Chapter 5
"No." I shook my head over and over. "Not Ivor. I've known him my whole life and he wouldn't rape anyone."
Dane said nothing but he watched me with that intense stare of his, the one where he seemed to be trying to read my mind.
I had to look away. "He wouldn't. He might have turned out to be a bully but he's not a danger."
"He wasn't always a bully?" he asked.
"No." I tried reconciling the man who'd argued with the stranger on the concourse yesterday with the one who'd brought me flowers as recently as a month ago. I gave up. Ivor had changed, but not as much as Dane was implying. "That's why the gates weren't opened for me. You're taking extra precautions in case Ivor returns."
"It's not just for him. Josie, did he…" He huffed out a breath and appealed to the sky. "Was there once something between you?"
"Ivor and me?" I barked a laugh. "Dear Hailia, no."
"The Deerhorn maid said you knew him. She thought perhaps that's why he was here, because he wanted to see where the woman he was courting spent some of her time."
I scoffed. "First of all, I haven't spent much time here of late. Secondly, we are certainly not courting and never have."
"Isn't he the man who brought you flowers that day?"
I plucked at the grass again. "He wanted to court me, but…" I shrugged.
"Go on."
My gaze flicked to his, only to dash away again when I noticed the intensity still there, deep in his eyes. "I'd rather spend my time reading medical books than talking to Ivor Morgrain. Does that answer your question?"
His lips twitched. "It does."
I lay down on the grass again and flung a hand over my eyes against the bright sunshine. "I cannot believe Ivor would flout security and stay on palace grounds without permission. He was a little wild a few years ago but most of the village boys were. They did stupid and dangerous things like jumping from cliffs into the sea. Sometimes I wonder how any of them survived to adulthood. But Ivor never broke the law."
"As far as you know."
I peeked at him from behind my arm. He shrugged at me. "Mull is—or was—a small village. I would have heard if he'd so much as been fined for urinating in public."
"People change, Josie."
I sighed. "People change, places change, everything changes."
"You don't like change?" He sounded concerned. Perhaps he thought he was about to have a weepy female on his hands.
"I don't like it when good things go bad. Not even Ivor, the fool." I lowered my arm and sat up again, this time making sure not to hit Dane. "You do realize it's a big leap from flouting palace security to rape, don't you?"
"I am aware, yes," he said wryly. "And I'm not saying he did it, just that he's a suspect."
"Very well. We'll include him, but I doubt he's guilty."
"Your opinion is noted. Indeed, I'm grateful for it. First hand knowledge of our suspects is valuable. If only someone can vouch for Lord Barborough's character." He leaned forward and dusted off his hands. "Don't forget your promise, Josie. You're not to question Morgrain. You're not to go anywhere near him. The main reason I gave you his name is so you can avoid him."
I bit my lip.
"I know that look," he said. "What is it?"
"I spoke to him only yesterday. He didn't mention coming here." I frowned as I tried to recall the conversation. "Although he did say he'd heard a rumor about me going to the palace revels. I assumed he'd spoken to one of the Deerhorn servants in the village, but perhaps he heard it here."
"It's likely." He stood and rested one hand on his sword hilt. "Promise you won't go near him again."
"I'll not go out of my way, but I can't help it if I bump into him again. Believe me, Dane, I am not interested in seeing Ivor."
There was that wan smile again when I said his name, the one that was like a ghost of itself, there one moment but gone the next, as if it had never existed.
He held out his hand to me. I took it and he assisted me to my feet. Neither of us let go, however. We stood toe to toe without moving, as if our feet were stuck in mud. I didn't want to move away.
I peered up at him and he down at me, giving me the full effect of his warm gaze as it searched mine. He leaned in a little and his finger brushed my wrist. It found my pulse and gently caressed. My blood quickened. My heart pounded, knowing what came next. Eager for it.
He pulled away and strode off, leaving me staring at his broad back. It took several moments before I was thinking clearly again, and by then, he'd reached the trees.
I picked up my skirts and raced after him. He did not wait but forged ahead, his long legs keeping him well in front on the path back to the palace.
"Dane…" How did a girl ask a man if she could explore the feelings she had for him, or the feelings she suspected he had for her? Every sentence in my head sounded pathetic. Besides, I'd be a fool to ask when I didn't know the answer. Going by his tense shoulders, his purposeful strides, he certainly did not want to discuss feelings.
By the time we reached the steps leading up one side of the semi-sunken garden, Dane had slowed down to keep pace with me. He still seemed tense and unwilling to meet my gaze, but I was prepared to pay that price if it meant he was angry with himself for having feelings for me. I wasn't entirely sure, but I now had some hope where before I had none. We had almost kissed, after all. I thought.
"Where will we find Lord Barborough now?" I asked, returning to a safer topic.
"He was in a meeting with the king when I came out to greet you. He might still be there."
We were hailed by Ruth as we walked past the commons, and I was pleased to see her smiling. On closer inspection, however, it didn't ring true, as if she'd plastered it on for our benefit.
"How are you today, Ruth?" I asked.
"Fine," she said.
"Do you need to see me?"
She glanced at Dane. He discreetly moved out of earshot. "I wanted to ask you a question." She lowered her voice. "When will I know if I'm with child?"
It was a question that most women over the age of fifteen knew the answer to. Without a memory, the lack of such basic knowledge made Ruth seem childlike, and that made the crime committed against her even more despicable. "In the coming weeks," I told her. "If your monthly courses stop, that's a sign. Send for me if that happens."
She hugged the folded linen in her arms. "Thank you, Miss Cully. I won't forget your assistance."
"You've been very brave." I squeezed her arm. "But you're going to have to be braver. We must tell the other maids so they can be more careful going about their work. We don't want this happening again."
She sucked in her lower lip and gave a small nod. "Do what you need to do. I'll be all right."
I gave her arm another squeeze and went to join Dane. Ruth followed me. "There's something I should tell you, Captain," she said.
"Do you remember something about your attacker?" he asked.
"It's not that. It's about Lord Barborough." At Dane's loaded silence, she added, "I know you think he might be the one who attacked me and that's why I've been reassigned, but I'm not sure. For one thing, his right arm doesn't work. Without it, he couldn't have done…that."
"Is there anything else?" Dane asked.
"I didn't mention this to you earlier because it was just before I was…before I was attacked and I forgot about it. But Lord Barborough questioned me over and over."
"About what?"
"About my past, where I'm from, that sort of thing. I didn't answer him. You told us not to speak about any of that, or our—" She cut herself off and glanced at me.
"You can speak freely," Dane said. "Miss Cully knows about the memory loss."
She hefted the pile of linens in her arms higher. "I heard Lord Barborough has been asking the footman who now cleans his rooms the same questions. He's been real pushy too, and getting angry when Jack didn't speak. The visiting staff used to ask lots of questions when they first came, but this is the first time a lord has asked. I thought you should know, Captain."
"Thank you, Ruth. You were right to tell me."
She bobbed a curtsy and hurried off in the direction of the palace service door, opposite the commons.
"It's confirmation that Lord Barborough still has an interest in magic," I said.
"And confirmation that he suspects magic was used here," Dane added. "And on us."
We too entered the palace through the service door and wound our way up a flight of stairs and along corridors, slipping into a richly decorated room. A lady seated at a table looked up from her hand of cards. She whispered something to her companion and both stared at me as I crossed the salon to the next chamber. I suspected their interest was a result of Lady Deerhorn telling them she'd seen me dressed in fine clothes on the night of the revels.
As with the last time I'd been in the council chambers in the main part of the palace, Theodore sat on one of the cushioned stools in the antechamber. He rose and greeted us both and pointed out Balthazar sitting in the adjoining office, both hands resting on the head of his walking stick. He signaled for us to join him.
"Forgive me for not rising to greet you, Josie, but I prefer to sit as much as possible. This old back is seizing up lately." He nodded at the doorway toward the ante-chamber. "If I sat on one of those stools, I'd never get up."
"You should have it checked by a doctor," I said. "He'll probably prescribe regular massage with a Lallak-based ointment."
"Do you stock the ointment?"
"Yes, but—"
"Then bring me some next time you come to the palace."
"But I—"
"She is coming again soon, isn't she, Hammer?" He tilted his head to the side to peer up at Dane.
"She'll be assisting me in an investigation," he said.
"Into the attack on Ruth? Is that wise, given she's a woman and therefore a potential target for the attacker?"
"Into the other, ongoing matter."
"Magic?" Theodore whispered. "Has there been a development? Do you know why we lost our memories, Josie?"
I silently groaned. I hadn't wanted to discuss magic with anyone other than Dane. In truth, it was Balthazar I didn't want knowing what we knew. It was too late now. He leaned forward, his hands tightening around the top of his walking stick.
"Not yet," Dane told them. "But Josie has made some inquiries and learned about the Zemayan beliefs."
"Only a little," I added.
"The Zemayans believe in an all-powerful sorcerer who seems to have been active centuries ago," Dane said.
"It could be merely a story," I said.
Dane went on to tell them about Lord Barborough and his interest in magic. "Is he still in there with the king?"
Theodore nodded. "They've been locked in there for an age with two of our own advisers."
"The dukes?" Dane asked.
Balthazar snorted. "Merdu, no. We wanted it to be a productive meeting, not an exercise in squabbling. The dukes have their own agenda and don't want to see Barborough succeed. The last thing they want is to make the king's position on the throne stronger by marrying him to the Vytill princess."
"They're not aware of this meeting?" I asked.
Balthazar shook his head. "They'll find out soon enough, but until then, we wanted it to take place in private."
"Hopefully it's the first meeting of many between Barborough and the king," Theodore said. "There'll be meetings with the representatives from Dreen too, to hear their proposals. Their princess is still a candidate."
I'd always thought being a princess would be glamorous and exciting, but the reality turned out to be the opposite. There was no glamor in a marriage between a princess and a king when it was discussed as coolly as if it were just another trade bargain between nations. I felt sorry for the two princesses in question. I felt even sorrier for the one King Leon chose as his bride.
"The dukes should have been included," Dane said.
Both Balthazar and Theodore looked at him in surprise. "Why?" Balthazar asked.
"Because they're the two most senior advisers and noblemen. They should be involved in the process to give it legitimacy."
"But they have a vested interest in the king not marrying either princess," Theodore said.
"It doesn't matter where their interest lies. They should have been invited and they'll be furious when they find out they weren't. It's easier to listen to their so-called advice than placate an angry pair of dukes."
"They would become just as angry when their advice is ignored," Balthazar said. "Angry now or angry later, it's all the same."
"Not unless their advice is proven to be weak and the alternative strong. In this case, no one with Glancia's best interests at heart will think marriage to a Glancian woman is a better alternative than marrying a foreign princess. They'll look greedy and selfish if they continue to push for marriage to a Glancian. Particularly Buxton, since he put forward his niece."
Theodore looked at the closed door to the council chamber. "You have a point, Hammer."
Balthazar merely tapped his finger against his walking stick. After a moment, he said, "What are you going to ask Lord Barborough?"
"Josie will ask the questions," Dane said. "It'll be less suspicious coming from her."
Theodore agreed. "We don't want him thinking we suspect magic is at play here."
"Josie?" Balthazar prompted. "What will you ask?"
"I hope he can give me a copy of his book so I can learn the basics of magical theory," I said. "If not, I suppose I'll ask him about a sorcerer and what he's capable of."
"What about a gemstone?" Theodore asked.
"What about it?" Dane said.
"Will you ask him why a red gemstone seemingly draws on the life force of others?"
I almost corrected him, telling him that it only pulsed in response to those who'd lost their memories, but kept my mouth shut. If Theodore was unaware of that, it meant Dane hadn't told him, and if Dane hadn't told him, he must have reasons.
I watched Balthazar very carefully to gauge his reaction but he showed no sign that he wanted to correct Theodore either. He did, however, seem very interested in my answer.
"I'll mention gemstones in a general sense," I told them.
"Speaking of the gemstone, where is it, Hammer?" Balthazar asked.
"Safe," was all Dane said.
"Why not tell us where?"
"It's safer for you if you don't know. We don't understand its power yet or its significance. If someone comes looking for it, then you can't be forced to give up its location if you don't know it."
"What about you, Hammer? Can't you be forced?"
Dane regarded him coolly. "I am less likely to succumb."
Balthazar's small smile was equally cool. "Are you sure about that? I'm an old man and have nothing to lose. Can you say the same?" He looked to me, catching me unawares. "What other questions will you have for Lord Barborough, Josie?"
It took me a moment to gather my wits. The exchange troubled me. I'd always thought Dane trusted Balthazar, but now I wasn't so sure. And if he didn't trust him, then it only firmed my own opinion.
"I also want to ask if it's possible for magic to make the impossible seem possible," I said.
"I see." Balthazar rubbed his palm over the walking stick head. "Like how an entire palace can appear out of thin air? How almost a thousand people can lose their memory at once?"
I smiled tightly at him. "Nothing so specific. I wouldn't want to alert him to what really happened here. I was thinking more about music and dancing."
"Music and dancing?" Balthazar's brittle chuckle ended in a dry cough.
I laughed too. "Yes, music and dancing. Like what was seen and heard at the revels."
"Ah, yes, I believe you witnessed it. So you enjoyed my little bit of theater?" He leaned forward, pressing heavily on the walking stick. "My little magic tricks?"
Theodore rolled his eyes. "Don't tease her. It wasn't magic, Josie, it was just clever machinations and well-trained acrobats."
"Machinations that no one saw and acrobats that neither arrived nor left the palace," I said.
"Good luck getting a straight answer," Dane muttered.
"No, no," Balthazar said, pushing himself to his feet. "She's right to question my methods. She's clever and inquisitive. I like that." He smiled at me. "But I'm not giving away my secrets."
"And I don't really think he used magic," I told them, smiling back. "If Balthazar could use magic, he'd have made a body for himself that worked perfectly."
Balthazar chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Clever, inquisitive and witty. Add pretty into the mix and you're in possession of a diabolical combination of characteristics that will either ruin you or elevate you."
That wiped the false smile off my face.
"Don't listen to him," Dane told me. "He's just annoyed because he's old enough to be your grandfather."
"I'm annoyed because my back pains me." Balthazar dug his fingers into his lower back. "And this damned meeting has gone on too long. Theodore, shout 'fire' and let's end it."
Dane laughed softly.
"Balthazar!" Theodore threw up his hands. "I didn't think it possible, but you're even more cantankerous than usual."
Balthazar hobbled past us. "I'm going to my room. Let me know how the meeting turns out."
He got no further than the center of the ante-chamber, stopping directly beneath the domed ceiling as the dukes of Buxton and Gladstow stormed in, Buxton's cape billowing behind him.
"Stay here," Dane said to me.
I slipped behind the open door and watched through the gap.
"Are they in there?" Gladstow stabbed a finger in the direction of the council room.
Balthazar offered a shallow bow. "Yes, your grace."
Theodore stepped forward and bowed too. "His Majesty is in a meeting. If you'd like to wait—"
"I don't wait." Gladstow's face was always bullishly red but it seemed to glow with pent-up fury. If I were his doctor, I'd warn him against explosive fits of temper. At his age, and with his complexion indicating a diet of excess, he could damage his heart.
"Calm down," snapped another man just outside my line of sight. "There's no point getting mad at the help."
Balthazar's nostrils flared.
"You don't tell me what to do either, Buxton," Gladstow snapped back.
The duke of Buxton stepped into view. He wasn't as old as Gladstow. I pegged him to be middle-aged, going by the receding hair and soft jawline. He was shorter too and more slender with a partially hooded right eye that was most likely the result of a childhood disease known as droopy eye. I wondered if he was blind in that eye or if he was one of the lucky few who'd kept his sight. He didn't look quite as angry as Gladstow, but that could have been because the disfigurement gave him a permanently sorrowful expression.
Gladstow strode past Balthazar but Dane blocked his entry to the council room. "You can't go in," he said evenly. "You're welcome to wait." He indicated one of the many stools situated around the perimeter of the room. "Your Grace."
Gladstow drew himself up to his full height but he only came to Dane's chin. That didn't seem to concern him. He seemed quite unperturbed by Dane's superior physical presence. "Get out of my way," he growled.
"No."
Gladstow bristled. He took a moment to answer, as if he were trying to understand how someone could defy him. "I am the duke of Gladstow."
"I know," Dane said. "You're not going in."
The duke of Buxton clicked his tongue. "It's pointless, Gladstow, he's under orders."
"And I am ordering him to move!" Gladstow shouted. "I have every right to be in that meeting!"
"So do I, but I'm not making a scene and blaming the guard."
Gladstow went to charge past Dane, but Dane grabbed his arm and shoved him back. The duke looked as if he'd never been manhandled like that before. He tugged on his cuffs and thrust out his chin, causing the flesh underneath to shake.
"How dare you!" he spluttered.
Theodore shuffled forward, his hands pressed together. "Apologies, Your Grace. The captain should not have laid a hand on you."
"He should be whipped."
Balthazar went very still. Theodore swallowed heavily and stared down at his feet. Dane looked as if he hadn't heard or didn't care, but I knew better. A vein in his throat pulsed and his breathing became shallower. He was holding his temper in check, but only with considerable effort.
The door behind him suddenly jerked open and he stepped aside. "Enough!" the king snapped. "I'm in an important meeting and we can't hear ourselves over your tantrum, Gladstow."
Gladstow spluttered a protest as he bowed. "We have every right to be in there, sire. As your dukes and chief advisers—"
"You're not my chief advisers." The king indicated a stool. "Wait here until I summon you. Captain Hammer, you have my permission to do whatever is necessary to see that I'm not disturbed."
The king disappeared into the council room with a haughtier look on his face than when he'd emerged.
Gladstow thrust his hands on his hips and marched back and forth across the floor. "Insufferable," he muttered. "Intolerable."
The duke of Buxton swept his cape to the side and lowered himself onto a stool with a flourish. "This isn't so bad," he said cheerfully. "The stool is comfortable enough if one doesn't lean back. Come join me, Gladstow. One gets a different perspective from down here."
Gladstow's top lip curled. I half expected him to snarl like a dog. Buxton merely chuckled at him, clearly enjoying poking the angry bear. There was certainly no love lost between these two. It was no wonder they'd plotted separately to take over the kingdom before King Leon was crowned. It amused the imp in me to see them both here, forced onto the same side yet still unable to get along. They were like two children who fought in the street yet had to team up against a bigger bully.
The door opened again and the duke of Buxton quickly rose. He aborted his bow when he saw that it wasn't the king but another man, carrying a large leather wallet tied with black ribbon.
"My lord Barborough," Dane said in a greeting that I suspected was more for my benefit.
The Vytill representative nodded at the two dukes who nodded politely if stiffly back. He was younger than I expected. I thought he'd be old, but he must have been mid-thirties at the most. He was dressed all in black, his thick brown hair swept off his forehead as if he'd been caught in a strong breeze. I found I couldn't stop staring at his right arm, trying to work out what might be wrong with it. Ruth had said it was useless and it certainly seemed that way, hanging at his side. I wondered if his fingers could move. They were neither withered nor scarred. The healer in me wanted to know the cause of its immobility.
The dukes of Buxton and Gladstow ignored Barborough and strode toward the meeting room door. Lord Barborough put out his left arm, blocking their way.
"His Majesty asked me to inform you both that he's not ready to receive you yet," Lord Barborough said with an apologetic shrug of his good shoulder.
"But the other Glancian advisers are in there," Gladstow blustered.
Lord Barborough merely shrugged again.
The duke of Buxton said nothing but any joviality he'd shown before had vanished. He looked in no mood to sit on a stool again and tease Gladstow.
Lord Barborough left the room, smirking. I emerged from behind the door, but Dane shook his head at me. It would seem he had to stay on guard. Balthazar and Theodore seemed more interested in finding out how the meeting went than questioning the Vytill representative about magic.
I stepped out from the office altogether, cast a glance at Dane and, ignoring another shake of his head, followed Lord Barborough.
"Who are you?" the duke of Buxton called after me. "Guard! Arrest that woman, she was eavesdropping!"
"Eavesdropping on what?" the duke of Gladstow sneered. "Everything important is going on behind that door."
"She's the daughter of the village doctor," Theodore said quickly. "She was attending Balthazar. He has a sore back."
"Where's her father?" Buxton asked. "She can't see patients on her own."
"He just stepped out," I heard Dane say.
It seemed neither duke knew that the local village doctor had died. I thanked Hailia for my good fortune and hurried after Lord Barborough. I didn't want to lose him along with the chance of finding out more about magic.
Yet even though I knew Dane could no longer see me, I felt his glare boring into my back. He had not wanted me to see Barborough alone. Not when he was a suspect in the rape of Ruth.