The room erupts in shock. There is protest, but also applause.
I sit frozen.
Pepin.
I met him once, and that was enough. He is Charles’s first born son, a madman in his own right. And the last person I’d ever see myself aligning with.
The meeting is adjourned in chaos. People spill out into the night, some staying, some fleeing back to the safety of their own homes.
I remain seated long after the room empties.
Then I see Ashford slip through the garden doors.
I follow him into the night. The lake lies still, reflecting torchlight and stars.
Again, he is nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 25
The thought of tonight sits heavy in my chest. Pepin. Charles’s firstborn. Inviting him is a step too far, perhaps—but there is no turning back now. I do not know where his loyalties lie. I do not know whether he hates his father, fears him, or longs for his approval, as we all do.
I find Aileen in the courtyard. She takes one look at my face and says nothing, only links her arm through mine and steers me toward the path that leads to the lake.
“What do you know about him?” she asks once we are far enough from the listening walls.
“Pepin?” I say. “Very little that is certain. His mother’s name was Himiltrude. Charles has referred to her as his former wife, but there seems to be uncertainty about the nature of their arrangement. Aynhard calls her his concubine in private.”
Aileen’s eyebrows raise up in surprise. “But that would mean Pepin isn’t legitimate and therefore not his heir.”
I nod. “You already know that Aynhard was close with Queen Hilde and her family. So he might be trying to sow the doubt about Pepin’s legitimacy in order to get Hilde’s children on the throne.”
“But Charles gave him his father’s name. Surely that means he wants Pepin to be his successor?”
I shrug. “One would think so. Pepin is not a small name. It was my father-in-law’s name, the dynasty’s backbone. But some people whisper that it was his mother who chose the name, and Charles went along with it, because he didn’t have other heirs at the time.”
Aileen remains silent.
“The fact that Pepin will be here to conspire against his father is a testament to the rift that has opened up between them. And still I do not know where his loyalties lie. It was a great risk to involve him,” I admit.
We reach the lake. The air is warm, cicadas humming in the reeds as we sit on one of the logs placed near the water.
“Are you feeling better?” Aileen asks and glances at me.
“Yes, thank you. I will be glad to see this meeting over and done with.” I smile.
Aileen looks back toward the villa.
“I should go back.”
I nod. “I’ll stay a little longer, it’s so peaceful out here.”
She squeezes my hand and takes her leave.
I get up and stand alone at the water’s edge, watching the sun sink low, turning the surface of the lake into molten gold.
A sound behind me, footsteps.
I turn—and my breath catches.
