The Second Life of Magnolia Mae (21 page)

Alistair and Jaceson lowered their voices when they realized that Daciana was sleeping. “She will never stop unless we make her,” Alistair said.

“She won’t act now though, not that you suspect her.”

“Not for a while. I think she will play nice for a bit, but as long as I am merely engaged to Daciana, she will continue to try to take her away. I need to get Father to push for this marriage.”

Jaceson pushed himself up a little straighter. “That won’t happen.”

Alistair’s eyebrow shot up. “Why not?”

“I heard that they had a wonderful visit yesterday. Daciana did not hold anything back except who is suspected of hiring someone to kill her. She informed him that she was no longer certain that marrying you at this time would be the right thing for you. Father, from what I could gather from her retelling, seemed to take her words to heart when she expressed her concerns about your comfort living here. How she believes the only reason you want to marry her now is because someone wants her dead, and you think you can protect her.” Jaceson took a drink before continuing. “Father told her that he would help her in whatever way possible, even if she chooses to not marry you.”

“Do you think she truly doesn’t want to marry me?” He looked over to where she slept. Her long dark hair was loose and hanging over the arm of the chair, her head resting on her hands. A blanket was pulled up around her. She appeared so innocent at that moment, as if she had never seen the hardships he knew she’d witnessed. “I don’t want to be without her.”

“Prove it to her. Show her that you are here because of her and not to protect her. I think she just wants to be loved for who she is. Think about it. Did she only give you any mind after she found out who you were?”

“No.” A smile crossed his face as he remembered their first few meetings. “She did not care for me then either. Not until that day in the woods. I remember running after her when she was chased out of one of the smaller villages. They’d thought she was a witch come to take their children. Men were following her. I ran after her, crashing through the trees in the dark. Dragoste howled nearby. She fell, and I was soon there looking down on her. Once assured that I would not harm her, she allowed me to take her back to their camp.”

He turned back toward his brother then continued. “I did not tell her who I was. We got caught up in a storm and hid in a cave. It was that day I knew my life would never be the same. She told me then that things could not be between us for fear of my mother. She thought I was from that village that wanted her dead. She was convinced that if she was seen with me, my family would hunt her down and burn her for bewitching me. Daciana did not know who I was until she talked to Father about this place. The shocked look on her face when she saw me at his side, heard him introduce me as his son… I will never forget it. She appeared hurt. I believe she loved me more when she thought I was nothing more than a commoner.”

“If she loved you then, I don’t see her turning away from you now. Be that man she loved. Show her that’s who you truly are, not this prince. Not the future King of Marcello, but a man who simply wants to be with her. I am certain she will not reject you.” Jaceson closed his eyes and leaned back onto the pillows.

Alistair noticed that he looked tired. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not sure. Woke sometime in the night. It was long enough for us to finish
Gulliver’s Travels
though.” He tried to hide a yawn. “Really good story. You ought to read it.” His eyes closed as he spoke.

“Maybe I will. I better go see to my mother and to Father. Get some rest.”

“Where is Princess Daciana? Is this how she treats her guests?” Kamille questioned Alistair sharply.

“Like I told you yesterday, you were not invited here. She takes the duties of her people very seriously. She will not shirk them simply to entertain you. I know she was down here early this morning helping to prepare breakfast for you.”

Alistair did not want his mother here. He was not going to welcome her with open arms. This was not her home, and she had no right to waltz in here demanding that things be done her way. All she’d done the evening before was complain about how unhospitable Daciana was. It hadn’t occurred to her to look around at all the preparations they’d made for their arrival on such short notice. The room had been scrubbed clean, and there was the soothing scent of lavender. Alistair even noticed that Daciana had given Kamille the lavender-scented soap instead of the kind that everyone else used.

“I am Queen of Marcello and deserve to be treated with respect.”

Pelonis had apparently listened to enough back and forth bickering from the two of them. “Alistair is correct. We sent no notice of our plan to come visit. Daciana and her people are just settling in here. They do not have the luxuries that we have in Marcello. If you’d wanted those things, My Queen, then perhaps you should have stayed there.”

Kamille’s mouth began to drop before she snapped it shut. “I came to see my only son.”

“If that’s your reason for being here, then you should be enjoying his company instead of complaining about everything else. I find Daciana quite refreshing. She has been caring for Jaceson since he was injured. Yet, according to Alistair, she still finds time to make breakfast for you herself. She saw to you having a hot bath and food brought to you yesterday evening so that you could rest after such a long and weary trip. But have you given any thought to thanking her? This is not the kind of queen I know you to be.” Pelonis had an irritated tone in his voice. Certainly, he did not suspect Kamille of what she had tried to do.

Alistair began to wonder if his mother had told his father of their conversation last night. He decided that she could not have. Pelonis would have come to him demanding an explanation. Did he suspect Kamille though? He did know that someone had been hired to harm her. With Kamille’s past, did he think she would have done so? Had she ever said anything about Daciana to give away her dislike for her other than her complaints in the past few hours?

“I plan to spend time with him just as soon as he allows me to do so. Running off to be with that illegitimate Jaceson, visiting with the woman who bewitched him, and running around like a commoner!” Kamille shrieked.

Pelonis and Alistair both turned to stare at her.

Anger flashed through her hate-filled eyes.

“Witch?” Pelonis questioned sharply.

Kamille stammered, “The people in the villages talk of how she bewitched animals and the young men of their villages. The men followed her about, offering to do things for her. Just as Alistair followed her all the way out here to be with her. Now he wants to marry her. She is no better than a commoner. She may have the title of Princess, but her kingdom has nothing! She is nothing, not worthy of our son!”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE

M
AGNOLIA STEPPED INTO THE
room just in time to hear the end of Kamille’s high-pitched rant. “Avengar…” She spoke calmly and loudly, “…has more than you could ever fathom. My people have great character. They have worked harder than anyone else you will ever come to meet, simply to have a bit of land to call their own. A place to raise their children. They give to others in need, even if it is the last that they have. We may not be rich in coin, but we’re rich in heart. That is something that one can hold their head up high about.”

They all turned to look at her. She walked slowly toward them, her hands clasped in front of her. “As for being a witch, I have never enchanted anyone. I was raised to be kind to others. Told that if you show kindness to someone, then sometimes even the hardest of hearts can be affected by it. Often times, kindness is repaid with kindness. But I suppose that if a stranger travels to your village, they may seem strange to you. They have different customs, and that can scare those who are filled with ignorance. I never thought you would fall into that lot, Your Highness.” A soft smile crossed Magnolia’s face.

Kamille’s face turned crimson at the words spoken to her. “How dare you?”

“I dare because I know the truth. I know that you believe that I am a witch. You think of me as a threat, someone who will take away your son. You saw Jaceson as a threat to Alistair once. You still do. There is nothing that you can do about Jaceson though, because Pelonis cares for his son. You didn’t think anyone cared about me. All you saw when you looked in my direction was a girl trying to take what belonged to you.”

When Kamille began to interrupt her, Pelonis stepped toward his wife. “You let her finish.” Pelonis then turned his warm blue eyes to her and nodded.

“Gordon was a man who would do anything for you. All he wanted was to have the affection of his queen and a bit of gold to line his pockets. The fact that Alistair had humiliated him in public while defending me only added fuel to the fire for him. When you told him that you believed me to be a witch, he believed you. Why else would his prince humiliate him for someone whom he considered no better than a peasant? At your order, he came here.” Magnolia walked slowly toward Kamille. “Hunting me down in the woods on All Hollow’s Eve to kill me. To carry out your plan.”

“This is absurd!” Kamille backed away, but Alistair reached out to grab hold of her.

Magnolia stopped a foot away from her. She could see the pure hatred in the queen’s eyes.

“Dragoste attacked him after he kicked me down the hill, believing he had left me for dead. When he returned back to Marcello, he had several wounds, did he not?”

Pelonis nodded solemnly. “Said it was a wild animal.”

“Oh, it was an animal that was in a rage, but Dragoste is anything but wild. He is my most loyal companion.” She stroked the large black wolf’s head. “Gordon reported back to you. He told you that I was dead. Since Gordon was so very ill, you told him that you would pay him when he was better. He never did get better, so you paid the physician for caring for him.”

Kamille glared at her and stepped forward. “What proof do you have of such allegations?” Her voice was low and threatening. “I’ll have your head for such false accusations.”

“Gordon gave you a trinket, a trophy of sort, to prove to you that he had done what you asked. Something that nobody else would have because your son had it made just for me and paid the man a good deal of money so that he would never make another one like it. My wolf Claddagh ring. The ring that you now have in your possession. If I am correct about you, you have it on you now. Tucked away in a fold of your gown so that you have that constant reminder of how close you were to achieving your goal. To having your son back.”

“Do you have it, Mother?” Alistair’s voice shook with anger.

“Of course I do not.” Her right hand trembled at her side while her left hand slipped into a well-hidden pocket of her gown, seemingly unnoticed.

Magnolia saw her move. She knew what is was she was reaching for.

“Kamille, what is in your hand?” Pelonis boomed loudly, causing his queen to jump in her spot. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her hand out of the hidden pocket in her gown. Her fingers were curled closed. Slowly, one finger at a time, the fingers were coerced open to reveal the ring that had been stolen away on that horrid night. “What have you done?” Pelonis dropped his wife’s hand. The ring clattered loudly to the floor.

“She took him away from me! My only child left me to be with this witch! A peasant princess was going to someday sit on my throne! I could not allow such a thing to happen.” Her eyes were wide and wild, jumping from person to person.

Magnolia spoke softer than she had before. “You would have lost him either way. Had you killed me, Alistair would not have given up seeking vengeance. He would have given up everything that you call home.”

“Never. He would never leave his duties. He would have never left his kingdom to allow it to fall apart.” Kamille shook her head quickly back and forth.

Alistair stepped beside Magnolia, and a wave of comfort went through her at his nearness.

“Marcello would not have been left to fall to pieces. Father is there. When the time comes, Jaceson could take the throne. I assure you, Mother, if you had taken away my love, I would never have returned to Marcello.” The edge in his voice appeared to drive the truth of his words into the queen like a knife into warm butter.