Chapter 5
Five
Hugo held it together until the heavy wooden door banged shut behind him and the guard shoved the iron bolt into the lock. He really was in a tower. Not the tippy-top point of the tower, but it was still very isolated and scary.
His heart raced loudly in his ears, and yet he could barely hear it over his frantic panting.
The room was medium sized with four large bales of straw, an old wooden spinning wheel, a stool, and a large basket filled with empty wooden bobbins to catch all the spun gold thread.
In one corner, some kind soul had set up a tiny table and placed a pitcher of water and a tin cup on it along with a thick slice of bread.
There was also a single empty bucket he could only assume he was supposed to use for his personal business.
It wasn’t quite a cell in the dungeon, but it was a prison.
He was trapped. Thoroughly, completely trapped.
What the hell was he supposed to do now? His magic was about making pretty things out of glass. He couldn’t spin straw into gold. No one could.
With fast steps, he crossed to the single window and swung it open to stare down. His stomach sank to his toes. It was a straight drop to the smooth paving stones of the inner bailey.
What were his options? Wait for sunrise when it would be revealed that he had lied about his magical skill and have his head chopped off, or jump out the window now? Which death was more painful?
And if he jumped out the window, should he do it now or wait for dawn? If he waited, his mother and brothers would have a better chance of escaping Buckleford without notice. That was assuming Dorian convinced their mother to escape at all.
What was he to do?
Hugo paced away from the window, shoving his hands through his styled hair, messing it up. Unfortunately, with the spinning wheel and straw, there wasn’t much room for him to pace. Too soon, he turned around and headed toward the window again.
Did he have any other choice? He’d already lied to the queen. Could he add another lie on top of it to save his own skin? What could he tell her that she’d believe? That he was feeling poorly and couldn’t use his magic? That he could only spin straw into gold during a full moon?
No.
No more lying. He couldn’t. It would catch up with him.
His one hope of living was to confess and beg for forgiveness. State he had been trying to protect his mother and brothers. As penance, he could offer to be a slave for the royal family. He could spend the rest of his life scrubbing pots and shoveling out stables.
But would that be enough? His mother had been the one to tell the first lie to Lady Hawthorne.
Would she still seek retribution? He couldn’t risk it.
His mother was a little careless and given to exaggerations, but she didn’t mean any real harm.
She was just looking out for her children in the best way she knew how.
If her husband hadn’t died so young, this would never have happened.
Facing the window, Hugo touched the jade and silver ring on his left thumb with his right hand, spinning it.
The ring had belonged to his father. Charles Baker hadn’t been the type to like fancy things, but he’d indulged in this ring after he’d opened his newly expanded bakery.
The only problem was that he never wore anything like jewelry while he was working.
Not even his wedding ring. Because of that, the ring appeared almost brand-new.
Hugo had inherited it and rarely wore it, fearing he might lose one of the few things that had belonged to his father. He’d slipped the ring on today, hoping that it would give him some confidence and maybe a bit of luck.
What would his father want him to do right now?
He’d expect Hugo to do whatever it took to protect his family.
What would Dorian and Augustine do without their mother?
Yes, she was flighty, but she also knew how the world worked.
Once she got her head out of the clouds about finding them rich husbands and returned to reality, she would get them all safely settled.
Dorian was level-headed but inexperienced.
Augustine was impulsive and reckless, but he had a good heart.
He needed both Dorian and Mother to watch over him.
Hugo’s gaze lifted to the window, and he swallowed before taking a step closer.
His fingers had become blocks of ice and his feet were frozen boulders, but he could do this.
If he jumped, the slate would be wiped clean.
His family would be safe. The gossip about his suicide wouldn’t be as damning as it would be if he were executed for a crime, right?
Another step closer…
He tried to focus on the blue sky and puffy clouds. Not the cold, hard, unyielding ground.
It would be okay. Everything would be okay for his family after this…
“You know, that’s a far drop if you’re thinking of getting out that way.”
Hugo yelped and jumped halfway across the room at the sound of the unexpected voice.
He spun around and spotted a gangly figure in mismatched ragged clothes, seated on a bundle of straw.
A long cloak covered him, and a hood hid his hair.
A garish mask that appeared to be a goblin laughing covered his face, obscuring all his features.
“Wh-who are you? How did you get in here?” Hugo’s head whipped to the only door in the room to find it still closed.
He would have heard it if a guard had unbolted it.
There was just one window. Even if the man could have climbed up all those stories, Hugo would have seen him clamber through it. That left…magic.
“Think of me as a helpful friend,” he claimed, his voice as sharp and grating as a rusty gate hinge. “You’ve gotten yourself into a predicament.”
“What…I…” Hugo shook his head violently, trying to force his brain to focus on the strange man sitting on the straw in front of him. Had he lost his mind in his panic? How had he gotten in there? It must have been through magic.
“What happened? How did you anger the queen?”
“I didn’t. I—”
The stranger’s loud guffaws filled the room, and he almost fell from where he sat in his laughter.
“She’s a grumpy old crow. It’s easy to upset her, but I can’t understand why she’d stuff you in a room full of straw and a spinning wheel.
With nothing more than a bit of water and a crust of bread! That’s nonsense.”
Hugo’s lips limped into an almost smile while some of the tension that gripped his lungs eased. At least this person didn’t sound like he was a big fan of the royal family.
The man patted the other bale of straw next to him. “Sit. You seem interesting. Tell me your tale. Maybe I can help.”
Hugo didn’t see how that was possible at all, but it would be nice if someone knew the truth prior to his death.
He dropped onto the straw and sighed. “My mother told a ridiculous lie while we were at the Winthrop Spring Gala last night. She claimed to this group of stuffy nobles that her son could spin straw into gold. I know she only did it hoping to find me a good match. We need an advantageous marriage. She probably took one look at her son and knew I wasn’t enough to win some rich man’s heart.
She felt she had to lie to make me and our family appear more important. ”
“So, you’re a family of gold diggers?”
Hugo sucked in a horrified breath but caught the words of denial before they could leap from his tongue.
They were. Of course, many families were, but that didn’t make it right.
“We are,” he mumbled, hanging his head. “I don’t want to be.
Since my father died, things have been falling apart.
My mother doesn’t want us to become common tradesmen, but we have no other options unless I marry well. ” Hugo shoved a hand through his hair.
“Why didn’t you confess?”
“I should have, but I didn’t want to embarrass my mother at the ball. Besides, I could see all those women hiding their laughter behind their gloves and fans. Not one of them believed her. I thought they’d mock us and then forget about it. But one of those people is a cousin of the queen—”
“Lady Hawthorne,” the stranger sneered. “There’s a busybody the world could do without.”
Hugo couldn’t agree more, but he kept that part to himself.
“When the queen confronted my mother, I was sure she would claim it to be a joke, but she insisted again that I could spin straw into gold. She knows I can’t.
No one can! The idea of it is ridiculous.
” Hugo jumped to his feet and paced across the room.
“It was too late. What was I to do? Let the queen throw my mother in prison for lying? Or worse, allow her head to be chopped off? My father would never forgive me. So, I told the queen that I was the one who told my mother I could spin straw into gold. That way, after I failed, she’d blame me and not my mother. ”
“That is a pickle.” The odd man scratched his head through his hood.
“But you can get in and out of this room with magic, right?”
“Sure, but I can’t take you with me. My magic is good only for me.”
Hugo waved his hands as he rushed to the other bundle of straw.
“No, I want you to take a message to my brother Dorian. My family lives just outside of Buckleford. Ten minutes down the lane that leads through Shaggy Butternut Woods. It’s a skinny three-story house with faded blue shutters.
Go there and ask for Dorian. Tell him what has happened, and that he has to take my mother and brother away from here as fast as he can.
I don’t know if the queen will be satisfied with killing me.
Especially if I jump out the window before I can be executed.
My family has to be far from here so she can’t hurt them too. ”
“I don’t know,” the man said, rising to his feet. His back was bent, and his legs creaked as he moved.
“Please, I’m sure my brother will pay you a few coins for your troubles. We don’t have much, but we can give you that for delivering such an important message.”
“Well, I can do it if you’re so determined to leap out the window.” The man shrugged and motioned to the still-open sash. “But I could spin the straw into gold for you.”
“What?” Hugo choked out. He tried to leap to his feet, but his knees gave out, and he landed hard on the straw. “You can do that?”
“Of course. I have magic. Real magic.”
Hugo nearly shouted for the man to help him, but once again the words were caught in his throat. He would still be lying. He would be alive, and his family would be safe, but he’d be furthering the same lie to the crown. It wasn’t really fixing anything.
“I don’t wish to lie to the queen. It isn’t right.”
“Ah, you’re such a good boy. But wouldn’t your father think it was more important that you live so you could protect your mother and brothers?
No one would have to know about this little lie.
I’m sure the queen wouldn’t go bragging about it.
She wouldn’t want every peasant and tradesman rushing to your family to produce mountains of gold, right? ”
That sounded true.
“I turn the straw into gold. You go home, and all you have to worry about is making sure your mother tells no more tall tales.”
Hugo chewed on his bottom lip as he looked from the window to the spinning wheel.
He didn’t want to die. If he got through this, he could put all his energy into finding a suitable husband who would help to protect his family.
No more talk about finding a rich spouse.
A good, honorable man was all that he needed.
“Okay! Let’s do it!” Hugo agreed, releasing the trapped air in his lungs in a rush.
“Ah, ah.” The strange man wagged one gloved finger at him. “I don’t work for free. I’ll spin all this straw into gold, but you have to give me something valuable first.”
“Valuable?” Hugo patted his chest and pockets. “I don’t have anything of real value on me, but if you’ll go to my brother—”
“Nope, nope. Has to be before I work. If I go to your brother first and return, there won’t be enough time for me to spin the straw. Payment first. Work second.”
Hugo located his money pouch and pulled it open. “I have four copper coins and two silver.”
“Pffft,” the man dismissed him. “I have no use for money. Too common. You got any magic of your own?”
“Yes, but it’s useless and boring.”
“What is it?”
“I can make things out of glass.”
The stranger propped his hands on his hips and nodded. “Okay. Do it.”
Hugo sucked in a deep breath and pulled on the tingle of magic that buzzed about his chest. He waved his hands this way and that in front of him, crafting a perfect blooming red rose on a long stem, complete with full green leaves and curved thorns.
When he was done, sweat dripped down the side of his face, and his hands trembled.
A wild cackle left his companion, and he danced about the room, clapping. “Yes! Yes! Perfect. I’ll spin the straw. Put the rose on the table for safekeeping, and stay out of my way.”
Hugo rushed to do as he directed. He even wrapped the glass rose in his white neckcloth to protect it.
As he turned back, he found the odd man seated on the stool, a pile of straw beside him and a wooden bobbin in place to catch the golden thread.
The wheel whirled and spun madly. His gloved hands flashed here and there.
In the blink of an eye, the straw turned to shining gold thread, filling one spool.
And then another and another. It was the most amazing magic he’d ever seen.
This could work.
He might live to see his family.