Essence Of The Heart (The Royal Tutor) (27 page)

          The servant paused momentarily, surprised that Marie would bind
Jacob's wound, but then turned and left.
          Marie tore away what was left of his sleeve and soaked one of the
bandages in water and wine. She swabbed his wound while he grimaced.
Still, neither spoke until Jacob, feeling uncomfortable, attempted another
apology. He started clumsily. "Your Highness, I'm..."
          She interrupted him. "Your Highness, is it? A few minutes ago you
called me Marie."
          Jacob lowered his eyes, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
be so familiar. It was just that I was scared they might hurt you and..."
          She took her finger and put it to his lips to stop him. She smiled
kindly. "I liked it."
          "You do? I mean you did?"
          She nodded and looked down shyly.
          "And you called me Jacob," he said.
          She looked up quickly. "Is that all right?"
          He smiled as well. "I like it too."
          As the full depth of what each was saying to the other sank in, Marie
unfolded some more cloth for a bandage. "Do you think we could continue
that way?"
          "It's not traditional," he replied
          Marie let out a sigh. "Sometimes it seems tradition gets in the way
of good things!"
          "It won't bother you, then?" he asked.
          "I don't mind if you don't," she replied.
          They again silently looked at each other for a moment, then Jacob
lowered his eyes and spoke quietly, his emotions overcoming what strength
he had left. "Marie, thank you for saving my life."
          She looked at him triumphantly. The feeling of fear he had for her
safety returned and he continued. "But you really should have run."
          A defiant gleam returned to her eyes. "Don't tell me what to do.
Besides, if I had, they probably would have killed you."
          Jacob joked, "There was a time, not that long ago, you wanted to
run me through with a sword yourself. Is my life of such importance now?"
          Marie was sober as she answered, her voice choked with emotion,
almost mad he would ask. "It is to me. I was so frightened when I thought
they might hurt you. I've never felt that way before."
          Jacob was stunned. This was not the way things were supposed to
be. He was a soldier, and she was the princess. The uneasiness of the
situation was broken by Lord High Chamberlain's entrance into the room.
He cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Both Jacob and Marie turned.
          He bowed. "I would have a private word with the Captain. We will
probably need him for the rest of the day, Your Highness."
          To mask the mood of the moment, Marie held her head high, her
voice falsely stern and proud. "We will continue the dance lessons
tomorrow. I will dress appropriately. Then, after lunch, I can change and
we can work on my other lessons."
          
Jacob stood and bowed. She left the room. Lord High Chamberlain
bowed as she passed. Both he and Jacob gazed after her.
          Lord High Chamberlain complimented Jacob. "You have done
wonders with her."
          Jacob shook his head. "I have done nothing. What you see was
always there. It has just taken her time to discover it."
          "That is what you have done," Lord High Chamberlain said.
          Jacob tried not to think of the love he had for her, the love that could
not be because of their different stations in life. "I wonder if it was not just
a matter of time. I was just the one lucky enough to be part of it," Jacob
said.
          "You are far too modest, Captain," Lord High Chamberlain replied.
"And I've seen her kick you more than once. I wouldn't say 'lucky' was the
word I had in mind."
          Jacob changed the subject. "I presume you are here to talk to me of
security concerns."
          "Yes. Those men apparently snuck in inside a supply wagon."
          Lord High Chamberlain then explained how they had come across
evidence that also indicated the princess was the target of the assassination
attempts, not the queen. He looked directly at Jacob. "I'm just grateful you
were with her."
          Jacob could feel his heart shrink with fear for her again, but he tried
to curb his emotions and hide his feelings from Lord High Chamberlain as
he spoke. "I will have every wagon and every person entering the palace
searched. But why would the Esconodians want to kill the princess?"
          Lord High Chamberlain looked very thoughtful. "Perhaps it is not
Esconodia that is doing this."
          Who else could it be?" Jacob asked.
          "I have suspicions," Lord High Chamberlain answered, "but in my
position it would be inappropriate for me to spread an unsubstantiated
rumor. It is a feeling I have and things I sense, nothing more. You just
make sure you protect the princess."
          "With my life," Jacob replied. "And I will double the guard around
her."
          Lord High Chamberlain spoke sarcastically. "I'm sure she will
appreciate that." He then nodded a slight bow.
"
I'll leave it in your hands."
          With that, Lord High Chamberlain left. Jacob liked Lord High
Chamberlain, and he appreciated his confidence, but he never spoke with
him but what he felt he, himself, came away with more questions than
answers. He again mused about how Lord High Chamberlain always
arrived first when there was trouble. Jacob didn't have long to think about
it when a man, dressed in superficially austere robes of royalty, entered with
two guards.
          He addressed Jacob stiffly. "I understand you are the Captain of the
Guard."
          Jacob didn't know who the man was, but he could tell by his
manners that the man felt he was important whether he was or not. Jacob
bowed. "Yes. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."
          "Excuse my oversight. I am Duke Elnard, protector of the district of
Bernodia."
          Jacob bowed again. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
          "I understand you have had a slight breach in security," Duke Elnard
said.
          Jacob thought to himself that word must have traveled around the
palace quickly. This man's line of conversation, and his tone, made Jacob
uncomfortable, but he continued to act as if all was normal. "It was nothing
that my men and I couldn't handle."
          Duke Elnard lips curled in a strange smile. "I'm sure that's true.
Your fame as a swordsman and protector of the queen is well-known."
          "You're most gracious, Your Lordship," Jacob said.
          "I only speak what I know," Duke Elnard replied. "I have inquired
of the queen as to whether she could spare you to come up north to help
train some of my men. Being on the border of Esconodia, we could use all
of the training we could get, but she says she has you on a special
assignment."
          Jacob knew the queen was referring to him tutoring Marie. He did
not like the thought of working for or with this man, but even more he
dreaded the fact that, someday, he would be finished with his assignment
with Marie. He simply nodded. "That is true, Your Lordship."
          Duke Elnard looked at him coldly. "It is good to know the palace
will always be safe when I visit."
          "I guarantee it, Your Lordship," Jacob said.
          "Perhaps we shall meet again some time," Duke Elnard said.
          Jacob nodded. "Perhaps."
          Jacob bowed as Duke Elnard and his guards left. He didn't know
what it was, but something about that man made shivers run down his spine.
The way he suggested that perhaps they would meet again left him feeling
cold. He knew how strange that meeting was. No royalty would ever come
to meet the Captain of the Guard. There seemed to be more to it, and Jacob
couldn't shake the feeling nor get it out of his mind. He was gathering up
his books when John and Edward returned. They had seen Marie heading
back to her quarters, and they came to check on him.
          Jacob informed them that he was fine and instructed them to
increase security around the princess. "I want two men to be on security
duty wherever the princess is, and I want every wagon coming into the
palace searched. What a lousy time to have a security breach - while Duke
Elnard is here."
          John shrugged. "He is here a lot with all that is going on with
Esconodia. I think he has probably been here during most of the security
breaches, if not all."
          Jacob thought about that a moment, then made a decision. "We
better increase the guard around visiting dignitaries as well."
          "We are very short on men," Edward replied. "I thought we were to
have more new recruits than we've had."
          The trouble with Esconodia had drawn more men to the north,
leaving the Royal Guard woefully understaffed. Jacob knew of the dilemma
and was quite frustrated by it himself.
          "We have had had new recruits try out," Jacob told them, "but Lord
High Chamberlain has taken to testing each by sword fighting them, sending
some away with no explanation."
          "Were they inferior?" Jon asked.
          Jacob shook his head. "That is exactly what is troubling me. They
were probably the best ones."
          "So why would he do it?" Edward asked.
          Jacob admitted he didn't know. He told them that Lord High
Chamberlain seemed to have some concerns, but he wouldn't say anything
more.
          "I've asked this before, but I ask it again," John said. "Why is it that
Lord High Chamberlain is always one of the first ones to the sword fight?
Many in the Royal Guard wonder how he seems to know it is coming."
          "And how does he know how to fight so well?" Edward asked.
"Most of the stuffy advisors to the queen couldn't fight their way out of a
feather bed, but he is probably superior to most of us."
          Jacob knew all of what they said was true. He had seen Lord High
Chamberlain fight, and thought he might even be superior to himself. No
one had ever beaten Jacob in a sword fight, except his own father, who had
also been Captain of the Guard. Still, he had never seen anyone fight as
expertly as Lord High Chamberlain.
          Then, too, it was uncommon for a court officer to carry a sword.
None of the other advisors did. Of course, they wouldn't know one end of a
sword from the other and would probably injure themselves trying to use
one. Jacob felt worried for Marie. Could he truly guarantee her safety? He
could post two men to guard her, but an expert swordsman could dispatch
two if he were good enough.
          He reflected further about Lord High Chamberlain. Could he be part
of the problem and not the answer to the solution? He pushed the thought
from his mind. Lord High Chamberlain had more than ample opportunity to
execute a sinister plan had he chosen to. Besides, he was kind and had
always been trustworthy. But, Jacob thought to himself, that could be a
ploy to catch them with their guard down. He feared no one could defeat
Lord High Chamberlain if he did turn against them.
          Jacob acknowledged to himself that his love for Marie was
muddling his judgement. He knew he needed to clear his mind and do the
best he could. They would all just have to work overtime.
          As Marie dressed for her Princess Ball, she reflected on the last six
weeks. She had felt quite proud of herself at the conclusion of her sword
fight with Lieutenant Hashner, having knocked the sword from his hand. If
she were honest with herself, she had to admit that he was the superior
fighter, but on a shallow level, it was easy to feel cocky. That confidence
had made her brash, and she had challenged Jacob. She knew she couldn't
beat him, but she could not admit it. She had felt a twinge of anger at how
hard he was whacking her, but she knew he was also trying to help her
understand how much she still had to learn. When the contest was over, she
had felt humbled and slightly discouraged, but his kind words of
encouragement had raised her spirits.
          She thought of how he had talked about learning to dance.
Immediately, the thought of disgust had gone through her mind. As a young
girl she had to practice with women who had been ladies-in-waiting or
tutors. As he explained what he loved about dancing, she felt a thrill go
through her. She realized she would be dancing with him and the thought of
feeling his touch was exciting. She had agreed. He seemed surprised.
          She could remember the exciting feeling as they had whirled around
the room, holding one another. As her heart had pounded with excitement
and exuberance, he had slowly come to a halt, a strange look on his face.
She would never forget her feelings when he said it seemed to him as if he
were dancing with one of his men. Though he didn't mean any unkindness,
he couldn't have hurt her more if he had taken her heart from her and
stomped on it. But more than anything, she had known he spoke the truth,
and it was her fault. It could have been a perfect moment, but instead, it
turned into one of the worst experiences of her life, and there was no one to
blame but herself. That made her even angrier. It was her fault because she
had chosen to be the way she was and dress as a boy.
          She had felt tears coming, and she didn't want to cry in front of him.
She had just wanted the horrible experience to be over. He had graciously
left. She could remember standing there for a moment, trembling,
something inside of her wanting that feeling back - that one she had felt just
moments earlier in his arms. She tried whirling around the room alone,
pretending, but to no avail. She had looked at her clothes - stiff leather,
gray from much wear - and felt the hard cap on her head. The image of how
she must have appeared to Jacob overwhelmed her, and she could no longer
contain her feelings. She ran to her room, sobbing, hoping to hide.
          After she had no more tears left, her sorrow turned to anger. How
dare he say such a thing to her! She was angry and determined to make him
eat his words. But how? She couldn't whip him in a sword fight; she'd
tried that. She knew plants better than he did, but what was that? She
wanted to best him at something that would teach him a lesson.