It did not make me feel good knowing I had gotten better at hiding the truth in the last few weeks. Deceit might be required for a spy, but it was disheartening to see myself fall so easily into sin.
“Of course. Hopefully this will not take long,” she replied. “It is not proper for a gentleman to be in a lady’s presence when she has taken ill or if she is injured. But Lady POW wants to give him the chance to slip up, and this is a clever way to surprise him.”
“Surprise him?”
“Yes. When you surprise an unsuspecting foe, he will have a harder time hiding the truth.” Marguerite patted my hand in a friendly way, while I just sat there, dumbfounded.
I had never been very good at asking Karl to give me information. It did not help that he was as much of a liar as Ferdy was.
If not more so.
Secretly, I hoped Karl would decline an audience with me. He knew I was indisposed, and I did not think he would push to make me even more uncomfortable. When he came through the door a moment later, I stifled back a groan.
It’s really a good thing I never learned to like gambling. Ferdy would be appalled at my luck.
“Eleanora is, of course, delighted to have you as a visitor,” Lady Penelope was saying, and I had to bite my cheek to keep from arguing with her. “Goodness knows the poor dear needs something to lift her spirits. She has been rather down since the accident.”
“I am pleased to be of service to my lady.”
I had to bite down even harder at the sound of Karl’s voice. I had never noticed before how much he had the same lyrical undertones as Ferdy, the same cadence to his proper tone. All that was missing was the heart of a rogue beating underneath it.
My cheeks grew hot as he took my hand.
In truth, Karl looked very little like his younger brother. They were of similar height, and they shared the same jawline and pointed nose, but Karl’s eyes were a darker gray, giving him a more hawkish face. And while I could nearly always make out a smattering of fuzz on Ferdy’s cheeks, Karl was cleanshaven. His ebony hair was brushed back from his face, emphasizing his steadfast demeanor. He was clearly a man with a serious and settled nature, strong willed and focused. While I had witnessed Ferdy’s temper before, I did not want to know what Karl’s was like; I had a feeling it was just as resolute as the rest of him.
“Mr. Marcelin.” My voice was low and weak as I greeted him, and I suddenly wondered if Ferdy also used Marcelin as his surname. My eyes watered at the thought.
“My lady,” Karl replied. He bowed over my hand and kissed it, just as gallantly as he had the night of the Hohenwart Ball. There was nothing in his demeanor to suggest he thought I was a traitor and a liar; if anything, I could feel his eagerness beneath my palm. “I am glad to see you again.”
Empress Maria Anna did not tell him.
The thought struck me hard and fast, and I was relieved and disappointed at the same time. What kind of mother did not tell her son he was courting a spy?
Then again, what kind of mother was a spy? Philip had said Máma had impressed the former empress, and I was starting to see why. They must have had a lot in common.
Karl sat down on a chair close to me. I gave him a teasing look. “Even if it is in this condition?”
To his credit, he blushed a little at my banter. Karl had impeccable manners. “I heard the tragic news of your injury, but I did not want to inconvenience you or hinder your recuperation. Lady Penelope was kind enough to allow me to see you.”
“You are most welcome, Mr. Marcelin.” Lady POW held her position at the doorway as Amelia, Marguerite, and Jaqueline all filed out of the room. When they were gone, only Lady Penelope loomed over us, as any proper companion would.
Of course, the situation was already inappropriate, since I was supposed to be indisposed. We were courting scandal as it was.
“I am glad to see you are being taken care of so well. I miss you dreadfully, and I fear I will continue to do so while you recover,” Karl said.
“I am sure there are other ladies who would be willing to dance with you in my stead.”
“There is no one like you, Ella.” His words were soft and quiet, hushed enough to hide the intimacy from Lady Penelope.
“Eleanora, you should know that you need not worry much about that,” Lady Penelope said. “There is not much amusement to be had in the city with weather such as this.”
She looked toward the windows, where a small layer of powdery snow was lying on the grounds.
“That is correct, Madame.” Karl nodded. “While Emperor is in Vienna, he has granted Empress Maria Anna’s request for a political recess while the castle undergoes repairs.”
“It seems that we must continually suffer boredom as well as inconvenience because of the incident.” Lady Penelope narrowed her gaze. “What a shame anything happened at all. And those poor souls who died. I am so fortunate that my Eleanora only injured her leg.”
Karl nodded solemnly. “I should have stayed with you that night.”
“Forgive my upset, Mr. Marcelin,” Lady Penelope replied. “It is not as though you caused the ballroom walls to collapse.”
Karl clenched his jaw at the sudden silence between us.
“I did not hear much of the official story while I have been recovering,” I said, feigning delicacy, drawing Karl’s attention back to me. “Do you know happened at the Advent Ball?”
“There was a fire in the wine cellar of the castle that night.” The smoothness of his voice made me wonder if it was practiced.
But then, I thought, Karl was an excellent politician.
“Roman is very upset by the news. As the architect who restored the wine cellar, he feels responsible for the design’s failure. He is offering to oversee the rebuilding and repair of the castle.”
“I see.”
“I have also offered to help. In fact, I have moved out of Roman’s house to stay in the castle itself while it is repaired.” Karl straightened, clearly eager to share his news.
I nodded and smiled. “So you are staying with the king?”
“Yes,” Karl said, clearly enjoying the prestige of his position. He would welcome the attention, and I had to admit, it was a nice cover story for staying with his parents. “From the castle, I will be easily able to attend to the needs of the Bohemian Diet and the Reichsrat Congress as sessions resume. The Minister-President is also not far away, should he require my attention.”
“I have heard that Count Potocki has decided against retiring his position,” Lady Penelope spoke up from behind us.
Karl’s subdued expression further soured. “Yes, Madame. That is true. Since the accident, Alfred has decided to stay on until the repairs are organized and Emperor Franz Joseph has taken care of Bohemia. Should the emperor decide to do anything about it at all, of course.”
“If Count Potocki is not retiring, what will you do?” I asked. “Will you campaign for his position while he remains in office?”
“Such a venture is risky,” Karl murmured, clearly flustered. “It is not polite or honorable.”
“It would be a political move.” I almost expected Karl to laugh at my observation, but he did not.
“I have not conferred with Alfred about the matter,” he said. From his serious tone, I would have said he was lying, but there was no way to know for sure. “I am, for now, content to remain where I am.”
At that, I knew he was lying. Since I had met him, Karl had talked eagerly of moving into the count’s position, and now he was trying to come across as a man with solid connections. I commended Karl on his attempts at humility, and even his success at deception, but I did not believe him.
“If you are not running for his office, is Lord Maximillian still insistent on your arrangement with Lady Teresa Marie?” I asked.
It was too hard to sound hopeful.
“The immediacy of our mutual discussions has stalled for now, if not indefinitely,” Karl replied. His eyes went dark as he looked away from me. “Howeve
r, I believe this gives us some time to discuss our own future, my lady, especially considering our last conversation.”
“Oh.” I thought of the Advent Ball again, remembering he was in agreement to marry me. Panic nearly choked me, as I remembered I never gave my own specific approval, but I had allowed him to think that I was in agreement. We had shared a private moment, even a kiss, and Karl had run off to make arrangements.
I could not even remember Karl’s kiss; all I could think of was Ferdy, and the taste of his lips on mine as we grasped onto each other in his room, each breath between us crying out with fervent desperation.
Lady Penelope cleared her throat, making me blush even more. “Mr. Marcelin has informed me of his intentions, Eleanora. For now, I have only consented to consider his offer. My life experience with husbands has brought me a fortuitous amount of wisdom when it comes to arranging a marriage, and I feel it is appropriate to exercise it in this regard.”
Karl cocked an eyebrow at me, and I nearly laughed. He was no doubt recalling Lady Penelope’s hasty wedding and short marriage to the Duke of Wellington before he passed away several years ago. They had been rumored to have a scandalous affair and a difficult marriage.
Thinking of the Order, I could not stop myself from wondering if he had been poisoned, too.
“I would also prefer to wait for your full recovery to give my final answer.” Lady Penelope’s condition seemed to give Karl a renewed sense of hope, and he cheered at once.
“I am certain of your knowledge in this matter, Madame, and I am glad for the opportunity to embrace it,” Karl said. If I did not know him so well, I would have believed his sincerity.
“Well,” I said, “you know what happened to me the night of the Advent Ball. What happened to you?”
“I went looking for the Duke of Moravia as soon as we parted,” he said. “I was hoping to renegotiate the terms of our agreement, as you know. I was informed that he had left. The footman I spoke with told me that one of his business associates had summoned him.”
“Business associates?”
“The Duke is a very wealthy man with many connections,” Karl said. “He no doubt had to discuss his latest investment pools or company stock. He is quite diligent in personally overseeing these matters. From what Alfred and Lord Hohenwart have told me, he does not follow the tradition of other such gentlemen who hire a man of affairs for such matters.”
So Lord Maximillian is personally involved in the scheme to take over Bohemia, I thought. It made sense, from what I had heard Cecilia say before. He had several foreign backers that were invested in his project, too.
“Grandmother?” I nearly gagged at the strange title. While Lady Penelope was indeed my grandmother, it was difficult to think of her as such. If it was not for her blue eyes, the blue eyes shared by both my mother and me, I would hardly believe we were related.
“Yes, Eleanora?” Lady Penelope’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. I did not think she liked the title either.
“Would you call for some tea?” I asked. “Please?”
I saw her gaze from me to Karl in that calculating way of hers.
“I shall return momentarily.” She narrowed her gaze at Karl in warning, but I knew she was secretly pleased.
“Thank you, mum,” I said, making her smile even more twisted.
The second she was gone, I turned my full attention on Karl. “I am so glad to see you, Karl. Thank you for coming.”
Pleasure radiated from Karl’s face. “It is hard talking candidly with your chaperone present.”
I nodded. I was ready to ask him my questions when he slipped down on his knees in front of me.
“Ella, I know your grandmother has denied me consent to marry you for the time being, but might I at least ask a promise of your fidelity?”
“My fidelity?” I stared at him blankly.
“I understand a formal engagement is a big step, especially for your grandmother,” Karl said. “But the matter of a pending engagement is different.”
As he explained the nature of differences between this—which I did not understand at all, thanks to my ignorance in Society’s demands—I felt my stomach twist into several knots. A pending engagement between Karl and me would allow people to believe he was courting me, with the intent to marry. Those people would believe that I was in agreement as we appeared in public together.
In other words, I thought glumly, it was the engagement without the announcement.
I would be lying every step of the way.
Everyone lies about something.
Ferdy’s words, so close to Lady Penelope’s, skipped cheerfully across my mind, and I hated Ferdy in that moment. I hated that he could not be mine, that I was too proud in my rags to have him, that he would too easily discard his worth to gain me.
I hated that everything had happened in such a way that I could not trust him to stay beside me, nor could I assume I would not push him away.
And Karl, whether he realized it or not, was just making me feel worse. The one thing I never wanted to do when I started working for the Order was marry for the sake of a mission. I clearly remembered fighting with Lady POW about it.
And yet, here I was, about to lie and sacrifice everything for my kingdom and my heart’s desire for answers.
But, true to form, I would not do it senselessly.
“I will agree to this,” I said slowly, hating myself for every word, “if you make me a promise in return.”
“What is it?” Karl asked impatiently, clearly startled and displeased by my request. He cleared his throat and corrected his tone. “Anything for you, my lady.”
“I want you to promise me that you will not ever lie to me.”
“Done.”
“About anything,” I emphasized the words very carefully, and Karl narrowed his eyes. I knew he had his own secrets, and he would not enjoy sharing them with me.
But a moment later, as he met my gaze with his own, I saw him relent. His gray eyes softened, and I felt a sting of shame at my manipulative demands. I had to remind myself that Karl, no matter how nice he might have been to me, was working with Lord Maximillian to take the Bohemian monarchy, that he was connected to a plot to kill people, and that no matter how noble he thought he was, Karl had to pay for his unhealthy ambition.
“You have my word, Ella,” Karl took my hand again and bowed over it. “I was so worried you would completely retreat from me.”
Not while I have a murder mystery to solve and a coup to uncover.
“I will not allow myself to keep anything from you that would hinder our relationship,” he said, standing up straight and puffing out his chest proudly once more. “And I will begin working on a way to change your grandmother’s mind immediately.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I believe your oath. Now, I would like you to tell me about your brother.”
He dropped my hand, reeling back on his heels as his face blanched and his cheeks burned with fury. “What?”
The disbelief on his face was almost amusing. I doubted I could have said anything else that would have made him feel less surprised, even if I accused him of blowing up the castle himself.
“I apologize for my impudence,” I said, feigning sudden discomfort. “But since you knew about my brother, I thought it would be nice to know about yours. After all, my brother is my closest family, and I am glad to know we have such a blessing in common.”
There was a long moment of silence as Karl’s expression became more embittered. I said nothing, holding my breath nervously.
“I regret I will not be able to share in your joy. My brother is a nuisance and a plague to my family’s legacy. I prefer to forget about him altogether if possible.”
“Oh?” My hands folded in my lap, as I watched him with sudden curiosity. “Why is that?”
“My brother has been suspended from any number of schools across Europe. He spent several years in Paris, and some in London with me, and I can attest to his brawling, his g
ambling, his ... numerous indiscretions.”
I blushed, thinking of Ferdy with other women. Anger flared inside of me, even as a very small part of me held onto that memory of our first kiss.
“I see,” I said very quietly. “I can see why such a reputation would upset you.”
“All I have worked for is the future of Bohemia,” Karl said. “My brother has spent his life dedicated to fun and frivolity. He is not anything like me.”
“Not by the sound of it,” I said. “Where is he now?”
“He is currently staying in Prague, but just for a little while longer,” Karl admitted. “He is finishing up his education in Silesia. Until his return, I will keep watch over him and make sure he does not get himself into trouble.”
“It sounds like he has a talent for it.” I had to muffle a giggle. Ferdy was much more trouble than Karl could have ever guessed. “Would I be able to meet him?”
“No.” Karl’s sharp tone was quick and fierce, and it took the rest of my daring to ask him another question. “Please, Ella, he’s hardly proper. My family prefers I do not tell anyone about him.”
I could believe that, from what Philip and Ferdy had both mentioned before. “What is his name?”
“I’d rather not tell you, if it would keep you from finding out his trouble,” Karl said. “I know I promised to tell you the truth, but this is something you are better off not knowing.”
“I am only curious,” I insisted. “If I wish to know you better, it would be best to do it on more intimate terms. Indeed, I would like to know more about your family.”
Karl’s mouth twisted again, and I could see he was getting more frustrated with me. “His name is Ferdinand. He was named after the king, of course.”
I pretended to brush a stray curl out of my eyes as I smirked. “Of course.”
“May I ask how you learned about him?” Karl asked, suddenly rounding on me. “No one knows of him here in Prague, not even my closest companions.”
“I learned about him the night of the Hohenwart Ball,” I said. “Was that not what was written on the note the footman gave you? That you had to go and attend to your brother?”
Prince of Secrets and Shadows Page 10
