Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
They set out to Ponce before the sun was up.
The ride was furious as Philippe wanted to get there with daylight enough to see the positions of the outlying farms that had been attacked.
They traveled a well-established road, everyone at the ready in case they came across the rebels.
But Alex was sure they were in hiding now.
The rebels wouldn’t be so carefully covert just to force a confrontation on the road now.
When they arrived in Ponce, with the sun just starting to move back down towards the horizon, Alex was struck by how quaint the town was.
She’d spent little time in Ponce, her travels always leading her around or quickly through the town, but it had a picturesque charm to it.
Like Aliette, it was built for hard winters, but lavender and white poppies hung in pots on every shop window making even these unpredictable days seem cheerful.
It was a larger town than most and it served as a trade post with many of the northern cities.
Ponce was headed by a Marquis who had fought beside the Duke many years ago.
Together, the Marquis in the North and the Duke in the South typically kept tight control of the region.
The group traveled through the smooth-stoned streets, a happy bit of comfort for the horses no doubt, and past an ornate clock tower at the center of the city.
It was at least twenty feet high and made of a vivid blue-grey granite typical to the region.
As they approached, the clock struck the hour, filling the air with chiming bells.
The square was bustling with trade and several merchants offered Alex their wares as the party passed.
Trade seemed good, but Alex noticed several empty stalls and some of the permanent shops had their windows boarded up.
The main part of the town had indeed been protected from the rogue rebel attacks, probably at the vigilance of the Marquis and his guards, but the farms had proven vulnerable and the effects were seeping through the town walls.
In fact, it was likely the rebels traded here and used the very city as their base.
Coming upon the tavern at the far end of the square, the men had a moment to rest and tend their horses, but as there was still daylight, they had work to do.
Maurice and Daniel stayed near to help arrange lodging.
Auguste and Sébastien went with Philippe to meet with town officials and tour the victimized farms, while Laurent took the brothers, Luc and Bernard, to speak with the captain of the guards.
Henri was tasked with drawing up corrections to the maps for areas they had passed.
The rest of the party were sent to replenish supplies.
Alex alone hung back, having not been given a task, with nothing much to do.
At first, she was irritated that she had not been given a duty, but her moment would come the following day when they entered the caves.
The plan was to map and track the series of caves at the base of Mont Verte.
With any luck, they could isolate these men before they knew their hiding spot was compromised.
If Philippe’s crew wasn’t lucky, they would have to flush the men out and hunt them.
From what Alex knew, there were three entry points to the cave system.
None were far and they each could be reached in less than half a day coming directly from Ponce.
On the inside though, the trails split out like an ant hill, going in a myriad of directions.
How quickly they cornered the rebels and how easily they were taken down would be based on how successfully they navigated the complex system of caves.
But that was tomorrow. For now, she headed to the tavern and dug in her bag for her old, tattered copy of Discours des Armes that the Duchess had given her many years ago. She settled into a quiet corner and flipped through the familiar pages.
The tavern was a timbered building with high ceilings.
There was one large fire pit at the center and two smaller ones at the edges of the room, but only the central one was burning.
There were four heavy plank tables lined up two by two, and smaller tables against stone seating at the walls.
The room itself was large and rectangular, with several open windows that allowed in plenty of light and a fresh breeze.
Alex was tucked away with her knees up to her chest and her face in her book.
There were few people in the tavern at this time, as the dinner hour was not yet upon them, but she could smell the beginnings of the stew for the night wafting out of the kitchen.
The maid brought her a mug of cider and left her with a funny look.
Alex was aware that she stuck out more during the day, but she shrugged it off.
Soon, she became engaged in a section about complicated swordplay between one rapier and two poleaxes to the point that she completely missed the figure standing before her. But her concentration was broken when she heard a voice she hadn’t heard in years.
“Look who it is,” a feminine voice trilled.
Alex looked up into the amused eyes of none other than Emily. Her childhood nemesis, Emily.
She was as beautiful as ever, but with a new maturity about her.
Her hair was pulled back and she wore an elegant wine-colored gown, the cut suggesting her Madame status.
Her blue eyes were just as crystal, her lips just as pouty as they had always been.
She had grown but remained quite a vision to behold.
“Emily.” Alex tried to hide her surprise, causally putting her book down and standing to offer a proper greeting.
She instantly felt a fool in her breeches in front of such a splendid creature.
For a moment, the two stared at each other, Alex unsure of how to act.
Then, most unexpectedly, Emily broke into a huge smile and took Alex in a warm hug.
Alex, surprised by the embrace, patted Emily’s back awkwardly. Emily broke the hug and stood back, still gripping Alex’s arms. “Look at you,” she said, looking Alex up and down with an approving gaze. “Simply amazing. I never would have guessed that you’d actually pursue a life on the road.”
“I did,” said Alex, a surprised smile on her lips. “What are you doing here, Emily?”
“I’m in the tavern to investigate who has come to my town.
I am here in Ponce because the Marquis du Ponce took me as his bride,” she said with her head high.
“After you left Chevalerie. He came to find a wife and after one look, he would have no woman but me.” She beamed, obviously very proud of her station. “He is a good man. I am very lucky.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” said Alex.
“And you’re here with the Duke’s men,” said Emily in astonishment. “To investigate these raids.”
“I am,” said Alex.
“It’s just amazing,” said Emily. “Whoever heard of a woman like you? It must be incredibly interesting.”
Alex was careful with her words, not quite sure of Emily’s intentions, though her eyes did seem sincere. “It is interesting, to say the least,” she replied.
“Would you come back and have tea with me?” said Emily.
“I would love to hear of your journey, and I am always happy to hear news from home. I love it here, but I do miss the excitement of Chevalerie. And we never, ever have such interesting things here as a female guide! I just can’t even imagine! Do say yes!” She gripped Alex’s hand.
Seeing the friendliness on her face, Alex’s old feelings of resentment towards this woman seemed silly.
They were adults now and on very different footing.
Plus, the thought of having a female friend was a luxury Alex was happy to experience.
For a second, Alex did think to tread lightly, it was Emily after all, but then a childlike excitement gripped her.
Alex smiled at the Lady Marquise before her. “I would like that,” she said.
Emily had a carriage waiting outside to take them back to her home.
Emily asked a hundred questions on the way through town.
Alex did her best to answer them, though she wasn’t extensively knowledgeable on all the gossip of Chevalerie, but the talk was light and pleasant.
Of all the questions, Emily didn’t mention Philippe once, which was for the best because Alex wouldn’t have known what to say given all their history plus the new, fragile friendship Alex had just begun rebuilding with Philippe.
As they approached the manor, Alex looked on with wide eyes.
It was a full-on palace, not just a manor.
Every bit as majestic as the Duke’s home, it was even more austere and opulent.
It sat at the top of a hill, with ornate gates surrounding the manicured property.
As they approached, Alex could see the well-tended gardens that led across the grounds.
The gates opened onto a fountain that consisted of staggered pools pouring from one into the next and ran the entire length of the drive leading up to the main entrance.
On either side of the fountain were thousands of lavender and white poppies, in carefully delineated rows.
Alex poked her head out the carriage window as they passed to see happy fish swimming through the waters and bees bumbling over the petals.
“My goodness, Emily,” Alex gasped as she took in the elegant beauty of the grounds. “This is just beautiful.”
“Chère, you should have seen this place when I got here. In desperate need of a woman’s touch.”
Within moments, they reached the grand front door of the mansion which opened wide to receive them.
Attendants bustled around, ready for any whim of their Lady Marquise.
A friendly-looking footman took Alex’s hand and helped her out of the carriage with a bow, and she was passed on to the next set of hands which took her jacket.