I didn’t trust myself to speak without breaking. I managed a nod, at least.
Winnie busied herself with a vase while I stared at the door behind her, half-expecting him to reappear. But the castle felt different already.
“Where’s Flor—” I started, catching myself in the middle of it.
Winnie’s shoulders dropped. She took the flowers with care, placing them in a vase of glass, and set the arrangement on my bedside table.
“Winnie, I need you to do something for me,” I said. My choice had crystalized overnight, reinforced by the memory of all that was lost.
“Anything, Your Majesty.”
“The duke… I’m dismissing him today, sending him back to Greene.” My hands fumbled at my sides. “I want you to go with him.”
Her face went slack. “What?”
I went over to my writing desk and began drafting a letter, formalizing the decision. Winnie placed her hand over mine.
“Alana.” She used my name, a first in a long while. “Why?”
The scratch of the quill on parchment felt louder than it should have been.
“You’re sending me away after losing Florence and Quinn,” she stated, confirming that she was well aware of who had left the bouquet. Her arms crossed. “Either something has happened, or something’s about to.”
“Justgo,Winnie. Please.”
Winnie planted a hand atop the parchment. “I’ve been with you from the beginning. If that means anything to you, then please at least have the grace to provide me with an explanation.”
I stopped writing, meeting her eyes. “I’m taking over, Winnie.”
My friend stared back. “Taking overwhat, exactly?”
“Everything.” I handed her the note. “I intend to weed the garden, and then I shall properly groom what remains.”
“Weed the garden? Speak plainly, Alana: what are you planning?”
“I intend to kill someone.”
Winnie swallowed, narrowing her eyes.
“I don’t want the duke here for what happens next,” I went on. “He’s a kind man, and I want you by his side, safe and happy. You’ve been hurt enough.”
“Damn it, Alana!” Winnie cried, tearing the paper in half. “You cannot send me away. Send the duke to Greene, but I’ll never leave you. Kill away! Let me lie for you again. I would lie a thousand times over if it meant that I could stand by you through whatever comes next.”
The torn paper fluttered to the floor between us.
“You would stay, after everything?” I whispered.
Winnie put her hand on mine and my breathing sputtered. I fought to keep control of my features, but there was no hiding the way my bottom lip stuck out.
“I’m going to kill Angharad.” The words were stark and simple. “She got Florence killed for nothing but petty spite. She would destroy me, if I let her.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“I’ll swear you were with me the whole time when you do it,”Winnie said. “So, what’s the plan? Poison?”
In a manner of speaking. But first, I had one more song to sing for the marchioness.
