Troubled Waters (40 page)

“Oh, he was
exactly
that kind of man!” Zoe exclaimed. She knotted her hands to keep from clasping and unclasping them; she had grown a little calmer as they discussed the role of other people in that bedroom farce, but once they were focused on her father again she found it difficult to sit still. “He loved secrets and disguises and puzzles and tricks. It would not surprise me at all to learn he entered the room wearing a mask and speaking in an assumed accent! He would be
delighted
with such a part! And then, the following day, to sit beside her at a formal dinner and speak casually of inconsequential things—nothing could have entertained him more.”

Darien nodded. “So. It is possible that Seterre is not dissembling when she treats you as the daughter of a man she liked, but did not know particularly well. Your next conversation with Seterre may well be strange to
you
, but she will not know why you are suddenly ill at ease.”

She knew what he would say, but she could not resist the temptation to bait him. “So then you think I shouldn’t mention to her that I have discovered her secret?”

He sat up so suddenly that his chair rocked; she thought it might turn over. “Of course you shouldn’t!” he exclaimed. “Why would you—”

“I never liked being an only child,” she said, still deliberately provoking him. “And now to discover that I have a half sister—”

“You cannot claim her,” he said. “You can befriend her, if you like, if your attentions do not seem too singular, but you cannot expose her. Zoe, you cannot.”

“Why not? Where is the danger? Where is the harm?” She made an indecisive motion. “In fact, perhaps such an announcement would
avoid
harm. If it was revealed that Josetta was not the king’s daughter, perhaps she would no longer be in danger. Perhaps she would be removed from the succession. She would be safe. Although, the corollary questions would soon arise—and I imagine life at the palace would get
very
interesting for all the wives—”

He leaned forward now, elbows on his legs, linked hands between his knees. “You’re joking,” he said, keeping his voice steady with what seemed to be an effort. “You’re just tormenting me. You wouldn’t do anything so catastrophic.”

She tilted her head. “You ascribe to me more kindness than I might possess. I have been exiled from society too long to care about other people’s scandals.”

“You have suffered too much for your father’s actions to want to see other girls put through a similar kind of disgrace,” he said sharply.

She shrugged and flopped back against the chair. Suddenly she was so tired. It was amazing how much energy it took to juggle rage and humiliation and astonishment, particularly for someone who hadn’t slept very well. “The truth is, I don’t care about this knowledge within the context of the palace walls,” she said. “I don’t care who is king and I don’t care who is heir. I don’t care what families are in favor and what families are banned from court. I am angry at my father and curious about my sister, and none of the rest of it matters to me.”

“Then will you promise—”

“No,” she cut him off. “I won’t promise anything. It wouldn’t matter to me if you were to lie awake every night wondering what I might do or say next. But I see no
value
in rearranging the lives of every child living at the court or exposing the lies of the king and his women. If I ever do, you can be certain that I will speak up, no matter who bids me keep silence.”

Darien said nothing for a moment, as if she had proposed a deal and he was considering its terms. Finally he nodded. “I suppose that is the best I can expect you to offer.”

“I suppose it is.”

“Is there anything you would ask of me in return?”

Zoe watched him a long moment. That narrow face did not look so arrogant now; she could not think
he
had had an easy time of it these past few days, either. He had been one of those frantic men on the boat, rowing desperately to Josetta’s rescue, and he must have spent hours questioning anyone who could have been implicated in the attempted murder. No wonder he had been short-tempered when he confronted her after her sudden disappearance. And her revelations tonight had unquestionably added to his mound of worries.

She didn’t feel sorry for him, though. He could choose to trust her. He could choose to confide in her. He could choose to tell her secrets that, even now, she was sure he kept. He would find any
coru
woman much more manageable if he worked with her instead of attempting to block her at every turn.

“Is there anything I would ask of you?” she repeated. “How about dinner?”

The transformation of his face was amazing to see. The weariness dropped away, making him appear much younger; the laughter warmed his gray eyes, softened his stern mouth. “Dinner I will be happy to provide,” he said. He came to his feet and extended his hand. “Come. I know just the place to take you.”

She allowed him to pull her up, but he did not immediately drop her hand. For a moment, they stood unexpectedly close, hemmed in together by the placement of the chairs before the fire. It was the first time all night that Zoe had felt warm.

“I
was
moved and astounded by your ability to control the Marisi on changeday,” Darien murmured. “I was never so afraid for anyone in my life as I was for Josetta when I saw her floating down the river. I knew she would die. I knew there was no saving her. And then you—” He shook his head, apparently unable to find words. “I would have come to you the next morning—before you were awake, even!—to express my gratitude and amazement, but I had already left the palace. I headed straight to the southern harbors, and I didn’t get back until a few hours ago.”

Only to find that Zoe had fled the palace. She began to feel a
little
sorry for giving him something else to worry about. Another detail to take care of, when it was clear he was responsible for so many.

“I would have asked, as soon as I saw you, how you had recovered from the ordeal, for I saw you carried away in your cousin’s arms. I knew such an immense effort had drained all the strength from your body. I would have come to you, anxious and frantic. I just didn’t have the time.”

He lifted his free hand to brush her cheek with the very tips of his fingers. She felt the blood leap to her skin, right where he had touched her, eager to be touched again. “I am hopeful that your impressive act of bravery did not permanently damage your body or your power. But here you are. Scheming to enrage me and making me chase you all over the city. I cannot think you suffered any lasting harm.”

She had to laugh. “Bank the fire,” she said, freeing her hand and pulling away from him. “I am still making up for all that energy so recklessly expended, and I am very, very hungry.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Z
oe was back at the palace a nineday before she had an opportunity to speak to Josetta alone. In truth, she barely spoke to
anyone
alone for that period of time, for she was still being honored and feted to a degree that was almost tedious. She was included at the king’s table every night, except the one when she pretended to feel too ill to partake in the meal. She was invited to breakfasts with the queens, lunches with members of the Five Families, excursions with anyone who set foot outside the palace. Keeli begged her to attend a “small get-together” at Sarone’s house, where nearly two hundred guests were in attendance—and Zoe was obviously the one they had all come to see. Two days later, Kurtis repeated the invitation, almost down to the wording. Zoe did not mind spreading whatever cachet she had over her cousins on both sides, but the rest of it wore her down. She wanted to burrow inside her suite and refuse to come out, or run to the city and camp by the river where no one could find her.

Well, no doubt Darien Serlast could find her. If he had time to look. After their extraordinary conversation at his house, he had made no effort to seek her out. He was present at many of the events, of course, sometimes meeting her gaze and grinning a little; he knew this degree of polite socializing did not come easily to her. But he did not rescue her or try to smooth her way.

Zoe kept mulling over how to seek out Josetta without appearing too forward or too peculiar but, in fact, the princess herself solved that problem by showing up at Zoe’s door one morning. It was still early in Quinnelay, but the day, though cold, bid fair to be gorgeous; the air already appeared to sparkle behind a flirtatious sun.

As always, Josetta seemed to feel awkward, but determined to play the correct part. “My mother told me that the two of you discussed the proper way to memorialize my recent accident,” she said formally. “And I wondered if you might like to see the park where my father will build a fountain and my mother will plant trees.”

“I most certainly would,” Zoe said. “When would you like to go?”

“I am free now if you are.”

“Free” apparently did not mean “unaccompanied,” for a maid and two guards awaited the princess in the hall and fell behind her, once she and Zoe emerged. Although Josetta did not pause to speak to her retinue, Zoe was pleased to notice that she didn’t treat them as if they were invisible, either. She nodded at them all and said, “I have a car waiting downstairs.”

The
elaymotive
was big enough to seat eight or ten and roomy for the five of them. Unexpectedly, it
did
offer a little privacy, for the car featured two chambers separated by a thick glass wall. Zoe and the princess sat in what was obviously the more luxurious compartment.

“Have you recovered from your adventure?” Zoe asked. “Or do you still have nightmares about almost drowning?”

Josetta gave her a sharp look. “How did you know about the nightmares?”

Zoe smiled. “I have had an adventure or two myself. I find I relive them for a long time in my dreams.”

“They haven’t been so bad the past few nights,” Josetta said. “But I am certain of one thing. I’m never getting in a boat again!”

“Oh, now, that’s exactly the wrong thing to decide,” Zoe said. “You should arrange for outings in dozens of boats! On lakes and on rivers, in still water and wild. You should swim every day—do you know how to swim?”

Josetta shook her head. Her blue eyes were huge.

“You should learn. If you master the water, you will never fear it again. And the nightmares will almost certainly go away.”

“Even if I could swim,” Josetta said, “
nobody
could have survived a fall over the mountain. Could they? Even a
coru
woman like you?”

“Well, I would have jumped out and made for shore long before I pulled too close to the waterfall!” Zoe exclaimed. “I know the river is rough along that whole stretch, but there are places a strong swimmer can leave a boat and make it to safety.”

Josetta was silent for a moment. “Like
they
did,” she said, her voice subdued. “Jem and Nic.”

“Who?”

“Those were their names. They
said
those were their names,” Josetta amended. “The sailors on the boat with me.”

Zoe was impressed that Josetta knew that particular detail. She was willing to bet Corene, Seterre, and Alys had not bothered to inquire into the identities of their own hired rowers.

“You think they jumped out and abandoned you on purpose?” Zoe asked quietly.

Josetta nodded. “I didn’t. Not at first. But then I heard people whispering—talking—saying what must have happened, and I realized they were right. Alys said—”

When Josetta abruptly fell silent, Zoe prodded, “What did she say?”

“She said people had wanted me dead since the day I was born.”

It was in moments like this one that Zoe was most aware of her
sweela
heritage. Her rage was so sudden and hot that if the redheaded queen had been anywhere in her vicinity, Zoe would have slapped her until Alys was dizzy. “I hope you realized she didn’t mean they wanted
you
dead,” Zoe said, her voice as gentle as she could make it around the angry singing of her blood. “She meant that
every
princess—and every queen, and every king, too—is always somewhat at risk. There are always malcontents who think the world would be a better place if someone else was in charge. So they try to get rid of the people who are already in power.”

Josetta absorbed that new thought for a moment. “So then, someday people might try to hurt Corene? Or Natalie? Just because they’re princesses and not because—not because they don’t
like
them?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Zoe said briskly. “It’s scary, I know. But that’s why you have guards.” She nodded at the men sitting on the other side of the glass. “And that’s why you need to learn useful skills so people find it harder to hurt you. If you can swim, you won’t drown if someone throws you in a river. If you can build a fire, you won’t die if someone abandons you in the wilderness. You might even enjoy learning such things.”

“I’ve always been a little afraid of the water,” Josetta said thoughtfully. “But if I could swim—I suppose I could practice in the lake by the castle. Oh, but people would see me and make fun of me. And the water’s always so cold, even in summer.”

Zoe grinned. “You need to learn inside a heated room, in private, where no one can watch you.”

“I don’t know any place like that!”

“I do.” She tapped her chest. “
Coru
, remember? My aunt Sarone has a pool in her house right here in the city. You can learn there.”

“Will she mind?”

“Will she mind doing a favor for a princess of the realm?” Zoe demanded in such an incredulous voice that Josetta laughed. “She’ll be thrilled!”

“And will she teach me to swim, do you think?”

“No,” Zoe said, “
I
will.”

T
he park where the new fountain was under construction was—as Zoe had requested—in a seedy part of town where such amenities were rare and would be desperately welcome. However, that didn’t mean she wanted Josetta to get out of the smoker car and stroll around the site, muddying her fine shoes and exposing herself to the dangerous-looking characters lurking nearby. So they instructed the driver to circle slowly three times, while Josetta described the design of the fountain and the planned layout of the orchard.