Chapter 64
Mother
Moeller intercepted Evelyn, Leo, and Damien in the hall after their meeting with the Legislative Council.
“Alexander,” he said. “Would you like to learn how to use your Elemental magic?”
“Shouldn’t Evelyn come, too?” Leo asked.
“I’ll get to Evelyn later. She will have an easier time learning elements since that’s her primary magic. You will have far more difficulty transitioning from conjuring images to wielding actual power.”
The insult didn’t go over Leo’s head, but he didn’t acknowledge it. “Yes, Councilor.”
Dammit, Leo. Tell Moeller when he’s being an ass!
Moeller and Leo left to go wherever magic lessons were held.
As soon as they were out of sight, Haydn appeared from a different hallway. “There you are!”
At minimum, Evelyn wanted to glare at him. Her full desire was to cover his body in bruises for tricking her into kissing him last night and then abandoning her in the library. However, the Bargain magic of his first wish made her smile at him. “Hello, Haydn.”
“Morning, Ritter!” Damien said enthusiastically. “We missed you at breakfast. Heinrich was seconds away from stabbing a fork through my eye!”
“I have no doubt you worked very hard to accomplish such a feat. I was away to complete some errands for a dear friend this morning.” Haydn winked at Evelyn.
“That sounds very kind of you,” she said, feigning ignorance.
“Now that I’m back, do you want to get rid of that tattoo on your wrist?” Haydn offered.
“You’ll really tell me the secret now?”
“Of course! A deal is a deal. Unless you don’t want to know possibly the most important secret of your life.”
The inability to roll her eyes was physically painful. “Yes, Haydn, I would love to hear the secret. Please and thank you.”
Satisfied, Haydn shifted his attention to Damien. “You should come with us, Fontaine. You already know what I’m going to tell her.”
“You do?” Evelyn asked.
“No.” Damien shot Haydn a defiant glare.
“Of course you do!” Haydn insisted. “You were here when it happened!”
“It’s not our place to tell her.”
“You don’t think she deserves to know?”
“Not from you.”
“I’m just trying to be honest with her. There’s been a definite lack of honesty on the continent.”
“What are you hiding?” Evelyn demanded.
Damien grimaced. “It’s not about me. It’s like when I couldn’t say anything about Leo.”
“But with Leo, I didn’t know I was missing something. Now, I do!”
“I can make sure you know everything once we’re home. I can’t do anything here.”
“But Haydn can! He’s already promised to tell me!”
“Exactly!” Haydn said. “Let’s find a room for some privacy. Are you coming, Fontaine?”
“Evelyn, please,” Damien begged. “I want you to know everything, but this isn’t how you should find out.”
“That’s not up to you,” Evelyn said.
Damien took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll stay so I know you aren’t getting the story wrong.”
“Excellent!” Haydn beamed.
He led them both into an empty office and shut the door.
“What is the secret?” Evelyn asked impatiently.
“Let me show you.” Haydn raised a hand to her face.
“No!” Damien interrupted. “Just tell her!”
“What’s the fun in that?” Haydn argued. “She’s never seen her mother before.”
My mother? This is about my mother?
Haydn continued watching Damien. “You know she won’t believe me unless she sees it for herself.”
A silent conversation seemed to pass between them.
Damien relented. “Only show her what she needs to see.”
“I’ve missed you ordering me around, Lieutenant,” Haydn purred.
“Captain.” Damien scowled. “Now get on with it.”
Haydn wrapped a hand around the back of Evelyn’s neck. “Say yes.”
I’m really getting sick of that command.
“Yes.”
Evelyn’s eyes blurred, and then she was standing with Haydn at the edge of the ballroom in Lochmatten’s castle. People were beautifully dressed and dancing, but the tone of the party was less formal than the ball in Gryon.
“Why are we still in Lochmatten?” Evelyn asked.
“Because this is where it all started,” Haydn told her. “Do you recognize anyone?”
A great burst of laughter caught Evelyn’s attention. She saw Lord Robert chatting and drinking with a group of people. Nearby, Damien had his arm draped over a blonde woman’s shoulders. He whispered something into her ear that made her blush.
“Is this during the war?”
“It is,” Haydn confirmed. “The first night, actually. Lochmatten threw a celebration to thank everyone from the kingdoms for showing up to help.”
“Shouldn’t that wait until the end of the war?”
“A bit of social bribery never hurts anyone. The soldiers were happy to fight for us after a night of debauchery.” Haydn pointed toward the dance floor. “Do you see anyone you know?”
A younger version of Haydn was dancing with a woman dressed in a revealing red gown.
“Your hair was longer then,” Evelyn noted.
“Do you prefer it that way? I would be happy to grow my hair out for you.”
“I have no opinion. Who is the woman you’re with?”
“Nobody special. She’s not you.” Haydn stroked her neck.
Evelyn squirmed away from him. That was when she saw…
“Father?”
King Tristan, Lord Tristan at the time, was also dancing. The pretty woman spinning around with him had thick, curly, dark brown hair. She wore an emerald green gown and a glass locket on a gold chain.
A shiver crawled up Evelyn’s spine. “Who is she?”
“Who do you think she is?”
“I don’t know, Haydn. You’re supposed to tell me.”
“I already did, love.”
Haydn’s words from moments ago came back to her. “She’s never seen her mother before.”
Evelyn frowned. “You said you would show me my mother. We should be in Carrowmore, at the Fire Court.”
“We would be, if that’s where your mother were from.”
“It is! My father was married to Gwyneth. She’s my mother.”
“I’ve seen portraits of your father’s wife. Hannah looks just like her.”
“I look like my father.”
Haydn scoffed. “No, you don’t. Your brother does. But you look like your mother. You could be twins if not for the red color of your hair.”
“You’re making this up.”
“I’m not, Evelyn. This is real.”
“It can’t be!” she shouted at him.
If this is real, then I’ve gone over a century without knowing who I really am.
Haydn stepped in front of Evelyn and seized her wrists almost enough to hurt.
“I do not lie to you,” he growled. “The deal we made wouldn’t even allow that. This is the night your parents met. Something in your mind knew who she was when you saw her, but you won’t let yourself believe it.”
No. This has to be another trick.
Haydn spun her around, forcing Evelyn to face her father and the woman again. “Look at her and try to tell me that I’m lying.”
I look just like her.
Haydn squeezed Evelyn tighter. “Are you going to keep yelling at me, or will you let me help you?”
She tore her gaze away from the woman. “Tell me.”
Haydn’s voice, and his grip on her, relaxed. “That’s your mother, my love. Her name was Katrina. She was a well-respected member of the Legislative Council.”
“Was?”
“She became pregnant out of wedlock. The baby mysteriously disappeared the same day all of the soldiers returned to the continent. Katrina vanished shortly after that.”
“You don’t know what happened to her?”
“I don’t. I promise I would tell you if I knew. But I wasn’t on the High Council then. Actually, I’m not sure any of them know, either. The women of the Legislative Council handle things on their own. They weren’t happy with Katrina.”
Evelyn stared at her parents. “But my father was married to Gwyneth. They had Rowan and Hannah already by the time I was born.”
“I think you know how easy it is to lust after someone you aren’t married to.” Haydn dodged Evelyn’s heel as she tried to slam it down on his foot. “What I want to know is how Gwyneth died.”
“She died in childbirth.” The answer came out automatically.
“With what child? Not you.”
“But…”
My father lied to me. About everything.
“How did you know?” Evelyn asked.
“I recognized you in the bar. It was like seeing Katrina again. And you were with Alexander, so I knew you were Tristan’s princess, newly arrived in the kingdom.”
“I’m not a princess, though. I’m not even a legitimate heir if this is real.”
“It’s very real, and you’re a queen now.”
Evelyn touched the necklace around her neck. “Is this… Am I wearing her locket?”
“You are. I said it belongs to you.”
Gods, this is too much. I can’t do this.
“I want to go back. Is this all you had to show me?”
“Don’t you want a dance first? I enjoyed the last ball we attended.”
Evelyn glared at him.
“Fine, fine, let’s go,” he conceded.
Instantly, they were back in the office with Damien.
Evelyn turned to him. “My father lied to me.”
Damien glowered at Haydn. “What did you show her?”
Haydn shrugged. “The party.”
“How long have you known?” Evelyn asked.
Damien sighed. “I figured it out during the ball. You were standing right next to your father, and it reminded me of that night.”
“You knew them during the war?”
“Not personally. But everyone knew the married lord from Carrowmore was spending a lot of time with the woman from the council. Then it became obvious she was pregnant. There were rumors, but no one was talking openly about it. Eventually, the war ended and everyone went home. I didn’t know what had happened, and I didn’t really think about it again. ”
“Does Leo know? Does anyone else know?”
“I’m sure Leo doesn’t,” Damien reassured. “Lord Robert might, because he was there. But if he knows, he hasn’t given any indication of it.”
“I suspect you are more recognizable here,” Haydn said. “You look so much like your mother and no one has forgotten your father.”
“Is that why Moeller was so rude when he met me?” Evelyn asked. “Is that why everyone keeps staring at me and the necklace?”
“Probably. Scandals are rare around here, and you are living proof of one.”
“This is why my magic is different,” Evelyn realized. “Like not experiencing illusions. That’s a Lochmatten thing and I—”
“Belong here,” Haydn interrupted.