21
1496 Words
Antonin frowns, "Victor? That investigator?"
I nod, "Yes, he—"
Antonin says, "Wait, isn't he the one who got an innocent man executed? Didn't he accuse Grace herself? Why do you want this man to help? He's not worth the dirt beneath my shoes."
I say, "I know, I know. But...Grace and I kept something a secret. Back when we were at Florentine's house, Victor came to look for us."
Antonin interrupts again, "Yes, that wasn't a secret. Florentine told me that. It made me furious to know that the same man who incriminated Grace before had the audacity to go after her again."
I take a deep breath, "Victor found us. He found the secret room and opened up the panel. He told us that he knew that I wasn't guilty. He knew that Grace, and the man that he had executed, weren't guilty."
"Then why did he have that man executed? Why did he throw Grace in jail?" Antonin's voice rises.
I hold up my hands, "He said he was trying to save his job. He was supposedly the best investigator in all of the kingdom, yet he couldn't find the murderer. William was heaping pressure on to him. He didn't know what to do."
"So he accused random people?"
"I'm not saying that what he did was right. All I'm saying is that he found us, but he didn't turn us in."
"How did you know he didn't turn you in? Maybe he's the reason that Alexanne kept sending people to search Florentine's home."
"If they knew where we were, why didn't they arrest us?"
Henri says, "Maybe Alexanne just wanted to save the fun for the castle."
I say, "It doesn't matter. All I'm saying is that Victor may be on our side. He is the best investigator in the kingdom, that's why he was hired by William. He may not be the best choice of help, but he may be our only chance. He might be able to find clues where Florentine couldn't, just because he's an investigator."
Antonin says, "He couldn't find clues against Alexanne before. What makes you think that he can find the clues now?"
"It's pretty unlikely that Alexanne kidnapped Grace herself. She probably had a servant or guard do it for her. Even if Victor can't find any clues, maybe he can get some of the servants to talk. He might be our only chance."
Antonin and Henri are quiet.
"Well?" I say.
Henri says, "I'm afraid I don't know much about Victor. I've only heard stories, but what I've heard has been good. But, if it can save Grace..."
I turn to face Antonin, "What do you think?"
He stares at the road, "Give me until tomorrow morning to think about it."
I nod and we fall silent as we walk back to the castle.
●◊●◊●
Antonin's friend is still posted at the gate. He smiles when he sees us and opens the gate without a word. However, his silence only lasts until then. He asks, "Any luck?"
Antonin shakes his head, his shoulders tight.
The guard claps his hand on Antonin's back, "You'll find her. Don't worry too much. From what you've told me about her, she can handle her own."
Antonin nods and the moonlight catches the tear on his cheek.
The guard pushes Antonin forward, "You better be getting the lady back to the castle. I'm afraid it's a bit late."
Antonin mumbles something and strides forward. I smile and wave back to the guard. I don't know his name, yet he has helped me more than he might ever realize.
The guard winks at me and turns back into a motionless guard, staring straight ahead with his knees and arms locked.
I turn around and follow after Antonin with Henri walking by my side. We duck behind a hedge and sneak to the doors. We get back inside the castle without any serious problems, though we do have to pop inside a few servants' hallways.
We drop Henri off at his door. He offers me a shy smile and pulls me into a hug. "Thank you, Admira, for letting me help. I promise I'll tell Florentine about what we learned tonight and see what her next step forward is. If Antonin agrees to letting Victor help, I'll find out Florentine's opinion on it."
"Thank you, Henri. For everything. For coming to help train me. For serving as a messenger between Florentine and I. For risking your life. Everything."
He grins, "It's no problem. It's nice to be doing something for a change."
His words, though they are said lightly, hold a hint of bitterness. He is the son of a midwife. Surely his life has had boundaries and barriers I wouldn't understand. His mother isn't allowed to talk to anyone besides her close friends and family. What is he allowed to do? Was he allowed to get schooling? Did he have any friends his age?
Henri offers me one more smile before slipping back into his room. Antonin wearily leads me away, back to my own quarters. Once we safely close the doors behind us, I let out a sigh of relief. I crawl out of my dress and back into my nightgown. Now that the tension and thrill of sneaking out of the castle has passed, there's nothing but exhaustion in my bones.
I drag myself into bed and fall asleep almost immediately.
●◊●◊●
I wake to Camille pulling the bedcovers off of me. She shouts, "Admira, come on. It is morning, get up. I've asked you enough times."
I open my eyes, blinking in the morning light. Camille has opened all the curtains, allowing the late sunrays to spill right on to my eyes. I groan, "Can't you let me sleep a little longer?" I think back to my late night. I'm not sure what time it is, but I know that I haven't gotten enough sleep.
I say, "It's not as though I have anything important to do today."
Camille laughs, "That's where you're wrong. Alexanne wants to meet with you today. Actually in one hour."
I groan, "You had to wake me up this early? It's just Alexanne. I only need to get dressed. That will take you only ten minutes at most. Why did you need a whole hour?"
Camille laughs, "She told me she wanted you to look nice. She said she wanted to talk to you about your courter."
"Of course."
"I'm sure he will be very sweet. He must be a gentlemen if he has gained your love."
I roll over in bed, "He hasn't gained my love. I've never met him, remember?"
Camille sighs, "Please just get up. You aren't meeting him today. I'm sure you can work something out with Alexanne."
I'm sure that this new development with my courter is just another part of Alexanne's games. She saw me last night with Antonin. While she knows that he and I are probably not together, she must be suspicious. It probably bothers her that she doesn't know what we were doing.
This is her revenge.
I climb out of bed, barely able to keep my eyes open. Camille splashes my face with water, and I sputter curses at her. She only laughs and continues flicking the freezing droplets over my skin.
Once she's decided that I'm awake enough to escape her torture, she pulls me into a dress. It's not nearly as fancy as my ball dress, but it's hardly simple. A tight blue bodice with a black skirt.
Why must Alexanne torture me so? She knows how much I despise having to dress up when I don't have to. Yet another part of her revenge.
As Camille brushes my hair back into a tight braid that pulls against my scalp, she asks, "Did someone visit you last night?"
I shake my head, "No, why would you think that?"
She shrugs, "I just thought I heard someone come in last night. It must have been nothing. I was half-asleep anyway. I should have checked on you..."
I stare at the floor, so that I feel less guilt as I lie to her, "It was probably nothing. You don't have to worry about me at night. Antonin is always here to protect me. You need your sleep just as much as I do."
She nods and finishes my braid.
However, her questions about last night bring all the stress of the night crashing back on me. I proposed hiring Victor to help find Grace. While it's desperate, it may be our only chance to find Grace.
Antonin said he would tell me whether he was willing to let Victor become involved.
My eyes flicker to his post, looking for his answer.
He feels my stare and looks up. He hesitates for a second before nodding.
I need to find a way to contact Victor.
- Writer
