Arabella offered a strained smile in reply, her amber eyes glinting in the room’s dim light. “After what transpired? Not everyone would feel the same.”
Jade let her lips part in the appearance of mild shock, as if the debutante Elena might not have expected such a response from the rightful future princess. She allowed a moment for her to gather her thoughts before she responded to the lady, prepared to tread lightly. While she didn’t want to stand in stark opposition to Arabella under such circumstances, neither did she want to praise her for taking a stand and potentially alienate herself.
“It was such a shock to everyone,” Jade said, glancing around at the other faces and receiving nods of affirmation. “You only did what you thought was right.”There. Keep the beliefs firmly on Arabella.
“Mmm,” Arabella replied, pensive. “And what good did it do?”
Jade cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to her clasped hands on her lap, choosing to say nothing further and instead act ashamed for saying too much.
“It’s not in vain, Bella,” Alanna spoke up, her soft voice a caress through the air. “The servants will talk. People will see that you stand by what you say. It is a profound quality for a queen.”
Arabella gave her sister a small, genuine smile at that, and Alanna returned the expression, the conversation continuing wordlessly in their gaze.The interaction spoke volumes to Jade. Alanna took pride in her sister, but the true gravity of the situation was not lost on her.
The relaxed postures of the gathered women after Alanna’s admission gave Jade insight as well, pointing to the fact that they all wholeheartedly supported Arabella. It was curious, to be sure, and Jade wondered if the support for her rule extended to support for her stance and actions.
Perhaps Marguerite had truly meant what she said at the masquerade. She preferred her cousin over her own father, Lord Grannam, to become the kingdom’s next monarch. Jade filed away the information to explore later.
With the slight change in demeanor of the group, Jade lifted her head and tried again to make conversation with Arabella, changing the subject to something much more trivial. She didn’t want to draw any unnecessary suspicion to herself. And the quickest way she knew to gain a noble lady’s favor was through a shower of compliments.
“Your gown is beautiful, my lady. The color is perfect for your complexion.”
Arabella smoothed the skirts on her lap, straightening her shoulders as though to release the burden from them. “It was supposed to be more burgundy than plum, but our seamstress doesn’t seem to know the difference.” She tipped up her chin, extending her long neck as she looked down at Jade. “I prefer reds. They evoke a sense of strength and power, do they not?”
“Most assuredly,” Jade replied with her brows drawn. “Your gown at the masquerade was a prime example. I adored that deep red.”
The women dove into a discussion of dresses, putting aside the events of the dining room. Marguerite and Alanna even brought up the seamstress Jade had fabricated at the masquerade. Jade continued the line of conversation with ease, complimenting the imaginary woman’s skills on the light blue gown she currently wore. Once the conversation reached a natural pause, Jade leaned forward in her seat and met Marguerite’s eyes.
“I’m afraid I need to make use of your lavatory. Would you be able to tell me how to find it?”
“Oh, of course!” Marguerite rose and glided to the door of the sitting room where she and Jade had first entered, which connected to a passage off the entrance hall. Jade followed her to the doorway, where Marguerite stopped and pointed to the left. “Take this corridor until it ends, then make a left and the lavatory will be the second room on the right. Would you like me to accompany you?”
Jade smiled sweetly and shook her head. “Oh, you’re terribly kind, but I’ll be all right. Thank you.”
“Don’t be gone too long,” Marguerite continued as Jade stepped into the passage. “We’re about to pull out the cards for a game or two.”
“All right, but feel free to start without me,” Jade said with a couple of sideways steps. “I’ll join in for another game.”
With a nod, Marguerite turned back to the other ladies, and Jade began in the direction of the lavatory. Down the hallway, she passed the smoking room, the low murmur of the men’s voices muffled behind the walls. She slowed to listen, trying to pick out Grannam’s voice. Simon said something that received a rumble of laughter in approval. Her clock was ticking, and she needed every second she could get, but determining Grannam’s location was crucial to this working.
Jade glanced up and down the hallway. Still empty. She held her breath as she crept closer to the door, her footfalls silent on the plush carpeting, and leaned an ear in as close to the door as she dared. She was no longer Elena, the noble lady. She was once again Jade, the intelligence agent.
The voices other than Simon’s were so low that Jade couldn’t pinpoint whom they belonged to. With a final survey of the hallway to ensure no one might happen upon her, Jade closed her eyes, putting herself more at risk but also sharpening her other senses. She forced her mind to home in on the sounds, listening intently for the distinct cadence of Grannam’s voice.
There. Grannam spoke quietly, but Jade managed to hear enough to place him in the smoking room.
Now it was time to move.
She rounded the next corner slowly, her eyes peeled for anyone, staff or otherwise, roaming the corridors, but when she determined the coast was clear, she picked up her pace.
Jade passed the lavatory and continued to another passage, where she hung a right and located a back staircase. She stopped at the bottom and listened before taking the steps two at a time to the second story.
The war room wasn’t far, and in this wing of the palace at this time of evening, she wasn’t likely to run into any staff. They were either in the kitchens cleaning up after dinner or preparing bedrooms on the other side of the grand house.
The only sound Jade heard was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. The thrill of a job always made her heart race, even though she rarely felt nervous or anxious anymore. She relied on her skills enough to not allow room for fear. But still, the anticipation excited her.
Though Jade had surveilled Evenshold Palace many times before, she’d never made it inside the war room. Getting this far without being granted access inside the house was tricky. The best she’d ever done was to peer through the windows from the outside, which were always shut and locked.
Jade placed a delicate hand on the knob, but it didn’t turn. Of course the door was locked, but she’d had to try. She slipped two hairpins out of her twisted updo and stuck them in the lock, maneuvering them together until the lock clicked. Jade opened the door and slipped inside, closing and locking it behind her and returning the pins to her hair.
