Page 15

Chapter 15

Olivia

O livia restrained her impatience until she and Kasper had walked far enough from the others not to be overheard. She wasn’t even attempting to pay attention to where he might be leading her, only waiting for the opportunity to ask the questions that plagued her.

“What do you know of me?” she asked abruptly, uncertain how to ask the question more subtly.

“That depends what you mean,” Kasper said cautiously. “About you personally I know very little—as much as the rest of the court, I presume. But if you mean, do I know what happened the night of the ball, then…yes.” He sighed heavily. “I actually heard my sister mention you a couple of times before that night, although she was careful never to say anything in front of our parents. And of course I had no idea what she was planning. We all knew Marigold disapproved of the planned match, but she seemed to go docile and compliant shortly before the ball. Our parents thought she had capitulated to the inevitable, but they should have known better.” He groaned. “We did know better, but none of us dreamed she would do something so completely outrageous.”

Olivia assumed the we he referenced was Kasper and his two older brothers.

“Then you know I wasn’t involved in her scheming?” Olivia asked anxiously, still not sure if he might blame her, at least partially. “I truly knew nothing about it.”

Kasper hesitated before speaking slowly. “I’ll confess I wish you had been a little more wary in dealing with my sister. But I can hardly blame you for missing something that her own family also missed.”

“And what of your parents?” Olivia asked. “Do they share the same view?”

He hesitated again, and she winced.

“I believe they’ll recognize the full truth once they’ve had a chance to calm down,” he said eventually. “They’re currently frustrated with everyone involved. But they aren’t fool enough to think you were the instigator of the scheme.”

“I’ll confess I was angry with Marigold myself at first,” Olivia said slowly, voicing something that was only half-formed in her own thoughts. “But I’ve also been…worried.” She turned to fix her eyes on the side of Kasper’s face as they continued strolling down a corridor. “Is it true that she’s gone to stay with relatives outside the capital? Are you sure she’s really there? I heard…” Her voice dropped lower. “I heard she might be missing.”

Kasper stopped, pulling her to a halt beside him and fixing her with a sharp look. “What? Where did you hear that? Are there rumors in the palace? Father is convinced he succeeded at keeping that quiet.”

Dread rose inside Olivia. The slow tendrils of worry that had been weaving through her anger grew thick and strong, crushing the other emotion entirely.

“It’s true, then?” she gasped. “Is she actually missing? The story of the visit to relatives is just to cover her disappearance?”

“Of course she’s still missing,” he said morosely. “Would you come back in a hurry if you knew what a mess you’d left behind and what you would be facing on your return?” He grimaced. “I suppose that’s difficult to answer since you would never have played such a shocking trick in the first place—no one but Marigold would.”

He started walking again, but Olivia dug her heels in and remained in place, forcing him to drop her arm. He stopped and turned back to her.

“I was very angry with her as well at first,” she said. “And I’m sure the storm that’s waiting for her is intense, but…” She trailed off as she tried to think of the right words to express her growing certainty.

“You’ve known Marigold a lot longer than I have, so I’m sure you’ve seen her do all sorts of things. She’s certainly prone to making impulsive and sometimes rash decisions. But has she ever failed to own up to what she’s done? Have you ever seen her try to shirk responsibility for her actions? I know I haven’t known her as long as you, and I’m sure I don’t know her as well, but she always struck me as brave.”

Kasper stared at her in silence, his dazed response to her torrent of words making her flush.

“I just think,” she added, forcing herself to speak more calmly, “that Marigold always seemed more likely to throw herself in front of someone else to shield them than she was to leave them to take the blame in her stead. That’s why I started to worry—and the worry has just kept growing ever since my shock and anger died down. The whole business seems just like Marigold, except for one glaring element. The Marigold I know wouldn’t have run away and left me to deal with the situation alone.”

“No,” Kasper said slowly. “I’ve never known her to do such a thing.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his expression growing more and more perturbed.

“In truth, I agree with you,” he said. “But Father is still furious with Marigold. He’s convinced she ran off and left us to deal with the consequences of her trick, and I guess it has been easier to fall in line with his thinking than to push against it.” His mouth twisted ruefully. “There’s a reason he’s so wealthy and influential at court. He’s always been charismatic. And he’s going to be even more furious now that whispers of the truth are leaking out.”

“I haven’t heard anything at the palace,” Olivia said quickly. “I actually tried to visit Marigold at your manor the morning after the ball—before the prince came to collect me. I heard it there.”

Kasper’s eyebrows rose. “I can well imagine what sort of reception you would have received the morning after the ball. I’m surprised I didn’t hear anything about it, though.”

“I went to the back door in the wall,” Olivia admitted. “It was answered by a gardener’s apprentice. He told me more than he probably should have.”

“Ah.” The knowing amusement in Kasper’s face and voice made Olivia flush again. She hadn’t purposely flirted with the lad to encourage his confidences, but she knew he had been impressed by her.

“Hopefully the rumor hasn’t reached anyone else, then,” Kasper said thoughtfully. “Father had a stern talk with the servants the day after the ball. Anyone who spreads word of what really happened will lose their positions. I don’t think any of them will talk now. He’s spent time cultivating loyal servants—although apparently he should spend some more time on the outside staff.”

He ended on a wry note, but Olivia had the impression he wasn’t likely to report the lad to his father. She hoped he didn’t since she didn’t want to be the cause of the boy losing his position.

“So what do you think could have happened to Marigold?” Olivia asked, returning to the central issue. She clutched her skirts in an effort not to wring her hands together. “I’m worried she’s been abducted. It was my first thought when she didn’t turn up at the ball, but I let my initial shock and anger distract me.” And Julius. But she didn’t add that part out loud.

The prince had been the one to convince her away from that line of thinking at the ball. And as far as she knew, he still didn’t suspect foul play, so she was going to have to raise the issue with him again. If Marigold’s family weren’t looking for her, then Olivia and Julius needed to do so in their stead.

“Have your parents done anything to look for her?” she asked Kasper, still hopeful it wouldn’t be left to her.

He grimaced. “Nothing substantial. My father talks as if he’s ready to wash his hands of her, but I know he doesn’t really mean it. He’s just worried that word will get out about what she did. Mother has begun some discreet inquiries, though.”

“Does your mother think she might have been abducted?” Olivia asked hopefully. Marigold’s family had nearly as much influence as the crown, so if they were searching after all, she wouldn’t be needed.

“No, she’s only looking in places where she thinks Marigold might have hidden herself.” Kasper gave a heavy sigh. “My sister has run away twice before, you know, so they’re not entirely unjustified in their assumption.” He seemed to be pleading with Olivia not to think too badly of his family. “I can suggest the possibility of abduction to my mother, but I suspect she’ll discount it immediately. I don’t think she believes that anyone would dare cross Father in such a way.”

He straightened. “But you shouldn’t be worrying about my family’s business. You have enough to deal with on your own behalf. If you would be willing to keep the truth to yourself, you will have done as much as my family can expect of you.”

He offered his arm again with a gallant smile that didn’t reach the strain around his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want me to give you a tour in Julius’s place?”

Olivia shook her head. “I would prefer to return to my rooms, if you know the way.” She already had plenty to think about before her afternoon lessons.

* * *

J ulius had lived up to his word. The footman who brought the tray with her evening meal informed Olivia that she would once again be released from lessons the following morning.

Eager for some time away from the palace, she rose early and dressed herself for a trip into the city. If she asked for a horse or carriage, the palace staff would surely oblige. But it would take time and would lead to inevitable fussing. She preferred to walk. It wasn’t far.

As she approached the smallest of the palace gates, sudden doubts seized her. What if the guards tried to prevent her from leaving? But the two men on duty merely bowed and opened the door to usher her through.

Stepping onto the street, she felt a weight lift from her. And stretching her legs felt almost as good as the release from pressure. She took a meandering route that led her to the hill at the back of Manor Row instead of to the front of her uncle’s manor. As she walked over the grass, she watched for Mildred, but there was no sign of the mouse.

Olivia’s worry for the creature spiked, but the mouse was often busy foraging in the early mornings, so she headed for her aunt and uncle’s house instead of searching for Mildred immediately. The door in the back wall was already unlatched, thanks to the early work of the gardeners, and she slipped inside without trouble.

But her quiet entry was foiled by the head gardener who immediately spotted her. He called out in welcome, and the gardeners converged on her. Several of the inside servants trailed further behind—all of them smiling and bowing and calling her Lady Olivia.

Olivia tried to respond with equal good cheer, ignoring her discomfort. She had always occupied a strange role in the household—viewed as a family member by the staff, despite her work. She had taken her meals with her aunt, uncle, and cousins and stayed in a guest room, so she didn’t know the other servants particularly well.

She had always shared a fellow feeling with them, however, and they had treated her as a strange sort of aberration—a servant when she was with them and a guest when she was with a member of her family. Apparently, they viewed her as one of the household either way and were overcome with delight at one of their own being chosen by the prince. From their comments, she gathered her new position had already elevated her family’s status in the capital and their staff along with them.

Finally, Hattie appeared and waded through the small crowd to extract Olivia.

“You’ve come!” She grabbed hold of Olivia’s wrist and pulled her toward the house. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“Sorry,” Olivia said, immediately feeling guilty. She should have thought to write ahead and inform her family of her coming.

But, wait. Why should she write, as if she were a friend coming over for tea? The manor had been her home for a year and was her true home still. Her stay in the palace was merely temporary—she hoped.

Thankfully, Hattie kept up a stream of bright chatter, informing Olivia that Uncle Walt had already left on his usual business activities and that Nell had gone shopping with Aunt Helen. While Olivia would have enjoyed seeing her family, she was grateful for their absence on this occasion.

She had visited to retrieve the last of her belongings, not to socialize, and since she had other errands to complete as well, she preferred to keep the visit brief.

“Is it amazing at the palace?” Hattie asked breathlessly once they were inside the manor. “Do you have a whole suite to yourself?” She gazed wide-eyed at Olivia until Olivia nodded and then immediately continued talking. “But of course you would. You’re basically the crown princess!” She gave a squeal at the thought, making Olivia wince.

“The rooms are lovely,” Olivia offered, glad they were one thing she could praise unequivocally.

“Almost as lovely as the prince?” Hattie asked with a giggle, and Olivia barely managed to keep her face steady.

“I’ve come to fetch something from my room that Aunt Helen missed,” she said, hoping Hattie wouldn’t press her about what the item might be.

But Hattie’s mind was focused on Prince Julius, not fetching mundane belongings.

“I’m sure I’d make a terrible queen,” she said with a dramatic shudder, “but I do wish the prince had danced with me at the ball. I’m sure I would have treasured the experience my whole life.” She clasped her hands together and sighed wistfully.

“I’m sure you can dance with him at my wedding,” Olivia said without thinking as she hurried up the stairs.

Hattie gripped her arm with both hands, nearly unbalancing her.

“Really?” she gasped. “Do you mean it? At your wedding? So we really will be invited? Mother said she was sure we would be—we’re your only family in the city after all—but Father said not to be counting chickens, eggs, or even baskets.”

Olivia wished she’d kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t meet Hattie’s eager eyes. If she did marry the prince, she would certainly invite every relative she had. But she wasn’t planning on actually marrying him, which meant she had little chance of following through with her thoughtless offer.

“Of course you’ll be invited to my wedding,” she said which was true, regardless of the identity of the groom. “But I’ll arrange a dance for you with Julius sooner if there’s an opportunity.”

“ Julius !” Hattie sighed, her eyes shining. Apparently she was impressed merely by Olivia’s use of his first name without a title attached.

Olivia’s gratitude at Nell and her aunt’s absence grew. Fielding Hattie’s enthusiasm so early in the morning was difficult enough.

Thankfully Hattie didn’t insist on accompanying Olivia into her bedchamber, and Olivia was even more grateful to see the room looked undisturbed. She’d been a little afraid that her aunt might have ordered a deep clean following her departure, resulting in the discovery of what she had hidden.

Closing the door firmly behind her, she collected a few odds and ends and a book she had been halfway through reading, placing the items in the small bag she had brought. But those things were inconsequential and wouldn’t have inspired a trip into the city. What she had really come for was hidden beneath her mattress.

She withdrew the small, flat object. It was wrapped in soft, uncolored linen, and she hesitated for a moment before unwrapping it with quick fingers. The material fell away to reveal a tiny mirror, adorned with an elegant silver frame and handle.

She looked down into the polished surface and saw her own face reflected back, barely able to fit, given the mirror’s small size. Olivia appeared just as the larger mirror at the dressing table showed her to be—a little pale but otherwise giving no indication of the dramatic transformation in her life.

For once, she was almost relieved at the mirror’s failure to show any fantastical properties. Avery had warned her that it didn’t always work—it had been made by an apprentice and was faulty. So while it sometimes showed a person’s true emotions, sometimes it only worked as a regular mirror. Not that Olivia minded. It was the only reason she’d been gifted such a rare and valuable item.

The Auldana Legacy allowed people in the distant kingdom of Auldana to make mirrors with all sorts of fantastical properties, but they didn’t easily part with them in trade. She had never even seen an Auldanan mirror before receiving the gift from Avery, and she suspected her cousins had never seen one at all.

But as she gazed down at her reflection, the image rippled slightly, her expression changing although her actual face never moved. Worry lines sprung up around her eyes, along with shadows that suggested either a lack of sleep or deep distress. Her mouth turned down, her overall visage shouting her internal disquiet.

She quickly turned the mirror over, working to calm her rapid breathing. She had feared she didn’t have the ability to project a calm mask, but apparently she was better at it than she had ever suspected. And it was a good thing, too. If the people of court saw her true emotions, they wouldn’t be sighing to each other over the prince’s dream romance.

Not bothering to wrap the mirror properly, she thrust it and its cloth wrapping into her bag. As unnerving as the mirror’s effect could sometimes be, it would be a useful tool at court.

Hattie suggested she stay for a belated breakfast, but Olivia had already eaten at the palace. Despite her early waking time, the meal had appeared as soon as she unlocked her suite door, just as usual.

She did tarry long enough to look over Hattie’s new dresses, however, amazed at how quickly her aunt had gotten to work. Hattie’s pure excitement was contagious, and Olivia didn’t mind losing some time to humor her. Her sweet young cousin didn’t resent Olivia’s apparent good fortune in the least, and she was brimming with excitement about the possibility of attending court functions—although Olivia caught the note of anxiety as well.

She wanted to reassure her cousin, but Olivia was anxious enough herself about court functions, so she wasn’t sure how to achieve the feat. And she needed to leave before any more members of the household could return. Using the excuse of her day’s lessons, she extracted herself and escaped outside.

Standing in the manor’s front courtyard, Olivia glanced toward the back gardens. She still needed to find Mildred, but she had one more visit to make, and she didn’t think a giant mouse would be of assistance in making a good impression.

Gathering her courage, she exited the courtyard and walked the short distance to the neighboring courtyard. Last time she had approached Marigold’s family home, she had done so from the back. But her status had changed since then, and she wasn’t looking for a conversation with a gardener.

Olivia clanged the great door knocker with more confidence than she felt, waiting on the ponderous footsteps she could hear inside. In the past, she might have fled from the tall butler who answered the door. But she hadn’t spent two days with a queen for nothing.

Raising her chin, she met his eyes, silently daring him to send her away. The man froze, clearly unsure how to handle the unprecedented situation.

“Who is it?” called a tired, strained voice from inside.

An elegant, middle-aged woman came into sight, her face wan. As soon as she caught sight of Olivia standing awkwardly in the doorway, a stream of emotions flashed across her face.

It was immediately obvious to Olivia that if she had been standing there as her old self—as the niece of the upstart merchant next door—she would have had the door shut in her face. But it was harder to shut doors in the face of a future princess. Especially when it had been the woman’s own daughter who had elevated Olivia to that status.

“How…lovely to see you, Lady Olivia,” the woman said at last. “Do please come in.”