The Tale of Mally Biddle (20 page)

Mally ached. Her arms were numb and shaky. Slowly she dragged her feet into the great hall. Dinner wouldn’t start for another hour, and images of a nice, soothing bath filled her brain. She made her way to her chamber to get a new set of clothes, opened her door among the ugly portraits and stopped in her tracks.

Lita sat in a tiny chair opposite the door, her arms and legs crossed tightly, her face set in the deepest of scowls.

“Hi,” said Mally.

“Where were you?” Lita asked without preamble.

Mally frowned as she stepped into the room and closed the door.

“I was getting firewood.”

“Really?” The disbelief was as clear as water. “What about the first hour?”

Mally stared at Lita in confusion.

“Archie asked me to get you. But you weren’t with the stable hands. And then just now I asked Alfred where you were because I hadn’t seen you there and he told me you were gone for at least an hour, but showed up eventually,” Lita explained icily. 

“He must not have seen me—”

“Don’t lie to me, Mally!” Lita exploded so suddenly that Mally jerked. “I’m not an idiot! I wrote to Corral and Chestnut Orphanage. They don’t know who you are!”

“When did you do that?” Mally gasped.

“Does it even matter?” Lita sneered. “You don’t tell me things, why should I tell you?”

She had leapt from her chair and stood inches from Mally.

“Did you tell anyone?” Mally demanded in anger. If Lita had said anything … if Molick knew …

“No, I didn’t! But now I realize I should have! I should have told Meriyal you lied!” Lita roared.

“And why didn’t you?” Mally challenged, her own voice rising.

“Because we’re friends!” Lita yelled so loudly that her voice cracked.

The fire that had ignited so quickly was suddenly snuffed out. Mally stared speechless as Lita breathed heavily.

“Friends,” Lita repeated in a quieter voice that trembled. “I didn’t say anything when you snuck out of the castle a few weeks ago. Sammy asked me if you had found the servant passage in the cellar. And yes, before you ask, I noticed that you weren’t in bed that night, too. And I didn’t say anything when you were asking those questions about the royal family. Do you know what Meriyal would have done if she’d known you were? You don’t ask those kinds of questions. I didn’t say a word. But we can’t survive in this castle if we don’t stick together,” said Lita passionately. “If we don’t trust each other. And running off acting suspicious is the stupidest thing anybody could do.”

Mally felt like she had been slapped. Lita had known almost everything and she hadn’t said a word to anyone.

“I’m sorry,” Mally said quietly.

Lita humphed and recrossed her arms.

“I’m sorry,” Mally repeated.

Lita glared at the wall.

A horrible guilt twisted in Mally’s stomach. Knowing exactly how Ivan would react if he found out, Mally swallowed and said, “You may want to sit down.”

“… And I couldn’t tell you before now because secrecy was v
ital,” Mally finished. “Still is vital.”

Lita’s eyes were as round as coins and her mouth hung open.

“You can’t keep something like that to yourself,” said Lita in a hushed voice. “Now I can help you.”

“So you think she may be alive?” asked Mally.

“Anything’s possible,” said Lita with a frown. “I didn’t know that Gladys never saw to her when she was sick.”

“Makes you wonder if she was sick at all, doesn’t it?” said Mally darkly.

21
Look-a-Like

The news of Sam’s impressive display spread about the castle in a matter of hours and Mally was often stopped in the halls by ser
vants and—unfortunately—by knights, all praising and seeking more information about her horse. During these occasions, Bayard would grind his teeth and curl his hands into fists. Mally took particular care to always be in large groups.

Relief had swept over Mally since Lita’s discovery. She didn’t have to lie anymore to her friend, and Lita was extremely excited about snooping around for clues.

“I suppose you should meet Galen and Ivan,” said Mally a few days after Lita had cornered her. “They should know that you’re helping us. Do you know them?”

“I’ve never really spoken to Galen Dunker and I’ve never seen this Ivan fellow,” said Lita. “Finley. Finley.” Lita tapped her finger against her chin in thought. “The name sounds very familiar. I know!” Lita snapped her fingers. “Brendan and Abby Finley! They were at the Summer Ball. I remember them because Mr. Finley kept trying to sneak into the parlor to play cards but she always caught him.” Lita laughed. “They were entertaining.”

“Ivan isn’t going to be happy I told you,” Mally admitted.

“Let him be unhappy,” Lita humphed. “Aristocrats don’t scare me.”

Mally was able to convince Meriyal to let Lita help her with the shopping, so on Thursday, Mally and Lita left the castle around noon and set off for Clip-Clop. Mally wanted to show Sam to Lita.

“Here’s Sam!” Mally said jumping beside Sam’s stall.

Lita’s mouth dropped to her knees.

“You said he was tall.”

“He is,” said Mally, rubbing Sam’s giant head. He wiggled his ears.

“No. That’s not tall,” Lita stated. “That’s mountainous. That’s gargantuan. That’s—that’s …”

“Tall?” Mally supplied, grinning.

“Tall,” Lita repeated weakly, nodding her head.

“But he’s really gentle,” said Mally fervently. “He’d let you ride him if I’m up there with you.”

“Oh, no!” Lita took a hasty step back, shaking her head. “My feet like the ground, thank you very much.”

After a hasty shopping trip, Mally and Lita, loaded down with wool, brooms, and candlesticks, hurried to the Lone Candle. Mally had sent a carefully written letter to Galen (in case it fell into the wrong hands), saying she was bringing a friend for a spot of tea Thursday afternoon. She still felt a wave of embarrassed stupidity every time she thought of her risky night trip. Mally hoped that Galen would take the hint and pass the news to Ivan.

They entered the inn after lunch and the dining area was empty. Lita and Mally took seats at a table near a corner, far from the large window. Edwin, who stood at the bar once again, shared a long look with Mally before dashing into the kitchen. Lita giggled.

“He’s a little overenthusiastic,” Mally explained.

“A little?” Lita asked.

Galen and Ivan immerged from the door behind the bar. Galen carried a tray of biscuits and steaming mugs.

“Hi,” said Galen to Lita as he sat down and pushed one of the mugs to her.

She flashed him a dazzling smile.

“Oooh! Almond toffee! Gerda’s going to be furious that she missed out.” Lita held out her hand for Galen to shake. “I’m Lita Stump.”

“So this is an almond toffee?” asked Mally, taking a sip of the drink that she had mistaken for tea. It was a rich caramel brown and steamed impressively. The taste was sweet and nutty and something else that Mally couldn’t describe. It tasted wonderful and warmed her down to her toes.

Ivan sat down slowly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Lita.

For a moment the four of them looked at each other uncomfor
tably before Lita said clearly, “Are you going to tell them or shall I?”

“Tell us what?” Ivan asked sharply.

Mally cleared her throat, willing away her nerves and said, “I told Lita about our situation.”

“
You did what?
” Ivan hissed.

Galen blinked rapidly, his eyes swiveling to Lita.

“Yes. She told me and she’s quite happy that she did,” said Lita calmly.

Ivan’s glare shot at Lita. She didn’t flinch under its heat.

“It will be easier now,” Mally pressed, trying to keep her voice level. “I was hardly having any luck at all—”

“That’s because you weren’t trying hard enough,” Ivan snapped hotly.

Lita sputtered as she choked on her drink.

“Not trying hard enough?” she repeated, staring at Ivan in di
sbelief. “Tell me, have you ever cleaned a castle, kept a horde of knights happy, tended twenty fireplaces,
and
gathered mushrooms in
one
day?” Lita leaned back in her chair, with an incredulous stare at Ivan. “I’m surprised she had the time to get the information she has.”

The corners of Galen’s mouth twitched and he quickly took a sip of almond toffee.

“All the same,” Ivan growled, “if the knights find out—”

“We’ll all be killed; they remind me of that fact every day,” Lita finished.

Mally stared at Lita with a mixture of awe and shock. Lita truly was fabulous. Ivan’s sour face twitched and he preoccupied himself with his drink.

“I assure you, you can trust me,” said Lita, her voice kinder. “I’m not about to rat out anybody who’s trying to make life in Lenzar better. I want to help.”

Mally smiled and looked at Ivan. He still seemed a bit upset but when he spoke, his voice was controlled.

“Galen told me that you don’t think the princess died of a f
ever.”

“Gladys, the nurse, never saw to her,” Mally said quickly.

“So the king lied.”

“Do you think he knows what really happened?” Mally asked.

“Most likely he’s one of the few who do,” said Galen.

“I don’t fancy that conversation,” said Lita. “Sorry to bother you, Your Majesty, but did you murder the princess?”

“Maybe Molick knows,” Mally ventured.

Lita shuddered.

“I’d rather ask the king.”

Mally silently agreed. King Salir seemed much more pleasant than the Captain of the Knights.

“It seemed to me that Gladys had been threatened to keep quiet,” said Mally.

“That makes it seem like the princess
was
killed and the killer made sure Gladys would hold her tongue,” said Lita.

“But why just threaten?” asked Galen, frowning slightly. “If we assume that the princess was murdered, why not silence one more? Why risk something coming out?”

Ivan kneaded his forehead.

“We need more pieces of the puzzle,” he said finally. “Do you know of anyone who would know something?” His hard glare traveled from Mally to Lita.

They spent the rest of their time discussing possible names before Mally and Lita had to return to the castle. 

“That went well,” said Lita cheerfully as they crossed the cobbled streets to the castle. “Ivan was pleasant.”

“Pleasant?” Mally snorted, hands deep in her pockets. “If he could have he would have choked you.”

“Ah, well.” Lita shrugged, as if the possibility of being choked was unimportant and didn’t deserve her attention. “Somebody needed to tell him the truth. Knights walk all over us, who knows what will happen if we let aristocrats do the same?” Then she said quite suddenly, “And Galen Dunker’s nice to look at.”

“What?” Mally blurted, accidentally tripping over her own feet.

“Like you haven’t noticed?” Lita said with a sideways smirk. “You’ve spent quite a bit of time with him
alone
.”

“We’re
friends
, Lita” said Mally blushing.

Lita simply continued to smile annoyingly.

He
was
rather good-looking, Mally admitted to herself. His curls had a lazy, carefree way of falling over his forehead and his smile seemed to have the annoying ability to make her stomach tighten…

“
Umm-hum
.”

Mally jerked and blushed even harder. That aggravating smirk was on Lita’s face again. They were silent as they passed the knight guarding the entrance to the castle, but when they were out of his hearing range, Lita turned to Mally and asked businesslike, “So, do you like him?”

“
Lita!
”

“Well, do you?” Lita pressed.

“Not the way you’re implying, no,” Mally retorted firmly.

Lita smiled devilishly.

They returned to their duties, Lita wearing a knowing smirk all day. But as they were readying for bed Lita couldn’t contain he
rself any longer and she exclaimed to Gerda, “We had almond toffees for
free
at the Lone Candle!
”

“No fair!” Gerda cried, looking put out. “How’d you get them for free?”

Mally was tugging her nightgown over her head. “Mally’s close to Galen Dunker,” she heard Lita say slyly.

“
Really?
”

Even though Mally’s back was to them she was sure Gerda’s face was full of playful surprise.

“Yes, I am,” said Mally with dignity as she got into bed.

“For a servant,” Lita continued, a sly smile spreading once more, “a barman of the most popular inn would probably make an excellent mat—”A surprised muffled exclamation issued from Lita as one of Mally’s pillows hit her in the face. Gerda roared with laughter and Mally rolled onto her side smiling contentedly.

***

It seemed that winter arrived while Mally slept. Snow flakes were spotted through the windows of the tallest towers and Sam’s coat was shaggy and thick, the long hairs on his lower legs co
mpletely covering his giant hooves.

The corridors were like ice but the servant passages were to
rture. Lita started complaining loudly that if they stood still too long, the castle would be decorated with statues of servants as well as of late nobility. Mally was grateful that Meriyal wanted them to spend the day tending the fireplaces. But Archie would have none of that.

“This may well be the last day of mushrooms!” he said veh
emently to her and Lita in the kitchen. “And they must be said farewell to in style.”

“Archie, it’s freezing out there!” Lita argued. She really di
sliked the cold. “And you want us to find you mushrooms?”

“Not you,” Archie glared frigidly. “I wouldn’t trust
you
to get me fairy caps.”

Fairy caps. Of course Archie would ask for the hardest mus
hrooms to find on the coldest day they had had so far. Mally muttered incoherently under her breath, tugged her cloak about her more tightly and trudged to the forest, slightly bent over from the wind.

And it did take forever. By the time Mally had painstakingly found enough fairy caps to appease Archie for his grand send-off, it was well past noon. Her stomach rumbled, her fingers throbbed from the cold, and a slight pounding had started behind her left eye. A nice cup of Rosa’s tea was what she needed and a large sandwich. Yes, Mally imagined, a large ham sandwich.

“
Magnificent!
” Archie moaned as Mally dropped all the baskets on the table. He bent over them, closely inspecting each one and Mally was so exhausted that she didn’t take offense.

“Here.” Rosa passed her a steaming mug of rose-scented tea.

“Thanks,” said Mally, inhaling the pleasant smelling drink.

Suddenly, the door banged open, making Mally flinch and spill scalding tea onto her hands.

“Look what
I
have, Archie, old boy!” Lita exclaimed, swinging a small basket onto the table with a flourish. “Fairy caps! A bloke was selling them at the market. Who says I can’t find fairy caps now, eh?”

Archie seemed so stunned that he was momentarily speechless, whether due to the mushrooms or Lita’s sudden exuberant appea
rance, Mally couldn’t decide. Relishing her triumph, Lita picked up one of the white mushrooms in her basket and lifted it to her mouth.

That was when Mally had her first good look at it. The teacup went flying through the air to smash into pieces as she leapt from her chair and slapped the mushroom out of Lita’s hand. It fell to the floor and rolled.

“Mally!” Lita yelled angrily. “What was that for?”

“Those aren’t fairy caps,” said Mally, pointing at the mus
hroom that had come to rest beside one of the table legs. “That’s an amanita.”