“How do you know that name?” I asked, suddenly queasy.
“What name? Oh, you mean your true name?” Lennart smirked again. “I’ve heard it spoken by your friends in passing.”
Viggo grabbed a fistful of Lennart’s silk shirt and flung him back against the wall. “You would be wise to stop listening in on Lady Isa’s conversations. A lady’s business is her own. Remember that we’re only trusting you because we must. One suspicious move and we won’t hesitate to get rid of you.”
Lennart had the gall to laugh. “You bunch are awfully fond of your threats.”
Viggo threw a knee up into Lennart’s groin. The Defender doubled over with a grunt and then was roughly tossed aside. “How’s that for a threat?”
Lennart slouched away, grumbling curses.
Bryn touched my elbow. “Are you all right?”
“Not really.” I peeked at Viggo. “You didn’t have to—”
“Of course I did,” he said gruffly. “That fellow’s been bothering you since you set foot on this hill. Someone had to put an end to it.”
“I’m not sure that was enough to dissuade him from bothering Asta,” Bryn said. “He obviously has feelings for her.”
I gasped. “What? No!”
Viggo scoffed. “All that mongrel is interested in is taking her virginity. Best be on your guard, Asta.”
I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself. The all too familiar concoction of terror, shame, and wrongness was poured over the top of my head. I could feel it oozing down the length of my person, making my insides tremble and my skin turn cold. Viggo looked at me when I didn’t respond. I lowered my gaze.
“I-I have to go see Dagmar,” I murmured, then I fled.
I was surprised to find Haskell pacing outside the entrance to the hospital. He was dressed for dinner in his nice breeches and tailcoat, but his red curls were taller than I remembered. I wondered if perhaps he’d been running his hands through his hair recently.
“Prince Haskell.”
He jumped at the sound of his name. “Oh, g-good evening, Lady Isa.”
“What brings you to the hospital after dark? Dr. Ichiro isn’t letting the king see anyone until tomorrow.”
The little boy nodded. “Yes, I know. I was looking for Master Viggo.”
I peered at the guards keeping watch at the front door and lowered my voice. “Do you have information?”
Haskell squirmed. “No… Well, yes… I don’t know if it’s relevant to his investigation.”
I put my hands on my knees to look into his eyes. “He can decide that but, please, don’t do anymore spying. After the attack on the king’s home today, Master Viggo and I decided it’s just too dangerous for you to be snooping for us. You’ll still get that extra gold coin for your allowance, though. Thank you for being willing to help us.”
The young prince put his hands in his pockets and began to retreat. “You’re welcome.”
I straightened up. “Aren’t you going to talk to Master Viggo?”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
I stepped toward him. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, of course,” Haskell said with an uneasy smile. “Sorry to have wasted your time. Good night.” Then he sprinted across the upper ward and disappeared into the jade building.
PART III
TREASON
Chapter Twenty-Four
I smiled and clapped as Torvald danced with his new bride. Kalea was a vision in white satin and diamonds. The crown woven into her golden curls was made of glass, pearls, and misty white stones. Every eye seemed to be on her tonight. Her dress was off the shoulders and had the biggest skirt I’d ever seen, but somehow she danced with a carefree grace that astounded me. Kalea had that special ability, the one to amaze me. Kalea, Torvald’s wife, the new queen of Holger. It happened mere hours ago and it was still hard to believe.
The square was adorned with white lace and big satin bows of bright pink. Bouquets of pale pink roses were attached to the lampposts, a string quartet played in the gazebo, and hundreds of tables were placed over the cobblestones for feasting. Every man, woman, and child who was able to attend had come. There was hardly any room to dance in the square, but the newlywed couple didn’t seem bothered. For once, I wasn’t made uncomfortable by the crowds. I was simply happy that the king was happy.
Bryn slid into place beside me with a glass of champagne. “Enjoying the party from afar, I see. Too afraid to join the gaiety?”
“Too tired,” I retorted. “These past six weeks have been some of the busiest of my life. Between helping with the wedding planning, preparing for the island’s anniversary celebration, and watching the royal couple around the clock, I’m surprised I’m still awake. My feet might fall off if I tried to dance.”
“Dagmar will be upset when she hears you didn’t have any fun,” Bryn said, watching the dancing crowd over his glass.
“How would Dagmar know what fun is?” I chuckled. “Should you really be drinking that? I fear for my dress.”
My handmaiden had insisted I wear a “real” dress tonight. I had been forced into a corset, two petticoats, a hoop skirt, stockings, and boots with heels. The midnight-blue dress cut across my chest in a low sweetheart neckline with puff sleeves. It was beautiful but impossible to move in. Dagmar reasoned I wouldn’t catch my death with elbow-length gloves and a white fur shawl. The fact that my body registered temperature differently than the average woman’s continued to slip her mind. My ears and neck had been adorned in silver and diamonds. Somehow Dagmar thought competing with the new queen’s jewelry would be a good idea. I still chafed at the ridiculous necklace, but I kept it on because it was probably worth more than the king’s crown.
Bryn’s face reddened around his curly goatee. “I’m sipping the champagne slowly. It should take longer to affect me.”
“Should,” I said with a smile. “Best stay close to Viggo, just in case. Where is he, anyway?”
He cast a look about the square. “Doing the rounds, like you asked him.”
“I asked him to do the rounds almost two hours ago.” I craned my neck to see above the heads of the people around me. “I hope nothing’s happened to him.”
“Why would anything happen to him?” Bryn said. “No one has died in weeks.”
Which was true. Despite our best efforts to be discreet in our investigation, the conspirators must have gotten wind of our suspicions because no attempts had been made on the king’s life, and no more counselors had been mysteriously disposed of since we began carrying out Lennart’s plan. Hemming and Gabor had been acting perfectly normal. Lennart, unfortunately, was still a pill, but he hadn’t done anything remotely suspicious since he began working with us. Master Philo, aside from continuing to fall ill at the most inconvenient times, was behaving as normally as ever.
The moment Bryn began looking through the counselor’s files, scribes began reporting that some records were missing, presumed stolen. Upon questioning the other scribes and counselors, we learned that the break-in happened soon after the initiation of our investigation. Our enemies were clever and definitely had people working on the hill for them. So we resorted to our initial plan: subtly questioning the guards while they were under the influence of Bryn’s truth serum.
It was a painstakingly slow procedure, one that we still weren’t finished with. The lack of action and answers might have been enough to frustrate me to no end had Kalea not insisted I have a say in everything wedding related. And once my insights on fabric swatches and flowers had been made public, Torvald had roped me into helping with the decorations for the island’s anniversary celebration. I was slowly turning back into a countrywoman. Thank the heavens Viggo volunteered to be my sparring partner. My skills were refreshed and my body was ready to spring into action if—and when—those traitorous Holgarians were on the move again.