Secret Heart (18 page)

“
You will
go to her in the Great God’s good time, and so will I. So will we
all,” Jenia said. Turning to Garit, she reached out a hand to him.
“I am so sorry to tell you that Chantal is dead.”

“
No!”
Garit exclaimed. “It cannot be.”

“
I saw
her murdered,” Jenia said. “It was done at King Henryk’s command. I
could not help her. The guards held me back and would not let me go
to her until her death was certain. When I finally wrenched away
from them so I could hold her in my arms, Chantal bid me remember
the promise we had sworn to each other as we lay, night after
night, in that terrible dungeon. We swore that if either of us
survived, she would demand vengeance on the wicked man who ordered
the other’s death. I am here today to demand that vengeance of you,
Henryk!” she shouted, whirling away from Garit to face the king she
despised.

“
Beyond
any question, she is mad,” King Henryk said. “Roarke, where did you
find her? Was she confined somewhere safe, where she could not harm
herself or others? If so, I do wonder why you have released her and
brought her here.”

“
Jenia,
what are you doing?” Roarke demanded. Grabbing her arm he forced
her to turn and look at him. “Is this the dark secret you’ve been
keeping?”

“
Yes, it
is. I am not mad, Roarke. I am simply demanding retribution for
Chantal’s death. I am willing to risk my life in that cause, but I
will not risk your life, or Garit’s. That is why I have repeatedly
refused to tell you what I planned to do. Henryk,” she said, again
deliberately and most pointedly refusing to use his title, “I do
swear on my unblemished honor that these two men with me knew
nothing of my intention in coming here. They were desperate to find
Chantal, so they decided to present me as Chantal, in hope of
flushing out the person responsible for her disappearance. You and
I know who that person was. It was you, Henryk. Admit it, you
wicked murderer!”

“
I know
nothing about Chantal’s disappearance,” King Henryk insisted. “My
desire to find her was the reason why I sent Roarke to solve the
mystery, and to locate her if he could.”

“
Ah,
Jenia,” Garit cried, obviously choking on tears, “you should have
told me at once that my love was dead. You knew I was searching for
her. How could you be so cruel? Why did you let me go on hoping
Chantal might still be alive, when all the time you knew the
truth?”

“
It is
possible that Lady Jenia was pledged to keep silence until the
moment when she faced King Henryk,” said Lord Giles, stepping
forward to join the little group standing before the king and
queen.

Jenia
hadn’t noticed him among the courtiers. She had been so concerned
with King Henryk and with the charges she intended to make against
him that she had for the most part ignored the other men and women
in the audience chamber. Now she dared a quick glance at the man
who stood behind the throne, who had been watching her with an
intent gaze since she first entered the chamber.

Serlion,
the Lord Mage of Dudone, gazed at her from silvery eyes. She was
certain he had recognized her, though in her time at court she had
deliberately remained in the background. “What do you know of this
business, Lord Giles?” King Henryk’s question drew Jenia’s
attention away from Serlion.

“
Only
that Lady Jenia has impressed me as an honest woman who is laboring
under a compelling grief,” Lord Giles responded. “My lord, may I
suggest that we retire to some more private place, where we can
discuss the matter without disturbing your entire
court?”

“
I have
been publicly accused of responsibility for the murder of a young
noblewoman,” King Henryk declared. “I will hear this demented
female’s story in public, so I can refute her charges before all
those who witnessed them.”

“
My
dearest lord,” said Queen Hannorah, who had remained silent so far,
though she had been watching Jenia with a serious and discerning
gaze, “no one who knows you could possibly believe you would order
the death of a maiden without allowing her a fair hearing and a
chance to prove her innocence of any charges made against her. Even
were such a lady found guilty of the most heinous crime, I do
believe you would commute her sentence out of your own kindness
toward women.

“
My
lord,” the queen continued, reaching out both hands toward King
Henryk as if to emphasize the urgency of her plea, “why should you
provide sustenance to those who care only for gossip and slander?
Lord Giles is correct to urge privacy. I implore you to send your
courtiers to their midday meal and to allow us to hear Lady Jenia’s
case under more intimate circumstances. Later, you can easily
announce the truth of the matter in a way that will squelch all
rumors.”

“
My lord
king,” Serlion spoke from his position behind Henryk’s throne, “I
must agree with the queen. I perceive no evil intent in Lady Jenia,
only a terrible sadness and a most amazing faith in the justice of
her quest.”

Jenia gaped at him, understanding that
without her noticing, he had used his magic to probe her mind. He
bestowed a slight smile and a nod on her, as if to say he approved
of what she was doing. Heartened, though somewhat confused by his
intervention, she returned her attention to the king.

“
Clear
the room,” Henryk said to the nearest of his household knights.
“Send everyone here to the great hall and see to it that the meal
is served at once. If their mouths are filled with food and drink
that I provide, perhaps their tongues won’t be employed in
speculation and gossip.”

Within a
few moments the audience chamber was empty except for King Henryk,
Queen Hannorah, Lord Giles, Roarke, Garit, and Jenia. Four of the
king’s most trusted advisors, including Serlion, also remained, for
the king had asked them to serve as witnesses to what was said.
Elwin and Anders departed under protest and only after Roarke
ordered them to leave.

Two other people lingered in the audience
chamber, an older nobleman who bore a striking resemblance to
Roarke, and a young woman with blue eyes and thick hair that was
barely controlled by a golden net that did not hide its sandy
color.

“
Lord
Oliver and Lady Marjorie, you may go,” King Henryk said to them in
a tone that clearly suggested instant obedience would be a very
good idea.

Intrigued
despite her own concerns and recalling that Lady Marjorie was
Roarke’s lost love, Jenia regarded the pair with interest and
curiosity.

“
My lord
king,” said Lord Oliver, stepping forward, “my son is involved in
this matter. So is my wife’s brother. With your permission, I wish
to stay, so that I may testify to the honesty of both
men.”

“
No one
has ever questioned my honesty, or Garit’s, either,” Roarke
declared in an awful voice. “Your veracity may be in question, Lord
Oliver, but your doubtful honor and that of your wife is not under
discussion here. I advise you to obey the king.”

“
In
heaven’s name, Marjorie,” Garit begged, “go away and leave me to
grieve in peace. You have caused me enough unhappiness without
interfering any further in my life.”

“
No,”
Jenia said suddenly. “Let both of them stay. From what I’ve heard
of them, they will understand emotions that defy the decisions made
by parents or guardians who arrange noble marriages.”

“
I
agree,” said Queen Hannorah. “My dearest lord, let Lord Oliver and
Lady Marjorie hear the accusations and Lady Jenia’s story. Perhaps
they can offer advice and wisdom to our discussion.”

“
Wisdom?”
Roarke demanded, glaring at Lord Oliver. “From my foolish father, a
man who cannot keep his hose fastened in the presence of a pretty
girl?”

“
That’s
enough, Roarke,” said King Henryk. “We are not here to discuss your
family squabbles, but to listen to and refute false accusations
made against me. Since my queen requests that Lord Oliver and Lady
Marjorie be allowed to remain, I will permit them to stay. When we
have finished here, I will send the two of them along with my four
witnesses to explain to my courtiers what has transpired and I will
place no curbs on what any of them choose to say.

“
Perhaps
that decision will prove just how baseless your accusations are,”
Henryk said, speaking directly to Jenia. “I do formally state here
before these witnesses that I had nothing to do with the
disappearance of Lady Chantal of Thury. Nor did I have any
knowledge of her fate until you announced her death just a few
moments ago.

“
I do not
know of any other ruler who would deign to listen to such
accusations, or to defend himself against them. I do so now only
because three men whom I trust and honor are standing with you to
add substance to your charges. I feel compelled to point out what
is obvious to me from their remarks. You have repeatedly lied to
men who treated you with respect. I warn you not to lie to me, for
unlike your protectors, I will not treat you well if you do. Now,
Jenia, you may speak,” King Henryk finished, not according her the
title of lady, as she had not called him king. Henryk sat down on
his throne and motioned to Queen Hannorah to sit, too.

Jenia had
recovered somewhat from her initial outrage at the king’s
insistence upon his ignorance of Chantal’s fate. Finding herself
not yet doomed to immediate imprisonment or beheading, she decided
it was time to be a little more diplomatic than she had been so
far. Behind the throne, Serlion nodded to her as if in
encouragement. “I thank you for the opportunity to recount
everything that happened to Chantal and me,” she said to King
Henryk

,
speaking in a quieter, more reasonable tone than she had previously
used. “I promise, I will tell only the truth – the entire truth as
I know it.”

“
About
time, too,” Garit muttered behind her.

Roarke said not a word, and the ominous
silence from his direction unnerved Jenia for a moment.

“
Go on,
my dear,” Lord Giles said, touching her hand. “I, at least, am
disposed to believe you, for I know how deeply troubled you were
while you stayed with me at Nozay. If you begin by explaining
exactly who you are, perhaps that will make the story easier to
tell.”

“
Thank
you for your kindness and your trust,” Jenia said, swallowing
tears. She sent a misty smile at Lord Giles and then she began her
dreadful tale of love and deception and betrayal.

“
I was
born at Gildeley Castle in eastern Sapaudia and named Matilda Jenia
after my two grandmothers,” Jenia said. “My mother and Chantal’s
mother were twin sisters, and my father and Chantal’s father were
good friends. In the way of most noblemen, they were often gone
from home, either at court or guarding the border with the
Dominion. My mother disliked Gildeley. She always said it was a
gloomy, lonely place. In my father’s frequent absences she
preferred to stay at Thury, with her sister.

“
That is
how Chantal and I grew up together, as close as if we were twin
sisters, too. We resembled each other so closely that we used to
play pranks on the grownups, dressing in each other’s clothes and
each pretending to be the other. Unfortunately, all four of our
parents are now dead.”

“
So far,
I cannot dispute what you say,” King Henryk remarked. “I am aware
of your family relationships. I know also that when your father and
Chantal’s were killed in the same battle with Dominion intruders,
and both of your mothers died shortly thereafter of the same winter
illness, I agreed to the request of your mothers’ older brother,
Lord Walderon, to be made guardian of both girls. Chantal came
often to court, but I have never seen you before this day – unless
you played one of your pranks here and pretended to be
Chantal.”

“
I have
seen you,” Queen Hannorah said to Jenia. “When Lady Chantal was at
court last year, you acted as her attendant. I noticed then how
alike the two of you were. I mentioned the resemblance to Lady
Sanal and she told me that you were a poor cousin to Chantal, taken
into Lord Walderon’s household at Chantal’s behest. She said you
were devoted to Chantal.”

“
Only
that last detail was true,” Jenia replied. “Chantal and I loved
each other dearly. But I entered Uncle Walderon’s household as his
ward, not as a poor relation. Unfortunately, I proved to be much
too outspoken and Walderon took a dislike to me.”

“
I can
believe it,” King Henryk said dryly. “You are not destitute; though
your inheritance is not as vast as Chantal’s, I do recall that you
have a rather nice dowry in Gildeley Castle and the lands
surrounding it. It is Walderon’s duty to arrange a suitable
marriage for you. Why did he not do so? And why did I not notice
you when you were last at court?”

“
No one
notices servants,” Jenia said. “Especially not servants who wear
drab gowns and plain linen headscarves, and who keep their faces
lowered. I did so in order to remain close to Chantal while
avoiding Uncle Walderon’s spite. Queen Hannorah is unusually
observant. Garit, on the other hand, was so deeply in love with
Chantal that he never bestowed so much as a passing glance on any
other woman, including me. When we met again after I was washed
ashore, then he did notice the similarity. He thought at first that
I was Chantal.