“He found Felix, then?” Dominique asked, his grey unruly eyebrows reaching toward the sky.
Angus didn’t agree with what she’d done, elevating the man, though he didn’t say more. She supposed he was right—it was a mistake of a young, inexperienced queen. That’s why she’d enjoy the view this time, but not partake. She gave him a nod in confirmation, not wanting to say more, possibly to extend her denial a little longer.
“Let’s go disappoint some farm workers,” she said, pressing herself to her feet.
Caroline led the way around the wooden deck, which wrapped fully around the second story of the structure, in covered and uncovered sections. She stopped at a wide staircase and descended to midway. The crowd gathered around the base of it immediately began grumbling their dissatisfaction.
Caroline didn’t wince as her nails dug into her palms. Dominique underestimated their entitlement. They egged each other on, their confidence bolstering each other’s. Ever curious, Caroline was content to allow their flagrant disrespect to escalate to see how deeply ingrained it was. She could always learn something from each experience with her people.
Johnneth and Dominique, in contrast, were shifting agitatedly by her side. Johnneth’s hand shot to the sword at his hip, but she reached out, halting him, keeping her eyes on the people below. “Unnecessary,” she muttered so only he could hear. “You think he’s going to throw that?”
The apple sailed across the crowd, aimed directly at her. She narrowly ducked. “Gods, Dominique. Are you still thinking we go with your plan?”
A few of them launched other projectiles before he could answer. Two firm hands gripped her shoulders and pulled her behind a wall of chest. Her hands immediately went to the barricade of man and muscle, putting himself between her and the angry mob. Sweet, but again, unnecessary. Fruit and rocks smacked into Johnneth’s back. “Let’s get inside.” He was urging her up the stairs to protect her.
“Unhand me,” she demanded, jerking her shoulders. She stared up into his hazel eyes as a larger rock caught the back of his head and he stumbled into her, taking them both down. Johnneth sprawled across her on the staircase, which gave her a perfect view of the workers over his shoulder, among the other sensations his heavy body pressing down against hers was causing. A thought and the crowd was motionless.
She narrowed her eyes at Dominique, who was crouched behind a column.
Sorry, he mouthed, shrugging innocently.
Caroline frowned at the vintner, then shifted her attention back to the sack of bone and muscle lying across her. Love save her, he smelled delicious. Sweat mingled with something else… woodsy. “Did they stun you?” she asked. “My elite guard?”
Johnneth grimaced as he pushed himself off her and got to his knees, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the still frozen crowd. “You could have done that earlier.”
“I wanted to see how bad they’d be if I didn’t stop them.”
She leaned up and ran her fingers across the buzzed hair of the back of Johnneth’s scalp. Her fingers came away smeared with warm blood, which she showed him. His eyes peeled back in alarm, and he scrambled off her. How odd. Did he think she’d take the opportunity to use his blood to gain power over him? Very deliberately, she wiped the red on the silver pant leg until all the smudged color was off her fingers, then held out her hand to him for his inspection.
It took the man an effort to extend his own hand to hers and help her up. Strange indeed. Perhaps fear mingled with his admiration of her. That wouldn’t do with a guard at this level. She made a mental note to learn more about him.
Or perhaps she would switch him with Specialist Holzman, which would please Angus, and take Johnneth as a lover. He was certainly acting possessive enough, maybe even a little jealous. And he’d been giving her those lingering glances that made heat stir in her lower belly. The way he’d stepped in between her and Hastings, it was a little roguish, but if she were being honest, it made her feel things. Johnneth was trying to be a good guard, but he’d be willing. And even if he did fear her a little, maybe it was part of the allure. Some men liked women who could challenge them.
But he hadn’t disappeared yet after a full month, which was a good sign. She supposed that was reason enough to keep him on for a while longer. Feeling better about that, Caroline stood and squared her shoulders. “Bow,” she said. The crowd collectively dropped to their knees.
“Let’s start with this. If you threw a single thing in the direction of the staircase, stand.” Exactly ten people rose to their feet. Caroline pointed to a nearby wall. “Go, stand there until I tell you not to.” The seven men and three women obeyed.
She turned to the remaining workers. “Rise.” They shuffled to their feet.
“I understand you are trying to extort my dear friend Dominique simply because I prefer his product. You are paid ten silver a week, are you not? Twice what any other farm labor makes in this region.”
“Everybody knows what he gets per bottle from the royal coffer. We want our share.”
Caroline motioned for Dominique to approach her side. “Very well,” she called. “Dominique, pay the workers the weekly rate they are requesting.” Gasps reverberated through the crowd. At the queen’s command, apprentices fetched a basket of coin from a nearby room and began passing out the sum. When they’d finished, she asked the workers, “Satisfied?”
Some voices in the crowd made sounds that rang like,Yes.Still other voices were laced with distrust. Those were the ones who understood her. “Dominique,” she said, still projecting her voice. The knowing among the crowd braced. “I’ll have four units sent immediately to aid you in the harvest. Then, over the winter, you may rebuild your workforce.”
Dominique bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Caroline turned, ever-so-slowly, back to the crowd. “I’ll oversee it from here. You’re dismissed.”
The crowd erupted into a mess of confusion for a few moments before the queen marched down the rest of the staircase, her skirt billowing behind her, and toward the protestors stuck at the wall. Johnneth didn’t follow her immediately, still a little stunned from the moment he thought she was going to take his blood. Something in the grumbling crowd had caught his attention. A woman was pushing her way through toward where Dominique was speaking with the apprentices.
His hand flew to his waist, where a throwing knife was hidden. He had it in hand when the glint of metal drew his eye. The woman was turning a gold coin between her fingers, staring at it intently. Then she said something to the vintner he couldn’t hear, but he got the impression it was about keeping her job. They appeared to converse for a moment, then she gave the coin back and walked around the crowd, heading back to the gate. Surely Dominique wasn’t foolish enough to re-hire someone who’d stood by as their fellow workers assaulted the queen. He had a soft spot for them, though, as he’d already shown.
As another approached, Johnneth sheathed the knife and turned to catch up to Caroline. She was standing near a guard she’d installed at the vineyard years ago. “Days?” the man asked. Caroline eyed the workers against the wall like a hawk homing in on its prey.
“Days, weeks. I don’t care. Let them soil themselves. Bread and water only. When they can no longer stand, they may be released. I think Justice would appreciate this one.” The self-satisfied gleam in the queen’s eye sent an uneasy tickle through Johnneth’s awareness. “No cheating,” she said, tapping her temple, then sauntered back into the estate, glancing back once to see if her ever-present shadow trailed her. When her eyes met his, a mischievous grin brightened her beautiful face.
