I frowned. “Angharad wouldn’t lie to me.”
“No?” Winnie replied, leaving it at that. She resumed her polishing.
I stood, coming around to look at her. “She’s my friend, one who has already proven her loyalty.”
“Great, but she will not wear that dress tomorrow.”
Sucking air into my chest, I prepared to bicker when I was stopped by sudden knocking. Quinn’s voice carried into the room,muffled by the thick wooden door.
“Lady Alana, Her Royal Majesty Queen Adelaide, Queen Regent of Antier, requests your audience.”
My heart stilled. Winnie cleared her throat. “One moment, Lord Quinn. Lady Alana shall receive Her Majesty presently!”
She motioned with her eyes for me to stand up, then went to allow the queen her entry. As she did, she bowed with due propriety, holding the stance until even after Queen Adelaide was well within the room. I curtsied, wary of the sudden visit from the kingdom’s highest authority.
“Ease yourself, Lady Alana,” the queen ordered, and so I did. I met her eyes for perhaps the first time, registering the same shade of honey-red as the prince’s, only hers were much rounder. “My son has requested for us to go see a play. An unprecedented ask, I must admit, and highly strange, but I am here to cordially extend an invitation.”
My mouth hung dumbly open. The queen turned to find Winnie still bowed at the threshold.
“You may come as well, Winnie Balden.”
Snapping up, Winnie stammered. “M-me, Your Majesty? Would such an honor not be lost on someone—”
“Oh, enough,” Queen Adelaide interrupted, rolling her eyes. She looked back at me. “Will you come along, then? It is the opening night for some comedy.”
I nodded once, then again with more enthusiasm. Quietly, I spoke so that Quinn would not hear me at the door. “I would be honored to accompany you, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, she speaks!” Queen Adelaide gasped sardonically, turning on her heel. “Let us be on our way then. We must ride to Caermont now if we are to make it before sunset. Lord Quinn!”
Quinn peeked into the room. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
She sighed, shaking her head. “I suppose you’ll want to come along too?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I might as well adopt you at this rate,” she grumbled dryly, turning back around once she’d left the room and addressing everyone as if they were unruly children. “Well? Hurry it up, then.”
It was a few hours’ ride to the city of Caermont, which left plenty of time for an introduction to the city. We all gathered within the same carriage—myself, Winnie, Nicolas, Quinn, Queen Adelaide and her silent lady-in-waiting, and the Duke of Greene, who fancied himself a connoisseur of sorts. The man was well-versed in histories, literature, and theatre, and was personally acquainted with the playwright, but above all, he seemed most enchanted by Winnie’s presence.
The city might have sponsored Duke Minnick as a guide for all the information he provided. Through him, I learned that Caermont predated Gallae itself. It was constructed in a time of city-states and minor kingdoms locked in constant warfare. Here the Montfort family first rose to power, conquering the surrounding lands until they forged a small nation of their own. They gave rise to kings, all ruling from the castle in the city’s heart for hundreds of years.
A timber wall fortified Caermont, though beyond its protection sprawled countless homes and businesses. Bathhouse inns, millers, and tanners dotted the roadside, while many visitors sleepily—and perhaps drunkenly—shuffled from the carriage’s path. As we neared the wall, we crossed a drawbridge that creaked precariously over a mountain gorge. Once inside, we were greeted by such a powerful stench that it seeped through the closed carriage windows. Duke Minnick explained it as the inevitable smell of civilization, a trade-off for harboring so many people.
As we continued through another walled section of the city, the offensive smell faded. Now there were new aromas that entered the cabin: fresh-baked bread, beer, and fragrant herbs.
The carriage climbed steadily upward through winding cobblestone streets, passing stone houses with steep-pitched roofs and carved wooden shutters. Merchants hawked their wares from colorful stalls while children darted between the wheels of carts laden with goods. Castle Caermont was perched high atop themountain’s peak like a crown of gray stone. Its towers and battlements were carved directly into the mountain face, a testament to the Montforts’ enduring power.
At last, we arrived at the city’s heart, where the theatre stood in all its magnificence. The building was a marvel of timber and stone construction, its white-plastered walls crisscrossed with dark wooden beams in intricate patterns. Red banners fluttered from every available post, announcing the evening’s performance, and warm light spilled from the paned windows. Despite the old bones of the building, there was something almost magical about it, as if centuries of oration and song had seeped into its walls.
The carriage passed a line of lords and ladies, all dressed spectacularly for the occasion, and halted near the theatre’s entrance. The queen was first to disembark, followed immediately by her mysterious attendant. Then, Nicolas extended a hand to me.
“I would have you by my side for the performance,” he said, guiding me down the carriage’s steps and catching up to his mother. “The subject of theatre has never particularly appealed to me, but I thought you might enjoy it.”
I truly had no idea what to make of the prince. At times like this, he was thoughtful, altruistic…but from experience, the man had many faces. Angel, lecher, and devil alike possessed him. Perhaps all I could do was reward the good and scorn the bad.
I squeezed his arm and settled into an approving smile. We followed Queen Adelaide into the building, offering waves to the crowd of acknowledging nobility along the way. Once inside, we ascended a carpeted flight of stairs to the second level, emerging through a set of painted doors onto a platform with a perfect view of the center stage. Draped with red and gold banners and lavishly furnished, we were positioned so that the audience could view us as well as we could view the play. A partial enclosure was all that stood between our party and the seating below.
I found my place beside the prince, looking over my shoulder for a glimpse at Winnie. The lady-in-waiting sat next to a red-faced Duke Minnick, who occasionally dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. Winnie met my gaze knowingly, evidently aware of the duke’s repressed feelings. As I smiled back, I felt a presence brush past, a gust of bergamot announcing the viscount before he situatedhimself beside the duke, directly behind me and the prince.
