Victory and Defeat: Book Five of the Restoration Series (23 page)

Dumbstruck, Flare only nodded.

Chapter 23

It was just after sundown when Prince Aldon entered the estate of Countess Hannah Lells. His journey from the main gates to the front door was short, and he walked along the cobblestone path completely oblivious to his surroundings. In truth, Aldon had made this same journey on numerous occasions, and normally his thoughts were always on the pleasures that waited for him in the luxury of the countess’s bedroom, but not tonight. Tonight his thoughts were on the long and rather dreary day he had spent traveling back and forth across the city. His father’s errands had taken all day and proved rather tedious. Lord Briarhill’s man had not been in the city, and King Darion had sent him to the houses of three different nobles. In the end, he had returned to the castle with a rather unpleasant man accompanying him. He had quickly turned the unpleasant man over to Jared, the king’s spymaster, and then, at long last, turned his steps here. He was arriving later than expected, but at least he was here.

The doors were opened by one of the young men
who worked in the countess’s household. Like all of the men that Hannah employed, the young man was rather attractive. Aldon frequently wondered about Hannah’s intentions for hiring such young men, but he really didn’t care. He had no claim on her, and he honestly didn’t want her to have any such claim on him. He enjoyed her company and he would miss her when she was gone, but not enough to make her his wife. Honestly, he doubted she would accept any offer of marriage. She enjoyed being in control of her life, and he believed she resisted marriage since it would limit some of her freedom.

“Oh, I was beginning to wonder if you were coming tonight!”
Hannah said from just behind the young man.

Aldon started in surprise. Never before had Hannah met him at the door. But, then again, he couldn’t remember the last time he had shown up late.

There was something else, though. For the briefest of moments, he was sure he had seen something play across her face — fear, relief, or some combination of the two.

“What kept you?” Hannah asked. Her face no longer showed any fear or anxiety. She completely ignored the young man who still held the door open.

Still troubled by Hannah’s reaction, Aldon did exactly as he had been taught to do — he hid his fear and smiled. “My lady,” he said, and kissed the back of her hand gently.

“So formal, are we?” Hannah asked. She looked pleased.

“I must beg your forgiveness,” Aldon continued. “My tardiness is inexcusable, but it was also unavoidable.”

Hannah stepped close and took Aldon by the arm. “Of course all is forgiven. I could never remain angry with you.”

Aldon smiled at her words, but he knew they weren’t true. He had heard stories of the great lengths she had gone to punish a former lover. For the first time he wondered if she would try to punish him when their relationship ended. He had never taken the idea seriously before, but now it gave him pause. He was a prince of the realm, so he assumed any move she made against him would be anonymous, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try something.

“Come,” Hannah said cheerfully, pulling him by the arm.

Hannah led Aldon from the entry foyer through a smaller greeting room, past a large ballroom, and into a smaller dining room. This wasn’t the estate’s formal dining room, but that room had a cold, cavernous feel to it. This room was more private and much smaller. It was no more than twenty feet square with a small, rectangular table in the middle. Four chairs were pulled up under the table, and another two sat against the walls. The walls were covered in a rough, golden-colored wood, and a large plant sat in each of the four corners.

Aldon was intimately familiar with this room; this was the very room where he and Hannah ate dinner every night. It was not elegant, but it was rather cozy.

The table was already set for two and covered with patters and bowls. The food was steaming hot.

Waving his hand at the steaming food, Aldon asked, “How is it that the food is hot?”

Hannah smiled. “When you were late, I had the food returned to the ovens. It was kept warm, but I’m afraid it may have dried things out a bit.”

“Once again, I must apologize for my tardiness,” Aldon said.

Still smiling, Hannah disengaged her arm from his and moved to her seat. “Think no more of it,” she said. “I had the cooks prepare several gravies as well.”

Aldon nodded and held the chair for the
countess to sit.

Dinner passed pleasantly, and it didn’t take long for Aldon to realize just how hungry the day’s events had made him. The extra time the food had spent warming in the ovens did not deter him in any way from second helpings. He briefly considered a small, third helping, but passed. He wanted to save a bit of his appetite for the desserts that Hannah’s cooks had prepared.

Living in the castle, Aldon had grown up with a wonderful assortment of desserts and pastries. The
king’s cooks and chefs were some of the best, but Hannah had found a cook that was able to rival the best the king could manage.

Aldon took another drink from his wineglass. For some reason
, it even seemed like the wine tasted better here. He felt the familiar warmth spreading through his body. The company, food, and wine always had the same affect on him; he tended to get drowsy, aroused, and contented all at the same time.

He looked up and caught Hannah smiling at him. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Hannah replied, still smiling, “it’s just that you haven’t said two words since you sat down.”

“I’m sorry,” Aldon said, meaning every word. He liked the
countess and wanted to make her happy. He suddenly realized how rude he had been during the meal, and the realization made him feel awful. Reaching across the table, he took Hannah’s hand in his. “I truly am sorry. I didn’t realize how tired and hungry I had gotten.”

“Oh, and what have you been doing?”

Aldon resisted the sudden urge to tell Hannah everything the king had told him this morning. Strangely, the resisting seemed harder than it should have. He struggled to think of something he could tell her without betraying the confidence of the king. He settled on the story of Danal.

“The
king gave me some important tasks today,” he said quietly.

“Oh, such as?”

“Cleaning up my brother’s mess,” Aldon said, trying to suppress a smile.

For the briefest of moments, he would have sworn that a look of excitement passed over Hannah’s face, but then it was gone. “Your brother?” she asked. Even her tone seemed a bit off; she sounded a bit breathless.

Trying hard not to show his suspicions, Aldon nodded. “Yes. Aldon got the young librarian girl pregnant.”

There was no mistaking it this time. A look of extreme disappointment clearly passed over Hannah’s features and then it was gone.

“Father is furious,” Aldon continued quickly. He wanted to keep speaking as he tried to hide the burgeoning suspicion within. “He hates that his first two grandchildren were conceived out of wedlock.” He didn’t need to remind Hannah that his sister Cierra had been quickly married off. While not confirmed by the king, the rumor was that she too, was with child.

Still holding Hannah’s
hand, Aldon raised his wineglass to his lips. He took a deep drink and felt the reassuring warmth slide through his middle; it was pure bliss.

Lowering the glass, Aldon blinked several times at Hannah. For some reason his eyes didn’t seem to want to focus; he couldn’t believe that the wine was affecting him that strongly. After a moment
, she came into view and he felt that wonderful tingle running down his body. What about her had made his suspicious? He couldn’t remember, and he suddenly found himself not wanting to.

Hannah didn’t speak but instead she lowered her head and kissed his palm. After a brief pause
, she began to softly and slowly lick small circles on his hand.

“My, my,” Aldon said after a moment. “Are you planning on skipping dessert?” In the early days of their relationship, they had often skipped dessert and moved straight to the bedroom. That hadn’t happened as much lately
, as they had grown more familiar and contented with their relationship. There had even been days, early on, where they had skipped dinner altogether, but that hadn’t happened in some time.

Standing up, Hannah walked around the edge of the table and took Aldon by the hand. He stood at her urging and she led him to the bedroom.

Later that eve
ning, Hannah pushed herself up and rested on her right elbow. Prince Aldon slept soundly now, worn out from the tasks the king had assigned him, and also from the tasks that Hannah had assigned to him. She smiled at the unconscious prince. There had been many better lovers in her life than the prince, but none of them had ever had such power. And while he was not her best lover, he certainly gave it the royal try.

Pushing the sheets aside, Hannah climbed to her feet beside the bed. She was as naked as the day she was born
, and she felt the small goose bumps form along her arms and legs, not because she was cold, but because she knew she was being watched.

As Hannah stood, a section of the wall swung outward. The hidden door led to a small chamber that Hannah’s father had used to keep anything illegal
— not that their estate had ever been searched. Hannah’s father had believed in being careful.

A man stood in the open doorway
. He was in his middle-years, thin, and a bit tired looking. While Hannah was busy studying the man, he was busy studying her, and he wasn’t making eye contact.

Hannah smiled
, and calmly walked to the end of her bed, and picked up a robe that lay over a shiny brass table. She took her time in wrapping herself up and tying the small robe belt. The man in the door never took his eyes off her.

Hannah enjoyed the man’s attention and found his lusting after her exhilarating. When Angaria had first sent the man to her, she had been embarrassed
— of all things. She was perfectly comfortable letting people see her naked, but she had never been observed making love. That first night had been most distracting, but she had quickly gotten used to the idea, and to tell the truth, she had even grown to like the idea.

“Well, Irim?” she asked in a quiet voice. She glanced back at the prince, but he did not stir. Now that she was covered, the man
looked her in the eyes.

Irim nodded, not a deferential bow
, but more a nod of greeting. “He’s telling the truth, but the drugs are becoming even less potent. Even with my sorcery, his usefulness will be gone within a couple of weeks.”

Hannah’s breath caught at that. A couple of weeks! Did that mean her usefulness was also coming to an end? “And then what?” she asked.

Irim shrugged. “If he’s no longer of use, then he becomes a liability. He is already growing suspicious of you.”

As much as she hated to admit it, she believed that the sorcerer was telling the truth. She had caught several looks from the prince tonight that seemed out of place. Her power over the young man was definitely slipping.

She brightened almost immediately, though. Even if she lost the one thing that had made her so valuable, at least her newfound information was of extreme importance.

She nodded toward
the sleeping prince. “Watch him. I must go and tell the duke.”

Irim only nodded and stepped back into the hidden room. He pulled the door shut behind him.

Hannah quickly descended the stairs and crossed the sitting room at the bottom. She paused momentarily outside the door of the library. Her heart was pounding, both in hope and fear. Her news might be enough to win her the permanent favor of the
church, at least, that was her hope.

Taking a deep breath
, she pushed to door open and stepped inside the study. It was dark, as usual, and, she suspected the bastard Angaria liked the shadows. It strangely seemed fitting.

Angaria sat on the couch
with a scowl on his face. “Well?” he demanded in way of greeting.

Hannah resisted the urge to snap at the fool of a man. She was in too good a mood to let him ruin it for her. “I
finally have some news.”

Angaria blinked in surprise
, and his mask of anger slipped a bit, but then it was right back in place. “Really? Like what? And please don’t tell me that news of another royal bastard is what got you all excited.” He gave her a disgusted look. “Not that you need much to get you excited.”

At any other time, Hannah would have most certainly taken offense, but not today. “Several of the heretics are coming to Telur.” Hannah said the words quietly, but they had a profound affect on Angaria.

He sat upright, his eyes boring into her. “What? Which ones?”

Hannah smiled, enjoying the look of longing on the
duke’s face. Part of her wanted to toy with the man, but she felt it would be an unwise move. It almost seemed that Angaria’s urgency was unhinging him. “The former Guardians Prince Del-Atock A'bamani, Aaron Imes, and the magician Cassandra.”

Angaria studied her for a moment. The surprise was gone from his face, replaced with doubt and suspicion. “For what purpose?”