Aurelia

  Aurelia might know more, but a lot of good that would do robert. He ran his hands through the waves of his hair in frustration. Here was the crux of the problem. For a week he had been trying to make contact with the crown princess to no avail. He could not find her alone, and the notes he had left with her lady's maid never came back with a reply. Thinking someone might be screening his messages, he had even sent Chris to deliver a note in his stead. There had been no response.

  "Any luck with Her royal Highness?" Chris poked his head in the doorway. "I hear she's going to be stuck in the throne room all day."

  "Not unless you consider silence to be fortunate."

  Chris walked in, lifted the strap of his scabbard over his head, and propped his sword against the wall. "Anything else I can help you with?" he asked.

  "Have you ever heard of a man named marcus gregory?"

  "marc gregory?"

  "marcus, yes. He works as a driver for the queen's stables, and I'm certain he's a jockey as well."

  A baffled look crossed Chris's face. "you know how much attention I pay to horses, rob. I can ask my father. He never has a spare minute, but I can always conjure up a way to get into trouble. That should garner his attention."

  "don't bother. I already asked him. besides, he's helping the king hammer away at edward of Anthone again."

  Chris propped a foot on the bottom rung of a stool. "I think they ought to just send the old vulture back to his kingdom before edward rips into any more Tyralian policy."

  "He may be doing a lot worse than ripping into policy." robert stood up and crossed to the other side of the room near the coat of arms. The large shield with its symbol of gold bars supporting the crown mocked him. What had made him think he could continue the family tradition? He turned so that the shield was at his back.

  His cousin's eyes were wide. "you think edward is behind the assassination plot?"

  robert opened his mouth to explain, then shut it. His father's words crept into his thoughts. Never make an accusation until all the pieces fall into place. "Listen, Chris, I really need to know what edward wants from the king."

  "I can try again, but I must have asked that question five times last week after the council meeting. Father says it's none of my affair."

  Ahhhhhh! robert whirled and slammed his hand against the wall. The coat of arms slid from its hook, banged into the desk below, and crashed to the ground. As the clang echoed throughout the room, both cousins stared down at the damaged metal. A deep dent marred the shield's central symbol.

  "I'll see what I can find out," Chris said, bolting for the door.

  robert slouched against the wall, his knee and forehead pressed to the bare surface. His slip of the tongue just now about king edward reminded robert he had to be careful about sharing his suspicions.

  Who could he trust? He had a sinking feeling he knew why his father had needed to escape this job. Who was likely to plot against a member of the royal family? people of high rank. people robert could not afford to cross without consequences. The queen. The king of the neighboring kingdom. And all the people under them.

  Add to this the fact that robert could not share his fears with Aurelia's father without evidence, and almost everyone became an unsafe haven for information. uncle Henry wanted Aurelia alive, yes, but he worked for the king first. And robert could not ask Chris to withhold information from his father. Not that Chris would have minded, but with a father like uncle Henry, planning to keep a secret and doing so were two different things.

  but keeping Chris out of the loop created a gaping hole in robert's resources. Chris had the contacts and the current knowledge about court life. Without Chris, robert needed help. someone inside the palace. someone he could rely on. someone with the same knowledge as his cousin. Apart from Chris, only one person fit that role.

  robert straightened. He could not wait any longer. If Aurelia was in the throne room today, then that was where he would talk to her.

  Aurelia felt robert grab her elbow. she flinched, not used to having anyone touch her when she was dressed for court. The guards in the throne room doorway leaped forward, and in her surprise, she barely remembered to wave them off.

  "I need to talk with you," said robert.

  "Let me go," she snapped. "This room has a thousand eyes." For days she had been waiting for him to tell her about his trip to midbury, and she had not seen him once. If her father had not demanded her presence today, she would have sneaked off for the haven of the city streets--alone, since her escort was no longer worried enough to make himself available.

  she tugged away. For someone who was trying to protect her, he little realized the danger he was courting. Throne-room gossip was a weapon more destructive than cannon. even now she could feel her stepmother's poison stare boring into her forehead.

  The attempt to salvage his reputation was wasted. As she continued toward her place at the left front corner of the room, he grabbed her elbow again. "Today, Aurelia. I need to speak with you today. I've sent several messages in the past week, but you haven't responded."

  she frowned. "I have to spend the entire day at court. The earliest I can see you will be after supper." Her voice hardened. "Now please remove your hand from my arm."

  Anger flushed his face, but she didn't recognize the cause until she had already swept down the aisle and taken a seat. Of course he was angry. He thought she had refused to answer his messages--but she had never received any. Was someone keeping him from helping her? That seemed impossible. The only people who knew why he was there were her father, Henry, and Chris. They would not keep him away.

  Who else had the power to screen her messages? Her gaze dived upon elise. The queen sat on the dais beside her husband with the same stiff and powdered bearing she always wore at court, a frozen expression for each petitioner and honored guest.

  Anger swelled in Aurelia, expanding as the morning progressed. The heat of an uncommonly beautiful day radiated through the arched windows and seeped into every corner of the throne room. It spared no one: not the petitioners huddling at the back, not the courtiers lining the aisle, not the king and queen sitting at the front, and not the princesses watching in their gilt chairs on opposite sides of the room. beads of sweat lined Aurelia's neckline and tickled the small of her back. Warmth drenched her petticoat and court gown, and her mind stretched for an escape.

  From her spot between the king and the courtiers, she could see everyone and everything: the gold patterns on the side of her father's throne, the flicking fans of bored audience members, and the sullen look on robert's face as he slumped in a chair by the doorway. He looked utterly frustrated, yet there he was, still waiting, despite the fact that she had dismissed him when he had approached her. It was a maddening trait of his, this undeniable patience. The only way past it was to give him what he wanted.

  salvation slid into her mind. Her back straightened, her shoulders squared, and her head lifted. robert's stubbornness could be just as powerful as hers. Why not give him what he wanted and fulfill her own desires at the same time? If he was brave enough to take a risk.

  she made a quick motion for a servant boy to approach. "I need a pen and several pieces of paper," she whispered. Within moments, the boy had returned with a quill pen, an ink bottle, and three sheets of stiff parchment.

  On the first sheet, Aurelia scribbled a message to the kitchen staff. On the second, she wrote to the stables. The third was for robert.

  Mr. Va tauge, if you wish to complet yo plans today, you for must prese t yourself o my father before court is dismissed for the noon hour. Reques is permission for me to a attend you on a picnic outing My father must be informed before I may be granted leave to depart.

  She did not bother to sign the message. It was not as if anyone in the room would fail to notice she had passed it to robert. Her stomach turned at the thought. but he had already ignored the threat of court gossip once this morning. perhaps he would do so again. Craning her neck to check for his presen
ce, she lifted the note and passed it to the servant.

  robert took the parchment from the boy's hands rapidly, as if he had expected it and was wondering why it had taken her this long to respond to his demand. He bowed his head over the words, then met her eyes with a look of appalled shock. she could see the thoughts whirling in his mind: A picnic? And present himself to her father? In court!

  Her gaze held steady. His dropped to the intimidating aisle lined by courtiers waiting for a victim to distract them from their corseted cages. robert stood up, and for a moment she thought he might walk out, rejecting her dare and leaving her behind to simmer for the rest of the day.

  but instead he moved toward the man who was listing those who wished to speak with the king. robert's name would be placed at the top, considering his uncle's position. Within minutes the announcer's voice rang throughout the room. "may it please your majesty, robert Vantauge."

  A strange skittering ran through Aurelia's veins, not the triumph she had expected to feel, but something else, as if it were her own heart on the line, moving up the aisle in front of the critical whispers and skeptical gazes.

  but robert did not waver. For the first time all morning, he looked neither uncomfortable nor out of place. His borrowed court clothes fit as though he had been born to them, and he held his head erect as he stepped up to the platform. His eyes met the king's gaze with confidence. As if speaking with my father were perfectly natural.

  Aurelia missed the brief exchange of greetings, her thoughts tangled with emotion. she had to remind herself this was only a dare.

  "your majesty," robert said without hesitation, "I would like your permission to take your daughter on a picnic." Nothing improper, nothing fancy, every word stated without a glint of anxiety.

  Then why do I feel nervous?

  "Well, young man." Her father chuckled. "Far be it from me to grant or deny my daughter an opportunity. you may address the princess melony with your plans and proceed as she sees fit."

  Aurelia's heart plummeted. Of course the king would assume robert was asking for melony. melony's suitors begged the king for scraps of his daughter's time. suitors for Aurelia brought bribes and mediators. she was not desirable or even pretty. she was only a means to political advancement.

  robert did not allow the error to affect his demeanor. Instead, he complimented her father. "It is my honor to have a ruler who values the rights of his citizens and family members."

  "I have raised my children to make wise choices," said the king, nodding with pride.

  Within the limits of your parameters.

  "I am afraid my request was unclear," robert continued, returning to the main point of the conversation. "I had meant to ask to spend the afternoon with my former classmate, princess Aurelia. I understand her presence here is important, and I would not deprive you of her company if it causes difficulty."

  Her heart scaled back up her rib cage and kept on soaring. robert had done it. Asked to court her in public. And what could her father do? He had been praised for valuing his daughters' freedom and had been all too willing to accept the praise.

  "yes, um, well . . . , " stumbled the king, then managed a shaky, "my reply stands. you may ask the lady in question."

  robert nodded as though he had expected this all along. Aurelia reined in the desire to applaud. she held herself still, waiting for him to turn around and walk back down the aisle. Once a suitor obtained her father's permission, the suitor must present his request to the princess either through a written note or a private audience.

  robert, however, did not retreat down the aisle. Instead he turned to face her, strode forward, and swept her a deep bow. "What say you, your Highness?" His voice carried throughout the room. "Will you come with me this afternoon?"

  Her breath left her as his eyes drilled into hers. For a moment she forgot she had pushed him into this, that this had been her idea instead of his and that he was standing there at her request. Her whole body tingled at the boldness of his action.

  Then she realized this was his revenge. He was daring her to put her own reputation on the line. Air whooshed back into her lungs, and she matched him stare for stare. "I would be honored."

  publicly escorting the crown princess proved a less than private honor. robert needed only one look around the earthen courtyard to realize his folly. dressed in her riding clothes, Aurelia stood beside a beautiful gray mare. The young lady's maid stood at her mistress's elbow. And more than ten mounted guards lined the front gate, their saddles bristling with weaponry. Wonderful.

  He should have known better. Aurelia should have known better. Too late now to escape back to uncle Henry's rooms, robert glared at her and climbed onto his stallion. He had given up his anonymous standing at court for the chance to talk with her in private, and now he would be lucky to ever have a moment alone with her again.

  With no sign of regret, she swung onto the mare and called for a groom to bring up the mount for her lady's maid. The groom bowed, stepped back, and came forward with a huge beige stallion. robert struggled not to laugh. The horse towered higher than Horizon and must have weighed forty pounds more--a warhorse, perhaps even a charger.

  The young girl took one look up at the stallion's empty saddle and backed away. "I . . . I don't think I can . . . that is . . . I am afraid I do not know how to ride, your Highness. perhaps I can find you another chaperone." The girl bowed her head in shame. "I . . . I'm terribly sorry."

  Aurelia tossed her head. "Nonsense, minuet. I'm certain the guards can serve as my chaperones. do not give it another thought. Let's go, bianca." The gray mare broke into a walk before the lady's maid even had a chance to respond.

  robert pulled up alongside the princess. "Nicely done," he murmured under his breath, "but I doubt a dozen guards will be as easy to dispose of."

  she ignored him, instead flashing a dazzling smile toward Filbert, who sat mounted at the front of the line. "We're headed out along the Western road. Lead the way, Corporal."

  A barrier of armed men and horseflesh blocked robert's view all the way through the city and out onto the Western road. Horizon, who was no happier than his rider with the close escort, spent the entire journey straining at the bit and shuffling his hooves. by the time a road going south appeared, robert was ready to throttle his horse, not to mention Aurelia, for getting him into this mess.

  she ordered the guards to stop. "Wait here," she told robert, then rode up toward the front of the line. He took the moment to regain his bearings. The kryshan Forest to his right seemed to go on forever. On his left, a field of thick berry hedges ended at the crossroads. A stand of birches lined the road's western edge, and a post painted with the royal crest rose up beside the trees. This must be the entrance to the extended palace grounds, robert thought.

  moments later a shout came back through the ranks. "dismount!" The guards at his side swung down from their horses.

  Aurelia cantered close and motioned robert onto the southern path. He followed her over a small hill and down through a shallow dip, out of sight from the main road. "That was a hideous experience," he said as soon as the guards could no longer hear him. "What did you say to dismiss them?"

  "I told Filbert if he and his men waited at the crossroads, we would meet them there later." she stretched out a hand and let it glance off the white bark of several trees.

  "And he agreed to that?"

  "Not at first, but he did after I reminded him who let us out the gate on Carnival night."

  "you threatened to tell your father?"

  "I didn't, and I wouldn't. but if Filbert thinks I would, he deserves to wait at those crossroads." she encouraged the mare to pick up her pace.

  robert pulled Horizon to a halt. "maybe we should go back. remember what happened the last time we took advantage of Filbert."

  Aurelia reined in bianca. "you're the one who demanded I talk with you. don't tell me now that it wasn't important."

  "It is, but I assumed we'd talk at the palace. I
f someone comes after you here . . . " He peered warily through the birches. The trunks stood well apart from one another, light streaming through the gaps.

  "Look, robert, I did not go to all this trouble to spend a gorgeous day like today inside. No one knows where we're going except me, so unless you're the one trying to kill me, we should be perfectly safe." Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. "besides, the palace may not be the best place to talk. I think elise has been screening your messages. I did not receive any of them."

  His eyebrows lifted. The queen could certainly order any servant in the palace, not to mention Aurelia's young lady's maid, to hand over robert's correspondence. "do you think the queen is trying to interfere with my investigation?"

  "she doesn't know why you're here."

  "she might. We don't know what the king has told her."

  "Whatever her role, I'm not going to allow her to stop us from talking." Aurelia urged bianca forward.

  The gray mare stepped with ease onto a narrow dirt trail, and Horizon followed in her footsteps through the sunny stand of white birch, across a speckled meadow of gold and green, and over a sloping hill. At the foot of the hill, a slender creek burbled its way over shiny stones. Aurelia turned her mount upstream.

  Within minutes they came to a grassy incline with a thin white waterfall springing over a series of jutting crags. Whistling voices of birds challenged the water's rippling song, and the pure scent of wildflowers drifted about the stream. A wide, flat rock rested halfway up the slope, water pouring over one end. most of the gray slab stretched out dry in the sun. Aurelia swung down and moved to unpack the picnic lunch onto the dry granite.

  "Have I been here before?" robert asked.

  "maybe. I used to come here with friends." she laid out two cloth napkins, several glass jars filled with preserves, and a round tin. "There are easier spots to reach, but I have always liked this one."

  "Why is that?" He unlatched the strap around Horizon's girth.