Threads of Gold (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 6) Read online

  My new lawyer introduced himself with the slightest of bows, and then immediately sat down on the divan facing mine. On the table between us was the tea Rashelle had brought up, but he did not appear to even notice it.

  “Now, then,” he said, his tone brisk, “Master Slade was not precisely forthcoming about the particulars of your case, so I will need you to tell me exactly everything that has transpired over the past three days.”

  “Master Slade?” I had never heard the name before.

  “Tobyn Slade, the man who hired me. He lives in my district.”

  So that was Rumple’s true name. I wondered why he had bothered to conceal it from me. I hoped that he would not be angry with Master Jamsden for revealing it now.

  “You know him well?” I asked. Yes, I had been given one precious hour with my lawyer, but even so, I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to glean from him whatever information about Rumple — Tobyn Slade — that I could.

  “Not terribly well. Our paths have crossed a few times.”

  “And have you ever…have you ever seen him?” I inquired. Gods, that sounded so desperate, even to my own ears. In that moment, though, I was almost beyond caring. I needed to know more about this mysterious man who had insinuated himself into my life.

  “No, I fear I have not. He told me once that he had the pox when he was a very young man. I suppose that is why he thinks there is a need to cover himself so. But that is no concern of mine.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling myself quite let down. Perhaps it had been foolish of me to imagine he was handsome under that hood, and yet I doubted any other young woman in my situation would not have done the same.

  What does it matter, really? I scolded myself. His actions are what is important here. Besides, your experiences with Lord Edmar should have been enough to teach you that a handsome face counts for very little.

  That all sounded very practical. Now if I could only convince myself of the truth of those words….

  Then I had to return myself to the present, for Master Jamsden was speaking again.

  “…I believe there was originally the matter of a gambling debt?”

  I blinked. “Gambling…oh, yes. My father, I fear, has something of an excess of zeal when it comes to the dice table.”

  “And he made some outrageous claims, claims which you were brought to the palace to prove.”

  “Yes,” I said, my tone uncertain. Master Jamsden had said that he would need all the particulars of what had happened to me over the past three days, but if I told him everything, then I would be revealing secrets about Rumple…Master Slade, I reminded myself…that I had promised to keep concealed.

  The lawyer appeared to note my hesitation. After giving a quick look around and determining that we were quite alone — for I had told Rashelle that I needed to speak to Master Jamsden in private — he said quietly, “You need not fear revealing Master Slade’s secrets to me. I know of his, ah, particular gifts.”

  “You do?” I responded, startled. Surely Tobyn must trust Master Jamsden deeply, to have told him of something that could cost him his life, should it get out.

  “Yes,” Master Jamsden said. “He hired me for a legal matter several years ago, and told me the truth about his talents so I would have all the facts of the case.”

  “And it did not bother you?”

  The lawyer’s dark eyes glinted with amusement. “Has it bothered you, Mistress Kelsden?”

  “Well, no. That is — ” I floundered for a moment, then went on, “I mean to say, it is because of Master Slade’s ‘particular gifts,’ as you put it, that I am still alive now. I surely would have forfeited my life if I had not been able to give the king the gold he desired. But I must confess I am surprised that you have accepted this information with such equanimity.”

  “I am a man who deals in facts, Mistress Kelsden. I do not think we have nearly as much to fear from users of magic as we have all been taught. For is not Master Slade ample proof that people with such gifts can live among us and yet do no harm? The laws of this land are barbaric in regard to their treatment of those who possess the ability to do magic, and it is shameful that we have not revised them. This is not the world of a thousand years ago, when all was beaten down by the wars between the mages. Enforcing laws based on the events of a dim history long past do no one any good.”

  I stared at him, somewhat surprised by the impassioned nature of his speech. “It seems as if this is a cause dear to your heart.”

  He shrugged. Master Jamsden wore a simple black wool doublet with no ornamentation, but somehow the severity of its lines only served to emphasize the width of his shoulders.

  But they are not so broad as Master Slade’s, I thought, then wanted to shake my head at myself.

  “It is not so much that this particular cause is dear to my heart,” the lawyer said. “It is more that I wish to fight injustice wherever I see it. It is especially painful to see such barbaric laws still in effect here in Purth, where in so many other places on the continent, the old practices are slowly giving way. Why, did you know that the consort of the Mark of Eredor is a gifted mage herself, and quite openly uses her magic?”

  Of course I did not. The land of North Eredor was thousands of leagues away, far off beyond Seldd and on the western slopes of the Opal Mountains. I heard very little of what might be happening in lands such as that. It was not deemed necessary for a young woman such as I to possess such knowledge. But to be told that magic was not universally reviled…well, that gave me a little hope.

  Hope for what, precisely, I didn’t want to admit to myself. That I would finally be free from the king’s clutches, and that Master Slade and I might run off someplace where he could be allowed to practice his magic without threat of reprisal? Foolish notion. Ridiculous, really, when he had never given any indication that he cared anything about me, except to ensure my safety at the king’s expense.

  “That is very interesting,” I told Master Jamsden, since he had been watching me, obviously expecting a reply.

  “So it is,” he said. I could tell from his inflection he had thought he would get more of an answer from me than that. But then he seemed to square his shoulders. “So, then, Mistress Kelsden, now that you know it is safe to reveal all to me, please give me your account of what led you to being held here by the king.”

  Which I did. I tried my best not to embellish, or to reveal anything more than I absolutely needed to of what had passed between Master Slade and myself. Certainly I did not tell the lawyer of how I had broken down that second night, and how my benefactor had held me while I wept. I debated whether I should mention anything of Lord Edmar and his suspected intentions — mainly because I knew it would be embarrassing to the extreme — but then I decided it would be better if I did. For all I knew, that particular collusion between the duke and the king had contributed to my being kept here against my will.

  Throughout my recitation, Master Jamsden wrote swiftly in a leather-bound book he had brought with him, his pen scratching against the paper, the tiny inkwell he had produced from an inner pocket sitting on the low table before us. When I was done, he kept the book open so the ink would dry, but his gaze was fixed on me.

  “This is quite a grave matter, Mistress Kelsden,” he said. “For it was put down hundreds of years ago that no man — or no woman — could be held without the proper charges being filed. The king’s greed has blinded him, or at least has made him believe that he can be above the law in this. I will write up my arguments and submit them to the High Court. Because the king is a peer, that is the body which must listen to this case. Going to a simple magistrate is out of the question.”

  I nodded, although I must confess that half of what Master Jamsden had said went quite over my head. Yes, of course I knew that a High Court existed, but its activities certainly had nothing to do with me. “How long do you think this will all take?” I asked him. For I had heard of some cases being dragged out for months or even years, if the parti
es involved had the funds to keep paying their legal counsel.

  He seemed to understand my worry. “Not too long, I should think. This is not a simple property dispute or quarrel over a contract. It involves someone being held against their will, and so I think the court will give your case the priority it deserves.” A quick glance down at the book where he had made his notes, followed by a nod, as if he was satisfied that the ink was now dry. He closed it and tied it shut with a ribbon attached to the binding, then tucked it away in a pocket. After that, he rose to his feet, while I did the same.

  “Thank you, Master Jamsden.”

  “Thank me when this is all done, Mistress Kelsden,” he replied. Up until that moment, his manner had been matter-of-fact, but a look of concern passed over his features then. “Just remember to stay strong, for you are in the right in this.”

  He bowed at the waist, while I nodded and attempted to assume an expression of what I hoped was something resembling fortitude. And then he was gone, letting himself quietly out the door to my chambers.

  I sank back onto the divan then, my knees suddenly quite shaky. For better or worse, it seemed my case would go to court very soon.

  * * *

  Unfortunately, I was not left to my own devices for very long. Rashelle had not even returned before I heard a knock at my door. Since she was not there to answer it, I got up from where I had been sitting and opened the door myself.

  Lord Edmar stood outside. Inwardly I cursed, wishing I could have ignored that knock, even though I knew there was really no way for me to have done so.

  His expression was bland, pleasant, even, and yet I detected a tension in his manner that did not bode well for me. However, I was determined not to let that put me off.

  “Your Grace,” I said coolly. “This is a surprise.”

  He did not react, but only asked, “May we speak?”

  Of course I would have liked to say no, but that was not an option allowed me, I feared. Instead, I inclined my head. “Certainly. Do come in.”

  He moved past me and stopped in the main salon, surveying the room. Perhaps he was looking to see if Rashelle was anywhere about with her ubiquitous feather duster. If only I had not told her that she could take her time in returning! When I had sent her off, I had thought Master Jamsden would require a full hour to speak to me, but he had been here for rather half that amount of time.

  But I would not let the absence of a chaperone, even one as inadequate as Rashelle, discommode me. For some reason, I felt better now, knowing the lawyer would speak for me, and hurry things along as best he could.

  I came into the salon and stood a few paces away from the duke, then said, “I fear I have no refreshment to offer you, Your Grace, save some lemon water. But I will pour you a glass if you would like.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” His eyes narrowed then. “You have gotten quite good at playing the grand lady, Annora. So grand that you do not even fear to go up against the king himself.”

  Ah, so that was why he was here. I supposed I should have guessed that the king would send his lapdog to speak with me, rather than confronting me himself. Once a day appeared to be his limit when it came to dealing with commoners.

  Lifting my shoulders, I replied, “I regret that I was forced to this extremity. But His Majesty would not relent, and so I had no choice but to use legal means to seek my freedom.”

  My words did not appear to mollify the duke in the slightest. “From the way you speak, Annora, one would think you were still locked up in the dungeon. Have you not been given every comfort? Do you not reside in a beautiful suite? Has the king not given you gowns and jewels and a woman to wait on you?”

  “Yes, he has given me all these things,” I retorted, “save the one boon I actually asked for. I am not one to care for jewels, or gowns, or a woman to come at my beck and call. I want only to be returned to my family, and the life I was living before all this began.”

  “Oh, and a pretty life that was,” the duke sneered, “with not even a maid to wait on you, and a father who squandered his wealth and yet still waited to see if he could sell you off to the highest bidder.”

  It was no more than I already knew, and yet hearing Lord Edmar say such a thing merely served to make me that much more furious. Lashing out at him would only make matters worse, however, and so I pushed my anger aside. Tone cold and controlled, I said, “Do you think you are telling me anything I do not already know? I am not responsible for my father’s actions, only my own. And whatever you may think, I am blameless in all this. Am I not supposed to assert even the few rights I do have?”

  His expression softened then, and yet I somehow knew he had altered his aspect on purpose, seeking to throw me off guard. “No one is saying you do not have rights, Annora, but to do such a thing is quite beyond the pale. Do you not understand the precedent you will set, if you somehow succeed? The king will lose face, and worse, be shown as someone whose commands can be subverted. Do you truly wish to weaken the kingdom in such a way, simply to prove a point?”

  “Not to prove a point,” I said, speaking slowly, for until the duke had pointed them out, I had not really thought of the ramifications of my actions. I had only thought that if I won, I would be able to go home. Certainly I had no wish to make the king look powerless, an easy target. But really, it was his own stubbornness and greed that had forced matters to such a pass. All he had to do was let me go, and all of Lord Edmar’s gloomy predictions could still be avoided. “But to get my family and my life back. They may not seem much to you, Your Grace, but they are the world to me. My world, small and mean as it might appear to you.”

  To my surprise, he smiled at those words. Not even a mocking smile, which I might have expected, but rather one of sympathy and respect. But perhaps I was flattering myself, seeing something I wished to see. “I think, Annora, that there are not many who would choose the simpler things instead of the grand and mighty, especially in exchange for so little.”

  So little? I thought then. What Rumple…Tobyn…helps me spin in one night would feed every household on my street for at least a six-month.

  I did not bother to say such a thing aloud. For someone like the duke, born to wealth and power and knowing nothing else, my simple existence probably did not seem all that appealing. And parts of it were not — namely, my father’s weakness for the gaming table — but there was a quiet comfort in that life. Some had remarked that my beauty should have been shown off at court, where I might have attracted suitors, despite my lack of a dowry. That had never mattered to me, however. It was true that I hoped some day to have a husband and a family, but I had not been one of those girls who dreamed of attracting the attention of a peer.

  “Perhaps there are more people like that than you might think,” I said simply. “At any rate, I would be more than happy to drop my suit, if the king would only allow me to go home. You may pass that intelligence on to him, although I doubt it will do much good.”

  “No, I do not think it will,” he agreed. A silence fell while he studied me for a moment. I tried not to fidget under that keen grey gaze. Surely he must take his leave, now that I had shown myself to be intractable.

  What he said next, however, surprised me so much that I couldn’t help starting.

  “But what if you were not held here against your will, but as a member of the court, on equal standing with them? What if you were here as my wife?”

  I could only stare at him. Then I mustered a shaky laugh and said, “Your Grace, you certainly cannot think to lower yourself in such a way. The daughter of a merchant, when any of the kingdom’s high-born young women would be so much better suited?”

  “If I cared for that, I would have married one of them already,” he replied. “Besides, none of them are nearly as beautiful as you.”

  The compliment probably did not have its intended effect, for it only dismayed me more. “Your Grace, I — ”

  “Edmar,” he cut in. “Surely we do not need titles when we a
re speaking of such matters?”

  That was even worse. My fingers knotted in the heavy silk damask of my skirts. The duke was still watching me with that sharp, hawkish stare. It was certainly not the gaze of a lover — not that I would have wished for him to regard me as such. As I searched for the proper words to make my reply, I knew he stared at me in such a way because he did not have any tender feelings for me. He wanted me…and the king wanted me…and if I agreed to be Lord Edmar’s duchess, then I would be neatly trapped, and each of them would have gotten what he desired.

  “Edmar,” I said, hoping the use of his given name might placate him somewhat, “this is a very great honor you are doing me, but….”

  “But?” he repeated, eyes narrowing.

  “It is also very sudden. May I have some time to think on it?”

  He did not like that, I could tell; a muscle in his cheek twitched, and I saw how his jaw tensed. But then he gave a reluctant nod, and said, “You may think on it, Annora. Only do not take too long.”

  To my relief, he did not reach for my hand to kiss it…or worse. No, he merely gave me a courtly bow, if one that appeared a little too brusque, and then made his way back to the door of my suite. Without any further farewell, he was gone.

  I drew in a shaky breath. Yes, I had given myself some time…but how much?

  Chapter 9

  For once I was glad that I could not see my benefactor’s face. He stood in the study, anger radiating from every inch of his black-swathed body.

  “He asked you to marry him?”

  “Yes,” I said wearily. The tumultuous day had taken its toll on me, and waiting up for Rumple — Tobyn, I reminded myself for the hundredth time — had not been easy. As much as I wanted to speak to him, I’d wanted to take to my bed that much more, and not rise from it again until all this had been resolved. Unfortunately, life was seldom that accommodating.

  “So they counter our gambit with one of their own,” Tobyn said, his tone musing. “I take it that he did not much care for your answer.”