“What do you mean?” Viggo asked.
“Well, something terrible must’ve happened to drive her to seek the company of so many men. A woman who has only ever loved one man doesn’t simply wake up one morning and decide she wants to experiment with others.”
Viggo grimaced. “Now we’re encroaching on uncomfortable territory.”
“Perhaps that’s what Prince Haskell wanted to talk to you about that day,” I murmured.
“What day?”
“After the most recent attack on the king, Prince Haskell approached me outside the hospital. He said he wanted to speak to you about something but then he changed his mind and ran back home. It was strange, but I didn’t think anything of it. Now I’m wondering if maybe he wanted your help in confronting his mother about these men. You are the assistant guard master.”
“Assistant to the guard master,” Viggo corrected.
I rolled my eyes. “In any event, I should try to ask the young prince about it, shouldn’t I? Maybe he’s as uncomfortable about his mother’s habits as you are.”
“We don’t want to embarrass Lady Helka with an intervention,” Viggo said. “Besides, it’s not really our place to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do within her own walls.”
“Yes, but if Prince Haskell knows then it’s only a matter of time before Princess Evie finds out and that’s just wrong,” I said with a shudder. “She’s so young and innocent.”
“How about this? We’ll only intervene if Prince Haskell approaches one of us and confides in us. Until then, we’ll pretend to know nothing about it. I’ll scold the servants for gossiping and make them swear not to spread the word about Lady Helka.”
I agreed but wasn’t entirely happy about our solution. I felt strongly for the young prince and princess, was convinced Lady Helka deserved a good scolding and a little humiliation for being such a poor example to her children. Hopefully, Haskell would find the courage to approach me again and, this time, follow through with his confession.
“Dagmar doesn’t know about us, does she?” Viggo asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I chuckled. “No, I’d like you to live.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“Bryn. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “My sisters always gushed about their beaus to anyone who would listen. I assumed it was something all women did.”
I blinked at him. “You think I’m ashamed of you.”
Viggo scoffed and averted his gaze. A sign, I’d come to realize, that the next few words out of his mouth would be evasive or dishonest. “You’re being absurd.”
“Am I?” I asked, grinning at his discomfort.
“I was just curious to see if you wanted to—”
Voices outside the pub made him pause. We grabbed our tankards and ducked under the table just as the door was opened.
“Strange. They must have forgotten to lock up,” a familiar female voice said.
“They never forget to lock up,” Lennart said. “Perhaps we should adjourn to your quarters tonight.”
Viggo and I shared a quizzical look.
“We were there the night before last. Are you sure we can’t snag a bottle of wine?” the woman simpered.
“I have some in my quarters. We’ll retire there.”
“Oh, all right, but only for a few hours. I need to return to the children.”
My eyes widened. Viggo nodded and mouthed, “Helka,” to confirm my suspicions. The two lovers retreated and shut the door behind them. Viggo and I remained under our table until we could no longer hear them murmuring to each other. I scrambled out into the open and jumped to my feet.
“That lying bastard! He said he was going to be guarding the king’s home with Gabor tonight.”
“Which means the king and queen are alone with one of our suspects,” Viggo said, crawling out beside me. “That can’t bode well.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Viggo and I raced up to the steps of the king’s house, only to stop short. Gabor exited the house and shut the door behind him, stifling a yawn. He scowled when he caught sight of us. “Can I help you?”
“No, thank you.” I ducked around him and went inside with Viggo close behind.
Most of the staff had been dismissed after the king had been poisoned. I still wasn’t accustomed to the house being so quiet at night. Viggo and I snuck around, looking for anything suspicious. I even looked in on the royal couple, although I strained my ears to make sure they were asleep before I entered their room. Everything seemed to be in order. I let out a sigh of relief and joined Viggo downstairs.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” I reported.
“That’s not too surprising. If Gabor really was our traitor, it wouldn’t be smart for him to strike the king when he’s the only one on duty,” Viggo said.
“Yes, but Gabor has never been very bright.”
Viggo grinned at me through the semidarkness. “Don’t confuse stupidity for insecurity. Chances are his manhood is much smaller than he’d like it to be.”
I stifled a laugh. “Is that all it takes to make a man unbearable to be around?”
“So I’ve been told.” Viggo frowned. “I’m starting to think Lennart is the true suspect here. Why would he risk the king’s safety by leaving Gabor alone?”
“Either he knows Gabor isn’t our traitor, or he doesn’t care what happens to the king,” I said. “I don’t think it matters. It still makes him untrustworthy. I wish there was some way to interrogate him with truth serum.”
Viggo ran a hand over his face. “Short of ambushing him and strapping him with irons, I don’t think we’ll be able to get any serum in him. He knows better than to drink anything we offer.”
“We’ll have to think of something else,” I said, determined. “We’ve let him have his way long enough.”
Viggo nodded absently. “I suppose I should let you sleep now.”
“After this, I’ll be lucky if I’m able to close my eyes tonight,” I said grumpily. “You should have let me kill Lennart when I had the chance.”
Viggo smiled slightly and brushed my cheek with his knuckles. “It would have brought you no comfort.”
I frowned despite my dancing innards. “How do you know?”
“I know you.” He cupped my chin and kissed me then, sending sparks flaring down the length of my body. I leaned into him, his arms tightened around me, and—
“What is going on down there?”
We jumped apart and I spun around to see Dagmar marching down the stairs in her night robe. Her gray hair was wild from sleep, her dark eyes wilder still.
“Viggo was just—”
“Attaching his filthy mouth to that of a woman who isn’t his wife?” my handmaiden screeched.
“Dagmar!” I said. “Please.”
“This is outrageous! I knew I couldn’t leave him alone with you. There was just something about him I didn’t like.” She charged at us, took me by the arm, and attempted to yank me away. All she succeeded in doing was raking her nails across my skin.
I grimaced but held my ground. Dagmar blinked in surprise before grabbing my arm and trying again.
“I’m not a child,” I said through my teeth. “I’m fully capable of making my own decisions. I will not allow you to continue treating my friends like untrustworthy hooligans when they have done nothing to earn your hatred. Now, kindly remove your hand before you scratch me again!”
My handmaiden released me and stepped back, mouth hanging open. “How dare you?”
Some of my anger dissipated at the hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dagmar. I appreciate your concern, but you’re not my mother. We have to set some boundaries.”