Ruled by the Princess

Chapter 11-1

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Kit could see Danyen wanted to tell her something. She struggled with listening to her mother discuss the ball she had scheduled for the following evening because she wanted to see what it was Danyen had discovered. Even Cassius’s winking only served as a temporary distraction.

Once the queen had finished eating and left the room, Kit made her way down off of the dais. Eli was standing to leave, and Kit noted he looked much better. She had spoken to him briefly the day before, but she hadn’t mentioned her conversation with Danyen because she had a feeling he would tell her it was silly. Cassius was still suspicious but hadn’t come out and asked her, and he was standing behind Eli when she reached them near the middle of the room. She caught Danyen’s smile over their shoulders.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Kit said. Despite her distraction, she couldn’t help but grin at both of them. Cassius had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and she hoped he wouldn’t say anything about Danyen in front of Eli.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Cassius said as Eli greeted her as well. “And what are you up to this fine day?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I have a few matters to attend to.” She’d gone to speak to the delivery drivers the day before, but only one had been available, and he was skittish. He said some of the others would be back that day, so Kit hoped to catch them before they left on their routes. “I have a project I’m working on.”

“Yes, I know,” Cassius replied. Kit narrowed her eyes, hoping he didn’t blurt out anything about Pierce in front of Eli. “The delivery drivers. The project assigned to you by the council.”

“Right.” She let go the breath she’d been holding. At least he hadn’t given her away. “Yes, I’m headed there shortly.”

“Would you like some company?” Eli asked.

She missed him. The last few days, she’d been letting him rest and had only stopped in to speak to him a few times. But the idea of him being seen alongside her may arouse suspicions from her mother’s guard. “I think it might be better if you didn’t go along with me, only because of... all the eyes.”

He understood. “I don’t think you should go alone. It’s dangerous for you to be wandering around asking questions, too, Kit.”

“I’m working on a project assigned to me by the council,” she reminded him.

“You’ve expanded on your original assignment.” Cassius’s disposition had shifted so that it was obvious he was concerned.

“No one will know that.” She thought it was a stretch to be concerned for her safety at this point. She was only asking questions, ones she was entitled to know the answers to considering she was a royal.

“Nevertheless, I’d feel better if you had someone with you. I might not be the right choice because anywhere I go, your mother’s fiends follow. But Cassius is above suspicion at this point. Take him.” Eli’s statement came across a little like an order, and Kit wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She wasn’t a member of the guard.

Still, taking Cassius with her wasn’t a bad idea. “All right,” she said with a nod. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be going. I need to speak to a few other people.” In actually, she only needed to speak to Danyen, but she didn’t want to cause Eli to start asking questions.

“Very well. You know where to find me.” He winked at her again, and despite the fact that Kit was standing in a room full of men she adored, he brought a blush to her cheeks.

Cassius stepped away, but Eli stood there a moment longer. Kit reached out and took hold of his arm. “How are you?” Her voice was low, but she was certain he’d hear the concern in her tone.

“Better, thank you.” He managed a small smile. Kit knew he didn’t like to talk about it. Showing any sort of weakness was a struggle for him. “I plan to return to my normal activities today.”

“I’m sure Galter will be relieved to hear that. It isn’t easy keeping track of me, you know. He’ll likely take all the help he can get.”

He laughed, knowing the temporary Commander of the Princess’s Guard was fully capable. “I am sure he can manage.”

Kit realized there was little they could discuss while standing in the dining hall. She needed to pull Danyen aside but couldn’t do so with Eli present. The silence that fell over them was uncomfortable and unusual; she couldn’t remember a time when she could find absolutely nothing to discuss with this man.

Luckily for her, Danyen was on his way over. Eli noticed. “I suppose I should be on my way. Have a lovely day, Kit.”

“Thank you. You as well.” She smiled at him and watched him walk away, thinking she’d have to track him down later to clear the air.

Danyen had a questioning expression on his face. “Is everything all right, Princess?”

“Yes. I suppose I’m just not used to having secrets from Eli.”

He nodded in understanding. “Well, I have some information for you.” He glanced over his shoulder. There were only a few Representatives left in the room, and none of them seemed to be attempting to eavesdrop, though Kit had their attention, even if they weren’t staring in her direction.

“Shall we go to the library?” Kit asked, her cheeks flaming.

Danyen grinned. “That might be dangerous.”

“Alas, I haven’t time for anything too intimate. I need to make my way out to the delivery drivers sooner rather than later.” She thought most of them dropped off in the morning and tried to leave again before midday.

“A pity,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye. He offered his arm, and Kit took it.

Once inside the library, Kit stopped him nearer the door. She didn’t want to take the chance in walking all the way to the settee they’d shared the day before, though a glimpse of it in the corner of the room brought a shiver through her.

Turning to Danyen, she asked, “What have you discovered?”

He also seemed slightly bothered by the furniture in the back of the room. It took him a moment to realize she’d spoken, and he had a thin layer of perspiration at his hairline. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Danyen said, “He left in the middle of the night again, last night.”

“He did?” Kit couldn’t believe her luck that Pierce had been so cooperative. “Did you follow him?”

“Yes, for a bit. I couldn’t go too far because I could hear guards in the hallways. But I can tell you he certainly headed toward the back of the castle.”

“Which hall did he use?” Kit was even more confused about where Pierce may have been sneaking off to now that it was confirmed he was headed away from her mother’s chambers.

“He went down the hall that parallels the one in front of the infirmary and then turned left down the second hall past the kitchen. I couldn’t follow him any further after that.”

Kit could envision the hallways he was speaking of, but that didn’t help her understand where he was going. She hadn’t been back to that part of the castle in years. That was further away from the queen than even her father’s chambers. “Did you happen to hear what time he returned?”

“Yes, about two hours later, he came back.”

“Two hours? What in the world could he have been doing for that long?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Danyen admitted. “What do you plan to do now?”

“I’m not certain,” Kit admitted. She’d have to think about it. “If he’s meeting with someone other than the queen, I’d like to know who. But it could be anyone. A member of her guard, another council member. Is it possible my mother is also going there to meet him?”

“I can’t imagine she would,” Danyen replied, shaking his head. “It would be dangerous, and I can’t believe she’d put herself at risk for no reason.”

Kit agreed. “All right. Thank you, Danyen. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your assistance.”

“As I’ve said before, Kit, I’d do anything for you.” He leaned in slightly, and Kit’s breath caught in her throat as memories of the feel of him took over. She rose up on her tiptoes only slightly to meet his lips and her hand instantly went to the back of his head to press him closer.

She had to will herself to pull away before the situation got too heated. If she was to find time to visit the drivers, she’d need to be on her way. “I need to go.”

“I understand. Be careful. Let me know if there’s more I can do.”

“Thank you.” Kit squeezed his arm and headed out to the hallway.

On her way to find Cassius, Kit thought about what Danyen had revealed to her. It made little sense that Pierce would be going to meet the queen considering the route he had taken. But what else could he be up to?

Cassius was in the Representatives’ lounge, but he wasn’t telling a story. He was standing by the window, staring out at the courtyard, thoughtful. Kit almost hated to interrupt him, but she needed to get a move on. She waved at some of the other Representatives as she approached but made it clear she was there for one purpose only.

He turned at her approach, and his expression changed from reflective to affectionate. “Back so soon, beautiful?” he asked, stooping to kiss her cheek. She wished it had been her lips but knew that was for the sake of the others. “How was your conversation with Danyen? Did he have the answers you seek?”

“Some of them,” she replied with a sigh. She tugged on his arm, and he understood that meant she wanted to go. He offered his elbow and led her out of the room.

Her guards fell in behind them as they made their way down the hallway toward the kitchen area of the castle. Kit couldn’t discuss what Danyen had told her in front of her guard, but she did want to confide in Cassius. She’d have to find a way to get him alone, which shouldn’t be too difficult. For now, she needed to concentrate on the drivers.

The head of the kitchen was a woman named Rosy. She had to be close to a hundred, Kit thought. Kit’s great-grandmother had hired her when she was queen, over fifty years ago. Still, she was spry and sharp as a tack. She was also kind, despite having to answer to a different sort of queen these days. When Kit walked in, her face lit up.

“Ah, Princess Katrinetta,” she said, bowing her head. “You are lovely today as always. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

The kitchen was loud. Several cooks were working on preparing the noon day meal, and other servants were cleaning or running back and forth, fetching items for nobles who needed them in their rooms. Everything seemed to echo in the large space, and a group of about six unloading a carriage over by the propped back exit was a good reminder of why Kit had come. She was relieved to see at least one of the drivers was still there.

“Good day, Rosy. I am here because I’m working on a project for the Royal Council. I would like to speak to some of the carriage drivers, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

“The delivery men?” Rosy clarified.

“Yes, the ones who bring in products from the provinces for the castle.”

Rosy’s forehead puckered. “Only the ones with foodstuffs deliver to the kitchen. Others deliver to the back entrance of the castle near the chambermaids’ quarters.” She was thoughtful for a moment, her face still pruned. “And others come in late at night and leave in the dark. I’m not certain....” She stopped talking, and Kit could see apprehension written all over her face.

“Not certain of what?” Kit tried to keep her voice as kind and nonchalant as possible, but it was difficult. Clearly, there was something the woman wanted to tell her but didn’t know if she should.

“I’ll just be... over here....” Cassius walked toward one of the fireplaces where the cooks were busy with what smelled like some sort of stew, which Kit imagined was for the servants’ dinner.

Rosy looked a little relieved to see Cassius walk away but wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the information even when it was just Kit before her. Eventually, she leaned in, and in a whisper said, “I’m not sure what it is, Princess. But it is secretive. There is an entry point near mid-castle. They pull in there, stay just long enough to unload or load, never both, and then pull away again. I only know because there are many times, late of a night, when I am up. Sometimes I wander outside and walk about the castle, thinking of better times.” She leaned away again, and Kit had a feeling she would learn no more about the matter from Rosy.