The Lady Knight
"How dare you destroy Jeanne's chambers thus?" a voice bellowed with unconstrained fury from across the Manor.
A woman's unintelligible whimpers were heard in answer.
I cringed. Oncle Tom must have found out about how Lady Rosanna wrecked Mama's chambers. As much as I hated the witch, I did feel a miniscule amount of sympathy for her for having to face Oncle Tom's rare, but fiery temper.
Shaking my head, I tried to walk as quickly as I could alongside Captain Everard and Captain Dupont and listen to what they were saying. However, they were too fast. Four of my strides could barely match one of theirs.
"Captain Dupont, I am telling you," Captain Everard was whispering, "the hand Ma'am and her friends found cannot be mere a random threat or warning. It surely signifies something. Diego would never send anything without a reason - "
"You had no right!" Oncle Tom yelled again, drowning out Captain Everard, "I care not what made you do it - "
His rage almost shook something within me. It had been many years since I had witnessed or even heard his phenomenal temper.
But Captain Dupont carried on, ignoring the deafening argument. "That hand could have been meant to merely scare Ma'am," Captain Dupont pointed out, keeping his volume low, "as Ma'am said - "
"You will never know what your Ma'am said if you do not slow down this instant!" I huffed behind them, panting, "gentlemen, some of us have shorter legs, and less responsive muscular systems at dawn. Have some thought."
Both men paused in their tracks for a moment, bursting into weak chuckles as I hurried to catch up with them.
"We beg your pardon, Ma'am," Captain Everard shrugged in faint amusement.
Dark circles ringed his eyes, as well as those of Captain Dupont's, and their shoulders had a definite droop to them. In short, they looked extremely exhausted.
"Neither of you slept at all last night. Do I speak the truth?" my eyes narrowed in disapproval, gesturing them to walk along with me down the corridor.
I was answered by silent, sheepish expressions and at once, I knew they had been guarding the Manor last night as an extra duty, along with the other Captains who were supposed to be on duty according to the duty roster.
"Captains," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "we need to be at our highest alert, more so now than ever. For that, you need proper rest. The both of you especially overwork yourselves too much."
"I want to hear no excuses, Rosanna!" Oncle Tom hollered again, before angry, heavy footsteps were heard stomping away into nothing, accompanied by a woman's loud sobs.
Captain Everard shoved his hands in his pockets, wincing slightly. "None of us were able to sleep at all after you had discovered the hand," he admitted solemnly, "Diego could have so easily reached Lord Roche last night. If he could reach Lord Roche, then what would stop him from reaching the Prince on our watch?"
My expression soured. "That is true. And I am worried about his brother as well," I whispered, "what if the hand was his?" I fretted, as we dragged our feet down the stairs.
"Surely not, my Lady Knight," Captain Dupont shook his head vehemently.
"Mayhap you should make the journey today, Ma'am," Captain Everard suggested quietly, "to check on him."
I nodded. "Mayhap I will - " I started, when the sight in front of me, at the landing of the stairs, stopped me short.
More specifically, the sight of Nick and Tess at the landing of the stairs.
Tess was standing up on her toes in front of Nick, who was already impeccably dressed for the Potential Quest trip to the earldom villages of Roche, standing much too close to him than I would have liked her to.
So close, in fact, that they could be hugging.
Her slender fingers adjusted Nick's cravat for him, her forehead creased in extreme concentration as she did so. He, on the other hand, was smiling contently down at her, trying to be as still as he could for her sake. His lips moved continuously, which elicited melodious, tinkling laughter from her, as both their heads, mahogany and gold, were bent over the damned cravat.
They could well be part of an image from a portrait, of a dutiful, loving wife fussing over her husband. Such a simple gesture, yet, it evoked a strong response in me that I could not have anticipated.
I did not recognise that rush of dark rage that pulsated through me at that moment, or that violent urge to rip her hands away from him, or that desperate need to break something fragile that instant, but certainly, it was not a pleasant feeling.
I felt Captain Everard's and Captain Dupont's curious stares burn into the sides of my head. I knew I had gone pale. I did not need them to voice out that fact.
I cleared my throat.
Tess turned to glance at me, surprised to find me there with my Captains. However, she made no move to remove her hands from his cravat. Instead, her deceptively innocent blue gaze held mine with a strength and determination I had to applaud, as her lips curled up into a vicious, triumphant smile upon seeing my countenance.
She knew. She always knew.
Nick's head turned too, and he shot me a happy grin in welcome. "Good morning, Julie - " he began brightly, but faltered almost at once, "is there something wrong?" I noticed he still did not step away from her.
By God, how I wished that did not bother me so!
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and shoved my hands in my pockets, curling them into fists. Raising my head, I rocked on my heels for a moment, before mustering up a convincingly happy smile.
"Nothing of consequence," I shook my head, "so...would anyone like to join me for breakfast?" I forced myself to chuckle, gazing around as I was met by genuine cheers and whoops of approval, even from Tess.
Only Captain Everard remained strangely solemn.
***
I jumped off Aurora in one fluid motion and tied her to the nearest tree with tight knots.
The door flung open at once, and two figures rushed out towards me. "You look awful," was Richard's blunt and immediate welcome, as he pulled me into a warm hug at the doorstep, "does she not, Jackie?"
He was whole. His both hands were still intact, crushing me to his chest. I was overwhelmed by the relief that flooded me at that moment.
"Thank God," I mumbled into his shirt.
"Tsk, tsk. Allow her to come inside first before she freezes," Jackie admonished gently, smacking his arm, "have you no manners?"
Richard released me, chuckling, as he pulled me into the house past a grumbling Jackie. "Have you not been eating well? Sleeping well? Has my brother been tormenting you?" he fired questions laced with concern at me, "why do you look like you have starved for days?" He sat me down on a chair and sank into a seat next to me, his face expectant.
"Thank you for boosting my self-esteem, Richard," I rolled my eyes at him, flicking his forehead none too gently, as Jackie closed the door behind us and seated herself across us.
"All jests aside, Jules, you truly do look unwell," Jackie frowned at me in disapproval, "have you not been taking care of yourself at all? Proper rest is important."
A faint grin spread across my face. "It was what I was lecturing my Captains about this very morning," I was amused, before I noticed Jackie's own tired countenance, "but hark who is talking. When was the last time you slept well, Jackie?" I shot her a dry glance.
She grew red. "I - I have trouble sleeping, that is all," she stammered sheepishly, "I drink too much coffee during the day." Her eyes shifted away from mine.
I raised an eyebrow.
Richard merely smirked. "Jackie, you never drink coffee."
Jackie turned, if it were possible, an even darker shade of red. "I - I - " she stuttered, "I - I had best prepare Jules some luncheon. She must be hungry after such a long journey." With that, she scampered into the kitchen with all speed.
Chuckling to himself, Richard propped his legs up on the table in front of us, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, as a playful smile danced on his lips.
"Well?" I crossed my arms, "would you be so kind as to explain that to me?"
His smile turned impish, but he still did not open his eyes to answer me. I waited for a few moments for good measure, before I shoved him roughly, causing him to almost fall over. He burst out laughing, rubbing his shoulder where I had pushed him.
"What?" he sounded amused.
"Tell me!" I insisted curiously.
He sat up straight at that, and leaned forward towards me, his grey eyes dancing. "Jackie has an amour," he whispered dramatically in a sing-song voice, looking around his back to ensure Jackie had not returned from the kitchen, "and he courts her by night. That is why she looks like she has not slept for days." He nodded at me conspiratorially.
I blinked a few times, astonished. This was the last thing I had been expecting to hear.
"What?"
He nodded again, delighted by my stunned expression. "When she thinks I am asleep after dusk, she lets a man into the house. A towering man dressed in black, exactly like her," he lowered his voice, sounding excited, "and they huddle together in the living room and talk in happy whispers all night. I do not think I have heard Jackie giggle so much since Jamie." He shook his head sadly upon mentioning his late brother.
I knew I should be happy for Jackie. She had the right to give love a second chance, after all the pain and misery she had to go through ten years ago. She deserved to find joy in her life. She could not stay alone like this forever, as a wrongfully disgraced widow. If she had found someone for herself, then it was a good thing.
It was better than good. I should have been jumping for joy, rushing into the kitchen and hugging Jackie by now. Once upon a time, I would have.
However, now, this news only made me uneasy. Anxious. Fearful. Paranoid. Mayhap it was because of the fact she was courting danger at the same time.
"Does this man know about you?" I asked doubtfully.
Richard looked shocked at that. "Of course not, Jules. I doubt he knows I even exist, let alone in this cottage," he denied firmly, "Jackie would never allow it. She is very protective of me." He shot me a disapproving frown, annoyed that I would doubt Jackie.
I shook my head. Of course I was not doubting her. By God, was he daft? I had known Jackie for over ten years, longer and better than he ever did, and she was one of my closest friends.
How could I not trust her?
But rather, it was the idea of her amour that was irking me. I truly did not need anyone new to discover Richard now and further complicate this already complicated situation.
"Mayhap I should request her to meet this man outside the house?" I murmured, "Richard, I truly do not want him, or anyone else, finding out about you, purposely, or accidentally." I gazed at him with the same old anxiety that had plagued me since I had found him in Warwick.
His expression softened. Relenting, he reached out to tweak my nose with a sigh.
"You worry too much, Jules," he offered me a weak smile, "calm down, and take a deep breath. At times, we should merely live in the peace of the moment and not allow the future to bother us. Like this."
With that, he leaned back against his chair and propped up his legs on the table again. Shooting me a lazy grin, he crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, completely relaxed.
I smiled gently, sadly. As long as that grin stayed upon his lips forever, as long as that frown kept its distance from his forehead, I would be at peace.
For a while, at least.
***
"Ma'am! Ma'am!"
I paused in the middle of the corridor, and turned around to find Captain Everard sprinting towards me. His was red, drenched with perspiration, as he skidded to a stop in front of me, panting.
"Good evening, Captain Everard," I tilted my head slightly in greeting, very much exhausted from my trip to Limoges, "was all well today?"
Captain Everard and Captain Wellington had stayed behind to guard the Manor, allowing the other four to travel with Nick and Oncle Thomas into the earldoms.
He seemed rather distracted. "All is well, Ma'am," he answered vaguely, "a messenger arrived from Bordeux, Ma'am, and he brought with him a letter from Lieutenant Raleigh a couple of hours ago. Here you go." He handed me a scroll.
My exhaustion vanished at once. Lieutenant Raleigh has news.
I grabbed it from him, and tore it open with great haste, my fingers flying everywhere. My eyes scanned the contents, travelling at the speed of light across the page.
I felt sick to the stomach when I reached the end of the letter. Indeed, for a long while, I could do nothing but stare at the unbelievable words before me as they blurred together.
Captain Everard was concerned. "Ma'am? What does it say?"
"L-Lord Jasper of Cavarriere has been murdered," I stammered out, horrified, "as well as Lord Owen of Genetaire. And they both had the double helix serpent symbols on their shoulder blades."
I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as pain and grief flooded my entire being.
Lord Jasper. Lord Owen.
I crushed the letter, and cast it aside, feeling my eyes burn. I had regarded the two men almost like my family. However, they too, had been part of the group that had betrayed the Crown. By doing so, they had broken all ties, all trust I had in them both.
By the Lord, Lord Jasper had been on the Crown Council!
There was no doubt now as to where Diego had been receiving confidential government information from.
It must have been so easy. No one would have ever suspected Lord Jasper. He was so mild, so trustworthy. He was so approachable, and had a certain charisma about him that drew people to him. He had been an exemplary Duke who had willingly served the needs of his people.
The question remained, however. Whatever had forced him to do such a thing? What in the world had made him go so low as to betray his own country, his own King, the very land he was born upon?
I had made the right decision not to bring The Order of the Serpents to the attention of the King and the Crown Council. How many of such traitors were on the Crown Council this very moment?
For how long had this been happening?
Captain Everard picked up the crushed letter, and stuffed it in his pocket. "I am truly sorry, Ma'am," he remarked quietly, "I am aware that you were excellent friends with the Duke of Cavarriere."
I bit my lip, shaking my head. "It makes no difference," I muttered, "there is nothing I can do about it now."
At that moment, the Manor's front door flung open, and the thunder of many sets of footsteps stomping across the threshold, and their constant chattering began to reach our ears.
I glanced down at them over the banister, startled.
"I am simply famished!" a deep voice exclaimed, louder than them all, sounding exhilarated, "what are we having for dinner, Lord Roche?"
"Mayhap my daughters know, Your Royal Highness," Oncle Thomas was full of life as he beamed, "Tess! Clara!"
"At least their day seems to have had been successful," Captain Everard observed a touch bitterly.
"This whole week will be a successful one for them," I answered, sharing his sentiments as I watched Tess and Clara glide swiftly towards the group from the kitchens and greet their father happily, "most especially for His Royal Highness."
As Nick waved at Clara and greeted Tess with a huge beam, filled with a fond familiarity, I felt that same odd, painful chord strike through my heart again.
I shook my head. "Captain Everard, I beg of you," I continued on distantly, "if you must, inform the other Captains of these grave tidings. However, please refrain from informing His Royal Highness. He need not know."
"Ma'am, I am certain that you recall what had happened the last time we tried to hide tidings from His Royal Highness – "Captain Everard started to argue.
Almost at once, I winced, well remembering his fury when I had left Cavarriere to rescue Richard without informing him.
"Look at him, Captain Everard," my voice was quiet, "he is so happy with Tess. You are well aware that this is one of those rare duchies where he has not attempted to flee the Potentials. Why ruin it with news of Lord Jasper's and Lord Owen's murders? It will only upset and worry him unnecessarily. Of course, he will also start asking questions that we cannot answer." I grimaced.
Captain Everard stared at me thoughtfully. "You care for him, Ma'am." It was not a question, but a statement.
I did not answer him for a long while. Continuing to watch the scene below, I watched Nick and Tess chatter nineteen to the dozen in happiness, as Oncle Thomas looked on in contentment.
Lady Rosanna hurried forward from the kitchens at that moment, looking slightly tired from her work. However, her eyes began to shine as they landed on her husband. She walked straight into his arms, their heated fight in the morning over Mama's chambers clearly patched up, as she beamed at her daughters and Nick.
With the exception of Ned, Evoric and my Captains who were guarding them, the whole lot of them could pass off as a very happy family returned home from a picnic trip.
Indeed, they made such a beautiful portrait in that one precise moment, that I could have stared at them forever.
Before I had wanted to become a Knight, before I had lacked direction in my life, all I had ever wanted was to have a happy, complete family. With a loving Papa and Mama, and an annoying brother.
However, no matter how much I had begged, prayed and pleaded with God over the past seventeen years, He never brought back Mama from the realm of the dead. He never brought back Papa from the realm of depression and unforgiving hatred for me. He never brought back Max from the realm of Osterlund until recently, and even then, He had found a way to separate us again with this Potential Quest.
Till this moment, I had not realised how utterly alone I was in this world.
Of course, I had my family in my Army, but it simply was not the same as having my own. Looking at the De Beauharnaises and Nick now, I was beginning to feel what I sorely lacked. The unconditional love and joy that only family could give.
And it did not feel good at all.
"It makes no difference," I echoed my earlier words, sighing loudly, "there is nothing I can do about it now."
***
"Juliette Jeanne Van Helsing! Cease this instant if you know what is good for you!"
I stumbled, startled by the loud, furious voice that broke the tranquillity of the empty stairway. I turned around to face an irritated Kat, who was trembling with fury.
I shot her a lifeless smile. In truth, I was surprised that I had managed to keep out of her way and that of Lisa's for a whole day without being caught.
"I am afraid I do not know what is good for me, dear Kat," I shrugged, "lately, I seem to have lost all sense of what is real and what is not."
"Then you could have asked us," another voice piped up, "instead of disappearing for the entire day, and eating in the pantry for tea, dinner and supper." Lisa stepped aside from behind her, crossing her arms, as she wore an identical expression to Kat's.
My jaw dropped. "You knew?" I was astonished, "but I requested Cook not to tell anyone – "
Lisa laughed out loud, high and lilting. "Oh, Jules," her eyes twinkled in mischief, "how easily you forget who I am." She put on an adorable expression, no doubt to demonstrate how she had sweet-talked the Cook into blurting out the truth.
However, her diction rang a dim bell in my mind.
"Oh, Julie," he said softly, "how easily you forget who I am."
By God, I had to cease thinking about him!
"Thinking so much about His Royal Highness is not good for you, poppet," Kat smiled impishly.
Once more, I was stunned. How did they know these things?
"You are blushing," Kat grinned as if she read my mind, jumping down the stairs two at a time, followed closely by Lisa.
I placed a hand on my cheek, and true enough, I found it warm.
"Now, tell us the truth, poppet," Kat linked her arm in mine, as Lisa took the other, "why have you been avoiding us?" A shadow crossed her face.
"I truly was busy with work earlier in the day," I shrugged, as we began to walk in a haphazard manner across the corridor, "however, I also did not want to hear it from you both. That our Le Grande plan had failed." I admitted ruefully.
There was a beat of silence, as the both of them exchanged incredulous glances.
"Failed?" Lisa began to laugh again, "Jules, how could you be so blind? We were going to congratulate you last night for a plan well executed, if not for Lady Rosanna and that severed hand."
"You had made the Crown Prince so jealous, and your many dances with Captain Everard's friends only sped up the process," Kat chuckled, shaking her head, "did you ever wonder why Evoric and His Royal Highness were the only ones dancing with you after your first waltz? Or why Ned dragged you all over the Ballroom to meet new people instead of allowing the menfolk to ask you to dance?" Kat chuckled, "my dear poppet, those were definitely not coincidences."
I blinked, astonished when I realised what they were implying. "I will never understand men."
"Neither do we," Kat and Lisa laughed, grinning.
"Jules!" a voice called from behind me.
The three of us froze in our tracks.
Lisa guided us to turn around to face Tess, who was standing alone in the corridor. She was smiling in a strange, vicious manner as if justice was about to be served.
Nick and his friends were nowhere to be seen, and neither were the rest of my Captains.
A strange foreboding crept up my spine, and it was not a nice feeling.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Yes, Cousin?"
"His Royal Highness," she dragged out the name, "suggested an excellent pastime after dinner, and I wanted to invite the three of you to join us."
My anxiety intensified triple fold. "What is this pastime?"
"We are going to skate in the lake outside our Manor, Cousin," her smile widened, "and His Royal Highness specially requested that you join us."
What?
"Nick wants me to come skating?" my voice sounded incredulous.
Bewildered fury began to build within me. What was wrong with that man? Why in the world would he request such a thing of me? Did he truly not remember my fear and aversion towards the ice?
Or had he returned to his old ways, and joined Tess once more to make my existence a misery?
Surely nay, not after his concern last night -
However, I had spoken of my fears to him mere weeks ago. How could he have forgotten so soon -
Tess nodded, smiling. "Indeed, he does. He, his friends and your Captains are already at our lake behind the Manor. You had better hurry if you would like to join us."
The answer was on my lips at once. "Well, I am sorry – "I started, but Kat clamped a hand over my mouth.
"Excuse us for a moment," Kat stated shortly, as she began to drag me by the ear towards the stairways.
"We will return in a short while to tell you our answer," Lisa added as an afterthought, following us to the staircase landing.
"Please do not take too long!" Tess called out, a faint taunt underlying her cheerful tone, "we have to go before the Sun sets!"
"What are you doing, Kat?" I snapped, rounding on her once we were out of earshot, "I am not skating." I spat out the word as if it were something dirty.
"But – "
"You know why," I cut her off dangerously, "you know damn well why I do not go an inch near the ice anymore."
"Poppet," Kat began quietly, "you are aware that anything can happen while they go out to skate together. A tryst? A courtship proposal? A marriage proposal? Anything. We need to go with them to make sure nothing of that sort happens, poppet. We have to."
I raised two fingers to my temples, feeling a migraine coming on.
"By God, I care not a whit about what he does anymore, all right? If he wants to court Tess, then he can. He can do whatever he wants. I do not care," I burst out tiredly, "I swear to the heavens above, I have enough on my plate at the moment without having to think about all of this - " I broke off in frustration, taking off my beret, as I leaned against the wall.
An astonished, tensed silence reigned after my outburst. It was a while before Lisa took a deep breath to speak, her eyes strangely shining with tears.
"You are such a horrible liar, Jules," she whispered, "you do care. You care so much that it is hurting you." She reached out to touch something wet in the corner of my eye.
I looked away from her, ashamed of myself.
"Believe in yourself and come with us, poppet," Kat herself looked stricken, "we will be careful. Nothing will happen like the last time. Nothing, all right? We will make sure of that. Do not give up on Nick so soon." Her voice was fiercely certain.
"In any case, for how long more will you allow the ice to have this tyrannical hold over you?" Lisa ventured gently, her voice quiet, "it has been seventeen years, Jules. Olivia has already taken advantage of this once before, and now Tess and her Mama are trying to do the same. Enough is enough. We will break that hold today - together. You need only say the word."
I looked between their determined faces for a long while, deliberating, before I slowly nodded.
"All right."
***