Chapter 49: Lapse in Leadership

Joseph sat wearily in his office and considered what had transpired during the day. The cook had little to add to the footman’s testimony. The only new piece of information she had to import was also simply a rumor.

She said she had heard that Elsa Golrick had died while travelling with her father and not at the manor. She said there was a grave for the girl’s mother – who had died a month before The Fall – but none of the young woman. She said she’d always considered it odd but had never mentioned it.

The king had already decided to remove Golrick from his manor. There was no family left. His only child had likely died in the spire and there were none to inherit the landholding. What Joseph sought was a way to make the man pay a heavier price for failing to protect his child. Alexander had been adamant in saying he would have died before permitted his children to be taken from him by force. Joseph knew he included Jonathan, Elena and Catherine with Elizabeth in his statement.

Joseph had his head resting on his arm when he heard the door close and the latch slip into place. He knew who was in the room with him before opening his eyes and he’d started to smile even before lifting his head.

“Lady Trimble,” he said.

“I believe I should change my perfume,” Julia said, laughing. “Or perhaps we should all start to wear the same scent.”

To his surprise, Julia wore a woven dress instead of her buckskins. He lifted a questioning eye.

“I suppose I should start to get used to these,” she said as she put her hand on Joseph’s tense shoulder. “I have worn a dress or a gown all day.”

“Do not change on my account,” Joseph said with a tired smile.

“I was meeting the landed gentry officially for the first time,” Julia explained. “I wished to make a good impression.”

“Most of them were soldiers,” Joseph pointed out. “I believe they would have appreciated you in buckskins as quickly as they would have in a dress.”

“I have noticed how much they appreciate me in buckskins,” Julia joked. “I wore the dress so they would keep their eyes above my waist.”

“I’m sure that didn’t work,” Joseph answered.

“Not as well I expected,” Julia agreed. “Come; it is time for you to relax for the rest of the day.”

“I must find a way to resolve this to my satisfaction,” Joseph said.

“And, you will,” Julia promised. “But the resolution need not come this evening. This evening, we wish to learn more about the hidden parts of the castle.”

“We?” Joseph wondered.

“The others are in the great room,” Julia told him. “We are all going to the suite to change into clothing less appropriate for Court but more appropriate for exploration.”

Julia offered a saucy grin and lifted the hem of her dress slightly. Joseph’s eyes immediately dipped lower – although all she’d revealed were her calves.

“It’s a pity that you’ve refused to allow us to verify the safety of that hidden stairs,” she said. “You could have snuck into our suite and watched us change.”

“I wouldn’t need to sneak into your suite to see you change,” Joseph noted. “Many of the suites have places to peek from the passages.”

“Untrue!” Julia declared.

“True,” Joseph countered.

“We inspected every portion of the walls and the floors searching for the opening,” Julia told him. “We found none. Where is it?”

“I don’t recall,” Joseph admitted. “I never saw the rooms from the opposite side of the wall. But I am almost positive that each room up there had a place to see into the room – and to hear conversations taking place in the room. Elena and I were never permitted up the stairs. That was where my father permitted the castle guests to stay. Once he learned that we had been in the passages, he covered the openings to ensure we did not see anything – or hear anything – we shouldn’t. Sadly, I fear it was too late for both. I saw my first bare female rump and it was not a pleasant sight. Elena fared worse, I fear. She overheard two women talking about the men they had taken as lovers. She asked them – at dinner the next night – about the gentlemen. It caused quite the stir. She was perhaps five or six years old. After that, the holes were covered.”

“But there are entrances to the suites?” Julia asked.

“Yes, of that I am certain,” Joseph said with a nod. “It varies from suite to suite. One was in the wardrobe. The rear panel is false. Does the suite you are in have stone frames for the mattresses?”

“Yes,” Julia said. “One in each corner of the room.”

“One is false,” Joseph said. “I do not recall offhand which it is but it is one. The suite next to yours also has an entrance there. The stone is heavy but it can be lifted.”

“You have to show us!” Julia insisted as she pulled at his hand to get him to arise.

“Yes, that would be grand,” Joseph said with a shake of his head. “We have a castle full of people that we do not know. Many of the people here would be highly offended if they saw me near your chambers let alone in them. They would probably be upset if they knew you were in here with me right now.”

“I believe Elizabeth demonstrated today how we will deal with such people in the future,” Julia stated. “You have deemed us adults. You have deemed that adults have the right to gather with anyone they wish.”

“I have already created the impression than I am a hedonist that garners young ladies for a coterie,” the king pointed out. “Once we disassemble, we will be freer to visit as we did in the winter. Right now, we must maintain appearances.”

“That is ridiculous,” Julia said. “Do you know that right now, Lord Prestle’s attendant is in bed with Lady Hulett’s maid? They are both wed to others but it appears not to matter. These are the people you wish not to affront? I say, let them be offended!”

“If this were not my first time meeting some of the men, I would probably say the same,” Joseph agreed. “For now, it is best if we maintain a bit of decorum.”

“So you will not join us for a late-night dip in the pool after we look in the passages?” Julia asked.

“I am certain that Bianca and Lucretia are still with you,” Joseph said. “I doubt they are interested in having me join you at the pool.”

“You are a fool sometimes,” Julia replied angrily. “They are the ones most interested in having you join us. Bianca is ... she is quite taken by you. Lucretia is simply curious, I believe, but possibly more. We expressly avoided Annette all day because we planned for you to come with us this evening.”

“Perhaps we should wait until we see if they are comfortable around me while we explore,” Joseph said. “I will admit that it might be interesting to see some of the places Elena and I used to hide.”

“At least I convinced you to do that,” Julia said. “We will meet you shortly in the great room.”

She started for the door but Joseph took her arm.

“Would you rather surprise them?” he asked with a smile. “I still remember how to get into the great room from here.”

“Oh?” Julia asked. “We have been looking for entrances in almost every room we’ve entered since I told them. Where is this one?”

“Beneath the ledge by the window,” Joseph told her. “Oh, it is not possible to get there in a dress. You would have to lift yourself upward. I fear the dress would be quite immodest.”

“Perhaps I will simply remove it when we arrive,” Julia said with a shrug. “If I enter the room bare, it would double the surprise.”

“Bare and probably dirty and slimy,” Joseph noted. “Perhaps it is better if we simply save the surprise for when we meet later.”

“In the meantime, perhaps you could investigate the stairs upward,” Julia said.

“And if I fall through them and break my leg?” Joseph asked. “I fear that would be a very bad idea. They are steep and it is very damp behind the walls. Once again, I believe it best to wait until the castle is almost empty to undertake that mission. Once Jonathan and Elena are on their way to Westmont the castle will empty. We will have time to explore.”

“Good,” Julia stated. “And I hope you have plans to explore much more than the things hidden behind the walls. We will certainly expect you to explore the things we keep hidden in our dresses!”

“I wish to speak to your men before you depart,” Augustus said to his son. Remulus had departed for Azkoval with a ship laden with furs. The man said he expected the trip to take nine months to complete if there were no delays.

The Marindarian king had sent a message to his daughter imploring her to send a message back with Remulus if she chose to stay. He offered Octavia the choice of staying in Azkoval as Marindar’s unofficial emissary – because a female could not legally hold such a lofty title.

Then, despite what he’d told Remulus, the king began asking around of the others that had accompanied the delegation on its first foray into Azkoval. Aside from his son’s confederates, the sailors told a story that more closely resembled Remulus’. It hadn’t been a surprise to Augustus but it still galled him to think his son would be so reckless.

Now, Junius stood before him with seven of his closest friends.

“Of course, Father,” Junius replied.

“How many will you take with you?” the king asked.

“We will leave here with a hundred or so,” Junius replied. “I have agents on our route rallying more soldiers. I believe we will have close to 300 when we arrive.”

“What route have you chosen?” Augustus asked.

“We will take an overland route from the north coast,” Junius explained. “I think we will probably secure even more men in our southern provinces.”

“I would not rely upon that,” Augustus countered. “I have learned that Azkoval has sent a large amount of wheat and meal to those areas.”

“Absurd,” Junius replied dismissively. “It is more propaganda from that old woman, Remulus.”

“I spoke to the messenger myself,” the king said. “His account is believable. The news from that direction is not good. Azkoval has started to train additional armies to stand in your path. I would not be surprised if you don’t find battle before you leave our boundaries. I want you to be certain what you will face. You men will not find an army of shipwrights and millers. You will find seasoned soldiers at every corner. If you believe that you will simply land in Azkoval and walk to the capital, you are incorrect. You will face warfare from the moment you leave our land – if not before. There will never be a time when you are outmanned less than three to one – and most of the time, I suspect you will be outnumbered 10-to-1. You are not heading for honor, Junius. You are headed for destruction.”

“I know what I’m doing, Father,” Junius countered.

“Do you?” Augustus asked angrily. “Do you really know what you’re walking into? You are taking a group of fat, lazy sops to do battle with Johan the Merciless and his band.”

“That is simply rumor,” Junius said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“It is fact,” Augustus replied. “I cannot permit you to bring a war to our front door. I will not stop you from going but I’ve already sent a messenger to Azkoval telling its king that your actions are not sanctioned by Marindar.”

“Coward!” Junius accused.

“Perhaps,” Augustus agreed with a nod. “I prefer to think of myself as a realist. That is something you obviously are not. I’m certain that your pride has been wounded. That is not worthy of death. You will die on those shores just as sure as you stand here. Every man you convince to join your idiotic crusade is one that I will not have to defend our home when Joseph brings his troops to the north. Have you not listened to me?”

“You have said nothing I find worthwhile, Father,” Junius said bitterly.

“The Denayian troops have been trained by those from Azkoval,” Augustus said. “Budamet and Coradelia have troops trained by Joseph’s men. He has delivered food to areas of our country that might have starved without it. Without a sword being drawn in anger, he has isolated us – and surrounded us. Diplomatically, economically and militarily he has made all the proper moves. We cannot trade a single thing without contacting a country Joseph has befriended or Johan has conquered. Is it really a stretch to believe he might turn those forces on Marindar if we make war on him? Your hubris is not a valid reason to send our men to their deaths.”

“And what of Octavia?” Junius asked in a harsh voice. “Do we leave her to be bred by a pagan king?”

“If it is her wish, then yes, we do,” Augustus replied. “The envoy I’ve sent has a letter for her from me. I have given her my permission to stay in Azkoval for as long as she desires.”

“The king will never permit her to leave!” Junius yelled. “That is why he sent me away – so he could defile her without protest!”

“He sent you away because you are an ass,” Augustus shouted at his son. “If you had behaved with a modicum of decency, I would not be faced with having that pagan king bring a thousand warriors onto my soil! Instead, you acted the fool and now I am left to sweep up after you. I will do it no longer. If you die on this fruitless endeavor, I will not avenge you. I sincerely doubt I will even mourn you. You men have heard what you face and what I believe will happen. You are not compelled to join Junius and your families will not be compensated if you do not return. I’m sorry but I cannot condone the destruction you’re about to bring to our door.”

Junius glared at his father. He had promised riches to the men’s families to secure their allegiance. Now his father had taken that away because he feared the child sitting on the Azkoval throne.

“You have left me no option,” Junius said.

“That was my intention,” Augustus replied. “Now, why don’t you men go about your duties and forget about this lunacy. We will forget this ever arose and hope Azkoval forgives my son’s impertinence.”