Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin 1)

“Good,” Duval says. “Perhaps others will think twice before trying something similar. ”

I clear my throat. “There is more. ”

Duval stops pacing and stares at me. “More?” even the duchess looks at me curiously.

“Madame Dinan set the duchess up. She made an excuse to leave her alone in the hallway when she knew d’Albret would be there. ”

“How do you know this?”

“I met her on the stairs. I was heading toward the duchess and she was moving away. She tried to detain me. ”

Duval explodes. “That traitorous sow!”

The duchess looks uneasy at this rare display of temper from Duval. I try to say something to turn the conversation to strategy rather than anger, though Mortain knows I have plenty of that as well. "We knew she favored her half brother, but I never guessed she would go this far in pursuit of his claim. ”

“None of us did,” Duval says. "We must ban him from court. Her too. ”

The duchess promptly agrees, but this plan worries me. "Excuse me, Your Grace, but I think we must tread carefully here. ”

Duval’s head snaps up. "What do you mean?”

"We cannot risk word getting out that the duchess was assaulted. In this world of ours, it matters not what actually transpired. The mere suggestion that she was exposed to such a situation could be enough to bring her virtue into question. what would that do to her chances of marriage?”

All the blood drains from the duchess’s face, and Duval swears a black oath and resumes pacing.

“I will not marry the baron, no matter if he is the last man in Christendom!”

“Nor would we let you, Your Grace. ” Duval?

??s pacing is making me dizzy. I keep waiting for him to step in and say something helpful, to come up with some strategy that will find us a way out. Instead, he is indulging in a fit of temper.

“I know,” he says suddenly, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "We will issue an edict stating that you repudiate the betrothal agreement with d’Albret and have no intention of marrying him. If we do so publicly, he will have no choice but to accept it. ”

I shake my head. "Will that not simply back him into a corner and cause him to take even more drastic measures?”

Duval spears me with a feral gaze. "What do you suggest instead?”

And there he has me. I have no brilliant strategy or clever tactics. That is Duval’s gift, not mine. “I have no better plan, my lord. In truth, I am sorely disappointed in my god’s justice so far. ”

Duval stares at me a long moment, his eyes bright as if with fever. “Perhaps that is because you mistake death for justice, and they are not the same thing at all. ”

Chapter Thirty-six

In the morning, Vanth arrives bright and early, pecking at the window even before Louyse comes in to stoke the fire. I throw off the covers and hurry over, my toes curling away from the cold stone floor. when I open the shutter, Vanth hops in and cocks his head as if to ask what took me so long. “I was sleeping,” I tell him, then grab for the note on his leg before he can peck me.

He squawks in annoyance when I retrieve the missive, then flutters off to his cage and puts his head under his wing.

Much to my frustration, it is not instructions from the abbess but instead a note from Annith. I check the seal, then crack it open and read.

Annith writes to say she has never heard any rumor or gossip about initiates of Mortain taking permanent lovers but begs that I tell her why I wish to know. Luckily for me, she spends little time pressing me on that issue; she is much preoccupied with her own situation.

Sister Vereda has taken ill, she writes, and has not had a vision in over a week.

Is that why I have received no orders from the convent? Because Sister Vereda is ill? If that is the case, then surely I must be even more watchful for Mortain’s marque.

The nuns have been meeting behind closed doors more than usual, so of course I had to listen to see what they were about. Ismae, I overheard the reverend mother herself tell Sister Thomine that she thinks I will be able to serve as the convent’s seeress once Sister Vereda passes into the realm of Death! A seeress! After all that I have trained for, all that I have studied and practiced. I have spent my whole life preparing to step outside this convent in service to Mortain — and now she thinks to lock me up inside these thick stone walls forever. I won’t do it. I can’t do it. Indeed, the thought has kept me up the last four nights. Just the idea of it makes me feel as if I am suffocating. So please, in your spare moments, pray for Sister Vereda that she may recover and that I will not be consigned to the convent’s inner sanctum for the rest of my days.

Yours in misery,

Annith

Poor Annith! Can the reverend mother be serious? Does she intend never to let Annith step outside the convent? Annith’s plight is so dire, it takes my mind off my own misery, but eventually, I have no choice but to dress for the special meeting of all the barons that the duchess has called.

As the church bells strike noon, Breton nobles, courtiers, barons, and the Privy Council file into the great hall. Duval takes special care to be certain that Gisors attends. “Let him read it as a gesture of goodwill, even if it is nothing of the kind,” he says.

I scan the faces of the gathered crowd. There is much gossip and speculation as to why this meeting has been called. Many glance at d’Albret, no doubt wondering if it has something to do with the betrothal he has been boasting about for the past two days.

The back door to the chamber opens and two men-at-arms stride in. The duchess comes next, followed by her Privy Council. The privy councilors are clearly disgruntled that such a meeting has been called without their approval. My gaze goes to Madame Dinan, whose face has an annoying air of smugness to it. Does she really think she has won? Can she know so little of the girl she helped to raise? Once again, Sister Beatriz’s words come back to me: People hear and see what they expect to hear and see.

Madam Dinan smiles at d’Albret and he smiles back. I am eager to see just how long those smiles hold.

The duchess takes her seat and motions for Duval to hand her the parchment. As she unrolls it, the room falls silent. I cannot help but admire her fortitude — it is not an easy thing to renounce a man in front of his peers.

“I, Anne of Brittany, do hereby declare that the betrothal agreement made between me and Count d’Albret is null and void, as I did sign it with no knowledge of the commitment I was making. while we appreciate the count’s valiant service during my father’s reign and continue to value him as an ally, I will not now nor ever enter into a marriage arrangement with Lord d’Albret. ”

when she is finished, every head in the room turns to Lord d’Albret. His face is a deep, mottled red, his jaw clenched so tight I fear his teeth will snap. Next to him, Madame Dinan sways a little. Marshal Rieux surges to his feet and opens his mouth, but Chancellor Crunard puts a hand on his arm and holds him back with a small shake of his head.

Aware that everyone’s attention is on him, d’Albret makes a small, mocking bow to the duchess, then turns on his heel and strides away. The crowd parts before him like butter before a hot knife. Madame Dinan rises to her feet, lifts her skirts, and hurries after him, two bright spots of color burning in her normally pale cheeks. Moving as if in great pain, Anne rises to her feet and turns to leave the hall.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Two days after the duchess reads the edict against d’Albret, she, Duval, and I stand at her window and watch him ride away. He has so many retainers and attendants that it feels as if half the castle goes with him. I fear Sybella is among them. How else would she have been able to warn me of the trickery planned in the corridor?