Chapter 60
Sixty
James
Staying at Edwin’s house was always restful. In the entirety of both my lives, nothing bad had ever happened to me here. That knowledge allowed me to truly relax.
I woke up the next morning to Edwin cooking something quick and easy for breakfast, which suited my mood rather well. I also had something of a thought coming down the stairs.
First, though, I gave him a kiss good morning.
He kissed me in return, smiling up at me. “Good morning to you too. Why do you have your thinking face on?”
He read me well, didn’t he? “It occurs to me that speaking with Lucien here would be safer than doing so at the palace or in some other public environment.”
“Oh, now, that’s a very good thought.”
“Isn’t it? I like it very much. I think I’ll send him a quick message asking if he wants to have lunch with us here. Who knows, he might be available.”
“Call Helena as well,” Edwin said. “Then go to the market with me. If I’m cooking for four people, I need more ingredients.”
“A splendid plan, let’s do it.”
Breakfast was hot and filling, and I was able to snag two boys to run messages.
Knights loitered outside Edwin’s house on security detail, so we picked them up on the way into the market.
I felt a little bad about making them stand outside, despite them assuring me it was fine, so I bought them breakfast and snacks while picking up lunch ingredients.
I also picked up something else, a fine little bundle of things, and a lot of them. Edwin, a seasoned man at court politics, noticed my purchase with a frown. Still, he didn’t say anything. I think he knew as well as I that the time had come to take certain precautions.
By the time we returned to the house, two runners were waiting on us, both with notes saying Lucien and Helena were coming.
We only had an hour before they arrived, so while Edwin cooked, I cleaned up the living room and dining room areas.
Edwin wasn’t home a great deal, so there was some clutter to pick up and some dusting needed.
There, better.
A knock sounded on the door and I swung it wide, satisfied when I saw Lucien on the other side. “You’ve made good time.”
“Where even am I?” Lucien demanded. “Your secret love shack?”
I laughed. “No, this is Edwin’s house. Well, I suppose yes, as we do retreat here for privacy sometimes.”
“Oh, it’s Edwin’s house. Shidteus’s balls, it must have been wrecked after the Wrath hit. I’m surprised it’s still standing and in good shape.”
“We had to do some renovations. It didn’t survive unscathed. Anyway, come in, come in.”
I had the door mostly closed when I heard a high-pitched “Wait for me!” from the other side. Opening it again, I popped my head out and saw Helena was just stepping down from her carriage. She must have been chasing Lucien’s tail to arrive on his heels.
“Helena, welcome.”
“This is Edwin’s house, isn’t it?”
“It is indeed.”
“It’s charming.”
Helena had not taken one of the royal coaches, and she wore a plain blue dress without much in the way of jewelry except some pearl earrings.
She’d clearly dressed down in order to fit in better with this environment.
I appreciated the effort, as this wasn’t really a meeting I wanted to advertise.
I also didn’t want people to look for me here because it would cause problems for Edwin.
Helena sailed inside and greeted both her boyfriend and mine with a cheery hello. I popped into the kitchen to help Edwin bring all the food out. He’d made a delicious seafood pasta I’d had before, and it would surely be a hit with these two as well.
Lucien accepted the bowl as it was passed around but demanded, “Why was I summoned here, anyway?”
I eyed him, not sure how to begin. I was admittedly nervous about telling him the full truth. Not that I hadn’t thought about it—I had—but Lucien was by far the most logical and levelheaded of my friends. My story was going to be hard for him to swallow.
“Lucien,” I started, “I have a crazy story to tell you. I need you to hear me out until the end.”
His eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he gave me a go-ahead wave of his hand.
I started talking between bites of excellent food. Lucien ate, listened, but didn’t ask a single question. I knew he was absorbing information, so I kept talking.
Only, I reached the end and he was still staring at me, dumbfounded.
The silence was quite loud.
Helena’s fork hit her plate, and she let out a happy sigh. “This was truly excellent, Edwin.”
“Why, thank you, Helena. Would you like more?”
“I’d love some.”
Lucien sucked in a breath and managed, “You have never lied to me. But James, this is a bit much to swallow.”
“Trust me, I know. Imagine living it.”
He suddenly realized the other two weren’t at all fazed. He glanced from Helena to Edwin, face working its way through various emotions, from confusion to a left-out sort of accusation. “You already knew.”
“James told me a while ago,” Edwin confirmed. “He told Prince Royce and Helena shortly afterward.”
I eyed my friend, not sure whether to say something else at this juncture or just let him think things through. I finished off the rest of my pasta first and waited.
For a long moment he sat there, then his eyes came up to meet Edwin’s. “What convinced you?”
“I saw too many odd behaviors from him the moment he hit the palace to dismiss his story,” Edwin answered promptly.
Almost as if he’d expected the question.
“I’ll give you some examples. He didn’t need to learn the layout of the palace or its grounds.
He even knew all the shortcuts, despite never living in the palace before.
He knew all the staff—and I do mean all.
From runners to judges, he knew everyone by name.
He was also having horrid nightmares of the past, like waking dreams, and I saw the aftermath of those. ”
Helena jumped in. “He also predicted when Retazo’s Wrath would strike, although it came earlier than he said it would. Because of his foresight we were able to plan ahead and mitigate the lives lost.”
Lucien rubbed his forehead. “I had wondered about that. Lady Crovan—you knew Victor would despoil her, which is why you kept an eye out for her and knew to intervene.”
I hadn’t mentioned that as part of my story, but I wasn’t surprised he was already putting the pieces together. “Yes, that’s why.”
“Dammit. I’d wondered, and your excuse of having a spy following Gillespie around sounded plausible enough, but I had this sense you weren’t saying something. Now I know why.” Lucien rubbed his forehead some more. “Why do I find myself believing you?”
I grinned at him and sipped from my glass.
“You can go to Vuheia at the temple and ask for confirmation,” Edwin surprised me by suggesting. “She’ll be happy to confirm it for you.”
Lucien locked eyes with him and slowly dipped his head in a nod, expression pensive. “I think I’ll do that. Although truly, I’m half believing him already, which is very unlike me. James, why did you tell me all this?”
“Two reasons. One, Helena requested it.”
Helena dimpled a smile. “For which I thank you. Having to watch my tongue constantly around him was wearing thin.”
I nodded. “Second reason is more selfish. I need you to be on guard. Things are not going as they did in the first life, and I’m not quite sure why.
The disaster, for instance, coming in sooner than I anticipated.
Valentina arriving as she did, as well. That wasn’t at all what happened the first time.
Victor wasn’t even in the picture when Valentina was introduced as my new bride in the first life.
Too many variables are happening, and I can no longer predict what will occur next. ”
Lucien made a wry face. “Fair enough.”
“Also—and this goes for everyone at the table—you all need to be using these.” I pointed to the basket at the end of the table, which held five bundled stacks, bound with white cloth. “Silver needles.”
Helena, court bred, hissed out a breath. “Am I to guard against poison now?”
“It’s sadly a favorite method of Valentina’s.
She’s a huge advocate of poison, unfortunately.
I’ve never seen her murder anyone with it, but she will use it to indispose someone.
She used it against me once, early into our marriage, in order to throw doubt on whether I was fit to reign or not.
I was sick for a month solid before we figured out it was poison.
I’ve never been able to prove it was her, but poisonings always happened when she was around.
Whatever you’re eating, even if it’s candy, put a needle against it first. Just in case. ”
Lucien pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s that bad?”
“She’s worse. Unlike Victor, she has cunning. She can be subtle when she wants to be.”
“You’re right, that’s worse. Tell me you have a plan to get rid of her.”
“I’m doing my best, I assure you. This will hopefully be a short-lived precaution, but in the interim, please exercise caution. I’ll hand a bundle of needles to Royce as well.”
Lucien made gimme hands for the pasta bowl and poured some more onto his plate. “Edwin, I want the recipe for this, just so you know.”
Edwin grinned. “I’ll write it down for you before you leave.”
“Please and thank you.” Then Lucien looked at me, eyes serious. “What are the odds you’ll be forced into being king again in this life?”
“I would rather put myself into exile.”
“That’s a blunt enough answer. What are the odds Valentina will somehow integrate herself into this family?”
“Not great but not zero. Beatrice for some reason likes the idea of her marrying in and is already trying to transfer the engagement from Victor to me.”
“Ye gods below, that’s awful.” Lucien shuddered. “Do I need to introduce you to an assassin?”
I sighed. “Don’t tempt me, please.”
Helena shook her head sadly. “We can’t afford the political repercussions of a princess dying mysteriously on our soil. That said, it might come down to our safety versus hers.”
Sadly, this was a very accurate assessment of the situation.
Because I was a responsible adult, I didn’t hide in Edwin’s house the entire day.
After our luncheon, and with great reluctance, we returned to the palace.
We swung by the hospital first, as it was on the way, to give Royce the needles.
He hadn’t been happy about why he had them, but he’d promised to use them.
I threatened that if anything happened, we’d retreat right back to Edwin’s place, but everyone knew I didn’t really mean it. I wasn’t one to duck battles—I fought them.
Still, it didn’t mean I wanted to be in the same building as that stupid bitch, Valentina.
With dragging feet, I returned to the office to deal with all the paperwork that had been steadily piling up. The afternoon trundled on, nothing exciting or anything, and I did get quite a bit of work done.
Hmm, maybe I’d go and visit Titan this afternoon, sneak in a short ride. He was likely restless and pestering people for attention.
From my left, where Edwin sat, came a quiet, “Uh-oh. Um, James?”
I didn’t like the unease I heard in his voice and I snapped upright, turning to look. Edwin wore an odd expression, his peppermint bag in his hand. The last time I’d seen that look, he’d been reading a report to me that the demon portal had broken open, so I didn’t like this one bit.
Alarmed to my marrow, I shot out of my chair to come to him. “Edwin? What is it, what’s wrong— Oh.”
What was wrong was apparent once I got close enough. The silver needles had already paid themselves off. Edwin had tested the candy, as I’d implored him to do, and now had a blackened silver needle in one hand.
Stedman came in closer as well, voice rising in volume and tone as he burst out, “Is that poisoned?”
“Apparently so.” Edwin’s eyes met mine, and he somehow managed a wry twist of the lips. “I honestly thought you were being overly cautious and maybe paranoid when you bought these. I apologize to your instincts. You were dead right in what she would try next.”
I dearly wished I had been wrong, but never had I been so glad for the timing on preventative measures.
If I had delayed buying those needles even by the space of a day, Edwin might be fighting off a poison attack right now.
The fear that tried to creep in with that thought was both insidious and stubborn, but I had to shove the feeling to the side.
I needed to be able to think rationally if I wanted to get to the bottom of this.
Everyone was watching us, seemingly holding their breaths for what I would do next.
“Stedman”—I made sure my tone was level as I spoke—“get Captain Rowan in here immediately. Also, alert Knight Commander Harland and have him come. I want answers on how this happened and who did it. Now.”