly question. Of course I’m happy. I’m the daughter of a duke, and I have you for a sister. What more could I ask for?”
Reid stared at Kamden. What more could she ask for? How about taking care of herself instead of relying on a man to do it? How about working the land instead of sitting about all day? It was so frustrating Kamden didn’t see the shackles she wore. “Good,” Reid replied. “I’m glad you’re happy.” She rose, then hurried from the room before she yelled at Kamden to wake up.
When she entered the office, Reid found her father sitting at his desk.
“Do you need something?” He set his quill down.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” she said as she took a seat across from him.
“Okay.” Picking up the papers he’d been working on, he slid them into the top drawer. “I’ve watched you since you’ve been back. You don’t look happy.”
How could Reid explain she didn’t know where she belonged? She was a woman pretending to be a man. She could continue as a Knight and always be at the royal family’s mercy, doing whatever they wanted. Or she could stay here to eventually assume her role as a woman, only to be chained by the confines of society. Both choices came with restraints. And she wanted to be free.
That was when
she realized she was envious of Axian—of what they had, how they treated one another with decency and respect, the freedoms the Axian people enjoyed, and the possibilities.
“Reid?”
“I’m fine.” That was all she could say because she couldn’t tell him she wanted to live in Axian. Her place was here, and her father would never understand the position she was in. He lived his life as a wealthy man, a duke in charge of an entire county, able to do what he wanted. She stood, then exited the room. In the hallway, she paused and stuck her head back in her father’s office. “I almost forgot—Prince Henrick sends his regards.” She eyed her father, watching his reaction.
The duke smiled. “I always liked him. He’s a good man.”
The rain pounded against Reid’s windows, keeping her awake. She tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. The fire in her hearth had died down. She slid out of bed and tossed a few more logs in the fireplace, hoping to warm her room.
Back in bed, she laid there listening to the crackle of the growing fire, the pelting of the rain, and the sound of horse hooves. She flew upright. It was the middle of the night. There shouldn’t be anyone out riding in this weather unless there was an emergency. Someone pounded on a door downstairs.
Grabbing her robe, Reid jumped out of bed and flew out of her room. Voices came from the great hall. She peered over the mezzanine, seeing her father speaking with two men she recognized. She ran down the stairs, then paused at the threshold of the great room.
Gordon turned his head in her direction. When their eyes locked, her breath caught. He was even more handsome than she remembered.
Duke Ellington cleared his throat, regaining her attention. “Go to bed,” he ordered. “Now.”
She ducked out of sight but remained in the hallway to listen.
“We will discuss this tomorrow,” the duke said. “You can stay here tonight in my guest rooms.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Ackley said.
Realm of Knights Page 22
