Chapter 39 #2
“The associate was taken into custody and questioned,” Devereaux continued.
“Though he refused to detail his business for the Duke of Evenshold, he insisted he was never ordered to kill anyone and was unaware of any assassin. Which would stand to reason, given that we believe Lord Marchand, not Lord Grannam, to be the one behind the murders.”
Jade couldn’t stay silent any longer, respect for rank thrown aside. “But we know there was an assassin. Even if he was working for Marchand, he’s managed to evade us this entire time.”
Devereaux’s eyebrows raised a fraction. “Yes, he has. And I know it’s a sore subject for you, but with his employer gone, we won’t likely see anything from the assassin again.
If he was a hired killer, as we believe, his incentive has evaporated with Lord Marchand’s death. He has no reason to continue to kill.”
“Unless he wasn’t working for Lord Marchand at all.” The words flew out too quickly, but Jade caught herself and cleared her throat. “Forgive me, Grand General, but I’ve learned some information about Lord Marchand that might be of significance.”
Devereaux’s shoulders went rigid, all traces of her smile gone. “He’s dead, Captain Ni’ihm.”
“Yes, but I still think it’s important.”
Devereaux sat motionless for a moment, seeming to ponder her next action, before she relaxed back into her chair and waved a hand in the air. “Go ahead then.”
Jade recounted what she had learned in the archives that morning about Marchand: how he had last purchased the plants eleven years ago, how that lined up with the fire that killed the queen and prince, and how he received his title of earl shortly thereafter.
Devereaux’s eyes did not stray from Jade as she listened intently.
When Jade finished, Devereaux waited a moment before she slowly leaned forward, rested her joined hands on her desk, and spoke.
“I appreciate your investigative skills in this regard, Captain Ni’ihm. You’re truly an intelligence agent through and through. However, I see nothing alarming about these findings. We knew this already, as evidenced by the fact that this information was already in our records.”
Her steely, unwavering gaze pierced Jade. Though the grand general had only minutes prior offered Jade her next promotion, her demeanor toward Jade had changed so drastically that Jade wanted to do nothing but shrink and cower. She sat tall nevertheless, accepting Devereaux’s response with aplomb.
“Just because the Earl of Southbury had last purchased the plants necessary to create rienevoir eleven years ago does not mean he would not still possess either the plants or the components necessary to produce the poison,” Devereaux began, her tone even and strong.
“Eleven years ago, when he received his title, he had become close with Prince Reynauld, who brought the question of his earldom to the king on his behalf. It is my understanding that he had done a good service to the crown through the extensive cultivation of his plants, providing remedies for certain ailments directly to the royal family. As for the timing of it all, it is but a mere coincidence. It is possible that the granting of his title was in the works before the unfortunate passing of our queen and prince, and it was therefore delayed when the tragedy occurred.”
Jade tried to release the tension in her shoulders and neck, but only some of it abated.
The grand general’s answers worked. They made enough sense to disregard everything she had discovered.
But it didn’t change the sinking feeling in her stomach when she considered those pieces of the puzzle.
Combined with Marchand’s insistence of innocence before he died in a strange accident, the suspicion that something wasn’t right settled deep in Jade’s mind.
“The killer was being supplied with rienevoir from somewhere, and based on your own findings, that somewhere was from the Earl of Southbury,” Devereaux went on, cool, collected, and matter-of-fact.
“We know he had threatened the other contenders at the beginning of the feud. He likely tried to frame each of them in turn. Though we will not be able to get answers from him any longer, our forces are scouring his records just as we have done with Lord Grannam. I imagine we will find evidence of his association with the assassin that way.”
Instead of debating her highest-ranking commanding officer, Jade simply said, “I see, Grand General,” and left it at that.
Grand General Devereaux sat back as if the matter was well and fully settled, her fingers separating and trailing across the smooth desk top. “There’s just one more thing.” Devereaux’s gaze flashed between Jade and Theo. “Lady Arabella has formally requested a meeting with both of you.”
Jade’s mouth fell open as her eyebrows shot up. How did Arabella even know about Jade to request a meeting with her? Did she know she was Elena, or did she simply hope to speak to the intelligence agents working The Claim?
Matherson was the only one to speak. “She’s uncovered the truth about them?”
Devereaux pursed her lips before speaking. “It would appear so.”
Tightness clenched around Jade’s heart. Her cover had been blown. How had Arabella found out? Did it have to do with Theo delivering that note Jade had found?
If Arabella knew Jade was an espionage agent, that Elena had been a farce, how far would that knowledge extend within the royal family?
With her identity exposed, Jade wouldn’t be able to work espionage anymore.
She tried to keep her expression neutral even as her lungs failed to expand, making it difficult to breathe.
Matherson’s brows knitted together as he brought his hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. “And we agreed? Confirmed their identities?”
“Yes,” was Devereaux’s strong, simple answer.
Jade’s eyes fixed on Matherson as he hesitated. He returned his hand to the arm of the chair and said, “I’m not sure that was the best course of action. What would Lady Arabella hope to learn from them that was worth exposing them as intelligence?”
Pressing her fingertips into the desk, Devereaux slowly rose but did not straighten, instead leaning over her desk.
“It is nothing for us to appraise. The soon-to-be Princess of Marran, and our future queen, has requested this meeting. We are in no position to question her. They will meet here in Lady Arabella’s suite in the castle after the king’s funeral.
She understands the roles they played in The Claim and has agreed to keep their true identities secret. ”
Breath finally left Jade’s lungs. Perhaps as the future queen, Arabella understood the necessity of keeping the identities of espionage agents confidential. They would be her military one day. Arabella had nothing to gain from spreading such knowledge.
The telephone on Devereaux’s desk rang, the shrill sound grating on Jade’s ears. “Dismissed,” she said as she returned to her seat and answered the phone. Jade, Theo, and Matherson crossed the room and exited, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Jade turned her attention to Matherson.
“Do you agree with what the grand general said? About Marchand.”
Though his face didn’t move, Matherson’s eyes flitted to the corners as though looking through the office door. Devereaux’s voice carried as she spoke to someone on the other end of the telephone, but even Jade knew they only had seconds to discuss.
“I’m not sure,” he finally said, his voice barely audible.
“I’ll look into it more when I return to Ivanelli after the memorial and coronation.
But, Ni’ihm”—he dipped his head closer to her for a fraction of a moment—“if Grand General Devereaux says something is true, it will take a lot of hard evidence to convince me otherwise.”
Hard evidence was not something Jade possessed.
She’d laid out everything she had right then, and if it wasn’t enough for Devereaux, it clearly wouldn’t be enough for Matherson.
She would make the most of her time in the archives, and she would see what Arabella knew.
Because now that she had an official meeting with Arabella as herself, she might find answers to some of her lingering questions.