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“Well,” he said, “how may I ever be of service to you, milady?”
“I believe there to be a prisoner residing here by the name of Cait. Bring her to me, please.”
His mouth turned down. “Yes, Lady Stroud. Please wait one moment.”
He turned out of the room and went down the stone steps into the foul prison air. I fought the urge to wring my hands together but had to keep my nervousness invisible. I thought of Al, wishing I could bring him with me, but I knew he’d be released soon enough, and I was already taking a risk.
The shuffling of feet dragging on stone sounded from the stairway. A matted head of red curls appeared. I smiled, then hurriedly wiped it from my face, pursing my lips like a noble instead.
Cait lifted her head and appraised me with fearful eyes.
“Remove her handcuffs,” I said.
Cait’s eyes grew even wider and her mouth fell open. She backed away from me as if she’d rather go back to her cell.
The guard hesitated.
“Do it.” I pulled my eyes from Cait’s and looked down my nose at the guard. “I need this woman as my servant. Please return her rank card and let her go.”
The guard looked back and forth from me to Cait. “I believe her sentence was intended to be much longer.”
“You wouldn’t want to lose favor with your new queen,” I said, lowering my voice the way Maeve Brennin did. “Would you, sir?”
“No, Lady Stroud,” he said.
“You might as well address me as Imperatrix. My coronation is tomorrow, after all.”
“Yes . . . Imperatrix.” He hurried to a cabinet and unlocked a drawer, flipping through the leather cards inside.
Cait waited in the center of the room, her eyebrows furrowed. Her clothes were blackened and dingy, and smudges dotted her face. I wished I could offer her a smile to tell her she was safe.
The guard handed Cait her Class A card.
“Come with me,” I said.
The guard opened the door for me, bowing stiffly as I went through.
“May my deepest gratitude be with you,” I said to him.
Cait obediently followed me to the waiting carriage. I showed her rank card to the driver and she climbed inside. I got in and sat on the opposite seat.
When the carriage began to roll, I dropped my noble accent and smiled. “Good to see you again.”
Cait’s gaze locked onto my face, finally seeing me. This time, her mouth lifted, and a light sparked in her eyes. “No way. I didn’t recognize you!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Bryn?”
“I told you I’d get you out of there.”
She laughed and shook her head again, her eyes welling with tears. “I can’t—thank you! But you’re . . . you’re—”
“Queen?”
She shut her mouth and nodded.
“Well, not until tomorrow,” I said.
She glanced out the curtained window, then back to me. Her tangled hair shadowed her face, still thick with dirt and grime. I thought I’d been filthy when I was in prison, but she’d been in there for so long that she’d probably forgotten what it was like to be clean.
“But how—why . . .” She covered her face with both hands as her voice trailed off.
