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“Oh, Foo Nckql, I wish my father would let me choose a husband of my own liking,” the princess said. “But that will never happen, will it?”
“More likely that a fool marry a beautiful princess royal,” Jack replied. . . .
—from LAUGHING JACK
Mouse was barking.
Melisande winced as Suchlike set a pin in her hair. The sound was muffled, true, because it came from three floors below. Vale’d had the dog locked in a little stone storage room off the cellar. Mouse had begun barking shortly after he’d been locked in. Probably when he realized that he wasn’t going to be let out again right away. Since that time—late this morning—he’d barked steadily. It was evening now. Once in a while, he’d stop as if listening for a rescue, but when none came, he’d start up again. And each time the barking seemed louder than before.
“Loud little dog, isn’t he?” Suchlike said. She didn’t sound particularly put out by the racket.
Maybe the household wasn’t as affected as Melisande thought. “He’s never been locked up before.”
“Do him good, then.” Suchlike set another pin and then stepped back to eye her handiwork critically. “Mr. Pynch says he’ll go stark raving mad soon.”
Her lady’s maid sounded as if she’d relish the valet’s insanity.
Melisande arched an eyebrow. “Has Lord Vale returned?”
“Yes, my lady. A half hour or so ago.” Suchlike began to tidy the dressing table.
Melisande stood and wandered across the room. Mouse’s barking stopped suddenly, and she held her breath.
Then he began again.
Vale had forbade her from going to the dog, but if this lasted much longer, she didn’t know if she could stay away. Mouse’s distress was terribly hard for her to bear.
A knock sounded on her door.
She turned and stared. “Come.”
Vale opened the door. He may not’ve been home long, but from the dampness of his hair, he’d had time to wash and change his clothes. “Good evening, my lady wife. Would you care to accompany me on a visit to the prisoner?”
She smoothed down her skirts and nodded. “Yes, please.”
He stood aside, and she led the way down the stairs, the barking becoming clearer the nearer they got.
“I’ve a boon to ask, my lady,” Vale said.
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to stand back and let me handle the dog.”
She pressed her lips together. Mouse had only ever responded to her. What if the terrier tried to bite Vale again? Her husband seemed a gent S seipsle man, but she sensed that the gentleness was but a surface layer.
“Melisande?”
She turned. He had stopped on the stairs, waiting for her answer. His turquoise eyes seemed to gleam in the shadows.
She nodded jerkily. “As you wish.”
He descended the last steps and took her hand, leading her back to the kitchens.
The hallway became more dim as they entered the servants’ domain until they reached the kitchen. The room was huge, dominated by a large arched brick fireplace at one end. Two windows at the back of the house let in light, making it a bright room during the day. At the moment, candles supplemented the fading light from outside.
The cook, three scullery maids, several footmen, and the butler were all in the midst of dinner preparations. At their entrance, the cook dropped her spoon into a pot of simmering soup, and everyone else stilled. Mouse’s barking echoed from below.
“My lord,” Oaks began.
