Evening
Landis House
TAKING THE LETTER his manservant held out, Landis ran his thumb over the plain seal. The lack of a cachet spoke a thousand words that Adeone’s hand alone could not.
“Who delivered this, William?”
“My son, sir.”
Dreading the contents, Landis broke the red wax. Moments later he was staring at the page, unseeingly. Ira had been his friend as much as his cousin, more than his Queen. Folding the letter carefully, he went to find his wife.
His face must have told a thousand stories, for as soon as she and their eldest children saw him, she asked,
“Ira?” When he nodded, she said, “May our ancestors welcome her.”
Glancing between her parents, Julia let out a small sob. Landis simply hugged her tightly. Julius blinked back his tears. Men didn’t cry. His mother held out an arm and he shook his head.
“It’s fine to be upset. We are.”
Julius hesitated but crossed to her. Realising she really was distressed, he returned her enveloping hug. The silence lasted for many minutes before Julia dried her eyes.
“How’s Uncle Adeone?”
Landis said, “I didn’t speak with him, but I expect he’s emotionally shattered.”
“Can we see him?”
“It may be better to wait for a time. Let him and your nearcousins adjust.”
“Can you tell them we’re thinking of them?” asked Julia.
“Of course. He’s never in doubt about that.”
“Can we write?” suggested Julius.
“If you want to. Just give them a couple of days.”
A few minutes later, Cornelia persuaded the twins to go to bed. When she returned, she found her husband pale and drawn.
“How’s His Majesty really?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, Cornelia, I don’t. He wrote, his hand wasn’t steady and he didn’t seal the letter properly. So, I can guess that he’s not good. I saw her yesterday. I knew she was weak but I didn’t think it would be today.”
Cornelia sat on the arm of his chair and held him. He pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tightly as he let the realisation of loss wash over him.
“She’s with Ella now.”
Cornelia swallowed. “Yes, but the boys will miss her so much.”
“She’ll see Aelia as well.”
Cornelia stilled. Her sister had taken her own life. It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about or even acknowledge. Her wed-brother, Lord Scanlon, hadn’t invited them to Aelia’s funeral. He’d seen to everything before he informed them and used Princess Ella’s death, which had occurred around the same time, to excuse his actions. So, to her, Aelia was forever elsewhere in the empire, not with their ancestors.
Landis realised he’d said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m not myself.”
“I know. We’ve got to be there for our nearsons now, Festus, like never before.”
“I asked Simkins if it would help if we had them to stay for a couple of days, but he thought not. He was right, I think. Adeone will need them close now.”
“I wasn’t meaning that,” clarified Cornelia. “We need to be available to them if they want to talk. Arkyn’s a year older than the twins and will soon be starting to take up duties. It’ll only be a couple of years before he’ll be touring the empire doing provincial reviews. He and Ira were close, Festus.”
“He’s close to Adeone as well.”
“Yes, but not in the same way,” explained Cornelia. “He feels the expectations more with Adeone. He doesn’t want to disappoint him. Ira told me he fears the future. He’ll do what he has to without complaint but he will need someone to talk to.”
“I know. As will Tain and Adeone, for that matter.” He whispered, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Cornelia.”
“You’d cope for our children, as Adeone will cope for his.”
“How many have we got again?”
“Five, as you well know.”
“Hmm. I might like a couple more.”
She gave him a well-practised look, leaned down and kissed him gently. He responded immediately, then stopped just as suddenly. Carefully, Cornelia pushed his dark hair away from his forehead. Fourteen years of marriage and she knew him better than almost anyone else. He needed to acknowledge his emotion before he could work through it.
After a moment, she disentangled herself and poured him a whiskey. Turning back, she noticed his glazed eyes and smiled sadly to herself. It wasn’t an evening for laughter or conversation. She put the drink on the table next to his hand and sat at a small desk, pulling out a sheet of paper. As she was sealing the letter, Landis asked who she was writing to.
“Feronia.”
“It won’t get to her before the news. Ifor will tell her…”
“I know, but I like writing to my wed-sister. Don’t worry, I obviously sent your love.”
Landis grimaced. He loved his sister and wished she lived closer than the Low Plains, but there was a difference between that and admitting it.
“I don’t have to send the letter.”
“Yes, you do. I should contact her myself. She and Ira were close as girls.” He swallowed. “Why do I feel so ripped apart by this?”
“Because you loved your cousin and know what her family must be going through. You’ll be better when you’ve seen Adeone at least.” Changing the subject, she asked, “What was that with Sergeant Jenner earlier?”
“Oh, I was sacking him. The King arrived in Oedran without guards and there were none waiting for him. Pursuit is a quick mount and Adeone an excellent horseman, but they shouldn’t have been as far behind as Simkins said. At the very least, if Jenner had realised that His Majesty was outstripping them to such a degree, he should have alerted Marsh to get guards to him at the Garth Gate, but, apparently, he didn’t think about that. He left the King exposed. I can’t allow that as Defender.”
“Good. Who will you promote?” enquired Cornelia.
“No-one for the moment. I’ll need to talk over the options with His Majesty and there will be less pressure on the King’s Guard now, so it can wait a short time. They’ll all know there’s a vacancy and will be vying for my attention. I’ll get the contenders thoroughly checked. It should keep Fitz quiet. Though he’s at Macarian House, so it’ll be his sergeants doing the work.”
“I’m glad he’s there. It’ll be a weight off Adeone. You know he doesn’t trust any other guard the same way.”
“Neither do I,” admitted Landis. “I’m not going to interfere. Though at some point, in the not-too-distant future, Fitz will have to retire. He’s been with them since 1169.”
“Maybe don’t say that to His Majesty.”
“Would you mind if I invited the King for dinner soon?”
“I’d prefer it if you invited Adeone. Make sure he realises he’s always welcome, that we can make it private and that I still don’t need warning.”