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She unlocked the gate to let him in, then locked it behind him. “You’ll have your own key so you can come and go,” she said as they strolled up the walk. “Only when you’re due for a day off, of course.”
“What’s the schedule, then? Sergeant didn’t say.”
“There’s three of us here. Two have to be on the premises at all times. We generally pull twelve-hour shifts. One on guard, one as backup, though he can be sleeping. The third one can be gone when he’s not guard or backup, but he still has to be ready to take his turn on the next shift.” They had arrived at the front door, which had swung shut upon her exit; she did not immediately reach to open it again. “Mostly, we stick around three or four days in a row, but then one of us will get restless and take the night off, leaving the other two behind.”
Brandon nodded; he was sure there was a constant tradeoff between staying sharp, which meant not wandering away during those off-duty stretches, and not going mad from boredom. “How often do the guards change over? I was told it was a six-month posting.”
“That’s about average. There’ve been a couple who only stayed a month.” She made a face. “Or a week.”
Brandon raised his eyebrows. “She’s that bad, then? The woman we’re watching?”
Finley rested her hip against the door and settled in for a little gossip. “Her name’s Villette Rowan, though we only ever address her as dona.” It was the common honorific for wealthy women, though Brandon had never had cause to address anyone by the respectful term. “Oh, she’s all right. Keeps to herself, mostly, but she’s always courteous when she speaks to any of us. And I’ve never lived in a place so grand!” Her hand made a sweeping gesture toward the walls.
“But—?”
Finley grinned. “Idon’t see the attraction myself, but apparently the lady is so appealing that half the soldiers fall in love with her and want to set her free. That’s why the postings are always temporary—so she won’t have time to win over some fresh new farmboy who’s so dazzled by her smile he’ll do anything she asks.”
“Maybe they should stop hiring men to watch her.”
Finley laughed. “Oh, they tried that! Brought in a set of female guards with gold all over their bracelets, who swore they’d never in their lives lusted after a woman. But Villette won them over in a matter of weeks. The story goes that they were going to help her escape until the high divine got wind of their plot.” She grinned at him. “So you just be careful any time you’re alone with her.”
Brandon couldn’t tell how much of this story was true and how much was Finley just spinning wild tales to see if he’d fall for them. All he said was, “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful. How long haveyoubeen here?”
Finley finally tugged the door open. “About two months. I think Nadder’s been here almost four months. They like to rotate the guards a lot, to make sure none of us get too friendly. To make sure two of us don’t start an alliance against the third.”
Brandon felt his eyebrows rise again, but all he said was, “Lot of precautions.”
“Yeah,” said Finley. “It makes you wonder why she’s so special.”
“You don’t know?”
Finley shook her head. “All I know is that she’s not supposed to leave. And no one’s supposed to see her without the temple’s consent.”
“Hard way for her to live,” Brandon commented as he followed her inside.
“Then she shouldn’t have done whatever she’s done.”
Brandon had no answer for that because he was too busy looking around. The atrium that opened off the doorway was the most elegant place he’d ever seen. There was none of the garish brightness he’d heard about—just stone walls in a shade of aged ivory, banners and floral arrangements of a soothing dusty blue, floor tiles picked out in patterns of cerulean and bronze. A thin floral scent drifted through the air; the skylights overhead admitted shafts of filtered gold. Tall archways heightened the impression of airiness; a spiraling staircase added to the elegance. It might have been the most restful architectural spot Brandon had ever seen.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Finley said. “The garden’s just as nice.” She gestured toward one of the archways. “It’s out through there. Villette spends all her time in the garden when the weather’s nice. Even when it’s cold, she’s out there, that’s what the winter guards told me.”
“I guess she feels less like she’s in a prison if she’s outside.”
Finley shrugged. “I guess. Come on, I’ll show you your room.” She headed toward an archway directly across the atrium from the garden, speaking over her shoulder. “Most houses like this, the guards and the servants sleep on the upper floors, and the lower level is full of parlors and dining halls and public rooms. But Villette doesn’t do any entertaining, and the guards always have to be at the ready. So the downstairs rooms have been converted to bedrooms.”
She stopped in front of a polished wooden door and pushed it open to reveal a large chamber flooded with light from a window that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The narrow bed and wide chest of drawers were so incidental to the space that they looked like furniture someone had accidentally left behind.
“You could house a battalion in here,” Brandon remarked.
“You could! But you have it all to yourself. Better enjoy it, ’cause you’ll never bunk so solitary again as long as you’re with the temple.”
“And your room is just as big?”
“And just as empty. Here, drop your gear and I’ll show you around.”
The rest of the ground level held more bedrooms, a kitchen, a laundry, and a parlor where the lady could meet with the few approved temple visitors who might arrive. The second story consisted of a series of bedrooms—all of them furnished, though only one was occupied. “And you aren’t permitted to enter Villette’s,” Finley said, though she showed him the other rooms. All of them were busily furnished with generous beds and upholstered chairs and tables and bookcases and armoires. Each room had a silent, haunted air that Brandon found increasingly unnerving as they continued their tour.
“How long has she lived here all alone?” he asked. “Did other people used to live here with her?”
