Forty-Five - Felix
When Isa andI finally made it downstairs to eat breakfast, she informed me about her meeting with Chief Nassan. This led to an explanation of how she had lost her job while helping me and her guess that the princess had pressured the chief constable to rethink that decision.
It also led to Isa extracting a promise that I wouldn’t come with her and share with the chief my opinion on his decisions. I had to content myself with visiting the Truthhold office in town. I wanted the paperwork out and waiting for Isa, in case I could convince her to sign and ride home with me today. She was convinced that her mentor among the constables would raise a fuss if she didn’t handle things carefully.
I’d rather deal with the rumors—they’d fade eventually—and have her with me sooner.
“Are you certain you don’t want to live at Rose Castle anymore?” I asked Berklay as he pulled out the appropriate forms.
“These past few months have shown me how much I was missing, living so far from the rest of my family. I think shifting from butler to the manager of the Leort offices is the right choice.”
“I know it is the best choice for these offices, but I’ll miss you. How am I going to find another butler comfortable with the idiosyncrasies of my home?”
“Louisa is perfectly suited to managing the secretaries, and George can oversee the few servants without my help. You don’t need a butler with all your magic. I suspect Miss Cardh will also find ways to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
I leaned against the desk. “How well do you know Isa?”
“I don’t know her well, but I know plenty of her. My brother sees her as something of a daughter. He’s always tried to look out for her, knowing her own father wouldn’t.”
I sighed. “So I gathered. Do you think you can convince him that I mean her no harm?”
Berklay shook his head. “Frederic won’t be convinced by anything I have to say. He makes up his own mind. If you want to change it, you’ll have to do the convincing yourself.”
“Can you at least give me a hint about what I can say to change his mind?”
“It isn’t what you say that matters, Your Grace. It is your sincerity that will make the difference.”
“Noted.” I straightened. “Isa had a meeting with Chief Nassan this morning. I want to meet her when it ends. Where would they be?”
Berklay gave me directions to the main constabulary building, and I made my way through the streets of Leort. I could tell which people in town recognized me as I walked by—they always sized me up as if they could see at a glance if the rumors they had heard were true. I did my best to ignore their scrutiny. They’d have new gossip to spread about me and Isa soon.
Inside the constables’ headquarters, I told the woman behind the desk that I was waiting for Isa. She informed me that her meeting hadn’t concluded yet and directed me to wait in one of the chairs along the wall. She hadn’t recognized me, nor asked my name, which was a bit of a relief.
Turning away from the desk, I noticed that there was another man waiting. Frederic Berklay.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, rising to his feet.
“Waiting for Isa.”
He took a step forward, trying to loom over me. I was taller than him, so it didn’t quite work. Still, I wasn’t unaware that while he might be shorter, he also was wider than me, his mass made up primarily of muscle.
“I don’t care if you are a duke. I won’t let you mess with her anymore.”
I kept my expression calm. “Are you threatening me, Constable?”
“Just telling you how it is. I know you are immune to the truth-telling enchantment at Truthhold. I’m not falling for your tricks.”
“Being able to lie doesn’t mean I did lie.”
The front door opened and Frederic paused, waiting to see who had come in. I shifted my attention to the newcomer as well. She wasn’t Isa. I knew that at a glance, even before I had taken in the difference in hair styles. Apart from the hair, they looked exactly the same, but there was still a fundamental difference. I couldn’t quite place it—perhaps the natural tilt of her lips or a softness in her gaze—but I knew I’d never mistake Isa for her twin.
“Miss Cardh,” I greeted her. She knew who I was, and she hesitated, clearly reluctant to tell me she wasn’t Isa. I saved her the trouble. “Are you here to see your sister as well? Isa seems to be quite popular today.”
“I wanted to hear how her meeting went, Your Grace.” She looked between me and Frederic, clearly aware of the tension but wanting to ignore it. “I didn’t realize you were in town. Isa didn’t mention anything.”
“I arrived last night, surprising her.”
Sofia’s eyes went wide, but Frederic began to splutter. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I turned back to the constable. “Exactly what I said.”
“Stop talking in riddles.”
“Why?” I tried to remember that this man’s opinion mattered to Isa. I recalled Berklay’s advice to be sincere. But what did it matter? Frederic had already made up his mind. “Even if I speak clearly, you’ll assume I’m lying.”
Sofia stepped forward, not quite coming between us, but drawing the constable’s attention. “Frederic, what is going on? Didn’t Isa explain everything to you?”
The constable jabbed a finger in my direction. “He did something. Magicked her or something. She hasn’t been acting herself ever since she went to Truthhold. She can only say what he wants her to.”
Sofia rested a hand on his arm. “If you don’t believe Isa, and don’t trust the duke, perhaps I can help.” She looked over at me. “With your permission, Your Grace, I can truth-tell you. That way, Frederic will know you aren’t lying when you answer his questions.”
We were beyond the range of my node-tie, so in theory Sofia should be able to truth-tell me. But only if her power was greater than my own. I still had no sense of how much magic I had apart from the node, and couldn’t guess at the likelihood in either direction. Still, I nodded. I’d tell the constable the truth whether I had to or not.
He scowled, but told Sofia to go ahead.
I watched the power stream out of her. It settled around me in a hazy mist, not quite touching me. Was that normal? Or was it a sign that her spell was too weak?
Frederic began asking the familiar questions, his manner growing more and more agitated as my answers didn’t change from before.
The back door opened, and Isa stepped into the room. She frowned at the tableau in front of her, but didn’t interrupt. Frederic spared her a single glance, then looked back at me. “What do you want with Isa now?”
Berklay’s words came back to me. Be sincere. “I love her.”
The blue mist faded, and Sofia beamed at me and Isa. The constable spluttered some more. Isa walked around him, punching his arm as she went by, and wrapped her arms around me. Then she looked back at her mentor. “Are you satisfied yet, Frederic?”
He couldn’t seem to process the way we stood. It took him several heartbeats to answer. “You didn’t mention anything like...” He gestured between us, but couldn’t seem to say the words. “You claimed it was just work.”
“It was. Nothing happened then. And I didn’t mention my feelings because you had decided Felix had manipulated and bewitched me. If I had told you I was in love with him, you would have reacted even worse.”
“I . . . I . . .”
She took pity on him, facing him, though she twined her fingers in mine at the same time. “I know you were worried about me, but I need you to trust me. Or at the very least, trust Sofia. She was truth-telling Felix while you questioned him, wasn’t she? Are you going to claim she is bewitched, too?”
“Of course not,” Frederic blustered. “And I trust you . . . but the duke . . .”
“Is not the villain, Frederic. If you trust me, then can’t you be happy for me?”
His expression softened. “I’ll try.” Then he looked at me and became grim once more. His finger pointed at my chest. “If you do anything to hurt her—”
Isa slapped Frederic’s finger down. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, though not so quietly that the others wouldn’t hear. “Let him have his say. You deserve to have someone threaten me on your behalf.”
She laughed, and the last bit of fight drained out of the constable. “Does this mean you won’t be taking your job back, Isa?”
“I never was. I told you I was ready for a position where my talents were respected. As it happens, I’ve found a new job that I think will suit me much better.”
It took a bit more reassurance, but soon Isa sent the constable on his way. Then she turned to her twin, her hands on her hips. “You were truth-telling Felix?”
Sofia grinned, the expression as impish as anything Isa could manage. “I was supposed to be, but only to reassure Frederic.”
“Supposed to be? So, it didn’t work?” I asked. “Wait, you knew it wasn’t working? Why didn’t you tell him?”
“He was being foolish. I knew you weren’t about to lie.”
I bowed. “Thank you, Miss Cardh.”
“Sofia,” she insisted. “I do believe you ought to call me Sofia under the circumstances.”
“I’m honored. Please, call me Felix.”
“All right,” Isa started moving toward the door. “Now that the introductions are done, and we’ve provided the receptionist with a show, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”