“Consult?” Felisha’s voice rose in pitch. “With Mrs. Beale?”
Kathlene hesitated.
“Ask the Dharo Boy,” Titian said. “He’s Mrs. Beale’s primary assistant. He could check the menus for Prince Sadi’s table.”
Kathlene nodded. “Yes. Felisha, you can check with him instead.”
“Thank the Darkness,” one of the boys muttered.
Zoey wasn’t sure who had said it, but she was certain they were all thinking it.
Kathlene continued with the assignments. “Azara, you and your people will check with the gardeners. I was told Lady Dumm requires fresh flowers in her room every day, and we need to find out what is available from the Hall’s gardens. Is there a greenhouse here?”
“There is,” Titian replied.
“I’ll check what’s available there too,” Azara said.
“Then let’s get started,” Kathlene said.
The stable master stared at Zoey and growled, “Lady Dumm, is it? She’s back?”
“Back?” Zoey hadn’t considered that Lady Dumm might have visited the Hall before.
“I wasn’t stable master then, but I well remember her.”
Who is she? What’s she like? Which family does she come from?
Not questions a Queen could ask a stable master, but if someone in her court were to show some curiosity? *Caede? Could you . . . ?*
The Warlord Prince didn’t look at her, but he dipped his head in the slightest nod.
“We have a carriage the Lady can use, and horses who will pull it,” the stable master said.
“Riding horses for her companions?” Zoey asked.
“Companions? She brought companions?”
Hell’s fire, the man looked ready to chew nails—and Zoey wondered if, with an unintended bit of Craft, a person could set his own hair on fire through the sheer heat of temper. “We’re not sure. I was asked to see if horses would be available.”
After an excruciatingly long time, the man finally nodded. “Best to plan on her companions not having much experience on a horse. I’ll see about having a few available who won’t be inclined to toss an ill-mannered rider into the trees—or into the lake. Best to find out if Lady Dumm’s companions know how to swim.”
“Thank you for the information,” Zoey said weakly. “I will inquire if Lady Dumm’s companions are partial to swimming.”
Zoey and her court, except for Caede, left the stables and slowly headed for the Hall. He caught up a couple of minutes later.
“He wouldn’t say much,” Caede told them. “Just that the last time she’d been here was when Prince Sadi’s father was the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan.” He blew out a breath. “Something is going on. He’s acting displeased about giving her access to some of the horses, but he’s . . . amused.”
“If she was around when Prince Sadi’s father lived at the Hall, then she’s from a long-lived race,” Laureen said.
“Or she’s demon-dead,” Arlene said.
When she reached the Hall, Zoey dismissed her court except for Caede, who was standing as her escort since he was the Warlord Prince with her that day. She reported to Kathlene, who called in a pen and paper and made careful notes about the information the other Queens were bringing back with regard to Prince Sadi’s mysterious guest.
Having completed her assignment, Zoey went back to her room to rest. A few minutes later, Arlene and Laureen tapped on her door.
“I received permission from Lady Nadene to make this soothing tonic anytime one of us needs it,” Arlene said.
“You think I need it?” Zoey asked. Did she appear brittle? Fragile?
“Maybe you don’t, but I do,” Laureen said.
The pot held enough for three mugs of the soothing tonic. She wasn’t being singled out as unable to cope.
“That was odd, having all of us go down to the stables to ask a question that one of us could have asked,” Laureen said. “Then again, the way the stable master reacted to hearing Lady Dumm was back made me glad I wasn’t on my own.”
Yes, Zoey thought. I’m not alone. And Allis wasn’t concerned. I’m safe. Even if someone else has control, I’m still safe.
After dinner that evening, Brenda summoned a select group of servants to one of the smaller libraries in the Hall.
“Here’s the way of it,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve been hearing about Lady Dumm, Prince Sadi’s mysterious guest.” She waited for their nods of agreement. “Well, she’s meant to be an exercise for the youngsters who are training to serve in courts. Now, I chose you lot because you already had some experience serving in aristo houses before coming here, so you’ve had a chance to observe bad manners and bad habits and unsavory behaviors that a Queen would either have to tolerate from someone who outranked her or have to take a stand against.”
Brenda called in a box with a slit in the lid. She also called in small sheets of paper, and pencils of varying lengths. “Lady Dumm needs to acquire some manners, habits, and behaviors to go along with her inclination to offer opinions about anything and everything. Write down suggestions based on what you’ve seen aristos do and put the suggestions in the box. I’ll collect them in a couple of hours. That will give me time to put the finishing touches on Lady Dumm before she’s introduced to the Hall’s residents tomorrow.”
Brenda left the room, then checked her pocket watch. Two hours was enough time. Guests at the Hall would be on their best behavior around the senior staff or the Prince’s family, but around younger servants? She’d wager they’d seen, heard, and smelled plenty of things that aristos wouldn’t dream of doing around anyone who could further their ambitions.
Tomorrow Lady Dumm would make her first appearance.
She wondered if the Hall’s cellars contained any alcohol of sufficient strength to fuzz the nerves of a Black-Jeweled Warlord Prince. She had a feeling Prince Sadi would need it.
FORTY-THREE
Butler warmed a glass of yarbarah and drank it slowly as he listened for the sound of a horse and pony cart.
He didn’t want to invite the girl into his home because there was something about her that tugged at him in ways no one else had, but a soft rain had been falling all day and hadn’t let up. He wouldn’t mind letting the wet weather shorten this session, but he knew what Jaenelle would have said about him keeping the girl outside in the wet instead of inviting her inside and offering a cup of tea. So he’d contacted Kieran and issued the invitation. The Warlord of Maghre would also appreciate not having to stay out in the weather.
Butler, it’s time.
Was it? Would any of these people really understand why men like Daemon Sadi, Lucivar Yaslana—and him—had looked at the truth so long ago and embraced it? And loved her because of it?
“Well,” Butler said quietly, “I guess we’re about to find out.”
“What . . . ?” Saetien said when the pony cart stopped right at the gate.
“It’s a wet night, so you’re invited inside to talk,” Kieran replied. “I’ll be back in an hour to pick you up.”
“Thank you.” She climbed out of the pony cart, then held up a hand to stop Shelby when the puppy gathered himself to jump down to go with her. For one thing, it was too much of a jump for a puppy. For another, she wasn’t sure she was going to understand what was said tonight, and she didn’t want the puppy to become confused by a story about humans doing strange things.