hear the things they say about me. Don’t fret, the prince told me that one himself.”
A smile came to her face, and she relaxed.
“But I can’t be expected to stay in this room, despite the prince's orders. I’m not a prisoner, and I’m not afraid of the big bad prince.” I opened the door and stepped into the hall. This time, my exit was halted by two guards on either side of the door.
They stepped in front of me. “Miss, please return to your quarters.”
“I am,” I said, prepared for this outcome now that I had fair warning.
“Excuse me?” the first guard said.
Gently touching my green dress, I quickly glamoured it to mimic Pru’s blue servant attire. I’d taken the idea from last night’s excursion, and I was counting on the fact that I was sure they had no clue what I looked like.
The guard glanced down at my dress and back up at me, then shook his head in confusion, blinking multiple times. A glamour sometimes gave the effect of déjà vu. “I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t know you.”
“Why should you?” I countered. “I’m the new princess’s personal handmaiden. Were you here when I arrived with her the yesterday? I thought not. Surely, if you will require her to stay in her room, then I must be allowed to run errands for her.” My lie counted on Pru’s ability to keep a straight face. Luckily her fear of me outweighed her loyalty to the guards. She paled at how easily my lie came.
The guards gave each other unsure looks, and I needed to sell the lie. I leaned in to whisper to the nearest one. “Please? She is such a witch. I really need to get away from her, even for a few hours.”
“She’s that bad, huh?” the second guard asked, his bushy eyebrows rising in disbelief.
“Terrible,” I groaned and rolled my eyes dramatically. “If I don’t move fast enough, I get the switch.” I made a whipping motion in the air. “If I serve her cold food—the switch. In truth, I call her ‘the switch witch’ when she’s not around.”
A chuckle from both guards was my response, and they waved me through, then looked back at the door with concern.
“Don’t worry,” I assured. “She hasn’t recovered from the festivities of last night. I wouldn’t expect her to rise until midafternoon. I’ll be back to check on her after a while.”
“Good, good,” the second guard sighed in relief, pulling at the collar of his uniform.
Holding my head high, I carried on down the corridor as if I knew where I was going, then stalled around a corner and waited for Pru.
“Miss,” she whispered in awe. “That was simply marvelous. You sure fooled them.”
It was marvelous, and a thrill ran through me at how easy it was to deceive them. “Of course, I couldn’t have done it without you. You could have given me away.”
Pru shook her head. “N-No. I wouldn’t dare contradict you.”
“Good. Then I think we will get along splendidly.” This girl kept surprising me with her quick loyalty, and I could use a confidant. “Pru, I would like you to become my personal attendant. Would you consider it?”
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded. “I will ask the steward first thing. Anything else, miss?”
“That will be all, Pru.”
I meandered through the halls, memorizing the layout and entrances to the palace. With each servant or guard I passed, I studied his or her expression. Most were grim, fearful, or wary.
Death had indeed come in the night. Was there an investigation being held? Had they found the culprit? My servant glamour would give me access and answers to many questions I wouldn’t otherwise know. Taking an abandoned load of laundry, I followed a pregnant servant into the washroom. I knew how to wash clothes, so I tossed the linens into the large stone basin and listened as I took the large wooden spoon and stirred the laundry. The ten ladies there spoke in hushed voices, worry in their eyes.
“Did you hear? Someone’s dead. The beast has returned.”
“Who?”
“Thomas Buckold.”
“No!” An echo of silence filled the circular washroom, hands stilled, and the water in the basins calmed.
“How?”
“Throat mangled.”
Gasps.
“Where?”
“Beyond the stables.”
“Which ones, the king’s or guards’ stables?”
“Don’t know.”
The women tittered and prattled on like sparrows, repeating the same questions with no clear answers. I knew that to get real answers, I would need to look elsewhere, and that was outside near the stables.
Abandoning the wash, I left out a rear exit