I awake with the sun warming my face. Blinking, I stretch out my arms and roll over, expecting to find Will lying next to me, but when I reach out my arm I touch only cool, empty sheets.
Sitting up, I hold the blanket against myself and look around the room. Will is nowhere to be seen and the clothes he tossed over the chair the night before have disappeared. I hear a noise from the hall and swing my legs out of the bed.
I pull on the dress I was wearing when I arrived yesterday and pad down the hall, one hand working to untangle the knots in my hair.
"Will?" I call, poking my head around the door frame.
He is standing barefoot, his shirt buttoned partway and tucked into a pair of soft, suede trousers. He is reaching into the cupboard and glances up when I come into view.
"Good morning." I smile.
"Hey." He gestures to a plate set out on the counter next to him. "I have some breakfast for you right there."
"Thanks." I pick up the plate and move over to the couch. "Are you going to join me?"
"I already ate."
"Oh." I nibble on the food, watching him as he moves about, loading items into his medical kit and satchel. "Are we in a hurry to get back?"
"I don't think you should stay away from the ladies for too long. It will look suspicious."
"Right." I furrow my brow as I watch his hectic movements. "Are you all right?"
"Fine." He straightens and looks at me, a strange expression pulling at his handsome face. "Are you packed?"
I nod, swallowing the last of my breakfast. "I'll just go get my things."
I head back to his bedroom, stopping off at the lavatory to wash before gathering my effects and throwing them into my satchel. I take a moment to sift once more through the bag's contents in search of Meg's letter. Nothing.
Frowning, I toss the bag onto the unmade bed and move to the mirror, braiding my hair loosely. I smudge a little kohl around my eyes and bite my lips to colour them, standing back to admire the effect. Much better.
Will is already waiting by the door when I approach. He doesn't say a word, but I can feel him watching me intently while I pull on my sandals. A self-conscious blush rises to my cheeks under his scrutiny.
"Ready?" he asks as I straighten.
I nod, hitching my bag up onto my shoulder.
We walk down the stairs and into the street, where Will flags down a carriage. He takes my satchel and places it inside before helping me step up, then closes the door firmly and walks around the other side of the cart while I get myself situated.
Everything about his company feels off. The silence, the underlying sense of urgency. I fiddle with the folds of my dress while he settles in next to me.
As we roll through the streets toward the Palace, a dip in the road throws me to the side and against him. His hands reach out to catch me instinctively, lingering longer than necessary on my bare arms.
"Sorry," he says, drawing away and turning to look out the window.
What is he apologizing for?
After what feels like ages of prolonged silence, we finally arrive at the gates. Will instructs the driver to pull around to the back entrance. We draw to a stop and I snatch up my satchel and open the door myself, eschewing decorum. I start walking toward the Palace, not bothering to wait while Will pays the driver.
I keep my eyes straight ahead, ignoring the hurried footsteps behind me; I stumble when he grabs my wrist.
"What?" I snap, pulling free.
Will stands awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I have to catch up on some work in the surgery, so I'll find you in a couple of days," he says, eventually.
I roll my eyes, turning away. "Fine."
His hand circles my arm again. "Kay," he says softly.
I look up, shocked at his use of my real name on Palace grounds. He glances to the side and then pulls me behind a pillar.
"What is it?" I ask, keeping my voice low.
He responds by pressing me back against the pillar and kissing me. I shut my eyes and snake my arms around him, feeling my heart quicken despite myself. His beard tickles my cheeks as he pulls back, keeping his forehead pressed against mine.
"I'll miss you," he says.
"Me too," I breathe.
He releases me and walks toward the door, relinquishing my hand at the last instant. I am left walking a few steps behind him, staring at his back and wondering what in the eternal Burn just happened.
After dropping my bag in my room, I make my way to the parlour to put in some face time with the ladies.
Blushes, Glassy and Blinky are sitting around a white linen-draped table, eating miniature cakes and playing cards. Blushes catches sight of me first and waves me over, a high colour rising to her cheeks when I pull a chair up next to them.
We play a couple of hands and I am just reaching for a pink frosting-covered treat when a familiar, pointed shadow looms over the table.
"And where exactly have you been?" Hawk Nose peers down at me, her nostrils flaring obnoxiously. She speaks just loudly enough to give the other ladies cause to swivel their heads in our direction.
"In town," I say. I stuff the pink cake into my mouth, allowing the frosting to smear unattractively. I lick it off my lips slowly as I regard her. "I think the more important question is, where exactly have you been?"
She looks taken aback. "What are you talking about? I was here."
"Really? Well, I didn't see you."
Her nostrils flare even wider. "You didn't see me because you were out cavorting. Don't try and be strange. "
"Me, strange? You're the one who was unaccounted for yesterday."
"I was here yesterday. Everyone saw me—ask them!"
"I wouldn't trust these ladies enough to ask. Sketchy lot, all of them. You know, I didn't see any of them yesterday."
Someone lets out a giggle, covered by a dainty cough.
Hawk Nose's hands slam down on the table in front of me, causing the cards to jump and Blinky to let out a small shriek of surprise. "You're not fooling anyone," she accuses, shrilly.
I lick the rest of the frosting from my fingertips, my eyebrow arched in question.
"You think just because you are some kind of special friend of the Princess, you have the right to go around shirking your duties and screwing some john in town."
"What duties?" I ask, laughing. "Attending dinners and milling about, getting fat on cake? Perhaps you haven't noticed, but there aren't a lot of demands placed on us."
Hawk Nose bares her sharp little teeth, staring down at me over the bridge of her hooked nose. "I, for one, am not fooled, and I'm telling you now: the game is up."
I look at her calmly, fascinated by the pulsing vein standing out against her pale forehead. "I'm really sorry that the Princess didn't ask you to run an errand for her, Bellany. I know how important that is to you."
The vein pops out further. "Stop trying to change the subject." If her jaw were clenched any tighter, she'd crack her dental work.
"I'm fairly certain we are talking about the same thing—you clearly have a problem with me being a confidante of the Princess. Just some friendly advice: perhaps if you conducted yourself with just a little more friendliness and a lot less suspicion, she would be more inclined to spend time with you." It's almost too easy.
She points one shaking, perfectly manicured finger at me. Glassy pushes herself back from the table, the scrape of the chair against the floor reverberating in the otherwise silent room.
"I. Don't. Trust. You." Hawk Nose has never looked more like her nickname than she does now, with her talons poised and her nostrils flared large enough to swallow me whole.
I shrug, picking up my cards again. "I don't really care what you think."
"What's going on here?" Meg has appeared in her usual silent fashion and now stands with her hands on her hips, glaring at us.
"Your Highness," Hawk Nose gasps.
I could laugh out loud at the absolute perfection of this moment, with her red faced and flustered, slipping when she whirls away from me and attempts to curtsy in the same movement.
"Bellany." Meg's tone is cool, reserved. "Is there a problem?"
"It's her, your Highness." Hawk Nose straightens and glares at me. "She was gone all day yesterday."
"Abby was sent on an errand by myself, personally," Meg replies. "You could have spoken to myself or Vitrola if you were so concerned about her whereabouts."
"It's not only that!" Hawk Nose protests. "She is always sneaking around. I am worried about how her behaviour reflects on all of us, you see."
Meg's eyes narrow. "I would suggest strongly that you exercise caution when making these kinds of accusations. It is not your job to interrogate your fellow ladies, Bellany. I assure you—I am more than capable of managing a group of silly girls."
I duck my head so that I don't catch Meg's eye and burst out laughing.
"Now, if you are so eager for something to do, there is a load of hemming my handmaid could use some assistance with." Meg smoothly gestures Hawk Nose's dismissal from the room.
"Hemming? Your Highness, I don't know how..." Clearly horrified, Hawk Nose stumbles on her words, glancing about for help while the other ladies deliberately avoid her eye.
"Well, I think now would be an ideal time to learn. You could benefit from having at least one useful skill."
I practically shiver from Meg's cool tone, almost feeling sorry for Hawk Nose. Almost.
Hawk Nose slowly gathers her skirts, thrusting her nose into the air in an attempt to salvage a shred of her remaining dignity. As she shuffles away, she shoots me a look of utter contempt, to which I respond with a quick wink.
Meg doesn't even turn around as the girl skulks from the room. "All right, then. Now, if we could all move on with our day. Abby, I believe you have some items you retrieved for me from town?"
"Yes, your Highness." I slide out of my seat and duck a quick curtsy, following her across the parlour and toward my bedroom while the remaining ladies return urgently to their gossip.
Once we are safely ensconced, I shut the door tightly, joining Meg where she sits primly on my neatly made bed.
"Well? How did it go?" she asks, eagerly.
"Very well," I tell her. "I was able to hand off your letter, then I loitered around for the rest of the night, waiting to see if I could hear of any interest for your cause."
"Did you meet her? The Runner?"
"No," I say, too quickly. "I told you, I only know her indirectly."
"Right, right." She seems disappointed, but recovers. "Of course. So, did you learn anything?"
"I know that she is going to support you."
It is impossible to keep from smiling at the look of pure joy that overcomes Meg's porcelain features. I laugh as she throws her arms around my neck.
"That is wonderful!" she says, attempting to keep her voice low, lest someone be listening in the hallway. "Are you certain?"
"Completely," I say. "From what I hear, she is attempting to gather more supporters for you."
"Oh, Abby, thank you so much." Meg's eyes glisten as she holds her hands to her cheeks. "It means so much to me that you did this."
I bite my lip, feeling uncomfortable with her gratitude. Would she feel the same if she knew that I was really the Runner? "It's nothing," I manage, eventually. "I'm happy to help you."
"So." She rubs her hands together, leaning toward me. "What happens next?"
"I'm going to be the point of contact between the Runner and yourself," I tell her. "But for now, you should prepare to leave the Palace. Soon it will no longer be safe for you here."
Meg nods gravely. "Yes, I expected as much."
Some of the colour has drained from her face. I know she is thinking about the repercussions of abandoning her father, and my initial instinct is to make sure she is all right. I harden my heart and push down the urge to be a sympathetic friend in this moment, giving over to the more important task of ensuring that she will stay focused and leave when the time calls for it. I swallow my concerns and stay the course.
"They'll keep you somewhere safe and you'll be redeposited on the throne when the way has been cleared." I choose my words carefully, the back of my mind awash with images of weapons and bloodshed. Before she can dwell too much, I grab her hands and force her to look at me. "It's in the works, Meg. There is no going back now. There is a bright future ahead, after all." I say encouragingly, coaxing a small smile from her.
"You're right." She draws a shaky breath and sits up taller. "This is the way forward. A queen is not afraid of her decisions."
"That's it," I tell her. "Don't lose sight of why you made this choice. You saw something wrong in your kingdom and you are going to make it right. That is why you are the true queen."
"Thank you, Abby." Some of the life has returned to her cheeks and she squeezes my hands tightly. "I swear, I don't know what I would do without you. You are the only one who really believes in me."
"Not anymore," I tell her, seriously. "There are a lot of people out there who support you."
I gesture out my windowed wall, following her gaze as she turns to look out at the polished Court and derelict Commons, fanning our perimeter.
When Meg speaks again, her voice is strong, steady, not betraying a trace of the anxiety she must feel. "I won't let them down," she promises.