CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Austėja

Across the table, there is a forced ease in Tomas’s demeanour. He chats to his brothers, but his movements are jerky, as if he is crawling with ants. He imitates someone who is relaxed, but he is very much on edge.

I pick at my food, unable to stomach the mushrooms that only an hour earlier tantalised my nostrils with their rich, earthy smell. The Duke’s final words have left me uneasy. What deal did Tomas strike with the Duke?

After the final dish, our buckwheat cake with juniper berries, everyone seems satiated and at peace, except me.

Beside me, Motina looks withered, pallid and weary, but she eases into conversation with Aldona, Elena and Smilte. An occasional hint of a smile. They will think her low mood is purely a result of her knee injury and no more. As her bičiulystè rally around her, I know that she’ll be okay.

An involuntary shudder seizes me like autumn leaves rustling in the wind. The Duke and his men have arrived. They didn’t join the feast, not after taking half of our collection, but they did not discourage our celebration either. Conversations continue and, other than me and Tomas, no one seems to notice the new arrivals. He stiffens momentarily, and with a deliberate effort he drops his shoulders, feigning a relaxed demeanour again.

The Duke’s men approach the end of the table where Krystupas sits. The taller one whispers something into his ear and Krystupas tenses. He throws a look at each of his sons: Petras, Jonas and then he settles upon Tomas with a deep scowl. He stands sharply but says nothing.

Smilte pauses her conversation with Elena and straightens her spine. ‘What is happening here?’

Krystupas shakes his head at Smilte as if to quieten her.

‘It’s okay, mother,’ Tomas says, standing to place a firm hand on her shoulder.

She shrugs him off and speaks louder. ‘What is wrong?’

Krystupas avoids eye contact with us all and follows the Hollow Watcher and the other man in the direction of the church. The priest waits by the door.

The Duke steps forwards and addresses the table. ‘We have discovered the culprit for Stanislaw’s murder. We will take him away for questioning.’

Culprit? The Duke warned me something was coming and, as if reading my mind, he sneers at me.

‘I knew it,’ Elena mumbles.

Smilte throws her a hard stare. She goes to stand but is urged to remain seated.

There’s murmuring and unease around the table. I think back to the day I delivered the news of Stanislaw’s death to Smilte’s boys and her husband. The way Krystupas looked at his boys, unsurprised. Jonas always says he has been a tough father, that he can’t bear to live with him any longer. He is a quiet and controlled man but is he capable of such violence?

‘Until then, I’d like to introduce you to the new Hollow Watcher.’ The Duke beckons Tomas, who eagerly joins him at the head of the table.

‘When I leave with my men for the city, it will be Tomas here who will keep an eye on the hollows. It seems sensible to appoint someone who has knowledge of the region and the people, and of course, the hollows.’

I gasp. Is this the deal Tomas has made with the Duke? To hand over his father, to betray him, in exchange for employment with the Duchy?

Uncertainty rises again.

Now I am truly afraid of the man I am to marry.