Chapter Twenty Seven
The journal sat there, a thing of rich red leather, a thing that could free her mother and siblings if Kara played her cards just right. She picked it up and flipped through it to check that it was the right one.
It was. She went to the last entry and read it. It confirmed her worst fears.
Dear Journal,
How my father vexes me. Ever since the brats have been born, he ignores me and moons over them. And he thinks he is clever with his 'secret' plan to divorce mother and disinherit me. I know I will stop this from happening by hastening along his untimely demise. But of late he blocks me at every turn. Esha and the brats are kept in the white cottage, their food prepared separately, guarded day and night. All this nonsense for a slave and her bastards. He suspects me, or they have become too precious in his plot to usurp me from my rightful place as Lady of this house.
I will find a way to remove the babes and him.
The entry ended there, short and sweet and brutal despite the flowery sweep of Anna's writing style. Kara did find one silver lining. Her father would not take such great pains to isolate and protect the babes if he did not suspect something. He knew there was a deep darkness in Anna.
She put the journal on a table then carefully placed everything back where it belonged, straightening the cushions, smoothing out the wrinkles. She picked up the journal and hurried back into the passages, lighting a fresh candle and hurrying, hurrying. Was that the distant baying of a hound returning from a short hunt she heard through the thin walls?
She began to run, heavy satchel thumping against her back, sweat rolling down and stinging her eyes. She came to her father's study as if in a dream, blowing out the candle and knocking.
“Come.”
She stepped in and strode across the room with false confidence. She placed the journal on the smooth wood of his desk.
He neither looked at it or her. Instead he stayed focused on his recently refilled glass of liquor. “Give me a day to read it.”
“But-”
“A day. Come back at the same time tomorrow. Anna and her mother will be paying a social call to the Lady Costwald. They will not be here. I will have my answer for you then.”
She nodded and turned away. It was the best she could hope for. And she was so tired, tired of running, tired of worrying. Now should she go back to the noise and heat and restlessness of the carnival, or wait in the passage?
Wait in the passage, she decided. She needed to see that he actually read the journal. So she trod the familiar path into hiding and settled down to spy.
He did not pick up the journal. He sat and sipped water now, staring out the window. Gernan came later and placed a silver tray of foodstuffs before him, including coffee. Lord Brahm thanked him and bit off a heel of crusty bread, still drinking water and coffee in copious amounts. He got up to relieve himself twice.
Kara was in an agony of silent waiting now. Every time exited, he just left the unopened journal sitting there, to be snatched by anyone. What if Anna came back early? Or Lady Brahm? Her patience was wearing thin; she had to pee, she was thirsty and hot and exhausted...
But she stayed to make sure he kept his word.
He stepped back into his study and he seemed more sober. He did not walk with a weave and his eyes were a little clearer. He sat down and opened the journal, at long last, and began to read.
His face went still the further he went in. She closed her eyes and prayed to the Goddess that her father would see reason.
If not, she was going to have to figure out a way to steal her mother and sisters, whisk them out of the country and into permanent exile. A path so dangerous and foolish as to be hopeless.
As she watched her father place his head in his hands, she knew that was her last option if he resisted. She would not leave her mother to Anna's plots and she would not see her sisters little and blue and dead.
Afterword
Thus ends the first novel of the epic fantasy series, “The Hither and Nigh Carnival.” Thank you for reading my novel, and check out my personal website, www.eclecticcycle.com, for updates on the series.
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The next book in the series should be out in September of 2013.
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