Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 42 Part 2- Locked Doors

"Hang on just one more second. Which Captain?" Liara frowned.

"The... Spanish Captain," Mina hesitated not wanting to say too much, but also not keen to conceal anything either. "I've seen him before and I think he is helping keep the Queen safe while he is here in London. I'm not sure the details though."

Liara's hand flew out swiftly to smack her friend's shoulder. "And you are only telling me this now?!"

"Umm.. sorry?" Mina offered as her fingers reached forward for another shortbread.

"Great. You two are off having grand adventures and I am stuck here. And cleaning the oven no less!"

Verushka patted Liara's hand in commiseration but her friend shook it off.

"I guess there is one thing that I am grateful for," Liara smiled reluctantly. "That Cain has finally come clean about his other life."

"What?" Verushka's freshly chipped nails gripped at her cooling mug of tea.

"So... I may have run into him at the Crimson Guild," Liara winced.

Mina spluttered, sending tea all over the front of her shirt.

"Not like that!" Liara yelped. "I was over at Judge Rinehart's filling in for one of the other girls and Cain was doing something spy like. Before you ask me what, I don't know."

"Cain was sneaking around Lady Bianca Rinehart's house?" Verushka raised both brows.

"Yup, he was looking for something I guess," she affirmed.

"I wonder if he found it." Mina mused thinking about her own missions to stalk the same woman.

Verushka bit her lip and sat in silence for several moments. "You never told me, Liara."

"Pot. Kettle. Black. Same goes for you, Ver. You are in so deep with this spy thing. I mean you took tea with the Queen today. Anyway, I told him to tell you soon or I would. I thought it only fair to give him a chance to come clean."

"Well technically the Queen told me, not him." Ver scrunched up her lips in annoyance.

"I love how casually you say that, like it is so common to converse with the Queen of England," Mina laughed half with amusement and half incredulity.

"Speaking of which," Verushka continued. "She has asked me to go to Buckingham tomorrow to meet her."

Both girls' eyebrows shot to the roof.

"I don't know what for, yet," Verushka added quickly. "I'm supposed to go as a maid not as the Wyvernstone ward."

"Well, I guess you won't be using the front door then." Liara smirked congenially. "Might be a nice change," Liara commented idly but her words had a hint of a bite and Verushka stared at her. "You know what I mean. Ever since this all started, we hardly see you, and when we do it's... different."

Verushka cocked her head to one side. "How? I'm still the same."

A snort of disagreement puffed out of Mina.

"What?" Verushka persisted with a tinge of annoyance.

"Well, it's nothing bad, Ver," Mina explained. "It's just that you were spending all your time with the Bletchley and Riverstone servant crew when you weren't training with the Duchess and then you were making the ton fall in love with you. I mean, you used to spend every spare moment reading in the pantry or joining Li and me in some scheme or another but now you write letters to other ladies and run around London saving the Queen. We get it, you're busy, but it's just... a change."