“But, sir?”
I turned to walk away, but he mumbled something and I turned back.
“What?”
“Can I stay close to you when we’re in the quarters?” His face had turned beet red.
I sighed.
“My name’s Matthew, Matthew Mayer.”
“Hm.”
“And your name, sir?”
“Kent.” I frowned.
“Could you show me some of your moves?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I don’t tire so easily, sir.”
“Good for you. I’m going to bed.”
“But, sir, after everything... Will you be able to sleep?”
“Why not?”
“They’ll ambush you.”
“I really hope so.”
CHAPTER NINE
ALINA
Istretched my legs out on the bed, focusing on the delicate ruffles on the edge of my snow-white, knitted socks. I moved my toes, careful to keep a dazed expression on my face. In reality I was watching Sally, every move she made. It was curious how things had changed, how she had become the most important person in my life. It was crucial to get our morning ritual absolutely right.
She was supposed to give me my medicine at lunchtime, and from what I knew about her, she would come every morning to help tidy up and prepare my garments for the day. But she seemed eager to get it over with. Instead of coming in three or more times a day, she started bringing thewhitebane with breakfast. While I supposedly took the elixir and ate, she was often busy in the closet or changing the sheets. I had to rely on her not paying any attention to me. The mere thought of something going wrong terrified me, so I waited for her to leave the room before dumping the whitebane into the large potted plant, then quickly returned to my bed.
My hands were trembling when I picked up the toast and buttered it.
“Milady, what do you think about walking in the gardens today?” Sally returned with a fresh set of sheets.
“I don’t know if I can,” I whispered with a sigh.
“Milady, you look so much better. I think the medicine is finally helping you.”
I leaned back on the pillows and closed my eyes.
“Alright, I will let you rest,” She easily gave up and left the room.
I immediately sat up and added a generous amount of jam, and picked up a cup of freshly brewed black mint tea. Before placing it to my lips, I inhaled the deep, aromatic scent, trying to detect any signs of herbs that could have been added to my drink.
Since the fog had cleared a little more, I realized that I was deliberately kept sedated and I did not believe that what they gave me was whitebane. I was not sure if they really wanted to poison me, but they wanted me to be weak. That was absolutely obvious.
Beside feeling stronger and regaining my appetite, I started to remember some fragments that did nothing to explain things, but only served to puzzle me further.
