Page 53 of The Noble Servant

He reached out and took her hand. “Please. Don’t get caught.”

Her heart was a lump in her throat. Did he care so much about her? No, he probably just did not want Lord Hazen’s suspicions to be aroused.

She slipped her hand out of his loose grasp. “Do not worry. I understand the seriousness of our situation. If I cannot safely enter and leave Lord Hazen’s chamber, I shall stay away.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Agnes would not expect her for more than an hour, so Magdalen found one of the other servants who shared the fourth-level bedchamber with her. She was carrying sheets down the stairs from the third level.

“Hilde, I would be pleased to help you change the linens on Lord Hazen’s bed. Is he still in his chamber?”

Hilde halted on the steps and stared, mouth slightly ajar. “Lord Hazen? He is down in the Great Hall breaking his fast. I changed his linens already, but you can change them next week.”

“Thank you, Hilde. But please don’t tell anyone I asked todo that. They might be jealous, or you might get scolded by Frau Clara. It can be our secret.”

Instructing Hilde not to tell might have the opposite effect. But it was too late. Magdalen couldn’t take the words back.

She ran up the steps to Lord Hazen’s chamber and paused in the corridor. No guard stood in front of the door, which was half open. She hurried toward it and peeked inside. No one was in sight, so she went toward the water pitcher, as if she were taking the pitcher to refill it. But no one called out to her, and she faced the rest of the room.

The bed was enormous and draped all around with dark curtains. A couple of trunks stood near the bed, but would Jacob have hidden the portrait in one of Lord Hazen’s trunks? That wouldn’t make sense.

She let her gaze travel around the room looking for possible hiding places. The thing that caught her eye was what was set against the wall. Stacks of small wooden coffers were laid out in the shape of a large rectangle. Most of the boxes would require a key to open. The small coffers were of varying sizes—some as big as three handbreadths and others as small as a black walnut with its green hull still on.

They were too small to hide a large portrait, unless it was folded or rolled up, but Steffan had not said how large the portrait was. She had assumed it was several handbreadths tall, as befitted a wealthy duke, but some portrait painters preferred a smaller canvas.

She decided to search the larger places first. She opened a trunk and rummaged around inside. Nothing except clothing. She ran her shaking hands around the sides and inside the lid, but found no secret compartments. She did the same with the second trunk. Still nothing.

She stood and looked around, but the wooden coffers were drawing her to them. Magdalen walked across the room, intent on the little coffers. Even if the portrait was not here, she might find something important. She reached for one of the top boxes and the lid lifted easily. Inside was a foreign coin and three buttons. She closed it and opened the next one. It was larger and held a pair of shears one might use for clipping hair.

Her hands were shaking harder than before as she reached for a large one. She shifted two smaller ones so she could lift the lid. Inside was a large book, a book she recognized.

Her father’s mining book. She lifted it to find a second one. They’d both been missing since just after her father’s death. But how did they get here?

“Magdalen.”

She jumped and spun around, her heart pounding out of her chest. Steffan came through the door toward her.

“Dear heavenly saints,” Magdalen whispered. “I nearly died of fright.”

Steffan’s footfalls were silent as he walked toward her. He wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“My father’s books.” Magdalen pointed down at the box.

Steffan leaned over to inspect them. “Quickly. Let’s check all the boxes.”

They lifted the lids of all the coffers on top, then moved them one at a time, but they began encountering locked coffers. In fact, many of the others were locked.

As quickly and carefully as they could, they restacked the boxes as they were before.

Magdalen whispered, “He could return at any moment, and you cannot let him see you.” She wanted to take her father’s books,but she had no good place to hide them. Besides, she didn’t want Lord Hazen to know someone had discovered them.

“I’m not arguing,” Steffan said as they both hurried to the door and looked out.

She did not see anyone, but the sound of footsteps resounded on the wooden stairs. Someone was coming.

Chapter Eighteen

She put a hand on Steffan’s back as they both rushed out the door and ran until they reached the servants’ stairs. Magdalen started to go up, but Steffan caught her arm and motioned her to follow him as he went down one flight of stairs. Then Steffan dashed into an open doorway and pulled her against the wall. He stood with his finger over his lips, still holding on to her arm.