Author: Robin LaFevers
He arches an eyebrow. “Is everything as it should be?” “It will be once we are away from here,” I say.
As he escorts me to the door, I feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of my head. I know if I turn and look, they will be the color of storm clouds.
Chapter Nine
At the convent, the reverend mother looks at me sharply as she leans forward. “You are certain he said Duval?”
“Yes, Reverend Mother. That was the name he gave. Although perhaps it was false? He also wore the silver oak leaf of Saint Camulos,” I add, in case that will help in any way.
The abbess glances at Crunard and he nods reluctantly. “Duval does serve Saint Camulos, as do most knights and soldiers. ”
"Even so,” she says. “It would be easy enough to get hold of such a pin to round out the deception. ”
Crunard shifts in his chair. “But if it was Duval . . . ” he says.
“There could be other reasons for his being there,” the abbess points out.
“There could,” Crunard agrees grudgingly. “But it is also possible we have caught a very big fish indeed. ”
The abbess turns her piercing blue gaze back to me. “How did he react to finding you in the room?”
“He assumed I was there for a liaison of some sort and was flirtatious at first. Then he grew angry. ” I want to look away, afraid she will be able to tell just how poorly I played my role with him, but trying to avoid her will only make her pay closer attention.
“Tell me everything he said. everything. ”
And so I repeat the conversation for her, word by word. when I am done, she looks at Crunard, who shrugs. “It could mean nothing; it could mean everything. I no longer claim to know all the duchess’s enemies. They hide too well among her allies. ”
“But Duval . . . ” the abbess says, shaking her head. She leans back in her chair and closes her eyes. I cannot tell if she is thinking or praying. Mayhap both. while her eyes are closed, I take a deep breath and long for my own bed. Tonight’s duties have been exhilarating, but draining too. That Duval saw through my deception has left me shaken. I had thought there was little more for me to learn, but tonight has proven me wrong. I vow to pay more attention to Sister Beatriz’s lessons in the womanly arts. Perhaps Annith and I can even practice on each other.
“So,” the reverend mother says, coming out of her reverie. “This is what we shall do. Baron Lombart’s guests will be staying the week. Chancellor Crunard was on his way back to court, but he has had a change of heart, haven’t you, Chancellor?”
He nods, then spreads his hands. “I fear my horse has gone lame. ”
The abbess smiles. “So of course he will return to Lombart’s with his young guest. And you” — her eyes pin me to my chair — "Will return with him and find a way to engage Duval again. Preferably alone. with luck, you can convince him to play a game of seduction with you, a liaison or some such — ”
“But Holy Mother — ”
Her face grows cold and distant. “Did you or did you not vow to use every skill you possess in the service of Mortain?”
“Of course, but — ”
“There is no but. Your feminine artistry is as much a part of your arsenal as your dagger or beloved poison. Duval must be watched. You yourself have found evidence of that. The closer you get to him, the more you will learn. Perhaps you will even be able to coax truths from him under the guise of pillow talk. ”
I am certain I could no more coax secrets out of the dark, angry Duval than I could coax the abbess to dance a gavotte in the streets of Nantes, but I keep that to myself. I have already performed poorly tonight and I am afraid if I argue she will think I am no longer fit to serve the convent. Then a thought occurs to me. "Why not just eliminate him now and avoid the risk altogether?”
“Did you see the marque of Mortain on him?”
I hesitate, then answer truthfully. “No. But Martel’s was nearly hidden under his collar. Perhaps Duval’s hides as well. ”
She smiles, and too late I see I have played right into her hands. “All the more reason to get close to him, no?”
I cannot begin to fathom why Mortain insists on concealing these marques of His so that I must play hide-and-seek.
“Ismae,” she says, serious once more. “Duval is one of the duchess’s most trusted advisors. It is critical we know where he stands. ”
“He has her ear and trust in a way few others do,” explains Crunard.
“And if he is betraying us, he will feel Mortain’s punishment soon enough. ” The abbess’s face is grim. “Perhaps even at your hand — ”
She is interrupted by scuffling at the door. The abbess only has time to frown before the door bursts open. My breath hitches sharply in my throat as Gavriel Duval himself strides in.
Annith is right on his heels. “I am sorry, Reverend Mother! I told him you’d left instructions not to be disturbed, but he wouldn’t listen. ” She sends the intruder a scathing look.
“Yes, I can see that,” the abbess says. She sends a quick questioning glance my way. when I nod, indicating he is who I saw at Lombart’s, she turns back to the man glowering in her doorway. "Well, Duval, come in. Don’t hover at the door. ”
Duval comes farther into the room and I nearly flinch at his heated gaze. In truth, the man is angry enough to breathe fire. “Abbess. Chancellor Crunard. ” He gives a perfunctory nod to both. His anger eats up all the empty space in the room. "We have a few things we must discuss. ”
The abbess raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yes. The incompetence of your novices, for one. ” He places undue emphasis on the word novice, I think.
“Twice now, she” — he jabs his finger in my direction — “has interfered with my work. The convent cannot keep sending out agents who destroy valuable sources of information. ”
“Twice?” I challenge him, for I have seen him only once before.
“The tavern. ” At my blank look, he hunches his shoulders and leers. “‘Hurry back down to Hervé when you are done, eh?’”
The oaf! He was the oaf at the tavern. My fists clench at the memory.
The reverend mother speaks, her cold voice drawing his attention back to her. “The convent has always acted alone in carrying out Mortain’s will. Are you suggesting we need your permission?” Her tone implies he should not be suggesting any such thing.
He folds his arms across his chest. “I propose only that some thought be applied to your actions. Twice now you have gotten to men before I did. And while you and your saint are interested in meting out retribution, I am interested in information that can guide our country out of this wretched hole we are in. ”