Chapter 15: Somnium: Chapter 2

Dear Lady Frey,

You’ll be glad to know that Miss Milton isnt a terrible dragin. She doesnt know much about maths, and she makes me practise music an hour and ½ every single day, but she never yells and she never uses the strap.

I still miss you. She can’t explane the realy hard books like you. Even thogh she’s nice, she’s still like other grown ups. She dosn’t always understand.

I’m glad Uncle Just is here, too. He takes me riding every day, just like Uncle Hope. Please write to Uncle Just and tell him that I’m not a soljer. Riding is always fun with Uncle Hope, but Uncle Just wants me to ride perfect.

Miss Chastity is always around. I don’t mind. She’s not as nice as Miss Mersy, but she’s always honest. I like that.

Tell me all about the palis when you write. Is it grand? Is the Prince hansome?

Love,

Celeste

“Reading a letter on such a fine day? It must be from a beaux.”

I looked up from the letter to see Lady Innocence and Lady Purity, who were never far from each other’s company. They’d been catching butterflies in the garden, but had paused to take note of me.

“Not at all- this is a letter from Lord Frey’s ward,” I said. “I’ve been managing her education.”

“How kind of you,” Lady Purity said, absentmindedly toying with her net. She opened the net, and a cloud of blue butterflies billowed up in a cloud around her before flying free.

“Oh yes, very kind,” Lady Innocence said. “I wouldn’t have any patience with a ward. I would have sent the girl away to school.”

“There have been such scandalous rumors flying about, too. Lord Frey is so handsome that– well, you must worry about his past,” Lady Purity said in a harsh whisper, leaning forward conspiratorially.

“I don’t worry,” I said, folding the letter. “Lord Frey’s past is past.”

“You must love him a great deal, to trust him so completely,” Lady Innocence said.

“Don’t quiz poor Lady Frey,” Lady Fairfax chided, sidling up to us with her fashionable, swaying walk. “She’s still a newlywed.”

The three of us curtsied to Lady Fairfax.

“Lord Ainsworth has been searching for you,” Lady Fairfax said to me. “Lord Fitzwilliam told him that you were in the gardens, so I took the short route to warn you.”

“I- I see.” Fear had risen into my throat and frozen there as a lump, but I tried to swallow it back.

“You might still avoid him if you walk back with me by the fountains.”

Lady Innocence and Lady Purity were listening with keen expressions, and some of Hope’s advice came to mind. “Never let them see your fears.”

I straightened my back and shook my head. “I have no reason to avoid him. He is as welcome to speak to me as anyone.”

Lady Fairfax let out a great huff and fluttered her fan. “I should think that man’s tediousness is enough reason to avoid him- but he is your father. Here he comes. Away, ladies, before he bores us all with talk of exports and tariffs.”

Lady Fairfax swept the ladies up the garden path, and soon I could see my own father, limping on his gouty leg up the opposite path.

“Ah! Grace. There you are,” he said. “I’ve searched the whole palace for you. I wish to have a word with you as soon as I can catch my breath.”

He plopped down on a wicker chair opposite me and drew a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped some sweat from under his wig, coughed a few times, and then leaned back to regard me through his spectacles.

“A word regarding what?” I asked.

“Regarding what? I miss my daughter. After all, I haven’t had a single letter from you since you left Willowbrook. Did you receive my letter?”

“Yes, I did.” Somehow, the courage the ladies had left me with remained. My back stayed straight as I answered the red, panting man across from me. “I didn’t realize your concern for me was genuine.”

My father leaned forward, steepling his hands and smiling. “Ah- I see what has happened. You are truly under your husband’s control, now. Your obedience is to him, instead of me.”

“Believe what you like,” I said. I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of tearing up my father’s letter, and the look of shock on Hope’s face when I’d refused to let him compose a reply.

“I don’t mean to discourage you,” my father continued. “He is your husband now, and it is natural that he should be your master.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you ask me report on my husband?”

My father shrugged, and then shooed a butterfly away from his face. “I’d think that you would welcome any chance to speak on your husband’s behalf. Malicious rumors are circulating, and I gave you the opportunity to contradict them.”

“Since I did not reply, you may assume there is nothing to report,” I said. “That should be contradiction enough.”

“And what about the rumors that aren’t so easily dismissed? I’ve heard about his little ward. They say that her mother was worse than a fallen women, and that your husband was intimately involved with her.”

“I’ve heard the rumors about Celeste’s mother, but Celeste is an innocent child. As to Lord Frey- his past is not my business.”

My father laughed out loud- a rough laugh that quickly devolved into coughs.

“Oh yes- I should have remembered. Jealousy can’t touch an insensible girl like you. Don’t worry about the matter any further. As you said, none of this is your business. Obey your husband, occupy yourself with your books, and you’ll serve your purpose in time.”

My father brushed away the butterfly again, and it flew over to me, landing on my finger. Its tiny feet clung to me with surprising strength, and I left it undisturbed.

“Well, I would be remiss in my filial duties if I didn’t look after you- husband or no. Is there anything that you need or want?” My father said, rising to his feet.

“I want-” my voice faltered, but I swallowed and stood to look him in the eye. The butterfly still clung to my finger as it fell to my side.

“Since my marriage, I’ve missed a mother’s help and advice. Might I have something that belonged to her? Anything small will suffice- her likeness, perhaps, or a letter she wrote.”

Father’s jovial expression melted away, and his voice rang out like a crack of thunder.

“Why would you ask a stupid thing like that?”

“It’s only natural-”

“There’s nothing natural about it. Your mother died when you were born. You have no reason to think of her, now.”

Father turned away and walked away swiftly. His gouty limp seemed to have vanished with his fury.

The butterfly let go of my finger and flew up into the blue morning sky.

#

Before my arrival, I had heard that there was a vast library at the palace that the courtiers were free to visit. The library, however, was not housed in the palace proper. Instead, it was housed in a building annex that lay at the end of a long gravel path, which wound behind the shrubberies to the west of the main building.

The last stretch of path was lined with free-standing white columns, and ended in a set of square concrete steps that led to a square granite building. Two spear-shaped feather trees stood on each side of the library door, but the building was otherwise unadorned.

Inside was none of the splendor I had expected of the palace library. Instead, dusty tomes were stacked on simple wooden shelves, which were shoved against bare stone walls. My heels clicked against the stone floor and echoed through the building.

Hope, who was sitting at a center table, looked up at the sound of my footsteps. He let the letter he’d been reading fall to the table and smiled at me in greeting.

“She’s safe,” he said as I sat beside him. “For now she is safe, and she’s trying to stay cheerful. I suppose I should be content with that.”

“It’s only natural that-” I cut myself off before finishing my statement, that a father should miss his daughter. My own father’s words seemed to echo in my ears.

Hope leaned his cheek against his palm and regarded me with heavy-lidded eyes.

“You seem cross. Have I offended you, somehow?”

“No. I’ve just had a disagreeable interview with my father.”

Hope frowned. “What did he say?”

“Nothing important. We quarreled about my mother. He seems to think that I have no reason to miss her at all.” I looked down at my hands, which were twisted together. “I’m sorry. None of this interests you.”

“Feel free to vent your frustrations,” Hope said. “I daresay I’ve burdened you with enough of my troubles.”

I sighed. “Well, he doesn’t matter to me anymore. He seems happy enough that I belong to you, now. He wasn’t even angry that I failed to answer his letter.”

“Your father spoke to me in passing last night. He called you his ‘gift’ to me. Does this strike you as odd?”

“No. When have women ever been anything other than chattel?”

At that moment, a faint cry echoed through the library. I sat up and looked around, but saw no one else.

“Did you hear-” I said.

“Yes?”

“- nothing. I came here to find Bannon’s Western History, so I’ll leave you to your letter.

I left Hope and wandered among the bookshelves, walking in the direction where I thought the cry had originated.

I peeked around the edge of a narrow row and spied Miss Taris, who sat alone beside one of the few windows. She turned her head toward the sound of my footfalls, so I quickly shifted my gaze back to the bookshelves.

There was a jumble of history and apologetics, piled in no particular order. I ran my finger along the spines, searching for Bannon’s history, and saw a titleless book with a picture of an eye printed on the spine.

I peeked at Miss Taris, but she had turned back to her book, so I reached out and took the book with the eye, grabbing two other books at random to carry on top of it.

A high-pitched laugh caught my attention, so I hoisted my books and moved back toward the sound. I peeked around the edge of the bookshelf toward Hope’s table and saw him standing with Lady Purity.

Lady Purity laughed and simpered and fluttered her fan, and Hope leaned forward and whispered something into her ear. Lady Purity fluttered her fan a little faster, and then took Hope’s arm.

The two walked toward the Library door. Hope turned his head as he walked and spotted me by the bookshelf. He winked, put his finger to his lips, and left.

My grip on the books tightened, and I rushed forward and dropped them on the table with a loud thump. I sat down and resolutely opened my book. After all, I had no reason to think about Hope’s exploits, just as he had no reason to think of mine.

I flipped a few pages, and began to read.

The Tale of the Brothers Smith

There once lived two brothers, Service and Fervor Smith. One brother, Fervor, was a hunter and the other, Service, was a carpenter. One day, while hunting, Fervor came across a magic circle, inside of which was a book. Fervor, overcome with curiosity, stole the book. He could not read the book himself, so he took it to his beloved brother, Service.

Service read the book and uncovered arcane secrets previously lost to time. The Brothers used these secrets to gain great wealth and buy power and influence beyond their station. Fervor, true to his name, craved more money the more he obtained. However, as Service read the book, and used the dark magic contained within to feed his brother’s greed, he began to change.

Fervor, distracted by the women and wine his new wealth could afford him, did not notice Service growing sickly and wan. Service aged at an unnatural rate, growing wrinkled and grey before his time. He grew thin and hungry, and yet could not eat. One day, when Fervor went to seek his brother’s help, he only found a pile of his brother’s clothes sitting where his brother had once sat. Service had wasted away until there was nothing left.

Fervor sought frantically for the magic book he’d entrusted to his brother, but it was nowhere to be found. Having eaten away at Service, it, too, vanished. So Fervor, without Service to help him, lost his wealth, his health, and his loved ones. He died alone, wishing he had never reached beyond his station, and wishing he had acknowledged the value of his brother, Service.

#

The Grand Duchess’s chamber was so vast that, even filled with women of the court, it still felt airy and open. The Grand Duchess sat on the edge of her bed as though it were a stage, and allowed her servants to dress her while the rest of us stood in attendance like spectators in the audience below. Periodically, she would call on one of her favorites, sending them to fetch things for her. Each lady she called upon breathlessly answered, as if her simple commands were an honor beyond anything.

I had stayed up all night reading, and was feeling too exhausted for the choreography of favors and positioning that was going on around me. It was far too complex for me to follow, as unschooled as I was. Hope had not returned to our rooms all night, and it took all of my mental effort to keep myself from thinking of the implications.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“…do you not agree, Lady Frey?” Lady Fairfax asked, holding a necklace against her dress.

“Oh yes, certainly,” I said automatically.

“Indeed.” Lady Fairfax handed the necklace to her maid, and then said, “Miss Taris, as you happen to be in the back of the room, would you fetch me that hat box? Yes- the one on top. There’s a good girl.”

My cheeks burned on Miss Taris’s behalf as she fumbled to reach the hatbox and then scurried past the court ladies toward Lady Fairfax. I knew that Lady Fairfax was trying to overcome Miss Taris’s shyness, but calling her to public attention only made things worse. Miss Taris’s unofficial rank, being the heiress of a duke, afforded her some protection at court, but it did not stop the ladies from laughing at her behind their fans.

I turned and gazed at the other ladies, making a mental note of those who had laughed.

After the Grand Duchess was dressed, she invited Lady Renoir to join her for a tete a tete. The rest of the ladies curtsied to the Grand Duchess and turned to leave.

I turned toward the back of the room, seeking Miss Taris, but I felt someone link their arm with mine and lead me to the door.

Lady Innocence, who had taken my arm, walked with me as though in affection, leading me down a seldom-used hallway and into a small alcove. Then she turned to me, revealing teary, red-rimmed eyes.

“Nothing happened between them, Lady Frey. It was only flirtation, so please tell the Prince that you were mistaken and bring Lady Purity back.”

“Bring her back? Back from where?”

The Prince sent her to del Sol last night, after he found out about her indiscretion with Lord Frey. He’s even hinted that she may lose her rank- everyone was talking about it this morning. Please, if you were the one who complained to the Prince, tell him that you were mistaken.”

“Lady, I am as surprised at this news as you. I haven’t complained to the Prince. Indeed- I haven’t spoken to him since I was presented.”

Lady Innocence fell against the wall and began to sob, letting fat tears streak her powdered face.

“Then tell your father- he must have spoken for you. I’m begging you, Lady Frey.”

“I haven’t sent my father, or anyone else, to speak to the Prince. I don’t know what happened between Lady Purity and Lord Frey, but I am not jealous for my husband.”

Lady Innocence’s sobs began to subside. She sniffed and blotted her tears with a handkerchief.

“If what you say is true, then why did the Prince send Lady Purity away?”

“I don’t know.”

Lady Innocence stood a little taller, and tucked her handkerchief into her sleeve. “Very well. If you won’t help me, I will get her back on my own.”

Lady Innocence exited the alcove and walked away, her silken skirts rustling with each determined step.

#

“How could you be so careless?”

I couldn’t stop the sharp words from escaping my lips. I’d spent the day trying to dodge malicious gossip, and the pomp at dinner had gone longer than usual. Now, back in my apartments, the sickeningly pervasive scent of roses filled my head until it ached.

Hope threw himself onto his favorite sofa and regarded me with a sour expression. “What have I done, now?”

“Thanks to your intrigue with Lady Purity, we are subject to all manner of vicious slander. Lady Innocence came to me this morning, convinced that I had asked the Prince to send Lady Purity away. Despite my denials, nothing has stemmed the rumors of your dissatisfaction and my jealousy.”

Hope lay back on the sofa and put up his feet. “You knew that this would be difficult, Grace. I need to take advantage of my proximity of the Prince and use my influence before he begins another war. It’s almost impossible to get him alone, though. Lady Purity is the Prince’s mistress, so when she came to me, I was obliged to take advantage of the opportunity.”

I dropped onto a chair and put my hand to my head. “She was the Prince’s mistress, so of course he sent her away.”

“I just need to rally. Lady Purity isn’t the only one who has the Prince’s ear. Of course, if I anger him enough, perhaps he will call me in to berate me.”

“Do you know who told him about the tryst?”

Hope’s mouth stretched into a maddening smirk. “I would hardly call our encounter a tryst. I took her behind the library, at the edge of an empty field, and mesmerized her. The only people in the library at the time were you and Miss Taris.”

I opened my mouth to protest my innocence, but Hope waved his hand to silence me.

“I trust you, Grace, and I know you aren’t so petty you would tell the Prince. I know nothing about Miss Taris.”

“Miss Taris couldn’t have seen you, though. She was in the back of the library, hiding behind the tall shelves.”

“She could hear Lady Purity and me, just as I could hear her cries.”

I stood and began to pace, trying to clear my head. My headache lingered, and as the scent of roses grew ever stronger, I felt almost dizzy.

“I have been presented to the Prince, so why must I remain? Why can’t I leave you to your intrigues?”

“The Prince wishes for you to remain. He and your father want something from you.”

I turned back to Hope, but I spun too fast. My knees buckled, but Hope rose and caught me before I hit the floor.

“Grace- are you unwell?”

Hope’s words were muffled, and everything looked strangely soft- his soft brown eyes, his soft waves of hair, his soft skin, his lips…

Hope helped me stand and led me to bed, but my knees buckled again and we tumbled onto the bed together. Somehow, I ended up on top of Hope, and the touch of his skin, the warmth of his breath, and his scent overwhelmed my senses. I pressed my lips against his again and again, running my hands through his soft hair, and drinking in the sensation. Hope responded, raising his own hand and touching my hair.

At that moment, the world seemed to right itself again, and I pushed away from him.

“Forgive me,” I gasped. “I am unwell- I forget myself.”

“Don’t beg my forgiveness. I’ve been longing to feel your kiss again. Look at me.” He gestured to his own figure, prone on the bed. “I am yours. Do as you will.”

“No- you aren’t mine,” I said. “You never will be mine. Your heart still-”

“Ah- I see.” Hope slid off of the bed. “Unreasonable girl, I thought you weren’t jealous.”

“Not of Lady Purity,” I said quickly. “I know you don’t love her.”

“I know.” Hope stood and took my hand in his. “Come with me. I wish to show you something.”

Hope led me into the adjacent dressing room, behind the wardrobe where his trunks were stowed. He dragged the bottom trunk forward and undid the latches. When Hope opened the trunk, it appeared empty, but he removed the trunk’s satin lining and then lifted a false bottom, revealing a hidden compartment.

He took out a large silver locket, embossed with an eagle, and held it out to me by its ornate chain.

“Have you ever seen Prudence’s likeness?”

“No- I have not.”

Hope nodded encouragingly, and I pressed the latch to open the locket. Inside, there was a miniature of a woman with blue eyes and a wild tumble of red hair. She wore a crown of bluebells, and she did not sit in the proper posture of a young lady, but leaned forward, seeming almost to laugh.

“She’s beautiful,” I said.

“She was beautiful then,” Hope said, taking the locket back. “When this likeness was taken she was just a girl, and she was still happy. She loved me as I loved her, and that was enough.” Hope closed the locket and placed it back into the trunk.

“A year after that likeness was taken, our fathers went to the bishop and sought permission for Prudence and I to marry. The bishop denied our petition. Afterward, my brother came to me with his monsignor to offer me a place in the coven. Prudence and I wished to fight the corrupt forces that had damned our families, and who were now keeping us apart, so we both agreed to join. We believed that we had nothing to lose, but we were wrong. There is always a price for power.”

“The curses,” I said.

Hope put a finger on his chin and looked up in thought. “The curse is one price, but there is another. The costliest price of power is the obligation to wield it.”

Hope sat down heavily beside the trunk and placed his chin in his hands, as though in exhaustion. I knelt beside him, my skirts billowing around me like a cushion.

“Prudence found the price too dear?” I prompted him.

Hope nodded, his chin still in his hands. “When Prudence left me, she was no longer the girl in that picture. The curse stole her beauty, and the price- well, I believe that the burden of power stole her smile.”

I wished I could have found words of comfort or wisdom, but I had none. I didn’t understand Hope at all when he spoke about power’s price, and I didn’t know how to ask.

“Prudence and I didn’t quarrel before she left,” Hope said. “She withdrew from the world after she gained her powers, even avoiding her fellows in the coven. She didn’t want to aid us in our spells, anymore, but I didn’t care. I brought her to Rowan Heights and promised to marry her, no matter what. I told her that she would always be beautiful in my eyes, and that I wished to protect her. She seemed content. We made love, and the next day she was gone.

“I don’t know why she left. Perhaps she wanted to hide her face since the curse stole her beauty, or perhaps she didn’t believe she could escape her own powers while she remained by my side. I suppose I will never know.”

“I’m sorry-” I began.

“No, Grace, I’m telling you this so that you might understand. This occurred 11 years ago, and even though I still love her- I will always love her- our story has ended. I offered my love to her, but she chose to leave. Of course I wish that we’d been able to marry, and that we could have raised our child together, but I’ve come to terms with what is. Prudence is gone, and I have mourned her.”

Hope leaned forward and took my face in his hands. He kissed me slowly, lips touching lips- wet and soft and real. He broke the kiss and looked into my eyes.

“I’m ready to love again, Grace, if you will allow me.”

I looked down, unable to meet his earnest gaze.

“You once compared me to her. You said I was ugly and spiritless…”

Hope sighed. “Don’t remind me of what I said that day. It was the anniversary of her death. I was grieving and hopelessly drunk. Since that day, I’ve grown to understand who you are. The more I see of you, the more I like.”

Hope was sincere; I could no longer doubt his feelings. There was no artful flattery and no flirtation. He’d laid his heart at my feet. Even so, my habit of flinching away from his honeyed words would not stop.

“Grace? Please look at me. How do you feel?”

I looked up into Hope’s face, again. His beauty was striking, and I was suddenly very aware that I was just an awkward girl in clownish makeup.

“I don’t know how I feel,” I said. “I must have time to think.”

“You don’t think about love, Grace. You either feel it, or you don’t.”

“But I must- I know nothing of love. I don’t understand how I feel at all.”

Hope didn’t say anything. He took me into his arms, resting his cheek on my head, and we sat together in silence until morning.

#

Later that morning, I sat alone in prayer.

I didn’t know to whom I prayed. I was in the still-empty chapel, kneeling in front of an ornate, high-backed pew. My eyes were focused on the massive symbol of Order, which dominated the wall before the altar, but Order was not the god I needed. Reverence seemed more appropriate, but still was not right. Chastity was precisely the god I did not need.

I needed a human god- one who could look into my heart and see where it was malformed.

“Why can’t I let myself love him?” I prayed.

I closed my eyes and, as I could think of no god to petition, sought the answer within myself.

When I’d first met Hope, I’d feared him. Later, I condemned him as a sinner and a witch. Now, morally, I was no better than he was. I was damned- I had entered into a contract with a witch, promising to keep his secrets. Still, some part of myself- a part I wanted to label a hypocrite- could not respect him even though I desired him.

Hope and I both wished to liberate our world, but I could not ignore the difference in our methods. Hope manipulated people’s minds against their will, and I suspected that he’d killed. These were not things I could condone. I wondered if I could continue to go along with his intrigues and still gain the virtues that would make me worthy to join the Oculist Guild.

Courage, curiosity, and equality- were these virtues I saw in Hope? He was not an evil man. I knew that he committed his evil acts to protect those he loved, and to fight a corrupt power. Still, everyone felt that their evil acts were justified.

I was wise enough to know that if I held out for perfection, I would live a lonely life. The problem was, the happiest moments in my life had all been lonely ones. I realized, with chilling clarity, that I could live alone and be happy in my own way.

I was brought out of my reverie by a creaking door, followed by the sound of footsteps.

“Please,” Miss Taris said in a small, plaintive voice from far behind my pew. “Have you no words of guidance? I depend on you for council.”

The footsteps stopped, and Brother Lux’s warm voice replied.

“Miss Taris, you have no reason for such despair. Sir Montag is a kind-hearted man who can provide you with ample financial support. With your father’s title and Sir Montag’s wealth, you will be secure for the rest of your life.”

“But-” Miss Taris’s voice faltered, and then she seemed to rally. “Isn’t love more important than security?”

“If love provides you comfort, then yes. Are you distressed because you love another?”

“No- there is no one,” Miss Taris said.

“Then you have every reason for joy. Marry Sir Montag now, and love will come later. If you obey your father, the Gods will bless you.”

“I- I think I understand,” Miss Taris said.

“Good girl. Now, dry your eyes and smile for me.”

“Yes, Brother Lux. Thank you for your council.”

I sat, trapped behind the pew. My cheeks were burning from the embarrassment of having heard such a private conversation, and I dare not stand and expose myself. I held my breath as footsteps retreated, and the door creaked open and shut.

“Thank you for your council,” Miss Taris said in a stronger voice. “But I will never marry Sir Montag.”

#

I stayed in my pew as courtiers arrived for the morning service, and then sang the litany with everyone else. After the service was over, I waited until most of the courtiers had left before standing, but as I did, Monsignor Pius caught sight of me, and motioned for me to stay.

I waited while Monsignor Pius finished speaking to Lord Taris, and then he approached my pew.

“Good Morning, Lady Frey. I am glad to see you at this morning’s service. I hope your husband is well.”

I smiled and curtsied as I worked out a response. Why would Monsignor Pius point out his fellow witch’s impiety?

“My husband is rarely well this early, but he always recovers before noon.”

Monsignor Pius laughed. “A common affliction! Soon after I am coronated, I plan to add evening services for others who suffer as your husband. In the meantime-”

“Grace! I do hope you aren’t bothering the Monsignor,” my father said, sidling up the aisle to my pew. “He’s a very busy man.”

“The Lady isn’t bothering me at all- quite the contrary,” Monsignor Pius replied. “Your charming daughter and I share a common interest in the sciences, and I was hoping that we could continue our discussion of astronomy.”

Monsignor Pius turned back to me with a slight, gallant bow, and my stomach dropped. Monsignor Pius had already destroyed a treatise I’d written on the motions of planets- a work that had turned out to be both unoriginal and heretical. Monsignor Pius had told me that it was forbidden to suggest the earth went around the sun, and forbade me from discussing my ideas with anyone else.

Had he discovered that I had taken my ideas to the Oculist Guild, I wondered. Did he know I’d kept my original notes? What would a priest, who was secretly a witch, do with a more common heretic?

My father cleared his throat. “Monsignor, His Royal Highness sends you his regards, but he is unwell this morning. At this moment, he is in private prayer.”

“May the Prince’s recovery be swift, and may he continue in good health. I suspect he will. A mysterious affliction has been going around the court, but everyone seems to recover. Lady Frey and I have just been discussing it.”

I tried to suppress a laugh, and choked.

“Dear Lady Frey, I hope you haven’t caught the affliction, too. Come with me to my office, and join me in my prayers for the health of His Royal Highness.”

My father nodded solemnly, and I continued to cough as Monsignor Pius led me away.

Monsignor Pius lead me to a chamber above the chapel and shut the door. It was a small but comfortably-furnished room, fitted with the same shining wood as the chapel, but with less ornamentation. There were two full bookshelves, a desk, and two chairs pulled up to the hearth.

Monsignor Pius gestured for me to take one of the chairs, and he took the other.

“You are an interesting young woman, Lady Frey- perhaps more interesting than you realize.”

“Everyone is most interested in themselves,” I said.

If Monsignor Pius noticed my obvious evasion, he did not show it. “You are a young woman who has gained the trust and love of Lord Frey, which is no small feat. Experience has made him a guarded man.”

“I did not charm him; I have no such arts. If my husband does trust me, then I hope I have earned his trust.”

Monsignor Pius nodded as though to himself, and then stood, going to his desk and returning with a chart.

“Tell me- what do you make of this?”

I took the chart carefully. It was a star chart, which was neatly done and beautifully illuminated with intricate scrollwork around the perimeter.

“Here is the sun- so this is midwinter?”

“Yes.”

“The last star in the cat’s tail is off by several minutes of arc. I’d have to consult Sir Boromir’s work to confirm the positions of the Red Moon and Tigris. What year is this?”

“It is the year of His Royal Highness’s birth. If you corrected the positions of Tigris, the Red Moon, and the Cat’s tail then all three would be in conjunction. I had to make small adjustments to each; the conjunction is an ill omen.”

“If you say- I can’t begin to understand what the stars portend.”

Monsignor Pius lifted a lofty eyebrow. “How strange- you study the stars with an expert’s eye, and yet you ignore their purpose?”

“I’m not wise enough to know the stars’ purpose. I can see many uses. The stars guide mariners, the sun’s procession through the constellations assists farmers in their planting, and -dare I say- a woman is very familiar with the timing of the Red Moon’s phases.”

“Then you must see the bigger picture; there is a pattern to all of your observations. It is the stars’ purpose to guide us, and show us what will be.”

“Perhaps. The methods I just mentioned are imperfect, but consistent. When it comes to seeing signs and omens, however, I can’t see any logic. For every example I read in history of an omen fulfilled, I see another not fulfilled, or else misinterpreted.”

Monsignor Pius took his star-chart from me. “Your observation is quite correct, but not everyone is as observant as you. As long as people believe in omens, the omens will have some power over their actions.

“I have prepared this star chart as a horoscope for the Prince, and I shall present it to him at my coronation. You can see, now, why I’ve altered it.”

The fire crackled as silence stretched between us. A thousand questions I dared not ask fought for precedence as Monsignor Pius regarded me with keen, dark eyes.

After a time, I swallowed and spoke, though hesitantly. “Please forgive my impertinence, but surely as the new High Priest you could council the Prince and the people against superstition.”

“You are still young, and you see the world through a lens of idealism. When you are older, you will understand that some people cannot be reasoned with, and must be guided in subtler ways. This horoscope is one of the ways in which I mean to guide the Prince’s conscience.”

Monsignor Pius smiled at me with gentle superiority, and I cast aside subtlety.

“Why have you shown me this?”

Monsignor Pius leaned back, running his fingernail along the velvet cushion on his chair’s arm.

“I wished to see how you would react to the revelation. You are surrounded by intrigue here in St. Blanc. Many people wish to use you as their pawn. You seem innocent of it, but I wonder how much you really perceive.”

My blood ran cold. I was certain that he knew I’d discovered the coven.

My first thought was that Hope and I must tell Monsignor Pius about the blood oath, so he would not perceive me as a threat. And yet, Monsignor Pius still radiated such power and danger that I feared how he would react to our deceit. Caution stayed my response, and it occurred to me that Monsignor Pius might have another intrigue in mind.

“My father told me ‘you will serve your purpose in time.’ Do you know what he meant?”

Before Monsignor Pius could reply, Brother Lux opened the door without ceremony and entered the room, followed closely by Miss Taris.

“I beg your pardon,” Brother Lux said, though his smile did not waiver. “I did not mean to intrude.”

“Nonsense- my door is always open to you.”

Brother Lux blushed and bowed.

“Miss Taris,” Monsignor Pius said gently to the girl who stood half-hiding behind Brother Lux. “Do you seek my counsel?”

“I… I do, but…” Miss Taris’s eyes flickered toward me.

“I was just on my way. My husband will be expecting me,” I said.

Miss Taris smiled a little, and mouthed, “thank you.”

I stood, curtsied, and took my leave.