Chapter 21 #2
The king didn’t immediately open it, frowning down at the seal. “This is the seal of my Council of Lords,” he said.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the steward confirmed. “A messenger just delivered this. He said he’d come directly from the Duke of Nirocha’s manor here in the capital.”
“Very good.”
Elowen’s father dismissed the steward with the words, waiting until the door was closed before ripping open the letter. His expression darkened before Elowen and Patrick’s eyes.
“What is it, Father?” Patrick demanded.
“The Council of Lords has just met.”
“Without the sovereign or a representative?” Patrick looked outraged.
“It’s not unheard of. In certain circumstances, the council will meet to reach unanimity before presenting an appeal to the crown. But for a meeting to be called so urgently in peacetime is irregular, to say the least.”
“Urgently?” Elowen repeated, her eyes narrowing. “What was the topic of the meeting, Father?”
The king let out a heavy breath before meeting her eyes.
“Your betrothal, Elowen. It seems news of the Siqualian princes’ departure spread quickly in spite of our efforts.
Several members of the council appear to have taken great offense.
They’re bringing a formal motion to dissolve the betrothal as allowed under Torrenese law. ”
Patrick let out a soft noise of annoyance. “Well, they’ll be disappointed.”
The king didn’t answer at once, causing anxiety to trickle over Elowen.
“You surely aren’t considering agreeing, Father?” she said.
“I am not,” he confirmed heavily. “But it’s more complicated than you realize, Elowen.
There are certain aspects of the alliance that I can’t effectively enforce, with regards to trade and communication, and…
” He trailed off, giving his head a shake.
“To put it simply, for the alliance to succeed, it has to have a certain amount of support from my lords.”
“So convince them that it’s for everyone’s good!” said Elowen. “Tell them that he only left because he’s ill!”
“That is obviously what I intend to do.” The king rose, and his children both mirrored the motion. “Patrick, you’ll accompany me.”
“Of course, Father,” Patrick said, his stern features more set than ever.
“Who brought the motion?” Elowen asked quickly, realizing her window for gaining information was closing.
“The duke,” the king said, with a grim glance at the missive.
“The duke is still on his lands,” Elowen protested. “It was Bertrand, it must have been! Is it inconceivable that in his father’s absence, he would take charge and use his father’s name and seal to call the lords together and plant his seeds in their minds?”
“If Bertrand acted on his father’s behalf, we must assume it’s with his father’s approval,” Patrick said.
Elowen didn’t assume anything of the kind, but the two men were already leaving the room.
Her brother sent her a look that made it clear he felt he was cleaning up her mess, and she could have screamed with frustration.
They were so determined to miss what was right in front of them.
It was almost unbelievable that his status and position could protect Bertrand so completely and yet, at the same time, it was barely even a surprise.
Hadn’t Bertrand been indulged and covered for all his life?
Even sweet Sophia had always been ready to smooth over his misdemeanors.
Elowen herself had made excuses for him, she realized with discomfort, not out of any desire to think well of him, but to try to justify his behavior to Theo to avoid embarrassment for everyone.
No more.
She swept from the room, following the direction she knew her father and brother would have gone. She didn’t enter the audience hall in which her father usually conducted such meetings, however. She paused outside the door, directing her question to one of the guards on duty.
“Is the viscount, Lord Bertrand, in this meeting?”
His expression was hard to read, but she was beyond caring what conclusions he might draw.
“No, Your Highness. He did not attend.”
Of course not. He wasn’t about to start doing his own dirty work now.
“I require two members of the royal guard to accompany me,” Elowen said imperiously.
“Your Highness?” He was startled.
“I’m merely going to visit Lady Sophia, but I am concerned for my safety on the road,” Elowen said in a tone that didn’t invite argument.
The guard bowed, nodding toward his fellow. The other man moved promptly away, and in a short time, returned with two other guards.
“Thank you.” Elowen held her head high as she strode toward the entryway of the castle. “You will stay with me at all times, do you understand?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Her new companions seemed bemused, but they were too well trained to ask questions.
She was glad, because she had a feeling that if she voiced her determination to be protected from Bertrand, it would lead to exasperation from her family.
But the viscount had shown his true colors the night of the ball, and deciding to confront him didn’t mean she had to be careless.
There was no Theo here to come to her aid this time.
The thought brought a lump to her throat, but she refused to dwell on her emotions. The short trip to the duke’s manor took no time at all, and when she’d been ushered into a large parlor, it wasn’t Sophia she asked for.
“Lord Bertrand?” the confused housekeeper asked. “Yes, Your Highness, he’s here. But…”
“Please tell him I wish to speak with him,” she said.
She looked uneasily around the space, wondering what felt off.
Something was different. It was too silent, she decided.
Like the whole house was tensed, waiting for some blow to fall.
Elowen’s thoughts flew back to the castle.
How was the meeting with the lords going?
Would her father convince them not to be offended with Theo?
Would he tell them it was Prince Xavier who’d insisted on removing his brother?
Unlikely, since that wouldn’t help change the mind of anyone inclined to be offended with Siqual.
She was sure her father wouldn’t disclose her fears about poison, which meant that it would be difficult to explain Prince Xavier’s actions.
“Princess.” Bertrand had appeared in the doorway, his eyebrows raised in an infuriatingly smug expression. “You’ve sought me out. What an honor.”
“Bertrand, I need to speak with you,” Elowen said, her voice hard.
He bowed. “By all means.” He glanced at the guards. “Perhaps we can walk in the gardens.”
Elowen hesitated. She felt more secure in the room with her guards right there, but it might be best for all if they couldn’t hear everything said.
“All right,” she said, not very graciously. “My guards will naturally wish to accompany me.”
“Naturally.” Bertrand looked amused.
Her shoulders stiff with tension, Elowen followed him out of the manor and into a manicured garden.
“You may stay here,” she told the guards, as they paused just outside the building. “But if I leave your sight at any time, come and retrieve me immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” They exchanged a look as she turned away, which she pretended not to see.
Bertrand offered Elowen his arm, but she ignored it, walking forward with purpose until they were just out of the guards’ hearing range.
“Very wise to set safeguards for yourself,” Bertrand commented. He plucked a bloom from a nearby bush, offering it to her with a gallant sweep of his arm. “I’m flattered that you feel you can’t trust yourself to be alone with me.”
Elowen crossed her arms, ignoring the flower and fixing him with a hard stare.
“Enough games, Bertrand,” she said. “You’re the one who called the meeting of the lords, aren’t you?”
He raised one thin eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were interested in matters of state.”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know,” Elowen said in a clipped voice.
A steady wind was blowing, and although their corner of garden was well sheltered, a nearby tree at the edge of the space was bending a little from the onslaught.
The movement of the leaves called to Elowen, their magic leaking out for anyone to take hold of.
It wasn’t a lot of Dust, but it would be enough to give Bertrand a zap if he tried anything.
She was determined not to be caught off guard by him again.
Heartened by the thought, she pressed on. “Give me a straight answer, Bertrand. Are you the one who proposed the motion to dissolve my betrothal?”
He raised his arms, gesturing at their surroundings. “Do you see me in a meeting at the castle?”
“Of course not,” Elowen said darkly. “This is what you do. You set things in motion, and you hide behind others while they give voice to your demands. How many times have I seen you use Sophia that way?” Her eyes narrowed further. “How many times have you hidden behind Simeon?”
Displeasure flickered over his face, and he folded his arms.
“If you think I’m unwilling to stand by my actions, you’re mistaken, Princess,” he said smoothly. “Of course I oppose your betrothal to a Siqualian prince.”
Elowen drew in a sharp breath. “Why?”
“Because you’re mine,” he said, the words flippant. “You’ve always been intended for me. I’m the one who loves you and I’m the one who will marry you.”
Elowen recoiled, the plain speaking rattling her more than she wanted him to see. One word in particular sounded unnatural and harsh on Bertrand’s lips. He didn’t know what love meant.
“But I’m not concerned,” Bertrand went on. “The betrothal tournament was helpful for us all in showing us the kind of disrespect we can expect if we were to ally ourselves with Siqual. I think our kingdom is wise enough to know how to respond.”
The calm words didn’t fool Elowen. Bertrand might want to seem as though he’d always been willing to wait things out and trust the outcome, but every instance of his infuriating meddling contradicted that suggestion.
“You poisoned him.” The accusation fell from Elowen’s lips, her anger getting the better of her. “You attacked him out of jealousy.”
Both of Bertrand’s eyebrows were up now. “Poisoned? What are you talking about, Princess?”
Elowen ground her teeth. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“I wish I did,” he said, his placid demeanor unconvincing thanks to how well she knew his temper. “You accuse me of being jealous?” He gave an incredulous laugh, and his next words dripped with disdain. “Of Prince Theodore? What would I have to be jealous of?”
“Everything,” Elowen said disbelievingly. “You have no hope of matching him in any way.”
Bertrand’s eyes narrowed a little. “If you’re thinking of our fight in the tournament,” he said, “naturally I allowed him to win to save everyone embarrassment. The tournament was never real, Elowen.” His expression turned pitying.
“Did you think your stiff prince really was some kind of noble champion?”
“I know his sickness isn’t natural,” Elowen said angrily. “And Father knows it, too. Inquiries have been made.”
She hoped to rattle him with this information, but she was disappointed. His expression was politely curious, and he made a show of thinking over her words.
“Do you really believe he’s been intentionally harmed?
” he mused. “If you’re right, I must advise the king to interrogate Simeon further.
It would be too coincidental for the prince to be attacked just as he was ready to point a finger at the perpetrator of the disasters.
” He gave her an innocent look. “You did know, didn’t you, that your prince was the one who informed on Simeon? ”
Elowen wanted to believe he was lying, but remembering the things Theo had said, it was perfectly plausible.
Her heart sank, but she refused to let Bertrand drive a wedge between her and Theo, as she’d allowed him to do too many times.
She wished Theo had trusted her enough to talk it all out with her, to let her convince him it couldn’t be Simeon.
But given everything, she couldn’t be surprised he’d been unsure of his reception.
“Simeon must have put the plan into motion before his arrest, not realizing he was already out of time,” Bertrand said sorrowfully. There was malice in his eyes as he continued. “If he used magic to attack the prince, he can probably use magic to reverse it.”
Elowen stilled. Was he making a veiled offer? Some kind of bargain?
“I can get Simeon to talk,” Bertrand said. “I guarantee that if there’s something to tell, he’ll tell me with the right handling.”
Elowen waited, sure there was more. She wasn’t wrong.
“I’ll do it in a heartbeat, Princess. Simply declare to your father your desire to marry me instead of the Siqualian prince. The matter can be settled neatly if we act now, while the lords are still debating our kingdom’s future.”