She pushed the thoughts from her mind, feeling a stab of guilt for doubting him. He had been nothing but good to her, allowing her to live within his home without asking anything of her in return. And yet here she was, testing the seams of his stories, looking for things to see as suspicious.
Mina sat up, looking over the room as the early dawn light spilled in through the windows, her eyes catching on a note that sat atop her desk. She stared at it for a moment, confused, but then she wondered if this was some sort of game on the part of the Count.
Intrigued, she threw the covers off, the cold morning air brushing her bare legs as she walked across the room, snatching the folded note.
As her eyes skimmed the words, a heavy weight settled in her chest.
It was not the familiar script of the Count, but of a different hand—the words looping and elegant.
If you wish to know the truth, come alone to the watchtower tonight at 9 o’clock.
CHAPTER 21
Mina paced the room, trying to make sense of it all. It seemed unlikely that Sofia had left the note, and even more unlikely for it to be from the Count, but then who else could have snuck into her room as she lay asleep? Her thoughts returned to that night when she’d wandered these halls, finding what must have been the north wing, the book that had been left beneath her candelabra—La Morte Amoureuse.It had to be the same person who’d left the note, but why? If this person wanted her to know of their existence, why not just come out directly?
She sighed, rubbing her temples. She was inclined to believe this must be a woman based on the elegant handwriting, but she had nothing else to go on. Their mere existence here in the castle meant that the Count and Sofia were lying to her, and she needed to know why. Had they been here the entire time? Had they been the ones to let in the raiders that night—the raiders Mina had been so sure she’d encountered? Or was this person a raider themselves? Had they snuck into the castle with the intention of luring her out?
Mina looked at the note, nausea churning through her as she realized she would need to meet them. It was a risk, but she had to take it. She had to know why she was being lied to. She tore up the note and sprinkled it into the flames of the hearth, not wanting to leave evidence behind that Sofia might find, then she walked over to the window. The watchtower stood toward the front entrance of the castle, and as she took in the sight of it, she considered that she didn’t know how to make it through the maze-like corridors to even get outside.
She would need to find a path that she could take this evening.
By the time Sofia arrived at Mina’s chambers to bring her to breakfast, her plan was already in motion. As they moved through the stone passageways, Mina’s paranoia from early on returned—was it a mere coincidence that Sofia seemed to have several routes? In the days after Mina’s illness, she’d stopped trying to trace a path, allowing Sofia to guide her blindly, but now after receiving yet another signal that all was not as it seemed, she couldn’t help but feel it was intentional. As though she hadn’t wanted Mina to be able to learn the way around the castle.
As she followed the woman into the dining room, Mina tried to push the thought away. She didn’t know what the truth was, and she didn’t trust that Sofia would be honest with her about it.
Her heart thrummed in her chest as she took her seat at the table, schooling her expression as though this were any otherday. Partway through the meal, she gathered her courage and softened her voice.
“Might we take a walk through the courtyard this morning?” Mina asked. “It feels like ages since I’ve felt the sun.” She smiled, glancing over her shoulder at Sofia.
There was a moment of hesitation before Sofia replied, “If it would please you, mistress. We mustn’t be out long, though. The weather is treacherous.”
“Is it?” Mina asked lightly. “Do you suppose you could fetch my cloak, then?”
“Yes, mistress.” Sofia stepped out of the room, disappearing from view.
Mina lifted a roll from her plate, tucking it into the folds of her dress.
Sofia returned not long after, and Mina finished her breakfast at an unhurried pace, careful not to betray her eagerness. She stepped into her cloak and followed Sofia down the stone corridors. It seemed to take ages to reach the staircase, and for a moment Mina wondered if Sofia had guessed her intention—if she was deliberately leading her astray, keeping her disoriented.
Eventually, they made their way to the first floor, arriving at the front door she and Jonathan had entered all that time ago. The air was frigid as Mina stepped into the morning light, Sofia following close behind. The large courtyard lay before them, dusted with a thin layer of snow, the wind howling through theopen space.
Mina’s gaze drifted toward the front gates of the castle—and then to the grey watchtower not far in the distance, built into the outer wall and overlooking the forests and mountains beyond.
“We cannot remain long,” Sofia said. “You are only just recovered from your fever, mistress, and the air is unkind.”
“Just another moment of sunlight,” Mina replied, moving farther into the courtyard. She passed a closed door set into the stone—one she hadn’t noticed before—and wondered where it led, how many corners of the castle still remained hidden from her.
She turned her face toward the sun, feigning interest in its warmth, but her eyes slipped back to the watchtower from the corner of her vision. She caught sight of a narrow archway leading into its base.
That was where she needed to be this evening—to meet whoever had left the note.
Mina followed Sofia back inside the castle walls, keeping her hands low, out of sight. As Sofia led her down a hallway, then up a set of stairs and across another corridor, Mina quietly tore small pieces of bread and let them fall along the way, marking her path. It was a foolhardy plan, certainly—the crumbs could easily be swept away by cleaning or snatched up by a hungry mouse—but they only needed to remain for a few hours, until nightfall.
When they returned to her room, Sofia reached for the cloak, but Mina stepped back.
“You were right, it’s far too cold out there,” Mina said. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll keep it on a while longer, until I warm.” She crossed to the couch, easing down and holding her hands toward the fire.
“Certainly, mistress.”
