“You seem unconcerned with leaving me to manage without magic during a particularly challenging time,” Lord Bertrand chastised. “You must think beyond your own convenience, Simeon.”
Lady Sophia made a protesting noise, and Elowen looked openly angry. It didn’t surprise Theo to learn that the young viscount saw his servant’s skill in magic as an extension of his own capabilities, his to claim by right. He remembered King Ronan’s words about the duke’s family being generous with time and resources in contributing to magical innovations in the capital. He wondered how much of it had been single-handedly completed by Simeon, to the sole credit of his employers.
The young servant said nothing in response to the viscount’s rebuke, but as Theo studied him, he saw a hardness in his expression that Simeon seemed to be trying to hide. There was defiance in his eyes. The thought flashed through Theo’s mind that he was looking at a man on the edge of something, and it made him uneasy.
“Lord Bertrand, Lady Sophia.” Another man, this one in the uniform of a servant, came toward them. “Have you seen—Simeon!” He cut himself off as he caught sight of the servant. “There you are.”
“Yes, were you looking for me?” Simeon’s voice was quiet and pleasant, the hardness held at bay.
“You dropped this in the courtyard just now,” the servant said, holding out an item of clothing.
“Careless of you,” Bertrand said casually.
Simeon stared down at the garment, his expression wary. After a moment, he accepted it from his fellow with a murmured word of thanks.
As the item changed hands, Theo realized that it was a scarf. A purple scarf. He stiffened, remembering the words of the man at the site of the landslide. His eyes searched Simeon’s face, noting that the servant looked uncomfortable and eager to be gone. Surreptitiously studying the rest of the group, Theo saw that Bertrand looked unconcerned, and Elowen barely seemed to have noticed the exchange.
Did the garment not trigger her memory of the forester’s story? Then it hit Theo—neither of the girls had heard the account. He and the duke had been followed around the site by many from their party—guards, servants of the duke, assistants to the member of the Craftsmen’s Guild. But the princess and her friend had been told to stay well back from the site of the disaster. So mention of a purple scarf would mean nothing to them.
And yet…his eyes traveled last to Lady Sophia, and he realized that she looked even more uneasy than Simeon as her eyes lingered on the scarf. Where exactly had she been standing? Had she heard after all?
Theo frowned as he remembered the young noblewoman confirming that Simeon had recently visited family in that area. How recently? And now, after he’d apparently been absent from his master all day, a suspicious fire had broken out not too far from the capital. Hadn’t he also been with them when the tower collapsed, almost crushing Elowen and Lady Sophia? Theo distinctly remembered hearing his intervention praised. Itwas the first he’d heard of the servant, the first day he’d arrived in Toledda. And Simeon had showed up after the dam burst, too.
Unease and suspicion swirled through Theo. The worst of it was that Elowen wouldn’t want to hear his thoughts. She had some kind of attachment to the servant. The familiar and hated spark of jealousy tried to light inside him again, and he fought back against it, trying not to let it color his judgment. Impossible to tell if it had done so.
He was relieved when the uncomfortable silence was broken by Lord Bertrand, regretfully saying that he’d best see his sister and servant home after all. Theo had never been more glad to see the back of anyone.
Elowen started to move toward the royal wing, but Theo stepped after her.
“Wait, Elowen.”
She turned, looking up at him with a questioning, almost hopeful expression. Theo swallowed, wishing all he wanted to say was an attempted apology as he’d earlier intended.
“How well do you really know Simeon?” he asked, his voice gruff with the discomfort of the question.
Elowen’s smooth brows drew together. “What do you mean by that?” There was an accusatory note in her voice.
“Only…how well do you trust his intentions?”
“His intentions?” She was moving rapidly toward haughty offense. “He’s never shown any sign of improper behavior toward me.”
“No.” Aware he was bungling it, Theo shifted forward, laying a hand on her arm to stop her as she half angled herself away. “I don’t mean that.”
Elowen stilled at once, swallowing visibly as her eyes flicked to his hand on her arm then up to his face.
“Then what do you mean?”
Speaking low, Theo laid out his suspicions, searching Elowen’s face as confusion was replaced by disbelief then alarm.
He thought she would refute his words, but she was silent for a long moment after he finished speaking.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked at last.
Theo let his arm drop at last, rocking back and frowning at the question. “Because…because I thought it might be important for you to know all this. And I thought you might be able to help me understand it.”
“Really?” Her expression softened. “I appreciate you giving me your trust, Theo, I really do. But you’re wrong about this. There’s no way Simeon would be involved in anything like these disasters.”
Her words were confident, but he saw the unease in her eyes. His information had unsettled her. He wanted to press her for more, but for one thing, they still stood in the bustling entranceway, and for another, she really did look tired after the day.
