Page 58 of The Noble Servant

Someone was walking on the level above him. Then his son’s wife appeared on the staircase. She saw him and stopped.

“Lady Magdalen. Come. I would like to speak with you. Let us continue down to the library.”

She hesitated, then complied.

Tideke, his guard captain, stood at the bottom. Hazen motioned for him to follow him into the library, then closed the door.

“One of the servants will be expecting me.” She glanced at the closed door and took a step away from him. “And my husband, the duke, will be looking for me.”

“I only want to ask a few questions.” He committed the fearful look in her eyes to memory so he could enjoy it later.

“Of course.” She crossed her arms and then immediately uncrossed them.

“I was wondering if you thought your husband had lost some weight since seeing him in Thornbeck two years ago. Has he changed at all?”

The color drained from the girl’s lips. “I ... no, he looks very much the same. I always thought he was very handsome, and so he is. Very handsome.”

He simply stared at her, hoping she might become so nervous she would reveal something. But she only squirmed and glanced about the room.

“How often do you anticipate that your mother will send you letters?”

“My mother? In a few months she will probably write. I do not like writing letters, so she will probably not write me very often.”

He had heard Lady Magdalen’s eyes were green and her hair was tinted red. This girl had blonde hair and hazel eyes.

“Who was the servant girl who came to Wolfberg with you?”

“Servant girl? Oh, her name is Agnes. She is a terrible servant. I sent her away to work outdoors.”

“I see. But you have a new servant helping you in your rooms. What is her name? Maggie?”

“Y-yes.”

“Is she not the same girl who came here with you?”

“No, she is not. Who is telling these lies?” Her bravado suddenly rose and her cheeks reddened.

“Lies?”

“As I said before, I must go. People will be looking for me.” She eyed the door.

How dare she think she could fool him? He motioned to Tideke.

His guard stepped forward and grabbed her around the neck, pulling her up on tiptoe. Tideke smiled as though relishing the frailty of her bones, his thumb pressing the middle of her throat.

She gasped and grabbed at his hands, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

Hazen took notice of the way her face turned red, and he imagined he was the one squeezing the breath, the life out of her as the look in her eyes became more and more panicked.

Tideke must have lessened the pressure because she drew in a noisy breath.

“I rule Wolfberg, and those who are disloyal to me will not be allowed to live, whether one is the wife of the duke ... or merely a servant girl. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“I do hope you will not disappoint me.”

She gasped, still clutching at Tideke’s hand.