Page 24

Chapter 24

Olivia

O livia floated through the palace. She had grown increasingly comfortable in her life as a temporary royal—due in large part to Julius’s constant and reassuring presence. But as her happiness in her new life grew, so had her guilt at not having found any hint of her missing friend.

But now they had a lead, and her hope had brightened anew. She felt sure they were on the cusp of uncovering her friend’s location.

And to make matters even better, she had received word that Daphne was finally due to arrive that day. She didn’t know what time, but she intended to wait on the front steps until her cousin’s carriage rolled in.

As it turned out, she had barely arrived at the front doors when a carriage entered at the distant gates. Olivia hurried down the stairs, waiting with bated breath to see who would emerge.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of her, and a royal footman stepped past, moving at a much more dignified pace than her own excited rush. He opened the door and pulled down the steps, but no one emerged.

He waited, hand held out to assist any occupants to alight, but still no one appeared. Olivia, abandoning patience completely, rushed forward and peered through the open carriage door.

For a second, the interior appeared to be empty. Then her vision adjusted to the dim lighting, and she spotted a small figure huddled in the corner. The young woman’s dark dress allowed her to blend in with the shadows inside the carriage, and she was slumped with her head against the wall, almost as if she was?—

“Sleeping? Really, Daphne?” Olivia laughed because she should have known. Thanks to the Oakden Legacy, Daphne was always sleeping. “You’ve arrived, you know. It’s time to wake up.”

Daphne slowly opened her eyes and smiled calmly at her newly royal cousin. “Olivia? Have I reached the palace, then?”

“Of course you have!” Olivia reached in and pulled her cousin out, ignoring the footman.

The two girls embraced.

“I would ask about your journey,” Olivia said, “but you clearly slept the whole way.”

“It was most relaxing,” Daphne agreed. “I haven’t had such a long stretch of time without someone pestering me to hurry since…” Her mouth pursed. “Possibly ever.”

Olivia laughed again, full of delight just from her cousin’s presence. “I’m glad my invitation could provide such a respite for you.” She held Daphne at arm’s length and examined her. “I haven’t seen you in person for more than a decade, but I would have recognized you just the same.”

“You, on the other hand, look much fancier.” One side of Daphne’s mouth twitched up. “You were knee-deep in dirt last time I saw you. But are you really a princess now?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “No! As I keep telling everyone. And as you very well know! I wrote you all about it.”

“Did you?” Daphne yawned, turning to watch the footman unloading her trunk. “Your letters are so long that you can’t possibly expect me to read the entire thing every time. It’s far too fatiguing.”

“Daphne!” Olivia shook her head and linked arms with her cousin, pulling her toward the stairs.

Daphne eyed the flight distastefully but ascended without complaint and without losing her breath.

“So how long until I have a chance to feast my eyes on the handsomest prince in six kingdoms?” Daphne asked. “You perceive me positively agog.”

Her words, paired with her placid expression, made Olivia snort. “What in the kingdoms are you talking about, Daphne?”

“Me?” Daphne turned a wounded expression on Olivia. “You were the one who informed me of that vital piece of information. You tried to hide it in the second of three postscripts, but my keen awareness drew me straight to the most salient point.”

They reached the front door, and Olivia propelled Daphne through.

“See! You do read my letters all the way to the end. I knew it.” Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Your replies are far too astute for someone who skipped half of what I said.”

“It’s all the napping.” Daphne looked around the white marble interior of the palace with interest. “It sharpens the brain.”

Olivia gave her an impulsive hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s nice to have one of my people here.”

“Yes, it sounded like you’d gotten yourself into quite the fix.” Daphne’s eyes settled on Olivia. “I could hardly fail to respond to your desperate plea for an ally.”

Olivia bit her lip, her eyes sliding away from her cousin’s. “I may have been a tad emotional when I wrote that first letter from the palace,” she said. “But I’m still delighted to have you here.”

Daphne looked away, a small smile on her face. “So the handsome face has worked its magic. I did suspect as much. Not that I wouldn’t have come sooner if I could, mind. But there were things I couldn’t miss back home.”

“Have you really left Glandore for good?” Olivia asked. “You’ll return to Oakden after this?”

Daphne hesitated before shrugging. “That’s the plan for now. But Glandore feels like home, whatever the Oakden Legacy thinks, so I haven’t quite made up my mind to stay in Oakden forever. We shall see.”

“Well, you’ll always be welcome here if I have anything to say about it,” Olivia declared.

“Your letter didn’t exactly reassure me on that head.” Daphne followed Olivia around a corner. “So I think I should meet this prince of yours to be sure I really am welcome to stay as long as I like—or rather as long as you like.”

“Do you really want to meet him immediately?” Olivia asked. “You don’t want to freshen up first? Or have a rest?” As soon as she said the word rest, she knew it was a silly suggestion, given Daphne had napped the whole way there. But Daphne responded immediately.

“Of course I’d far rather rest. In truth, your prince is only third on my list behind both rest and the famed and enormous Mildred.” She turned curious eyes on Olivia. “Is she really as big as a small horse? Have you tried riding her?”

Olivia giggled. “Yes, she is that big, but no, of course I haven’t tried riding her!”

Daphne nodded. “Very wise. It sounds far too fatiguing to ride without a saddle.” She heaved a sigh. “But I wouldn’t want to offend royal sensibilities by allowing your prince to find out he rates below a giant rodent.”

“And a nap,” Olivia interjected, but Daphne ignored her.

“So you might as well take me to your prince now and get it over with.”

“You don’t have to keep calling him that,” Olivia said with a laugh that didn’t sound quite natural.

Of course, it was true in a technical sense, given their betrothal. But Daphne said it in a tone that made it sound real, and the vulnerability of that made Olivia uncomfortable.

Because she did want Julius to be hers—not just in name but in reality. And if Daphne had been able to read Olivia’s heart from only a letter, how many other people—including Julius himself—could plainly read it on her face?

“I don’t mind if she calls me that,” said a deep voice, bringing a flush to Olivia’s cheeks.

She spun to see Julius striding toward them. He smiled first at her and then at Daphne.

“Welcome to the palace, Daphne. As Olivia’s cousin, you’re basically family. You can call me whatever you like—at least in private.”

Olivia’s flush faded. It had been a mere politeness? She tried to ignore her disappointment.

“However, I’m not so sure how I feel about being ranked below a rodent.” He flashed Daphne a grin. “Even if Mildred is a… magnificent creature.”

Olivia leaned toward Daphne and spoke in a clearly audible whisper. “Julius is afraid of her.”

He straightened, assuming a look of offense, although his eyes were still laughing.

“I’ll have you know that if it came to her or me in a dark corridor, I’m confident in my ability to send her running.”

Olivia snorted. “That’s not hard. Mildred runs away from everyone except me.” She looked at Daphne. “Mildred is even more wary of people than Julius is of her. I don’t think she’s left my suite once since she arrived.”

“Very sensible,” Daphne said. “Suites are comfortable places full of beds and armchairs. I highly approve of them myself.”

“You would.” Olivia shook her head. “Since Julius is here, why don’t we give you a tour of the palace? Not that you need to remember your way around. I’ll stick to your side like glue until you have it all straight. It’s a big place. When I first arrived, I needed a guide, too.”

Olivia paused, startled to realize that it had been a long time since she had gotten herself turned around in the palace corridors. Until Daphne arrived, she’d almost forgotten how overwhelming the palace had been at the beginning. In just a couple of months she had grown so used to it that it felt like home. So how would it feel to leave it and never return?

She shook off the momentary melancholy, determined not to ruin her reunion with Daphne.

“Come on!” she said. “It’s an incredible building. You’re going to love all the courtyards.”

She propelled Daphne along the corridor. “And don’t tell me it sounds too fatiguing,” she said, cutting off her cousin’s complaint before she could make it. “You just slept all the way here. You can manage a little exertion.”

“Slept all the way here?” Julius’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that even possible? It’s a long way from Thebarton to the Sovaran capital.”

“No one sleeps like Daphne,” Olivia responded. “But thankfully she’s too good-natured to say no to me.” She threw her cousin a grin, but Daphne just sighed.

“Here I thought I was finally going to get a break, but you’re just like Rosalie.”

Olivia laughed, flattered by the comparison, despite the small pang of jealousy at the mention of Rosalie. She had always been a little jealous of Daphne’s Glandorian best friend. Not just because Rosalie got to see Daphne in person every day, but because Olivia had wanted a friend like her in Henton. But from the stories in Daphne’s letters, there was no one quite like Rosalie.

They reached the first courtyard, and Daphne expressed suitable admiration, immediately lifting Olivia’s spirits once again. Her cousin had lived far from the Glandorian capital and had never been inside a palace before, so she was interested in everything they saw. The swell of pride inside Olivia grew at the chance to show her cousin her new home. It might be temporary, but she had come to feel a sense of connection to the palace and belonging with the whole community who lived and worked there.

When they reached the courtyard where both Julius and Olivia now started their mornings, they found Cade and Zane in the middle of a bout.

Olivia smiled, pleased to have run into the brothers so quickly. She sat beside the fountain, and Daphne sat with her, while Julius strolled closer to watch the bout from the sidelines.

“Fighting.” Daphne sighed. “The most fatiguing thing of all.”

“I think it’s interesting,” Olivia said. “Julius said he’ll teach me when things slow down in the winter.” She paused, wondering if she would even still be at the palace in the winter. She hadn’t thought of that when Julius was at her side, talking of future lessons while his eyes shone with warmth.

A shout from Cade drew her attention. She looked up in time to see him skip backward, barely escaping an attack from Zane. She cheered when he regained his footing and launched a counterattack, earning an enigmatic look from Julius. But she didn’t mind playing favorites when it came to Cade. Not only was he Julius’s closest friend, but he had been suffering for weeks under the weight of Marigold’s continued disappearance.

Zane threw a glance their way, his eyes lighting with curiosity when he saw someone new beside Olivia. But his inattention nearly cost him the bout, and he was forced to focus again on Cade’s attacks.

“That’s Lord Zane and Lord Cade,” Olivia said for Daphne’s benefit. “They’re the two sons of Lord Strathmore, who is—” She glanced sideways, and her words died.

Daphne was leaning against a small potted tree, to every appearance asleep.

Olivia shook her head wonderingly. How could Daphne possibly sleep through the sounds of the bout and her own cheering and chatter?

The bout finished with a neat move from Zane, ending with his sword point hovering lightly over Cade’s heart. Cade took the loss in good part, strolling toward Julius, his breath still coming hard. Zane followed more slowly, dipping his head in Julius’s direction.

“I’m glad you’re both here,” Julius said. “Olivia’s cousin has come to stay with her, and I wanted to introduce you before the reception tonight.”

The reception would be smaller than Olivia’s first soiree—held for the select group of nobles who maintained apartments in the palace. However, the guest list meant that despite its size, it would still include the most influential segment of Sovaran nobility. Thankfully that included the two brothers.

Between the queen’s lessons and the string of summer entertainments, Olivia had become familiar with every face in the Sovaran court. But she still felt most comfortable with the four men who made up Julius’s inner circle.

The girls her own age were invariably polite but kept her at a distance. She had sometimes wondered if they guessed her betrothal might not last, and they were reluctant to open their inner circles to an outsider until it was confirmed she was there to stay. Whatever the reason, she hadn’t pressed the matter and so was delighted to finally have Daphne for female company.

Julius led Cade and Zane over to the fountain. “This is Daphne.” He gestured at her before looking at her properly and letting out a crack of laughter.

Both Cade and Zane stared in silence.

“Is she…asleep?” Zane asked, shaken out of his languid drawl for once.

Daphne straightened, stretching her arms and yawning. She blinked several times and looked around.

“Is the fighting over?” she asked. “Good.”

Olivia choked down a laugh. “This is my cousin, Daphne,” she said. “She’s originally from Oakden.”

Immediate comprehension filled both men’s faces. Everyone knew the link between the Oakden Legacy and sleep. Cade gave Daphne a respectful bow, and Zane followed a beat later.

“It’s a pleasure to meet any relative of Olivia’s,” Cade said, and Zane murmured agreement.

The brothers didn’t linger long due to a scheduled meeting with their father, and after their departure, Olivia finally took pity on Daphne and led her to Olivia’s suite to meet Mildred.

Daphne was suitably impressed with the mouse, showing more enthusiasm than she had for Olivia’s human friends. And Mildred responded to her admiration, acting quite unlike her usual shy self.

“Did you know mice nap throughout the day and night?” Daphne said. “Very sensible creatures.”

Since the part of the palace that had most impressed Daphne was Olivia’s suite, Olivia was a little concerned that her cousin would protest the need to spend the evening at a royal reception. But Daphne accepted the scheduled event without comment, taking great joy in choosing herself a dress from Olivia’s now extensive collection.

“You look stunning!” Olivia declared when she saw Daphne dressed in a new formal gown she hadn’t yet worn. “It’s a good thing Aunt Helen is right about the women in our family all having similar proportions.”

“I might be willing to marry a prince myself for a wardrobe like that,” Daphne said with a wistful sigh.

Olivia grinned. “But just think how fatiguing it would be to be a princess!”

Daphne shuddered. “You’re right, of course. It doesn’t bear thinking of.” She admired herself in the mirror a final time before turning to Olivia.

“Will Cousin Helen and her girls be at the reception tonight? We didn’t pass through the capital when I was seven, so I still haven’t met them.”

Olivia shook her head regretfully. “But I’ll take you to visit them as soon as I get the chance. You’ll like Nell and Hattie. They’re hard not to like.”

“And Marigold?” Daphne asked. “Will I meet her? She’s their neighbor, isn’t she? You were always writing about her when you lived with Cousin Helen, but since you moved to the palace, you haven’t mentioned her once.” She eyed Olivia, clearly aware there was something Olivia hadn’t told her.

She was right, of course. Olivia’s letters had been vague since she had been careful not to put anything about Marigold’s trick or her subsequent disappearance into writing.

Olivia gestured Daphne closer and lowered her voice as she quickly filled her in on the full story of how she had ended up betrothed to the prince and about Marigold’s suspected abduction. She even confided Marigold’s connection with Cade and the recent kidnapping of Elisabeth, although she swore her cousin to secrecy on all of it.

“Well,” Daphne said blankly when Olivia finally finished, “I knew something must have happened, but I can’t say I dreamed of that tangled web.”

“Who would!” Olivia shook her head. “I just wish we could find Marigold and make sure she’s safe. Then we might have a hope of untangling it all.”

Daphne shot her a perceptive look. “Are you sure you want it all untangled?”

Olivia looked away, busying herself with putting a late rose in her hair. “I certainly want to know my friend is safe.”

“Yes,” Daphne murmured softly. “There’s definitely that.”

As a result of their conversation, Daphne showed far more interest in Cade at the reception than she had done on first meeting. Before long, she was engaged in a light but humorous conversation with both Cade and Zane, leaving Olivia free to think her own thoughts.

Her eyes skipped around the receiving room, taking note of how light the decorations were compared to the more elaborate social events of the summer. The change of season hadn’t affected the clothing of the attendees, however, and their silks and satins filled the room with color.

Her sweeping gaze fell on Lord Emerson, and to her surprise she found him gazing back at her. When their eyes met, she inclined her head respectfully before looking quickly away. But when she risked a glance back at him, his eyes were still trained on her. He held her gaze, gesturing with a subtle wave for her to approach him.

Olivia blinked, glancing behind her. Was he signaling to someone else?

But there was no one behind her. He gestured again.

Bemused, she moved toward him. She had greeted him before at Julius’s side, but she couldn’t remember a single proper conversation with the influential lord. He had certainly never sought her out.

Apprehension and hope battled within her, swirling in her stomach in a nauseating dance. Was it possible Marigold had been found? Olivia would gladly be wrong about her friend’s abduction if it meant Marigold was safe.

“Lady Olivia.” Lord Emerson said her name in a gruff voice as soon as she reached him.

She nodded, waiting for him to say more, but he remained silent for several awkward seconds before clearing his throat. He still didn’t speak, however.

“My lord?” she asked, her concern growing.

Was the news of Marigold too terrible to relate? She looked around for Marigold’s mother, hoping to gain some clue from her countenance, but Lady Emerson wasn’t in the room. Olivia’s concern grew even larger.

“Has something happened to Marigold?” she asked breathlessly, giving in to the pressure.

A flash of something crossed Lord Emerson’s face—a rare outburst of emotion from a man who was usually tightly controlled, at least in public.

“Is she all right?” Olivia asked, her voice higher.

“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me,” he said.

“Me, my lord?” Disappointment seeped through Olivia. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I understand you were my daughter’s friend,” he said.

“I’m still her friend,” Olivia said staunchly.

His eyes narrowed, and she immediately wondered if she’d given the wrong impression.

“Wherever she is,” she added. “I just mean that I haven’t given up on her.” She hesitated, but Lord Emerson had been the one to initiate the conversation. She decided to be bold. “I heard she was missing. She hasn’t contacted you?”

Slowly he shook his head. “I was angry with her after the Midsummer Ball. She has always been a…challenge.” He almost growled the last word. “But that trick she played was too far even for her.”

Olivia nodded. She couldn’t dispute the point, no matter how worried she was for her friend now. The Midsummer Ball had been Marigold at her most outrageous and feckless.

“I was certain she knew she’d gone too far and had run off afterward.” He gave Olivia a keen look from under his brows. “She really didn’t go to you? You haven’t seen her since?”

Olivia shook her head. “I swear I haven’t seen her since I left her carriage to enter the ball.”

Lord Emerson gave a heavy sigh. “It’s been so many weeks. I thought she would have returned by now—reappeared in a whirlwind, trying to charm us all into forgiving her. She probably would have succeeded given her track record—as long as she left us enough time to calm down and begin to worry. But it’s been too long. She wouldn’t have waited this long. I started checking with every relative, every friend. You’re the last one.”

He hesitated, glancing around. “My wife said you visited once. She said you mentioned…abduction?” He almost whispered the word.

“Yes,” Olivia said breathlessly, her mind racing as she tried to decide how much to say. She hadn’t expected a second chance to talk to Marigold’s parents. “I’m convinced she was abducted. I know she was prone to outrageous and dramatic actions, but she wasn’t the type to abandon her friends to face her consequences for her. I don’t believe she would have abandoned me.”

Lord Emerson looked down and away. Did he feel guilty for not having had the same faith in Marigold as Olivia had? Sympathy welled in Olivia, quick and strong. His worry for his daughter had to be even greater knowing he had left it so long to look for her.

“It’s been challenging finding evidence to corroborate my theory,” she said. “But I haven’t given up searching.”

Lord Emerson’s eyes flew to hers. “You’ve been looking for Marigold?”

Olivia nodded, wanting to reassure him. “I was hoping that if I couldn’t find her, I could at least find evidence to support my theory of an abduction.” She hesitated before pressing on. “In fact, I believe I’ve finally found some evidence. I’m hoping that in just a few days, I’ll be able to?—”

“Evidence?” Lord Emerson’s voice grew sharper than she had ever heard it. “You have evidence that my daughter was abducted?”

“Well…” Olivia faltered before the blaze in his eyes. “I need a few more days before I can completely confirm it. I don’t have anything concrete yet. But we think we’re on the verge of finding out where she’s being kept, as well as who took her.”

“I can tell you right now who took her,” the lord said through his teeth, his body rigid and his face furious.

Before she could respond, he stormed across the room.

Olivia watched him go in astonishment. What was he talking about and where was he going? He hadn’t even seemed to believe in an abduction two minutes ago. Was he going to the guards to demand a proper search?

But Lord Emerson stormed directly across the room to a small cluster of noblemen. Two of them turned to greet him, but he ignored them both. Striding up to Lord Strathmore, he seized the front of his clothing in an angry fist and jerked the other man toward him.

“Where is my daughter?” he roared. “What have you done with her?”