afraid Lewis didn’t survive the attempt, however.”
Belinda’s shoulders slumped, and her arms fell limp beside her. The expression on her face communicated her feeling clearly—her death was inevitable. “Please, Your Highness. I knew very little, and my daughter knew nothing. She’s innocent. Do what you will with me but spare her life.”
Will’s immediate reflex, despite the seriousness of the crime, was to explain that neither he nor Selene would dream of hurting a child for their parent’s wrongdoing. He started to say as much when Selene caught his eye and raised her hand. “William, why don’t you step outside for a few minutes? I’d like to speak to Mistress Arberry alone, woman to woman.”
He remained still for a moment, his eyes locked with hers, wondering what she meant to do, but in the end, he decided to trust her. He took his leave from the room and stood outside the front door. While he waited, he couldn’t help but reflect on what he had just seen, particularly the image of the young girl staring at him with horror in her eyes. Threatening to decapitate a mother in front of her child hadn’t been his intention; he’d simply reacted without thinking. He kept hearing Belinda’s calm voice as she told her daughter to go back upstairs.
There had been death in her eyes, and he’d been its representative. His emotions were in turmoil, as he felt ashamed of his own role in the scene and simultaneously inspired by the heroic resolve and self-sacrifice evident in the mother’s calm acceptance. But she’s the villain here, he told himself, isn’t she? That wasn’t clear. Her husband had obviously done wrong, though perhaps he’d possibly become a criminal for a not entirely ignoble purpose.
Belinda Arberry had been a silent accomplice and beneficiary, but did that make her evil, or merely desperate?
When Selene emerged from the house fifteen minutes later, she seemed composed and unruffled. In her hand was a small notebook and a freshly written letter of credit. She handed them to him.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“The letter authorizes you to receive a sum of five thousand six hundred and thirty-five gold crowns from Mistress Arberry’s bank holdings. Give it to Blake when we get home, and he can take it to the bank and handle the transfer. The notebook contains the name of the man who paid Lewis to assassinate you.”
Will flipped the notebook open and saw a name, Benjamin Doster, along with an address in the dockside district. Next to the name was a number that matched the amount of coin that was to be paid from the Arberry account. After a second, he asked, “You made her pay us the fee he received for the assassination?”
Selene shrugged. “It seemed fair.”
“And that’s it? You’re not going to do anything else?”
Her expression was empty. “Should I? Lewis had already paid his helpers, so that sum will leave her with a loss. I suspect she’s already on the verge of bankruptcy. You know the type of charity work I do. Do you think I should add another orphan to the list of children that need help?”
There was a certain deadness in her tone that bothered him. After hearing her use her father’s verbal tactics earlier, it unsettled him even further. Yet Selene had obviously shown mercy to the woman. “No, I just wanted to make sure I understood your intentions.” He studied her face and leaned closer. “Are you all right?”
Selene’s eyes darted first left, then right, indicating the watchmen that stood beside them, then her expression hardened. “We are not alone.”
Message received, he thought sourly. Mother forbid I should inquire about your emotional state in public! Some aspects of being a royal would never feel normal to him. He tried to hide his annoyance, and the two of them began to walk in the direction of the dockside district.
The watchmen they had borrowed separated from them at Selene’s request, walking roughly fifteen feet behind them to allow them some privacy. At the same time, Will noticed a certain heaviness become visible in Selene’s shoulders, but she kept her back straight. She’s definitely upset.
“What’s wrong?” he asked once they wouldn’t be overheard.
“Nothing,” she answered immediately, but then she bit her lip and rethought her answer. “Why did you look at me like that back there?”
“When?”
“In the Arberry home.”
Will thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t aware of having borne a strange expression, but there could only be one thing she was referring to. “You reminded