The Royal Guard returned to the castle by the end of the night, confirming that all the notices had been delivered to the proper authorities. Sir William, however, had stayed back in the village of Tisbury to investigate a claimed Marcellus sighting. I hoped for his quick and safe return as I thought of what that old man could be capable of. We thanked them for their service before retiring to our chambers.
As we prepared for bed, a servant dropped off a letter from one of the messengers assigned to the internal audit team. He quickly grabbed it before dismissing her, but only after insisting that every such letter gets delivered to him immediately, regardless of the time. I peered over Ash's shoulder as he hurriedly opened it. It was from Stephen Arden, a close friend of his from quite a landed noble family.
Ash read it out loud, "Hours after the notices had been received, Mr. Hansbury requested an emergency meeting between every member of the Hunters' Club, which includes my father. By the time you receive this, the meeting will have ended. Details to follow soon."
I groaned, "That man never knows when to step down."
Ash placed the letter on the table, "If it's the Hunters' Club, it's a meeting between only the richest of the nobility. I suppose about a third of our list is part of that exclusive assembly, so at least thirty men must have gathered. What are they planning?"
The Hunters' Club was an elitist assembly of the wealthiest men in the kingdom. Contrary to what the ruse of a name suggests, hunting was the least of their concerns. They occupied each other with landholding monopolies and ploys to trap the peasant class in feudal cycles. My father has been repeatedly invited to join them, but they eventually grew tired of his polite rejection. When he did associate with them, it was for the rare charitable occasion. This prevented him from ever becoming part of the inner circle.
I rested my hand on Ash's shoulder, "Ash, these men are powerful and most likely very unhappy to say the least. We have to be careful when dealing with them."
He sighed, "I know. I just don't understand how to convince these selfish fools... I'm afraid if they push any further with their resistance, I'll have to treat it as treason."
"I'd like to see how some of these men react to a stay in the dungeons." I mused.
He winced, "I don't think the castle would be able to sleep with the amount of protest they'd make."
"Perhaps we could send them to the ones in Trephine?"
He laughed, "They'd be perfect company for that old hag."
My smile faltered. I had been meaning to ask him this.
"Ash, why do you detest your grandmother so?"
He looked up at me with those arcane blue eyes of his, which rivaled the depths of the ocean as he contemplated how to answer my question.
"She's a very tough woman. Have you ever heard the story of what happened to my father's cousin? Godfrey Annesley?"
I shook my head.
"For good reason, it's a family secret, really. Not many people know of him because he died at a relatively young age. He grew up without parents because his father died at war and his mother died while giving birth to him. He was my father's only rival to the throne, and much older at that."
"Don't tell me..." I gasped.
He carefully studied my expression as he hesitantly nodded his head, "I'm not sure how much of a threat Annesley was to my father's position, but Lady Arabella thought it was best to get rid of him. One day, while out hunting, a spare arrow pierced his chest. The assailant was never found and Annesley passed away. I'm not sure whether the accident was planned or if Annesley simply received purposefully delayed medical attention, but my grandmother definitely played a hand in his demise. I'd like to think it was the latter to keep myself from falling into the depths of cynicism... but either action is just as bad if you think about the intent behind them. Ever since that incident, my father claims to have been distant with his mother. After all, Annesley was like an older brother to him and he had lost his favorite companion while he was just a child. Even Trephine, although it was built under the guise of my birthday celebrations, was really meant to keep Lady Arabella estranged from the rest of the family. My father could never bring himself to trust his mother again."
Disbelief shrouded my expression as his words reeled through my mind.
I thought back to her last visit, her insistence on me producing an heir, and her constant paranoia of someone else, not of Devereux blood, sitting on the throne.
Annesley was nothing more than a hyena to her.
It all made sense. A repulsive amount of sense.
His voice broke my thoughts, "Now do you understand why it is so difficult for me to call her grandmother?"
He inched closer to wipe the tears that rolled down my cheeks. They were a product of shock more than sorrow. He lightly planted his soft lips onto mine; giving me a sense of comfort and warmth in the reality of the cold world I had willingly stepped into.
"Ash, please be careful." I murmured.
He smiled as he wrapped his arms around me, "There's not a chance that I'd leave you, even at death's calling. I've proved that once before, have I not?"
There was truth to his statement.
I received the next day with a heavy heart, apprehensive of the chaos that would ensue from the noble families. Several messages were sent throughout the night, all notice of similar warnings regarding the stubborn patriarchs who would visit Ash in protest today.
We had nothing to do but wait for their rude arrival, although we did not have to wait for long as the raucous group rolled in soon after breakfast hours, dressed in their best velvets and furs nonetheless, as if to taunt the crown with their exuberant wealth. As I tried to follow Ash into the meeting room, he stopped me.
"Ev, please understand why I don't want you in there with me. If they have any hatred, I only want myself to be the target. I can't put you through such risk."
I desperately tried to protest, but he would have none of it. As a compromise, I silently stood by the door, which was creaked ever so slightly open. I nodded at the guards flanking either side as they acknowledged my presence.
I listened as the introductions followed Ash's entrance. Of course, Mr. Hansbury was amongst the men, as well as all the men who were part of the council meeting held recently.
And so began their protests.
"I request that the Parity Clause henceforth be repealed." Mr. Hansbury's booming voice cried.
"This is the last time that I will repeat myself. Any resistance to the Parity Clause will be treated as treason. If you continue to argue with me, I will have you arrested." Ash's steely voice shot back.
There was a short pause.
"Forgive me for my choice of words, Your Majesty, but if that were the case, I am afraid you would have had to arrest your late father as well." Hansbury pressed.
This time, the pause was longer.
"Explain yourself, if you consider that tongue of yours worthy of keeping."
I heard a low chuckle, "Oh bless your soul, were you not aware of the special accounts kept by your father?"
I heard a slap against the table, most likely from Ash, and his voice followed, "My patience is tiring, Hansbury."
His formerly mocking tone changed into one of haste, "We are not the only bad men here, Your Majesty. Your father, in fact, was involved in the forgery of many of the records you had tirelessly proofed. Your father kept a personal fund of his own, in exchange for lenience when it came to us paying our dues."
My eyes widened with shock at his bold statement. They had to be—
"Lies!" Ash spat, "You fool, do you know what kind of punishment awaits those who slander the Crown?"
"I swear to God, I speak nothing but the truth and have an entire room full of witnesses to uphold my statement."
Concurrent agreement rang throughout the room, which only seemed to put Ash even more at unease.
"I will make all of you regret your words." I heard him object through clenched teeth.
"I wouldn't make such a bold statement without consulting the truth first. Have you ever looked through your father's personal accounts?" Hansbury shot back.
I heard a chair being forcefully pushed back as it screeched against the floor. There were hurried footsteps, and soon the door was swung open and out stepped Ash. Without even sparing me a glance, he rushed in the direction of his late father's study. I requested the guards to dismiss the guests, as we had eyes on them anyway.
I wanted to spare them from Ash's imminent wrath.
After all, King Gavin would never misappropriate public funds in such a manner, especially not for personal use.