Chapter 29: Alone at Last

“You don’t appear to be taking advantage of your mother’s departure,” Octavia told Julia as they sat down for their midday meal.

“I’ve wondered about that myself,” Liala added. “For several weeks, you’ve complained that your mother demands we chaperone with you during your visits with the king. Now she is gone and you have remained at our side. Have you decided not to press your suit?”

“No,” Julia said quickly. “I ... I find there is no suit to press. It occurred to me that I am the homeless daughter of a traitor. The best I should hope for is for him to perhaps take me as a mistress after he weds someone more appropriate – someone such as either of you.”

“I have determined that my country’s purposes can be served without a marriage,” Liala said. “In fact, I have already made arrangements to lead the brigade that will join the priest on his crusade. The alliance between Troyvet and Azkoval is already accomplished. There is no advantage to Joseph selecting me as a bride.”

“And I have already determined that my country will likely fall under Joseph’s rule if my brother makes any attempt to return to Azkoval,” Octavia noted. “Thus, there is no need for him to wed me to secure goodwill. My brother has already made certain goodwill will only be achieved with my family’s ouster.”

Julia had sat back on her bench and crossed her arms.

“And I’m certain the only reason you two make eyes at the king is because of what your parents wish,” she said sarcastically.

“Oh, to be certain, I would part my furs for him if he wished,” Octavia said – using the standard double entendre for her country.

“Furs?” Liala laughed. “I believe you would part more than that for him if he wished.”

“Well, it is meant to convey our sleeping coverlet as well as the pelt between the legs,” she replied.

“You two!” Julia said. “If my mother heard these conversations, she would certainly make me spend less time with you.”

“Which is why we are on our best behavior around your mother,” Liala replied. “Now, you see that we have removed ourselves from the running. What is your reason?”

“It was far easier to see him as simply a man when we were away from the castle,” Julia said with a sigh. “But, now that we are here, I see him differently. He is the face every person associates with our country. It is impossible to view him as a normal person when I see him in his element. No, I believe I am better service to him as a subject than as a bride.”

“Service,” Octavia giggled. “We should all offer to service him after we dine this evening.”

“It is when a female uses her hand or her ... mouth ... to provide pleasure,” Liala explained. “Don’t fret, I didn’t understand it either. It seems those long winter months have given our friend the opportunity to study more than the language and her religion.”

“So it seems,” Julia agreed, blushing to her toes. She was learning that she was just as repressed as her mother when it came to sexual expression.

She was still red when she heard a light rapping on the door and the king entered. If anything, Julia’s face turned even darker.

“You two need to stop embarrassing Julia,” Joseph said with mock sternness. Each time he had seen the young Trimble woman in the past few days, she was blushing.

“It’s so much fun!” Octavia exclaimed.

“Just remember, she’s as deadly as a water snake,” Joseph noted. “And as quick to strike, too.”

“Which is why we’re always armed when we joke with her,” Liala offered. “I noticed that you are well prepared when you poke at any of us.”

She shot a quick glance at Octavia to see if she had caught the hidden meaning in her statement. The soft giggle told her that the pale young woman was up to speed.

“Well, speaking of taking pokes at each other,” Joseph said, completely unaware of the verbal sparring taking place in the room, “I came to invite you all down to the grounds when you’ve digested your meals. I believe the army is planning what the commanders call a ‘Grand Review.’ To be honest, I have no idea what it means but my attendance is requested. I thought you might enjoy the spectacle as well.”

“Should we dress for the event?” Julia asked.

“I should hope so,” Joseph said. “I think you would create quite a scene if you did not.”

Liala rolled her eyes as Julia blushed again.

“The sad part is that he is completely oblivious,” she said. “Julia was asking if we should wear gowns or if our current attire will suffice. ‘Grand Review’ sounds a bit ... impressive.”

“Oh, of course,” Joseph said. “I ... well, there have been rumors of the three of you running about the castle unclad at night. I thought perhaps those rumors held credence.”

Liala looked at Octavia and they both laughed. It had dawned on them that the king was not as clueless to their antics as he often pretended.

“We do not!” Julia said indignantly.

“Pity,” Joseph replied with a wink. “I started the rumor because it made it much easier to get the men to volunteer for night duty. I believe I shall keep the truth to myself for now.”

Julia crossed her arms again and glowered at Joseph.

“Please do not think you require anything more than you currently wear,” he said in a more serious voice. “Everyone that meets you is impressed with the person beneath your clothing far more than any covering you might don. I would be very pleased if you would be my guests at the review of our troops this afternoon.”

He looked at them for a moment.

“Better?” he asked hopefully.

“Sufficient,” Octavia said. “But, to be honest, the leers we receive daily have already told us how impressed the men are with what is beneath our clothing.”

“You’re not going to win a battle of words with that one,” Liala said with a shake of her head. “But, I believe I speak for the group when I accept your kind invitation.”

Joseph was still shaking his head in wonder at the group of young women he’d just left when he ran into another in the corridor near his office.

“Mistress Elizabeth,” Joseph said with a respectful nod at the woman. “Are you enjoying your stay at the castle, Catherine?”

The maid was a bit startled to have the king address her so politely.

“I am,” she answered meekly.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Joseph said. “Are you finding everything you require?”

“Celestine has been very accommodating to us,” Elizabeth said. “I was hoping you might have time for a brief visit.”

“Of course,” Joseph answered – although he hoped it would be very brief. He wanted to be outside with the troops before the sun reached its zenith. He gestured for the two women to join him in the room where he spent much of his time. “How can I help you, Mistress Elizabeth?”

“I wondered if you had heard from my brother and Lady Elena,” Elizabeth said.

“Sadly, I have not,” Joseph replied. “I had expected them back yesterday or today. They were planning a short visit to invite some of the villagers to their nuptials. I believe they will return soon. If they are not back by tomorrow, I can send a few troops in that direction to see about them if you’d like. They are safe. I am positive of that. They took 10 men-at-arms with them. They are not travelling alone.”

“I am certain Jonathan can attend to himself,” Elizabeth said. “I just miss their presence.”

“I understand that very well,” Joseph agreed. “I find that having my closest friends away at the same time has left me a bit melancholy. Perhaps you should befriend some of the other young women in the castle. They seem to have a penchant for lifting the spirits.”

“Perhaps,” Elizabeth agreed, although she had little intention of spending time with the people Joseph had referred to. The warrior woman was scary; the large-chested pale girl was intimidating; and the short-haired girl was very likely a half-sister.

“Is there something else?” Joseph asked when Elizabeth made no effort to stand.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said pointedly. “I understand that you were the last person to see my mother alive. I would like your recollections of that night.”

Joseph sat back in his chair and looked across his desk.

“I’m certain Jonathan has told you of this,” he said.

“He has,” Elizabeth agreed. “But he heard the account secondhand. I would like to hear it from you.”

Joseph nodded and stood. He walked behind the women to a shelf where he had stored the note Gabrielle had written. He pulled it out and returned to his chair.

“Mistress Elizabeth, I want to say, before we delve into this, that, in my opinion, there is nothing for you to gain from hearing about that night,” Joseph said.

“I believe that is for me to determine,” Elizabeth said crossly.

“So be it,” Joseph answered. He slid the note across the desk and Elizabeth picked it up. A single glance told her it was her mother’s writing.

“That was found on a messenger who was seeking to slip away from our camp and into the enemy’s,” Joseph said. “The man was killed, sadly, so we were unable to question him. When the note was given to me, I had no idea it would lead to your mother. I only knew that someone in our camp was attempting to provide our location and our relative strength to a group we were about to battle.”

Elizabeth put the note back on the table and pushed it away.

“The note, I’m afraid, was accurate in all accounts,” Joseph continued. “Because I deemed the note to be authentic, I gave it to your father and your brother to inspect. It was your brother who determined the handwriting belonged to your mother. It was your father that offered the motive for her deceit. Until then, I did not suspect your mother of treachery. Your brother and father had duties to attend to. We were short of supplies and they had agreed to lead a hunting party that evening. It was far more important that we had the ability to feed our troops that it was to ascertain the reasons why your mother had acted as she did.

“They agreed that I should be the one to speak to her about it ... because they were both too angered to view things objectively. I went to where your mother and her entourage had established a camp and I dined with her. It was an awkward meeting, to be certain. I tried to keep the conversation light but at some point, she must have realized my true motive. Perhaps it was because her messenger had not returned or perhaps I said or did something that alerted her. I do not know, and, as you know, it is unlikely that I will. I departed and she was found the next morning down a ravine in a heavily wooded section of forest near where we camped. She was dead.”

Elizabeth sat and silently stared at the parchment on the king’s desk.

“Did you kill her?” Elizabeth finally asked.

“In a way, I suppose I did,” Joseph answered. He hated lying to the Burbridges but the truth served no purpose. “As I said, she must have become aware that her actions had been discovered. Your brother and your father did not speak to her before they departed and the three of us were the only three in camp that knew of the note. I accept that I must have made a mistake that led her to flee. The simple truth is that her manner of death was likely far more humane than what she could have expected if the truth were revealed. I doubt sincerely if she saw her death coming and I’m positive, given her injuries, she did not suffer. She left your family to do the suffering for her.

“Elizabeth, I know you find it expedient to cast the blame on me for what has befallen your family. I am willing to accept responsibility for my portion. But you need to accept that your mother’s descent began before I was even born. Yes, I am very likely the cause of the end but I was not even alive at the beginning. If you wish a litany of the crimes your mother committed before I was born, I will provide it – although what I know only scratches the surface, I’m certain. Is there more you’d like to know?”

Elizabeth had not expected such a stark recitation and it caused her to pause before she continued.

“There are portions of each person’s story that simply do not make sense,” she said. “Elena has told us that there are portions you’ve kept from Jonathan. I believe I deserve to know everything – including how you came to learn what you’ve told Elena about the situation. How do you know that Jonathan was to be heir to the throne if you did not learn it from my mother?”

“I learned it from your father,” Joseph stated simply.

“My...” Elizabeth began.

“I’m not referring to Alexander Burbridge,” Joseph continued. “I am speaking of the man who impregnated your mother while she was wed to someone else. He kept meticulous records of his illegitimate children – and there are far more than simply you and your brother. It is how I know your mother helped murder the man she was to marry. It is how I know that she sent Wellington a letter when Jonathan was born to let him know he had an heir. It is how I know that she was disappointed when her second child to him was a daughter. It is how I know she planned to have Elena killed. It is how I know she planned to murder the man that raised you as his own. I believe, if you look hard enough in your home, you will find the letters your father sent to her. If you wish to read what she truly thought of you and Alexander, I will give you the letters to peruse. Or, you can accept that I thought it best to allow some secrets to stay buried. I will provide what it is you believe you deserve to know.”

Elizabeth found she had tears in her eyes.

“Jonathan has told me that you wish to be treated as an adult,” Joseph said. “Well, sometimes being an adult means that you have to learn the hard truths. This is one of them. At the very least, your mother was a murderess and an adulteress.”

He gestured to the shelf behind Elizabeth’s head.

“You can walk out of here or I can give you access to the rest of her sins,” he said. “The choice is yours.”

Elizabeth and Catherine had turned to look behind them.

“Did ... was I to be sold?” Elizabeth asked in a small voice.

“Would you believe me if I were to tell you that I don’t know?” Joseph asked.

“No,” Elizabeth admitted.

“Then I will tell you the truth,” Joseph said. “Your sisters were already pledged to the Caliph for 25 men-at-arms each. You were to be kept in order to ensure the Caliph remained an ally when Julia and Victoria were long dead. You are close enough in age that he was going to reveal you as another sister for his harem. I am not certain that your mother was aware of his plans but ... it would not surprise me if she was in complete agreement. There is another young woman slightly younger than you that apparently also resembles the twins. She was to be your partner when you were delivered.”

Elizabeth found herself looking at her hands as she pulled apart a handkerchief.

“I do not want you as an enemy, Elizabeth,” Joseph said. “I have great fondness for Alexander and Jonathan. I would dearly like to know you better and perhaps keep you as a friend. For that reason, I ignored your behavior when you were here last fall. But I cannot permit you to spread rumor and innuendo throughout the capital. It is one reason I’ve welcomed you into the castle with your attendants. It is easier to keep an eye on you here. If you continue to behave as you’ve done on this visit, there will never be a moment you aren’t welcome in my home. If you choose to revert to your previous actions – actions that speak to your mother’s heritage – I cannot permit it to continue. That is another harsh reality that comes with being an adult. I have the power to make your life very uncomfortable should I choose to do it. Please, I am begging you; do not force me to make that decision. I would not hurt Jonathan or Alexander if I could avoid it. If I must harm them, please know that you will be the reason for it.”