Extol of Agnatic Dreams (The Extol Series Book 1) (12 page)

“I am afraid so dear; you will be expected to dress in similar styles.” Kyleigh went on to answer Evangeline’s question further when Adeline interrupted her.

“How would you dress in Crimah?” The youngest of the Braykith children seemed to relax more with Baxter gone.

“Well, occasionally we would dress like this. Often when we were expecting visitors. It is important to look impressive.” Evangeline shared a look with Kyleigh. Appearance was only half the struggle, and the other woman knew it, but Adeline wasn’t done with her questions.

“And all the other times?” Adeline seemed generally curious, but Evangeline had to admit she felt a little attacked by her heritage.

“I would still wear dresses, but the undergarments were not too elaborate. The fabrics were never as beautiful, and I wouldn’t wear jewels of this clarity just to be at the manor.”

“Evangeline comes from an impressive home. Her family is very diligent and respectable. They do well and right for their station, but Evangeline is no princess.” Kyleigh explained it to Adeline. This short interruption seemed to have made more sense to Adeline than Evangeline’s explanations had done. It also gave rise to a whole new set of questions for Kyleigh by her youngest.

“Why isn’t Evangeline a princess?” It seemed entirely unheard of, and Adeline wasn’t sure why her parents were trying to marry her brother to a woman who was not a princess. Surely Glais could do better.

“My father is not a king.” It really was that simple, and never was Evangeline embarrassed by saying so. Her father was no King, but he was still rising through the ranks and creating an empire that may someday come to rival Braykith. None of this dis Evangeline share. It seemed completely rude to say so.

Evangeline may not be embarrassed by her father’s title, but it seemed that Adeline was on her behalf. “Oh, I am so sorry.”

Kyleigh patted her daughter's hand. “Evangeline’s father might not be king, but he is a good friend to us.” She reminded her gently, and Adeline nodded even though she didn’t quite understand what her mother was telling her. Barret might be a good friend to the Kingdom of Braykith, but he was not a King, and Adeline had always believed that a prince should always marry a princess.

“Will I marry a prince?” Adeline asked with more concern than ever before.

“We cannot be sure of that.” Kyleigh was trying to be gentle with her daughter and answering carefully. In truth, the exact fate was undecided, but there had been some talk in regards to Adeline marrying Darius, Evangeline’s brother. Unsure on how much Evangeline knew of that, Kyleigh did not say anything about it. “I can assure you that your husband will be strong and accomplished, regardless of his title.”

Adeline seemed content with that answer, for now. She had been raised to be a good girl who did not talk back to authority. She trusted her parents to act in her best interest and never had Adelie found reason to question that.

It seemed there was a far more intimate discussion that was bound to happen between Kyleigh and Adeline, and so Evangeline decided now as a good time to make her escape from the breakfast table. “If you do not mind, I would love to go and see the grounds during the daylight.”

Kyleigh nodded. “I will have one of the kitchen staff make you up a lunch. On days like today, it seems like you shouldn’t waste the time locked indoors.”

Evangeline agreed and rose from the table without having touched any of the food or drink that had been set before her. She really did hope that her stomach would allow her to eat come midday.

U
sually, she would never dream of going anywhere without her ladies in waiting. Of course, back then her ladies had been her best friends and wandering the manor grounds was a thin excuse to cause a little trouble between her class schedule when Evangeline had been younger. She had no desire to be followed around the Castle by Wick, so she did not return to her rooms before she ventured outside.

Evangeline didn’t ask for directions. The little pieces of history she had received from Kyleigh regarding Wick and Glais would be examined soon, but not today. Using the gardens as an excuse to leave the table had been a good idea, but now she was walking the cloudy walls of the castle, the outside did call to her. The walls never seemed to get as dark as those outside her room, and it bothered Evangeline that her corridor was so dark.

She made a mental note to have the windows washed soon, hoping it would fix that foggy feeling she had experienced this morning. As she walked down new trails, not knowing the way but never feeling completely lost, Evangeline found herself slowly hitting civilisation. Not that it was welcomed. People seemed confused about how best to react to her, and Evangeline had not witnessed how the royal women should respond to their servants. Deciding that no response seemed like a better conclusion than being overly friendly, Evangeline ignored them as whispers followed her back as best she could.

Kyleigh had promised Evangeline that someone would come and find her with a meal come lunch time, but she did not think that would happen. Evangeline had not told Kyleigh, or anyone actually, where she was going. Evangeline had not walked with any destination in mind. As a quick scanning look across the horizon had quickly illustrated it seemed the Braykith lands were endless. She would be impossible to locate, or so it felt to Evangeline. Of course, that illusion was quickly ruined when more servants started to gossip before her back was even to them.

She surmised very quickly, and accurately, that she would not be anonymous for very long and should she end up on the furthest reaches of the Braykith land, someone would surely have seen her go. She didn’t know anyone, and feeling more isolated than ever Evangeline felt like everyone knew who she was. It was a sour thought that seeped down deep into her subconscious and refused to budge. Never could she imagine a compliment being said about her. It was much easier to believe that these people who had done nothing to really offend her were evidently speaking about her in the cruellest ways.

After a quick self-guided tour of the castle walkways, Evangeline finally decided to seek out a location that had fewer people in it. She knew that her arrival would be enough for gossip. If Evangeline was being honest with herself, should their roles be reversed, she would be judging the new woman who had come to live in the land. However, all of this was so new to her that all she could feel was harassment. She had wanted to stay close to make it easier should the kitchen staff come looking for her but she could not stand the butterfly wing murmurs that echoed her footsteps.

Evangeline started walking in the first direction that came to her without a path. This morning she had marvelled at the green grass, and even as the sun had rose higher as the day wore on she was pleased that the vibrant shade had never faltered. If anything, the further she ventured from the castle, the more colour that seemed to come out. As if that was even possible. Overcome with the beauty of the land, Evangeline had removed her shoes and walked barefoot.

She supposed it would be considered scandalous here, although back in Crimah Evangeline went barefoot whenever she could manage it. She couldn’t really explain it in a way that made sense to other people. Evangeline had tried when she was younger, but even Teagan thought she was crazy. When Teagan had refused to believe it, Evangeline had stopped mentioning it.

For as long as she could remember though, Evangeline had felt a kind of vitality from the earth; an energising pull that came from her and back into her whenever she touched the ground with her skin. It had manifested a love for bare feet whenever she could get away with it. Setting off, she ignored the imagined stares and whispers behind he back, carrying her shoes in her hand

She had no goal in mind and perhaps that was why Evangeline just concentrated on learning the plants around her. The gardens had been breathtaking from her grimy windows and yet she could not find a single person tending to them. She couldn’t help but imagine that to keep lawns looking this fresh; there would be a dozen or so dedicated staff. It was entirely possible that that they were simply elsewhere, but that did nothing to elevate her mood. She wanted to praise their fantastic effort.

Evangeline had not forgotten her promise to herself only hours ago. She had been so overwhelmed by the beauty that she had wanted to make the gardens her personal project. Her mother had expressed to her several times that she would need to establish a hobby within her new home and had suggested that it be something that others could appreciate. The gardens had been an inspiration and also intimidating. The perfect combination in her opinion.

Slowly the field was broken up by trees, the same ones that had seemed so intense last night as she rode in her carriage. They stood tall, branches still calling to the heavens as if they were rejecting the earth that nourished them. Frowning, Evangeline still felt that these trees did not belong here, and goosebumps rose on her flesh the closer she got to them. She would not be afraid of trees. Of all the nightmares that could have attacked Evangeline, trees seemed to be the least threatening and yet here Evangeline was.

Just looking at them she appeared to feel their pain. They struggled to free themselves from their holdings, a dangerous image in her mind as Evangeline witnessed them rejecting the very thing that should be feeding them to join the heavens which would never open for them. After all, no matter what she felt about them, they were just trees and no heaven allowed trees to enter.

Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest, holding herself as her footfalls stalled and finally came to a stop. She had wavered for a moment before Evangeline forced herself to take one step forward and then another. While Evangeline didn’t want to get too close to them, she didn’t feel like they welcomed her either so naturally she stepped wide of their base.

She felt foolish for this reaction to such a traditionally non-threatening thing, but she could not help the racing in her heart and that feeling of being watched. The trees were analysing her for weakness, and Evangeline did not want to show them one. Having them behind her was worse than having them before her. Her steps quickened and soon Evangeline was sprinting until the trees were gone in the distance and she felt like she could breathe again.

Before her was the horse’s stables, the smell of fresh hay greeting her and chasing away the last of her shivers. She had of course remembered Kyleigh’s words to Baxter about seeing the stables before the day was out, and so she wasn’t fast to approach the building. She did not fear the younger son but was more aware of how he might view a chance meeting as something more. It seemed like something he would twist into his favour much like Baxter did everything else she tried to do as innocently as possible. Evangeline had no interest in seeing him alone. She didn’t want him to accuse her of leading him on later. She did want to see the horses, though.

She had been raised on rumours and secrets of the Braykith kingdom, and while most were proving themselves false in reality, the horses were not. Evangeline had seen them with her own eyes many times before. As she had grown up, she came to suspect that some of the stories against Braykith came from this reality. The horses were quite beastly and far too intimating just to be ordinary thoroughbred animals. They seemed to come in a variety of colour combinations; Evangeline though had always been quite taken with Quintus’ black mount. They did have one thing in common, though, and that was their appearance.

Impressive muscular bodies, standing hands higher than even the tallest horses housed in Crimah, the Braykith horses were treacherous and beautiful. They were fierce animals and the men who could tame them seemed even stronger than your average soldier just by association. To imagine the training it must have taken and the patience to keep those animals under control made Evangeline breathless. She was not the only one to have such reactions.

Whenever Evangeline had seen them, the horses had seemed friendly and often tired from coming such a long way. Now she imagined what they would look like to soldiers sent into battle. The idea of seeing them taking over the battlefield and carrying a dangerous, inhuman rider could only be described as demonic made the lies seem more believable. Demonic seemed to be lacking somehow in an effort to describe these inhuman seeming beasts.

Trying to observe from this distance if Baxter was here or still in the throne room was how the kitchen hand found her. A thin person who seemed more child then a man dressed in what would have started life as a crisp shirt and pants but were stained from his trade. His face gave away the truth in his age. A mess of brown hair covered her head, and Evangeline could tell the scruff of beard was not design but rather a struggle to look older than he was. His face was flushed, and she felt terrible for making him chase her around the grounds.

“Excuse me, Lady Evangeline.” There was no question as he interrupted her thoughts. She would need to be the woman he was looking for simply because she looked like no one else he had known. That did not mean that his voice was strong. He had interrupted her as gently as he could. For someone who worked in the kitchens and Evangeline presumed he met with the distinguished members of court frequently, he was quite shy about looking at her.

It made Evangeline smile, and she was glad to see that there were some people here who were just like those she met back at home. She didn’t like knowing she intimidated him but after Baxter and Thomas, Evangeline was starting to suspect there was something inherently horrible about the young men of Braykith. He bowed as low as he could without dropping his cargo. She motioned for the young man to stand.

“Queen Kyleigh informed me to offer you this.” He held up the basket, still struggling to make real eye contact. In the basket, Evangeline discovered bread, some chicken and a collection of what seemed to be fresh produce from the gardens. Evangeline also spotted chocolate hiding beside the wine.

“Do they always drink wine with every meal?” Evangeline asked.

“I could fetch you something else.” The boy stammered, his cheeks flushing but Evangeline was quick to say no.

“This will be fine, thank you.” She tried to take the basket from him, but he was too fast. Setting the basket down he spread out the blanket for her to sit on before he set about the rest of her accessories for a meal. She was touched by the gesture although she was sure that it was on Kyleigh’s demand and not his own conscious. Only when Evangeline sat did he allow her to have the basket for herself. “What is your name?” Evangeline asked as he poured the wine into a glass.

“Peter,” He answered with a slight flourish and a light bend at the waist. Evangeline found herself laughing at his childish act. He blushed, and that only made her smile more as he studiously avoided making eye contact again.

“Thank you, Peter. I am quite impressed that you found me.”

“This was not my first attempt,” He admitted, embarrassed personally that he had failed the first few times in locating her. “I should have known you would be here, though.”

All those good feeling were drowned in a flash flood of anger. Did Peter think she was would be looking for a way to speak to Baxter in private? She knew how quickly gossip spread and Baxter had not been shy about making her uncomfortable with his advances. Evangeline also knew how quickly gossip can alter the innocent by making the words more impressive even if they were false. “Why do you say that?” She tried to remain calm as her mind rebelled.

“There is something about the horses my Lady.” Peter didn’t seem to notice she was offended, or he did and had quickly decided that it was in his best interests not to mention it in fear of what could come his way. “All women wish to see them, and many stay just to witness the rather simplistic horse lifestyle.”

“Oh.” She felt her eyes being drawn to the barn, this time avoiding making eye contact with Peter because she was embarrassed with how quickly she had turned against him with no proof of what was truth and what was her own imagination. “I have seen them before.” She sipped her wine for something to do. Her stomach didn’t rebel, and she felt the first nagging feeling of hunger. No matter how anxious she felt, eventually, that desire would return and only then would she dare attempt to eat a thing. “When people came from Braykith and to Crimah for various reasons. Even then I did wonder if they were all so intimidating or was it just the riding party bringing their best to our borders.”

Peter nodded his head. “They are all that impressive. The stable is full of them, and much more out in the field. However, they lose some of that intimidation when they are without their riders.” He assured her. “When you are done take the basket and blanket to the stable house. I will fetch it from there.” He promised. Evangeline nodded and ignored Peter as he walked away. Evangeline sat still until she was sure that she was alone again. Once Evangeline was certain of it, and a quick look around did confirm it, she moved the blanket so she could get a hand on the grass. Evangeline would love to raise her skirts and let her legs touch the grass, but she knew that was crass. She didn’t feel that secure in her isolation.