Chapter 11
ELEVEN
KEANE
Igathered my guards in the courtyard behind the palace.
Men had ridden on horseback through the night in pairs or small groups to avoid arousing suspicion from anyone watching the castle.
I couldn’t guarantee no one had guessed we were moving Lily, but hopefully I’d minimized any danger.
Adrenaline ran in a constant hum through me with the need to protect Lily from whoever was attempting to assassinate her, but it was hard to fight an unknown enemy.
I looked out over the grounds as I stood in a cluster with my men. “Sun and Moon,” I ground out. “Is this really what we’re expected to work with?”
Coming to the summer palace had seemed a good idea at the time, but now, with unkempt and overgrown land and a crumbling border wall, doubts sprang into my mind.
Even Princess Dahlia mustn’t have been aware of this level of lack of repair if she intended to showcase Lily for betrothal here.
No future King would want to believe he had so little money as to be unable to keep a second castle to a high standard of splendor.
I hacked back a little of the tall grass with my blade.
“We shall have to do our best. Perhaps I can discuss employing a new gardener. In the meantime, I want you stationed around the perimeter and doing regular patrols. We need everything around this castle locked down tight. If nothing else, undergrowth this dense gives us as much of a chance to conceal ourselves as it does anyone creeping into the palace. I need a group of you to walk the outside of the walls and identify any weak points or areas you think vulnerable to attack.”
Three men peeled off from the group and slipped almost soundlessly through the undergrowth. I watched them go, worry invading my thoughts. If we came up against a group of men as capable as my guards, we could be in trouble.
I returned my focus to the remaining men.
“We also need to arrange surveillance on the visitors here. What do we know about them? I’ll find out all I can and see if Princess Dahlia has any information to add, but until Princess Lily’s attacker is caught, we have to assume all people are either dangerous to her or have the potential to become dangerous to her. ”
Case in point was Lord Malren. His history suggested capability for very bad deeds, but usually from somewhere hidden, in the background.
For him to actually appear in Lily’s bedroom, ready to kill her in almost plain sight, suggested the involvement of someone very powerful indeed, and that kind of influence could certainly hold sway over our visiting noblemen.
I wasn’t sure if I believed that person was Queen Riala, but we needed to be cautious nonetheless.
I rubbed my forehead. Just thinking of all the areas where danger could potentially lurk gave me a headache. I drew in a deep breath and coughed out the grass seed I’d accidentally inhaled.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. Too many thoughts of Lily crowded in, obscuring my need to keep her safe. “I’m going to join the men checking the perimeter.”
Caspar nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
I strode through the long grass, avoiding the desire to swipe my sword left and right.
Clearing paths through the overgrown foliage and plants would only alert anyone watching to our activity.
I pushed my way to the wall, and sighed.
The crumbling stone had fallen into disrepair and there were areas where it was very clear anyone who wanted to get onto the palace grounds could just walk right in, no need to bother with gates, no requirement to even walk past a guard.
I lifted stones back into position here and there, the rough surfaces scraping my hands. For the remaining gaps, I made a mental note to let my guards know specific areas that required greater observation.
Perhaps Dahlia, even with all her knowledge and spy connections had been wrong.
This palace didn’t seem an ideal place to guard Lily.
I couldn’t guarantee I could keep her safe when they were so many points of access on the ground, or when there was going to be seven essentially unknown men around her at all times of day.
Sun and Moon. I looked up at the sky, hoping for the strength to get me through this.
My life revolved around protecting Lily, even while she was meeting men who were all equally destined to be her husband.
That hurt, but I loved her enough to put myself through it.
I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but by her side.
Other than general disrepair, the grounds and wall looked untouched.
I peered over the wall, and there was good visibility in all directions.
Maybe the state of the walls wasn’t such an issue if we could see so much of the land beyond.
Then I looked back toward the castle and spotted possibly the only tree thriving in the entire grounds, an apple tree, its branches heavy with shiny, red fruit.
I relaxed a little, my breathing suddenly calm, my thoughts easier.
I walked back to the front doors of the palace, listening closely to the crunch of gravel under my feet and the switch of long undergrowth.
The noise on these grounds alone would alert us to anyone sneaking about.
I reached for the hilt of my sword as I turned about to check on Lily out of habit.
But she wasn’t there, and her absence hit me like a physical blow.
I hurried up the steps and toward the wooden door someone had recently polished.
Even the brass fittings gleamed. The housekeeper was obviously doing her best to welcome so many royal and noble guests properly, but it was a lot of work for a small staff.
Inside, everything smelled musty, like it hadn’t been aired for a long time, but that made sense, given no one lived here.
Whole rooms were probably closed up for months.
I peered into open doorways—each room was a time capsule from years ago, even more so than Winton where the furnishings were still traditional.
The lack of care here added an element of age that was more than simply antique.
Scratches and dents showed under the dust, and soft furnishings had tears and frays.
Oddly, there were mirrors hanging in every room with the same silver filigree, and though they looked old, they were cleaner than anything else.
I supposed nobles felt the need to look at themselves as often as possible to be sure their hair and clothes were proper, I thought with a snort.
I took the steps two at a time, my footfalls thudding and sending dust in soft puffs into the air.
I paused at the top of the stairs, listening.
I didn’t know where Lily’s bedroom was. As I waited, Iris’s giggle floated along the west corridor, and I followed the sound.
Lily wouldn’t leave her sister alone so quickly after arriving.
I glanced into the open doorway, and Iris looked up at my movement at her door. “Oh, Keane,” she said. “Lily is in the next room along. Do you know Grimelda?” She indicated an older lady helping a maid to unpack her trunk.
“I don’t believe I do. Pleased to meet you.”
She turned to me and smiled. “And you, Captain Keane.”
I nodded in acknowledgment and continued to Lily’s room. So much of this castle was familiar. The white stone was the same as Winton, the style and positions of the portraits was eerily similar. The mirrors everywhere were a bit unnerving, but I was used to the eccentricities of royals.
I breathed a long exhale of relief as I took up my usual pose against the wall outside Lily’s door. Any of my other guards could do this, and I trusted all of them, but I was the best man for this job, every time.
I stared at the wall in front of me, trying not to think about what the next few days would bring. My insistence on guarding Lily didn’t seem so wise anymore, but I couldn’t step away.
I glanced up at a movement to my right. Grimelda was watching me, her eyes curious. “Oh, soldier. You have your sword at hip and your heart on your sleeve.”
I tensed my jaw as she walked away. Was it that obvious?