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In the end, Aldrick formally announced the engagement of Princess Alice and Earl William Trevelyan two weeks after Finstertide in a small reception of family, friends, and local nobility. The bride and groom to be both smiled weakly and replied pleasantly when congratulated. But they haven’t looked at each other once since the announcement. Never have I seen two people less in love.
Presley questioned if he had done the wrong thing by helping to bring this engagement about. The couple clearly had no affection for each other, but that was often the way of royal marriages. And whether or not he had aided Rohesia in the negotiations, the match would have still been made, so it was better that he had made certain the financial terms were properly sorted. Well, mostly sorted. Alice’s dowry property had been chosen and under what terms she and William would both have access to them during the marriage. A modest amount was settled on her up front, with more to come, once the Sigors’ finances were better situated. And soon the couple would return to Formacaster where King Edwin would formally name Earl William the Captain General of Myrcia.
They had even decided on where they would wed—Terrwyn Cathedral in the main square of Formacaster. Alice and William had both said they would be happy with a smaller, quieter ceremony at the Wealdan Castle chapel, where Rohesia and Edgar had been married. But in a rare moment of agreement, Rohesia and Aldrick had pushed for the cathedral. Aldrick wanted a large, very public wedding, where everyone could witness the marriage that he had arranged to end the civil war. Rohesia wanted a large, very public wedding to give the people of Formacaster something to celebrate after years of war.
When appealed to, Presley had hesitated. He appreciated Rohesia’s point, and years in the Empire had impressed upon him the reviving spirit of public spectacle. But he could also clearly see how uncomfortable Alice and William still were with the fact this was to be their fate, and he thought a more private ceremony would be less awkward for them. But then the topic came up one evening before dinner, and Freagast Harald sided with the cathedral scheme.
“Everyone loves a wedding,” he had said. “Let the people rejoice in the good fortune of the happy couple.”
And so that had been decided.
The only outstanding issue at the time of Aldrick’s formal announcement was where they would live. William still wished to live outside Wealdan Castle, and Rohesia just as fervently wanted to have them next door to herself and the king. Presley felt the argument boded ill, but he kept this thought to himself, since he hoped not to be pulled into the discussion.
The reception was a simple affair in the parlors next to the dining room, where a modest feast was being laid to celebrate the news. Everyone sipped wine and chatted merrily, Rohesia the poised center of activity before the long window overlooking Lake Newlin. Presley looked around, and it took him a moment before he finally found Alice at the other end of the room, standing alone, examining the family portraits on the wall. He grabbed an extra glass of wine and joined her.
“Thank you,” she whispered with a nod, taking the glass and gesturing with it at the painting in front of her. “Do you know who that is?”
The painting showed three children, two boys and a girl. Presley wasn’t terribly good at judging the age of children, but he supposed the oldest boy was around 12 or 13, a handsome young man with a lively appearance as he stood comfortably before a large window with gauzy curtains. The girl was a few years younger, and she held herself in a very proper pose on the edge of a plush, red silk chair to the side of the older boy. The youngest boy, possibly 6 or 7 (he really was awful with ages), sat at her feet, eagerly looking forward at something out of frame that interested him.
It was a well done painting, the light informing every brushstroke, and the inner life of the children captured in a way that made the viewer feel as though he had met them. Presley had, in fact, met the younger boy, and he had known the girl for years. It was a painting of the previous generation of Newshire Sigors. The young boy was Jeffrey, Aldrick’s father and the previous Duke of Newshire. The girl was Ellen Sigor, who went on to marry Duke Brandon of Leornian. Presley had grown up under the kind and watchful eye of the great lady.
The oldest boy, and the one Alice had pointed to, was Fransis Sigor. Presley had vague memories from his childhood of him visiting Leornian to see his sister and his best friend, Brandon. But, of course, he had died when Presley had still only been a boy.
“Yes, I know him,” Presley answered. “They were all quite handsome children, don’t you think?”
“I’ve heard it said the civil war would have never happened if Fransis Sigor had just married the woman he loved. Do you think that’s true?”
The woman in question had been Merwyn Halifax, who of her own volition, instead of marrying Fransis, who everyone said she loved, had married Fransis’s cousin, Ethelred Sigor, who became King of Myrcia. But Merwyn, who Presley had known a little, as she had been a prisoner at the Bocburg in Leornian, had chosen to marry the man who would be king, while carrying on an affair with Fransis. From what Presley had gleaned over the years from Duke Brandon and others, as painful as King Ethelred found his wife’s infidelity, he likely would have continued to overlook it if Merwyn and Fransis hadn’t attempted to overthrow him.
When it came, the coup was put down, Fransis executed, and Merwyn imprisoned. This had left a weakened King Ethelred with one legitimate heir and no ability to produce more. It had opened the door for his oldest natural son, Broderick, to eventually seize power, but only after murdering his half-brother, then biding his time when the crown passed to Ethelred’s brother, Edgar, and then finally pouncing when Edgar died.
Would there have been a peaceful transfer of power if Merwyn and Fransis had just married? Presley understood why Alice was asking, and he tried to find the most honest answer that would also reassure her.
“King Ethelred had already fathered Broderick before he married Queen Merwyn. Even if she had followed her heart and married Fransis, the king would not have married Broderick’s mother. And nothing would have stopped Broderick from challenging whoever the legitimate heir to the throne would have been. Answers are never quite that simple.”
“I suppose not.”
Alice looked beyond Presley and slouched in response to what she saw. “Cousin Aldrick is glaring. I promised him I would spend the evening with William. I should go.”
Presley watched her walk away, looking defeated, instead of like a bride-to-be. Once more, he wished things could be different for her, but he could hope that she and William might grow fond of each other over time. They were both good people and cared about the future. Surely that was a good starting point for a marriage.
Just as Presley was about to start back toward the rest of the guests, Lady Jorunn emerged, walking purposefully toward him. He had known her a bit at court many years ago, but most of what he knew about her had come from Moira and Faustinus. To say they did not like her would be an extreme understatement, which he could appreciate after having spent time with her in these negotiations. Even though she was deferential to Harald, and attempted to show contrition for her years of working directly with the Gramirens, she could still be an officious know-it-all. What she might want with him, he could not suppose.
Still, he bowed. “Lady Jorunn. I hope you are enjoying the evening.”
She nodded back. “Thank you, Sir Presley. I am. It is always nice to see one’s hard work come to fruition.”
“Indeed, it is. Now that the marriage is arranged, surely we will be able to come to terms with Duke Gerold soon, and you can return to Diernemynster.”
“And you to the Empire. At least I assume you are not back for good, although I have no doubt you would be welcome in your old home.”
“While I will always love Myrcia, my life in now in the Empire.”
She nodded, but pinned him with a curious look all the same. “Do you think that is true for most Myrcian exiles? I will admit that I have been thinking a great deal of my old pupil, Moira Darrow. I believe I may call her ‘Darrow’ again, as I have been led to understand she has ended her ill-advised marriage to Faustinus. But I have been wondering if she might wish to return and resume her training with me, now that she has gotten free of that man.”
From what Moira had told him about her time as Lady Jorunn’s pupil, Presley was reasonably certain Moira would rather swim a sea of molten lead than study with her old Lareowess again. “I believe she may have plans for her future in the Empire, even once the divorce is final. But I would hate to presume to speak for her.”
“Hmm. I see. And with the marriage negotiations completed, how much longer do you intend to stay in Rawdon? As you say, you have a life in the Empire.”
Presley had not given much thought to this question. He had assumed he would stay until the treasure was found, but he could hardly say that to Lady Jorunn, even though she and Harald both knew of the missing objects. Although he wanted to find the book, crown, and sword for King Edwin, his life in the Empire and attachment to Faustinus would raise doubts about his loyalties for many. “I have not yet decided. With my primary goal completed just this very evening, I haven’t had a chance to think about the timing of my return yet.”
Lady Jorunn smiled smugly. “I suppose the real question is whether you will leave that young...lady and her magysk detection device behind.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not quite sure I follow.”
She moved so that she might stand next to him and survey the others in the room. When she spotted Vittoria, she nodded. “You can’t fool a hillichmagnar. I assume Faustinus did not expect there to be two hillichmagnars in Rawdon, but Harald and I can both feel the detection spells coming from some object on Domina Spontina’s person. Furthermore, we can sense that the object was spelled by Faustinus. He was hoping she might use it to locate what young Broderick took from the treasury, since Finster’s book is magysk. But she is having trouble using it, is she not?”
Presley wanted to deny it, but as she had pointed out, what was the use trying to hide something from a hillichmagnar? Still, he hedged a tiny bit. “Perhaps.”
She chuckled. “Rawdon has far too much residual magy pretty much everywhere. Magy from the original hillichmagnars never leaves a place they have been, nor does the magy from the two strongest to have lived since—the Blessed Leofe and Kuhlbert. You have seen Kuhlbert’s doors here, haven’t you? Even though those contain a good deal of old-fashioned craftsmanship, the magy in them makes it difficult for me to feel much magy besides. Although, I did eventually manage to sense Faustinus’s little trinket.”
Well, that explains a lot. Presley barely contained a sigh. “That’s all very interesting.”
“Yes. Well, I should go mingle a bit more. I certainly want to compliment Lady Lilianne on such a lovely evening.”
Presley needed to find Vittoria and explain the problem with the necklace Faustinus had given her immediately. But then he spotted Aldrick nearing him. One of Aldrick’s guards was whispering in his ear as they crossed the room, with Aldrick grinning more at every word. Presley finished his glass of wine in a gulp.
Aldrick waved off the guard just before he reached Presley. “You will never believe what he’s been telling me.”
In no mood to play Aldrick’s little games, Presley shrugged. “I’m sure it’s fascinating.”
“Oh, it is! You know that missing treasure? I know where it is.”
The way Presley’s stomach churned made him regret finishing his wine so quickly. “I’m certain your cousin, the king, will be very pleased that you will be able to return it to him. Is it already in your possession?”
Aldrick frowned a bit, but quickly started chuckling. “Not quite yet. But I now know what you and that harlot of Faustinus’s have known all along—the treasure is here in Rawdon. Only, I’m going to find it first, because, why wouldn’t I? This is my city. My dukedom. You and some Immani whore are never going to know where to look as well as I do. And when I do find it,” and here he leaned closer so he might whisper, “I’ll have everything I want. Weddings all around in fact. I’m not just going to have this wedding between Alice and William, but I’ll have an even bigger one for Lilianne, because you will provide her with a disgustingly rich husband if you want that treasure. And then, after that wedding....”
He stopped, then slyly peered over his shoulder until he spotted Rohesia. “I’ll have what I’ve always wanted. What I’ve always been owed and deserved. She won’t be able to say no if it means making her little boy the legitimate ruler of Myrcia.” He ran his tongue over his lips before turning back to Presley with a moist grin. “And you can tell Faustinus that if he or his little sluts or anyone from his bank ever step foot in Myrcia, I’ll have them executed. Enjoy the feast.” And with a jovial slap to Presley’s upper arm, Aldrick rejoined the party.
Presley must have looked as horrified and sick as he felt, because in a moment, Rohesia hurried to him.
“I do not mean to alarm or insult you, of course,” she said, “but you suddenly look rather awful.”
“Aldrick knows the missing treasure is in Rawdon. We have to find it first, because if he gets there before we do....” Presley shook his head, not wanting to tell her everything Aldrick had said.
“Earstien,” she sighed. “What did he say he would demand in return?”
Presley looked again at the painting of the Sigor children. The artist had painted Jeffrey as such a pleasant boy. If only we could have known he would spawn one of the worst men in Myrcia. Alice wondered if the civil war would have never happened if Fransis and Merwyn had married, but I wonder what would have happened if Jeffrey had never married his wife and had Aldrick. A different duke here could have been the powerful ally Edwin needed from the beginning, and Broderick might never have taken power.
“Presley, please tell me. What did he say?”
“If he finds the treasure first, you will be his demand for its return.”
Her jaw set tight and, in fact, every muscle in her body appeared to have tensed. He wished he might recall his words, but she needed to know.
“I’m sorry.”
“Where are Sir Franklin and Vittoria?” she asked.
Presley scanned the room, and spotted Sir Franklin chatting with the other local knights. Sir Franklin soon saw Presley’s gaze and excused himself. On his way to join them at the far end of the room, he made a detour to detach Vittoria from her own group of guests. When they arrived, Sir Franklin simply raised an eyebrow to Presley.
“Aldrick knows the treasure is in Rawdon,” Presley said in a hurried whisper. “Oh, and Jorunn knows you have a magysk detection device from Faustinus. She says it won’t work with all the residual magy in Rawdon. Please tell me you have other ideas. We can’t let Aldrick find it first.” For a brief second, Presley remembered that he had hoped Vittoria would not locate the treasure first and use it to help Faustinus and his bank, but right now, Presley would infinitely prefer that to Aldrick.
“We have some more leads,” Vittoria whispered. “But nothing definite yet.”
“I’m getting some interesting recent history from the locals,” Sir Franklin said, nodding back toward the men he had just been speaking with. “There were more people in Rawdon than we realized who were, if not active Gramiren supporters, at least anti-Aldrick enough to sympathize with Broderick, Jr.”
“Broderick, Jr. is a decidedly more sympathetic human being, let’s face it,” Vittoria added with a shrug. “Does that mean it could be literally anywhere in the city?”
“Probably,” Sir Franklin answered. “There are some more people who I think would be useful to talk to, but I’m not sure they would open up to me. But a fashionable exile who lives in the Empire and has served kings might have better luck.”
“With the marriage contract arranged, I am completely at your disposal,” Presley said.
Vittoria squinted at him. “If that’s the case, I have some logistical questions to run by you.”
Presley questioned if these logistical issues related to the finding of the treasure or to Faustinus’s bank, but he knew that at the end of the day, setting up the bank would be easiest for Faustinus with the treasure, so she was unlikely to do anything that would jeopardize finding it. “Anything I can do. We have to stop Aldrick.”
“Yes,” Rohesia said, her voice tight. “If we could prevent his grace from locating the missing treasure first, that would be a great comfort to me.”