I hadn’t seen this coming, and it would also be a devastating blow to the manor, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Of course, milord.”
The duke scowled; this wasn’t whathewould have taken from us, but the king had gone against him. The duke may be King Ivan’s right-hand man and coconspirator in all this, but the king wouldn’t let him make his choices for him.
“Wonderful,” the king declared. “I look forward to seeing them! Now that we’ve dealt with this unpleasantness, let’s see where your mother is.”
I frowned at his odd statement. Wasn’t she in the dungeons with the rest of the poor souls they’d arrested lately?
The king waved a hand at a servant, and the man rushed forward. “Find Mrs. Marian for us.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
When the servant hurried away, I stood there, confused and uncertain. One powerful man eyed me with loathing while the other stared at me like I was a tasty snack he planned to devour.
I didn’t know which of them I feared more.
CHAPTERFORTY
Ellery
I tried notto shift or look anxious while we waited. I’d prefer to lift my chin and stare back at them, but I lowered my head and gazed at the ground as they expected of me.
Where’s my mother? Why didn’ttheyknow where she was?
I had no idea how much time passed before the king and duke finally shifted their attention away, but I felt the loss of their stares as a weight lifted from my shoulders. They conversed as they picked at the platters of food, but despite my excellent, supernatural hearing, they spoke so low I couldn’t hear them.
When my legs started aching and my stomach continued to growl, I resisted the impulse to sit. My eyes burned from exhaustion, and weakness encased me, but I couldn’t sit. It would make them too happy to see me do so, and I was afraid I wouldn’t get up again if I did.
I’d been sitting for three days. I should be happy to be standing again, but my head throbbed, and I felt encased in a glue-like substance that had mired me in a nightmare. This had been the most stressful week of my life, and it wasn’t over yet.
It wouldn’t be over until we were free of this horrible place. And even then, it would only be a brief reprieve before the duke decided to come at me again.
The faint pad of footsteps drew my attention, and I lifted my head as my mother, the servant who’d gone to get her, and two guards came into view. My mother’s clothes were different than the ones they took her in.
Instead of her farm dress, she wore a yellow walking dress that swayed around her feet when she moved. Chains didn’t shackle her wrists or ankles, and she’d styled her hair to emphasize her pretty features.
Joy leapt through me, and I almost let out a cry of delight before running to her, but after taking one step toward her, I froze and resumed my previous position. Knowing how much I’d missed her would only make the duke happier.
Instead, I remained where I was, my hands clasped before me and a lump in my throat as her eyes met mine. Relief and sadness emanated from them.
She leaned over and kissed my cheek when she arrived at my side. “Hello, darling. I’m okay.”
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I nodded.
“Your daughter and I have come up with a way to pay your debt, Mrs. Marian,” the king said. “You are free to go, but be aware, I will collect soon.”
My mother gave a low, elegant curtsy that put mine to shame. “Of course, milord.”
I felt the duke’s eyes burning into me as I also gave another, not-so-elegant curtsy that almost had me falling on my face as my wooden legs refused to work right. I straightened and took a small step back when my head swam from the abrupt movement.
When I lifted my eyes to the duke’s, he smirked. He considered me a beaten animal at this point, but he had no idea this whipped creature would be the one to hand him his demise.
“See them out,” the king commanded.
My mother hooked her arm through mine, and we turned to follow the guards away from the archery range. My steps still felt wooden, and I barely took in any details as they led us back through the palace to the outer bailey.
Once there, the guards stepped back and waved their hands at the open gates beneath the castle walls. Amsirah hustled around the courtyard as they delivered their goods, hawked their wares, and went about their lives.
My mother steered me away from two wagons laden with straw as they clattered toward the stables. The horses’ hooves clopped along the street as their harnesses jingled and the wagon wheels clattered.
