Page 19

Chapter 19

Julius

J ulius wanted to find Olivia and ask about her afternoon plans, but his mother had her on an even tighter schedule than Julius himself. So instead he directed his steps to the palace library. The airy space, with its reassuring rows of solid shelves, had been a haven for him in his younger years, but he hadn’t visited in some time.

On this occasion, it wasn’t the library itself that attracted his interest, but a private study room located near the back. Inside, he found three men and a woman seated at a table covered in haphazard piles of books. All four were engaged in a lively debate.

They stopped talking abruptly at his entrance, standing to bow deeply. He waved them back into their seats, dropping down to sit beside them.

“I’ve been meaning to come and check on your progress for some time,” he said. “Have you discovered anything?”

The small team of scholars and historians had been working nonstop since the Midsummer Ball to devise a strategy to release him from his betrothal. In all that time, he had yet to hear anything about their progress.

The woman exchanged a look with one of the men, and Julius’s stomach swirled. What did that look mean? And what did he want it to mean? He wasn’t even sure he knew anymore.

“We have found nothing conclusive, Your Highness,” she said cautiously.

Julius frowned. Did that mean they had found a possibility or not? Or had his mother already instructed them not to give him any details? If so, he wasn’t likely to get anything out of them.

“I see,” he said slowly. “So there’s been no definitive progress.”

“There’s no need to despair yet, Your Highness,” the oldest of the men said. “We remain hopeful. But we’ve agreed not to share anything with your family until we can come to a consensus between us.” He nodded at the others and chuckled. “We have some differing opinions, thus the enthusiasm you witnessed earlier.”

It wasn’t much in the way of reassurance, but at least his parents weren’t concealing the truth from him. He stood again, pretending not to notice the relief on their faces at his swift departure.

“Thank you for your efforts,” he said. “I look forward to hearing your conclusions once you reach agreement.”

He walked more slowly back through the library, his mind heavy. Near the door, he encountered his mother, for once not accompanied by her usual bevy of court ladies.

She greeted him with a glad cry, and he quirked an eyebrow at her. “You’re here for an update as well? I can save you the bother. They still have nothing conclusive to report.”

His mother sighed. “The same as always, then. And yet I can’t seem to stop myself from checking every day. I’m probably driving them to distraction.”

She looped her arm through Julius’s and let him lead her out of the library. He glanced down at her quizzically.

“Are you so desperate for them to succeed? I thought you and father were coming around to the advantages of my marrying a commoner.”

His mother sighed. “It is our job to examine every eventuality and plan for each to the best of our ability. The fact that we are considering how best to utilize the current situation doesn’t mean it’s our first preference. Olivia is a dear girl, but there’s so very much for her to learn.” She gazed ahead of them, her eyes appearing distant and unfocused. “Do you think she could ever be comfortable here in our world? It was difficult enough for me, and I was raised in one of the most prominent court families.”

Julius frowned, wishing he could reassure her, but not confident in his answer. Olivia had impressed him in the days since her arrival at the palace, but that said nothing about her own comfort and happiness. And, somehow, that consideration had grown in importance in his mind. He had initially opposed the match for the sake of himself and the kingdom. Now he wondered if he should be opposing it for Olivia’s sake, as his mother seemed to be.

“If she’s not able to fit in here,” his mother continued sadly, “then it will make your life very difficult. You already have such a challenging role, and your father I want to help you with our choice of wife, not hinder you. There are other ways we can secure the goodwill of the populace.”

He glanced sideways at his mother. Apparently, it wasn’t Olivia’s well-being that concerned her after all. Not that he should be surprised—she had always been a very doting mother.

“Olivia seems to be adjusting quickly,” he said lightly, hoping his mother wouldn’t read too much into his words.

She turned to examine his face, and he kept his expression neutral. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her because she nodded and smiled.

“We’ve certainly been fortunate. The situation could be a lot worse. You would never guess she was a servant from her quick wits and level of education.”

Julius frowned. “She wasn’t a true servant, Mother. You know that. She’s a farmer’s daughter, and the niece of a successful businessman. And I’m sure even true servants are sufficiently educated. Sovar requires decent wages to be paid for the job.”

“Yes, yes, but you know what I mean,” his mother said. “I’ve been asking about her history, and she sat in on many of her cousins’ lessons since her arrival in the capital. So that will explain some of it. Servants just don’t have much opportunity to broaden their horizons.”

“Well, she’s certainly having them broadened now,” Julius muttered. “Whether she wants it or not.”

His mother’s words didn’t sit comfortably, and he suspected he knew the reason why. It wasn’t long since she had lamented about his own lack of experience outside the court, a strange mimicry of her words now about servants. Maybe it was Julius who had failed to broaden his horizons.

“In fact, Olivia is doing so well,” his mother continued, oblivious, “that I’ve decided she’s ready for social functions. I’ve already started planning a soiree as her first event. After that she can join court life freely.”

“That’s excellent news,” Julius said. Olivia had been sequestered long enough, and the people of court were growing impatient to properly meet her. “I’ll let her know. Is she in lessons at the moment or in her suite?”

His mother’s brows rose slightly, but she accepted his offer without question. “In her suite, I would assume. She only had morning lessons today. She can join us at the evening meal tonight where it will be just the four of us. A rehearsal, if you will.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Julius threw her a final smile as he disentangled his arm and turned down the corridor that would lead him to Olivia’s suite.

When he glanced back his mother was watching him with an expression he couldn’t read. His quick steps soon took him beyond her view, however, and he was knocking at Olivia’s sitting room door within minutes.

For the second time there was no answer, and he was forced to let himself in. When he was once again greeted with an empty suite, he rocked back on his heels, considering where she might be. She hadn’t had the opportunity to make friends at court yet—unless he counted Cade, and he preferred not to count Cade. It was a beautiful day, however, and his eyes were irresistibly drawn to the row of windows with their view of the grounds below.

He could see no sign of her from the window, but if she had gone for a ride, she would be out of view. He hurried straight for the stables, where the stable master greeted him with good humor and confirmed that Olivia was out riding.

“The mare can be trusted to keep her head in traffic,” the old man remarked, clearly seeking to assuage any concern Julius might feel for his betrothed. Instead, his words awakened the first stirrings of Julius’s alarm.

“Has she gone outside the grounds?” he asked.

The stable master nodded. “Requested an escort as pretty as you please, Your Highness.” He gave a gruff chuckle. “I suspect there’s not many as could gainsay a young thing like her.” He gave Julius a reassuring smile. “I sent one of my steadier lads.”

Julius nodded absently, relieved.

“Did she mention how long she expected to be with her aunt and uncle this time?” he asked, playing with the idea of riding out to meet her.

“Aunt and uncle?” The stable master rubbed his chin. “I don’t know about that. She sounded as if she was planning an excursion into the city.”

Julius’s eyes snapped to the man’s face. “The city? She went into the city with just a groom? No guards?”

The stable master frowned. “She didn’t say anything about guards, Your Highness.” The creases on his brow deepened. “Are you expecting trouble, Prince? You often ride out with a single escort.”

Julius bit back a low growl. The words were true enough, and the situation wasn’t the stable master’s fault. A rush of anger toward Olivia filled him, but he recognized it for what it truly was—fear.

This time he wasn’t going to rush to blame her. She had followed his instructions exactly—he was the one who had failed to be clear about what escorts she would need for what activities. Worst of all, he had a sinking feeling that he knew what had sent her into the city. If she was poking around looking for hardened criminals known to abduct young ladies, he would have liked a whole battalion at her back.

“Saddle my horse as quickly as possible,” he bit out, turning on his heel without waiting for the stable master’s acknowledgment.

Racing across the open yard between the stables and barracks, he snapped out an order for an escort of guards. The sergeant on duty didn’t waste time with questions, bellowing for his chosen men to fetch their mounts.

As Julius mounted his own stallion, he told himself he was probably overreacting. He hoped he was. If Olivia was merely riding around the city for some fresh air, she would probably be fine, even with a single groom. But he didn’t believe his own reassurances. Olivia had been too passionate about finding Marigold for that, and he should have questioned her sudden quiet on the topic.

Riding out of the palace, at the head of two rows of brightly dressed guards, he tried to think where to start his search. In the end, at a loss, he directed his horse toward the city’s central market.

On main market days, people would come from the surrounding countryside to set up stalls, but even on a non-market day, the permanent stallholders would be there. Julius headed straight for a small stall in one of the far corners, keeping his horse to a walk as he wove through the milling customers.

He had never openly approached that particular stall before, but his father’s aide—the one whose name wasn’t known to most of the court—had once pointed out the stall. Julius wasn’t supposed to approach it openly, but his worry was too great to allow for caution.

He stopped in front of the stall and pointed silently at one of the barrels of cider.

“Yes, Your Highness!” the man inside the stall cried, leaping to his feet. “At once, Your Highness!”

He dipped a tankard into the cider and carried it to the prince, who remained astride. Handing it up, the man bowed obsequiously, but his manner was belied by the light in his eyes, which was intelligent and knowing.

When he straightened, he murmured too quietly for even Julius’s guards to hear.

“If you’re interested in the location of Her Highness, I’ve heard word she was headed for the seaside—the popular beach south of the port, I believe it was.”

“My thanks.” Julius took a long draft before handing the tankard back to the man and tossing down a coin.

The man accepted the tankard with another bow, catching the coin with a practiced movement.

“My stall is honored by your visit, Your Highness,” he said, but Julius was already moving again, his guards behind him.

The man provided a flow of information to the palace on the state of the populace, and he could now see why his father valued him so highly. Julius might face the king’s displeasure for openly interacting with the man, but he didn’t regret it. He would never have tracked Olivia down without some direction.

As he rode, the panicked feeling in his gut slowly subsided. If Olivia had gone to the popular section of waterfront, it was good news—much better than imagining her poking around in the underbelly of the city. She must have been seeking information from the general populace rather than seeking the abductors directly.

And if she wasn’t in direct and immediate danger, he needed to rethink his approach. The southern beachfront was one of the places where the people of the city mingled freely, regardless of their usual occupations and ranks, and it was always a popular location when the weather was favorable. If he rode up with a squad of guards and plucked Olivia from the people’s midst, he might create the sort of stir that was certain to anger his father. Better to approach with a little more circumspection.

He pulled up short of the beachfront street, directing his men to remain there out of sight. Dismounting, he crossed the final distance alone.