Invocation Page 3

  For a second, I struggled with the request and then smiled over at him. “In Chartelyr, she liked to go riding by herself. A favourite place to visit was the Cyvalir waterfall. She told me your father was unaware of those clandestine rides, so I can only hope you’re privy to this secret.”

  “Anais does not give her friendship easily,” he said, accepting I spoke the truth.

  My smile deepened. “No, she doesn’t, but I was fortunate enough to earn it.”

  “Perhaps we will take you up on that offer.” He glanced over at Vivica. She gave her agreement by squeezing his hand, then peered around his shoulder. I understood her appeal to Willem for she was a woman of rare beauty. The warmth and generosity of her nature shone through the smile she graced me with.

  “I’ll make the arrangements,” I promised, pleased they were giving me their trust.

  My meal finished, I nudged Elron to do the same with his third serving. As we stood to leave, a seneschal bowed before Willem, handing him a note. The Prince read it and told me regretfully, “It would seem I am required elsewhere. King Edmund has requested a meeting. Will you be joining us?”

  I shook my head, rubbing a hand over my bruised jaw. “I don’t think my cousin would be too keen to see me.”

  “You disagreed?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Over what?” he asked.

  “Not over what, but who.” I bowed and took my leave, aware his gaze followed me.

  Resigned to Separation

  All too soon, my dresses were placed in trunks, and the ladies were making final preparations for our journey. Three carriages waited outside. The soldiers, a mix of those who trained at the monastery and new arrivals from Sidem, were to escort us.

  On the drive before the monastery, I said my farewell to General Vallon. In return, he bowed in his own inimitable style. His goodbye possessed both the grudging respect I had earned from him and relief that he no longer had to deal daily with me. I understood I had imposed on him by wanting to learn a skill long considered unsuitable for the softer gender, but he could have shown a little kindness instead of such visible annoyance.

  As a result, my goodbye was colder than I intended it to be. His hawkish nose flared and his thick, white eyebrows lowered in disapproval for my cool farewell. I did not care.

  But … with a brief sigh for my stinging pride, I realised it was not entirely true, and turned back to say, “Thank you, General Vallon, for allowing me the benefit of your considerable knowledge and skills as a soldier. I will never take for granted the hard work of those fine men in our military. Not their courage, nor the wisdom behind their leadership.”

  General Vallon smiled at me, his own pride soothed by my words of gratitude. Turning to enter the carriage, I recognised the lesson inherent in such an exchange. That even the dourest of males was susceptible to simple flattery.

  Lady Drusilla followed, after a far more pleasant farewell with Vallon, settling herself into the seat with careful precision, flicking the layers of her dress neatly underneath and removing her black gloves.

  The soldiers directed Adele to the last carriage, a plainer one, for the servant’s use, and the other ladies took the second. I was glad for it, two weeks of their constant company leaving me aggravated and unsettled. I put a hand in my pocket and held the beads hidden there, aware of the other reason for my inner turmoil.

  “How long will the journey take?” I asked Lady Drusilla.

  “Around five days.”

  This surprised me. Eadred had mentioned his original ride to Arnil Wale took three days, and that was with an extra night in a small town.

  She saw my confusion and explained, “You’ll enjoy our more circuitous route to Sidem. Lord Eadred always takes the mountain road. It’s more direct but also a little harder on the horses.” She smiled and added, “Our carriages travel at a much slower pace. It will give you a chance to see more of this country you’ll soon be queen of.”

  The carriages, with our escorts arrayed about us in a protective formation, followed the drive into town. “And our accommodation?” I asked. We drove past the buildings of the university, away from the plaza and then, for a time, along the road running beside the sea.

  “Members of the peerage have invited us to stay with them in their private manors. Rather more pleasant than common inns if you ask me.” Her firmness of view revealed something I had not realised before; like the other ladies, Lady Drusilla held herself above the poorer folk. Such prejudice coloured my opinion of her, making me wonder what other kinds of bias I would come across in the Tellen court.

  It made me think of Eadred. The kindness he had shown to Las and the children at the orphanage. His every smiling encounter with the strangers who had shared the beach with us. Respectful, but never with this sense of entitled superiority.

  Unbidden, an image of his lean body, handsome face and unruly hair appeared in my mind. I savoured it, wondering at the man he would become. Kind and patient always, I hoped.

  While my future seemed set in stone, somehow his did not, filled with possibilities, different avenues and opportunities, any of which he might take or pass over. I envied him that freedom, a part of me wishing I could be the person to help him choose his path. To become his counsel and support. My ideals complementing his own, as they always had.

  Maybe one far off day, he too would marry. I was sure his papa had arranged some suitable match for his only son and heir, though we had never spoken of such things.

  I pulled the comb gently from my hair and stroked a finger over the emerald butterfly, remembering my warm feelings of surprise at his gift. Lady Drusilla saw what I held and wordlessly asked that I pass it to her.

  She admired it, holding the comb to allow the gems to catch the light. “This is beautiful. I’ve always been quite fond of emeralds, and these possess an exquisite clarity. I’ve never seen you wear it. Did you bring it from Chartelyr?”

  “I have only acquired it recently,” I admitted.

  “From Arnil Wale?” she asked, and I dipped my head in confirmation. “Only one seller in the marketplace offers jewelled combs of this calibre. I don’t recall seeing you at that stall,” she noted, and I blushed a little. “In fact, the only time you ever bought anything, you used the allowance provided by our king. It included nothing this costly in your purchases.”

  I reached out, and she returned it with reluctance. Perhaps this was not the best moment to admire his present. I pushed it into my hair.

  “Was it a gift, Your Highness?”

  She was too astute, hazel eyes staring at me with penetrating intensity. Sometimes Lady Drusilla made me feel as if she saw right through me.

  I lifted my chin. “It was.”

  “From whom?” she sharply questioned, brows drawing together in alarm.

  To avoid answering her, I glanced out the window of the carriage, watching the view stream past.

  “Princess Anne, tell me, did Lord Eadred give it to you?” she asked with such directness that I squirmed. Lady Drusilla sucked in a swift breath. “Do I need to remind you of how inappropriate …”

  I squared my shoulders in affront and lanced her with my gaze, every courtly lesson she sought to instil in my look. It was her future queen who now said, “You do not.” I waited for it to sink in, watching her eyes widen markedly at my firm tone. “We will not discuss this further.”

  I stared at her for a few more seconds, waiting until she pursed her lips and gave a tight nod. Tilting my head, accepting her tacit agreement to drop the matter, I turned back to the window.

  Her silence and stiff posture told of her anger with me, saying it more loudly than words. I tried to dredge up remorse for my abrupt manner of speaking but could not find it. With such decided lack of conversation, and the monotonous view as we entered an area more thickly filled with trees, I fell asleep in the carriage.r />
  Soothed by the rocking sensation as the wheels spun over the hard ground, at the sounds of movement all around, a low hum that became a tuneless noise in the background, I descended into a strange dream …

  Eadred laughed as a woman, her hair piled into a messy bun, plonked herself on his lap with a tired but happy sigh. Despite her decade on him, told in faint lines scoring eyes and forehead, she possessed a natural prettiness. When she moved to kiss him, I recoiled, desperate to avoid bearing witness to their tryst, but how to do so when I was not truly there to see …

  “Princess, wake up,” Lady Drusilla said curtly. “We’ve arrived at Totten. We’ll have lunch here.”

  I took my time getting out of the carriage and glanced around, seeing that Totten was a tiny town, with only one main road and few buildings.

  We had stopped before a large white structure with brown wooden slats running across the facade, creating patterns of squares and triangles. The roof, thatched in the old style, grey and brittle with age, was most likely quite effective against rain. I held back a laugh, realising I fancied myself an expert in such matters now, having been at the mercy of a leaking building one time too many.

  Lady Annette walked over, practically skipping in her eagerness to speak with me. “Your Highness, I hope the first part of our journey wasn’t too difficult for you. Though you do appear rather drawn.”

  “Not at all. The carriage ride was pleasant, and I even fell asleep for a time.”

  “Of course you did, you poor thing! Didn’t I say you looked tired?” Her pale eyes were eager at this sign of weakness. She grabbed my hand and tucked it into the bend of her arm, patting my knuckles. Sometimes I wondered if I imagined the subtle disparagements in Annette’s comments or if she truly meant to offend me. “We’ll stop here for lunch before heading to Corin.”

  “Corin?”

  “Lord Gilbert Remy and his wife, Lady Susannah, have their estate there. She’s lovely, but he’s rather old and set in his ways.”

  By this time Georgette and Regina had joined us, and I had no choice but to enter the inn with them. Inside, the building was spacious but dark, with dim lighting provided by a sparsely lit candleholder above the long wooden table in the centre of the main room. A fire burned in the corner, smoke billowing from it. I gasped as the acrid stench of it struck the back of my throat.

  Regina coughed and covered her mouth, saying, “Whoever chose this place for our stop? This isn’t fit for even our servants!”

  Lady Drusilla hurried over, face set in that expression of disapproval I knew so well. “The owner tells me there’s something blocking the chimney. They must extinguish the fire before they can attempt to clean it but, as our arrival was expected, they decided not to correct the situation today.”

  “They can’t expect us to eat in here!” Regina exclaimed, her usually languid, golden eyes flashing with dismay. “I won’t have it!”

  “Indeed, as I have just explained to the proprietor. He’s offered the use of a smaller room on the floor above. If you will follow me.” I used the opportunity to untangle my arm from Annette’s, moving close behind the older lady as she ascended the dim stairwell. We walked through a hallway lit only by two sputtering candles in candelabras upon the walls. At the end of the hall, brighter light splashed across the wooden floorboards from an open doorway. Lady Drusilla nodded her satisfaction, beckoning us all to enter.

  Inside was a smaller table, already set for our use, with a tablecloth and a vase displaying colourful flowers. A fire burned with much cleaner efficiency than the one below. Two large windows let in the midday light, though not too brightly as the sun was yet high above the building.

  Georgette admired the room. “How lovely.”

  Annette sniffed and took a seat. “Hardly. Why there are no decorations upon the walls and the view is dreary.”

  I walked over to appreciate this unappealing aspect and found it more to my liking than her words suggested. Unlike my first, quick glimpse of this town, I saw now there were more houses behind the main road. Quaint little buildings, with attractive white fences around their borders and fruit trees in their gardens.

  “I think it is lovely too,” I told Georgette. She rewarded me with her shy smile.

  I tried very hard to ignore Annette when she said to Regina, “Not everyone, it seems, has been blessed with our good taste.” The two women laughed, and Lady Drusilla raised an eyebrow at their lack of tact. With sly grins, they took their seats.

  Still disturbed by our conversation earlier in the day, the older lady talked exclusively to Annette and Regina as our food was served. I did not mind, appreciating now just how few opportunities they gave me to speak alone with Georgette. “Have you spent much time in the palace?”

  “Only since I came of age. It’s a good place to find one’s husband. Or so they tell me,” she said, blue eyes drifting over to the older women.

  “Your parents have not made the choice for you?”

  “I’m sure they’ll have a say in the matter, but for now we just wait to see what opportunities arise.”

  “Have you placed your hopes with anyone in particular?” Her cheeks reddened in a revealing admission. I leant closer to ask in a whisper, “Who?” When she did not answer, I sat back, disappointed. “I understand. There is no point in saying his name when I will not know of whom you speak.”

  “Oh, but you do!” she said excitedly, only to subside at Annette’s sharp look. I took a careful bite of my food, not meeting anyone’s eyes and listening to their conversation about people of the court I knew so little about. It interested me about as much as the flavourless meal they forced me to eat.

  When Annette was deep in some complaint about her treatment at the hands of another lady, I dared tilt my head closer to Georgette’s. “Do you speak of a young lord of both our acquaintances?” She glanced at her plate before raising her blue eyes and giving a quick nod. “Were you given hope to believe your regard was returned?”

  I held my breath, waiting for her answer, and hid my relief when she shook her head. Eager to know more and hoping she might take the hint, I said, “Oh?”

  Georgette shifted closer and whispered, “Once he paid some attention to me and I thought it meant something more, but I think he was too kind to make his lack of enthusiasm clear.”

  “Perhaps he liked another.”

  “I saw nothing to suggest it. At least not at the palace. In fact,” she lowered her voice further, saying, “I heard he had a lover in Nord. An older woman, a widow, experienced in keeping the interest of a man, if you know what I mean.” She gave a sad smile. “I don’t think I could compete with that, do you?”

  “A rumour only, surely?”

  “Annette was most definite when she told us on our journey to Arnil Wale. She couldn’t wait to share the news.” Georgette flicked her long, brown hair forward over her shoulder, covering her face to prevent anyone else from hearing. “Her husband, Lord Erik, said one of his servants, returning from an important errand, encountered him in Nord. The servant informed his lord there was no mistaking their relationship.” Her blue eyes were grave when they met mine. “He probably visited this woman on his return to the palace.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Annette demanded, and we both straightened.

  Georgette’s face was pink after our conversation. I was the opposite. Cheeks pale, I placed my fork down, leaving untouched the remaining food on my plate. Not even Lady Drusilla could convince me to take another bite.

  We finished our meal a short time later, the ladies eager to return to our carriages, hoping for a more sophisticated setting for our dinner at Lord Gilbert’s that evening.

  As we travelled to Corin, I tried not to think on Georgette’s painful revelation, or its uncanny resemblance to my dream, devoting instead all my attention to the land we passed with each rapid turn of the carriage
wheels. Sometimes the road provided a distant view of the sea and I gazed upon that blue smear, thinking with pleasure of my time at the beach in Arnil Wale. While I held a faint hope of returning there one day, I knew it was in vain.

  The carriages drove past farms with trees weighed down by their fruits: bright red apples ready to be plucked; pears tinged green with firmness; and a few types of fruit I could not name. Other fields were bare, only dirt ploughed in neat lines in preparation for seeding with their next crops. Even more were high with unrecognisable plants.

  The people we passed often looked up with curiosity before unhurriedly returning to their jobs. They picked the fruit and placed them in large aprons about their waists until they bulged out, too full to carry more, tilled the ground, or led their animals from one pasture to the next. Once more the dullness of their clothing struck me, and it made me miss the bright colours of Chartelyr.

  Thinking of home and my family lightened my spirits, enough that I almost smiled. Willem would soon arrive in Sidem, and I was looking forward to seeing him. I wished Rene and my papa could have come for my wedding too, missing them all so much it was like a physical ache in my heart.

  We arrived at Corin as the sun sank below the horizon, our horses moving fast through the town, past little, neat rows of houses, towards the fine manor on the hill overlooking it all.

  A flurry of activity followed our arrival, the servants called from their carriage to assist, the household servants joining them, offering to show us to our bedchambers.

  I barely took in my surroundings. A well-appointed area with a comfortable looking bed, a dressing table and room for a single trunk against the large window, the other left outside in the hallway. Cream curtains were drawn tight across the glass, warding against the encroaching night. No fireplace was in the bedchamber, but there were two blankets upon the bed and a strange metal pan, with a long handle, sitting on top.

  Too tired to even wonder what it was, I allowed Adele to change my outfit from the simple day dress to a more lavish one, fit for a meal with members of the peerage. A fog of tiredness blurred my thoughts.