Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Elowen slept poorly the night after the trip to the forest. The expedition hadn’t afforded much chance for her to spend real time with Theo, and the interaction they had managed hadn’t been entirely pleasant.
She still stung a little over his frostiness when they’d talked about carbuncle favors.
Certainly she wasn’t suddenly ready to oblige her father, as he’d hinted at when orchestrating for her to accompany Theo on the trip.
But her irritation melted away when she remembered what Theo had said to her after dinner.
It had floored her that he’d chosen to share his concerns with her and ask for her opinion.
It was more than Patrick had ever done. Even her father, indulgent though he might be, wasn’t in the habit of including her in any conversations about matters affecting the kingdom.
That wasn’t the only reason the interaction took her mind off the uncertain state of her heart, however.
Theo’s words made her too uneasy regarding Simeon for her to think about much else.
Surely he would have no hand in whatever was happening.
But some of what Theo said had been uncomfortably hard to explain away.
Elowen opted to have breakfast brought to her rooms, too tired for court drama so early in the day.
She’d been foolish to imagine it would be a peaceful alternative, however, since the maid who delivered it stayed to tend to Elowen’s fire and lay out her clothes, chattering all the while.
She was full of excitement over the announcement the queen had just made to the servants, that there was to be a smaller feast and ball that night, in addition to the victory feast everyone was expecting at the end of the tournament.
“I hadn’t been told that,” Elowen said, startled. “Why is Mother adding another ball?”
“Apparently Their Majesties just received word of some foreign dignitaries who’ll be passing through Torrens, and they insisted that the party break their journey in Toledda, so they can be properly hosted.”
“Who are the dignitaries?” Elowen demanded.
“I’m sure I don’t know, Your Highness,” the maid said. “Someone important, no doubt.”
She was clearly much more interested in the ball than the visitors, and understandably so. The castle staff were usually encouraged to enjoy the food remaining after feasts, and Elowen knew the maids were always excited to see the court ladies in their finery.
For her part, she just felt exhausted. More formalities, more eyes on her. She wondered fleetingly if Theo would dance with her. He would probably be obliged to, given his status and their position. She doubted he would get much enjoyment from it. He didn’t seem the type.
Deflated, she finished her food quickly, turning her mind to more immediate matters.
She needed to speak to Simeon and set her doubts to rest. She knew she couldn’t ask after his whereabouts without raising eyebrows, and reluctantly concluded that her best option was to ask the chatty maid to discover where Bertrand might be. He almost always kept Simeon close by.
The maid received her mission with a look Elowen knew well, and she realized with a sinking heart that a garbled version of the request would no doubt make its way around the servants’ hall.
She just hoped that Theo wouldn’t hear of it and get the wrong idea.
He was always particularly frosty when Bertrand was around, and honestly she didn’t blame him. The viscount was an absolute nuisance.
The servant came back with a regretful posture.
“I wasn’t able to find out where he is, Your Highness. But someone said they saw his manservant, Simeon, making his way toward the armory, so I could try to find him and ask if he knows.”
“I can ask him,” Elowen said lightly. “I could do with a walk.”
As soon as the maid was out of sight, she hurried forward, eager to catch Simeon before he left the general area described. With any luck, he was retrieving something of Bertrand’s, ready for the tournament events that afternoon, meaning he probably wasn’t currently accompanying the viscount.
She was almost to the armory, having just passed the library door, when good fortune found her. Simeon appeared around a corner ahead, his arms full of Bertrand’s chainmail.
“Simeon.” Elowen looked around to see that the corridor was currently deserted. She slowed to a stop as Simeon bowed.
“Your Highness. Can I be of service?”
Elowen didn’t answer at once, her eyes searching his face.
He looked tired, and older than he used to, she realized.
He’d never been fully relaxed in her presence, but when she and Sophia took lessons from him, he’d been lighter, happier.
He’d laughed when their attempts at magic manipulation led to strange results, and been warm in his praise of their progress.
Now he was on edge every time she saw him, and there was a careful, almost wary edge to his respectful demeanor toward her.
“I wonder, Simeon, if I can be of service to you, actually,” she said at last, speaking with studied lightness. “Are you…are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Trouble, Your Highness?” he repeated blandly. “I hope not.”
Her brow creased as she studied his face. “Simeon, where were you yesterday?”
“I was—” His response had come quickly, but he cut himself off. “My duties kept me out of the capital much of the day.”
“Duties?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What duties could have kept you when neither Bertrand nor Sophia knew where you were?”
His lips were pressed into a line. It was clear he wasn’t going to answer.
“I’m your friend, Simeon,” she said earnestly. “At least, I’d like to be. If something is troubling you, let me help you.”
“I have no troubles that you can help with, Your Highness,” he said firmly. “And it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to ask even if I did.”
“Simeon, that scarf you dropped…” She trailed off, at a loss for how to ask him her questions in a way that wouldn’t make him close off further.
“What of it, Your Highness?” Simeon asked, when she didn’t continue.
“It’s yours?”
“Of course.”
“Are you…are you sure? You’re not just being…agreeable?”
“I know you think I’m weak, Your Highness,” Simeon said, the line of his jaw setting harder.
“And maybe I am, in some ways. But I have a mind of my own, and the things I do, I do for reasons of my own. I don’t feel the need to explain them to you.
I know that I’m strong enough to fight for what matters. ”
“I…I’m sure you are,” stammered Elowen, taken aback by the fire in his response. She studied his defiant face for a long moment before deciding to be bold. “Is this about Sophia, Simeon?”
A flicker crossed his face, but he mastered it, his jaw clenching briefly before he spoke.
“With respect, Your Highness, it wouldn’t be the actions of a friend to carry tales to her. Better she stay out of it.”
“Stay out of what, Simeon?” Elowen asked sharply.
“I want to help you, if I can. I…” She faltered, choosing her words with care.
“I know you have some reason to feel frustration, maybe even resentment. But please…” Daringly, she reached out a hand and gave his arm what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze.
“Please don’t do anything drastic, not without at least letting me try to help you first. You’ve been a true friend to me with your training, and I owe you this much, Simeon. ”
For a moment, Elowen saw longing enter his eyes, and she felt sure he was wrestling with a desire to unburden himself. Then his gaze moved past her shoulder, and he stepped quickly back. Giving her a respectful bow, he turned and walked away.
Elowen frowned after him for a moment before turning to see what had startled him.
With a sinking heart, she saw Theo’s familiar figure striding past, his face turned away but his form even stiffer than usual.
She had no idea why he’d been in the library, but that was clearly where he’d just emerged from.
He wasn’t close enough to have heard their conversation, but he’d no doubt seen them.
He’d been surprisingly supportive about her secret magic lessons, but that didn’t mean he would approve of a personal friendship between her and a servant.
She wished that if he objected, he would stop and say so, instead of being silently disapproving and absent.
Disheartened, Elowen made her way back through the castle, looking for her parents.
They were nowhere to be found, so she had to content herself with informing Patrick of her plan to go to the duke’s town residence in search of Sophia.
She and her friend were supposed to attend the afternoon’s events together, and Elowen didn’t feel like being alone with her thoughts until then.
Patrick approved her outing with a paternal air that irked her, but she didn’t waste energy on her brother’s heavy-handed ways.
It was a short ride to the duke’s residence, made slightly longer by the slow pace made necessary by the quartet of guards Patrick had insisted on sending with her.
When she arrived, she rode into the courtyard of the smart town manor at a trot, eager to dismount and get inside.
“No need to announce me,” she said in an imploring voice to the house maid whom she encountered just inside the door. “I’m just here to collect Lady Sophia, we’ll leave for the tournament fields at once.”