‘They’re not …’
‘Alive?Lord no, they died centuries ago.’
‘So did you.’
Raleigh laughed, the sound crisp against the ancient stone.‘They’re more dead than I am.Now, don’t go in this next room.The lab is the next one along.’
‘What’s in that room?’I asked, not actually expecting an answer.
‘It’s where I keep my blood stores.’
My stomach churned.
‘See, that’s why I told you not to go in.But if you need blood that isn’t mine for whatever reason, you’ll find it in there.Anyway, here we are.’
Raleigh ushered me into the laboratory.I didn’t know what I was looking at.One long bench framed the nearest wall, littered with glass vials of all shapes and sizes that I suspected belonged on the empty shelves above it.A dormant furnace waited in the far corner, and at the centre of the room was a large table that swallowed most of the remaining space, covered in a heaving sprawl of equipmentI had no hope of identifying.For all I knew it could have been wizardry.
‘Good, isn’t it?’
It was a cluttered nightmare.I dodged the question.‘Why do you have all this?’
‘About a year after I left court I fancied that I might become a chemist.’My ears pricked at his mention of the court, but Raleigh moved swiftly along.‘I spent the best part of a year sourcing all the finest equipment, but once I had it all I did about two experiments and didn’t know where to go next.Took up book collecting instead.You know how these things go.’
I did not know how these things went.I lifted a beaker to the candlelight.It was nothing more than a fancy glass.‘What does it all do?’
‘This and that,’ Raleigh said unhelpfully.‘I can show you, if you like.I doubt either of us will have time to become master chemists before the end of the year, but I did manage to extract sugar from a grape once – maybe you can do the same with my blood.’
I doubted grapes and blood had any common properties, but I thanked him all the same.At least this was something, something that couldn’t be found in a book.And however small, it was a glimmer of hope.
Moira rang the bell for dinner shortly after that.
Normally nobody commented if I sidled into dinner wearing whatever dusty garment I’d spent the day in, but to my annoyance Raleigh insisted I change.I thought he was standing on ceremony for Enrique until I found three new gowns laid out on my bed.I would say they were each more beautiful than the last, but that would beunfair to the first I picked up.They were all stunning, and probably worth more than all the clothes in Orlfen combined.The spoils of Raleigh’s trip, I supposed.
I chose a rose-coloured one with a loose silhouette, which looked the simplest to put on by myself, and after only a moderate struggle I was once again struck by Raleigh’s excellent eye.It fit perfectly, as my older gowns had before I’d started regaining weight.I decided not to dwell on how closely he must have been studying me to notice that.
When I returned to the dining hall, Raleigh was already seated, arguing with Enrique, who had insisted on dishing food out for him, despite knowing he couldn’t eat.
‘I don’t care what we did at court, we’re in the middle of a famine.Either cook smaller portions or find someone else to eat it.Oh, Clara!’He stood immediately as I entered, grinning at the sight of me in the new gown.‘Do you like it?’
A week ago I would have thought he was mocking me.Now I realised he was just over-earnest and eager to please.I spun once, showing off the gown from all sides.‘It’s beautiful.’
‘A dress is nothing without the wearer,’ Raleigh said as I took my seat.
I rolled my eyes at him.That was when I noticed Moira standing in the far doorway with her hands full of mail, mouth half open.‘I mean this in the nicest way possible,’ she said as she approached, ‘but what the hell happened in Orlfen?’
‘Clara chose me over the baker’s boy,’ Raleigh said happily.
I ducked my head so they couldn’t see me flush.‘He’s oversimplifying it.’
‘Of course, you’re always right.I also got shot.’
Moira pinched the bridge of her nose.‘Actually I know enough.’She threw the letters onto the table, much to the obvious horrorof Enrique, who clearly had preconceived notions of how a formal dinner was supposed to go, which didn’t involve throwing post at the reigning prince.‘You had mail while you were away,’ she said.
Raleigh inspected the first seal without interest, then tossed it unopened back onto the table.‘Burn that one.’He picked up the second, then the third, then flinched away from the table as though they were the ones burning him.‘Just burn them all.’
‘No.Look at them.You were gone a week and she sent, what, twelve letters?You can’t ignore her forever.’
‘No, but I can until December.’
