It took a moment for Lia to swallow. “Almaguer thought so,” she whispered.
“Demont told me that I needed incontrovertible evidence. He sent me to the archives. I was not to tell anyone of my mission – only to search the records to find out what happened to the prince’s daughter. I knew the year when Pry-Ree was lost. I found a tome written in the king’s own hand after much searching. The child was taken by the king and banished to Sempringfall Abbey.”
Just as the Aldermaston had said, Lia thought.
“It is a small Abbey, noteworthy of nothing, in the eastern part of the realm, near the sea. Demont was already dealing with rebels, and so he sent Edmon and I to the Abbey for the girl. She was there, living by another name. The Aldermaston had lived there when she arrived and knew her true identity, though he had never spoken it for fear of the old king. He released her into our custody with a warning. He was told by the king’s men that if she ever escaped, his Abbey would be burned to the ground. The king’s men swore they would find the child and kill her and any of her offspring. He charged us to protect her, and we have kept that charge. The Pry-rians want her back naturally as she is the only surviving heir.”
He crouched near her, so close she could see her reflection in his eyes. His expression was almost painful to look at. “I thought it was you, Lia. I had hoped that by not keeping my promise to you, I would be able to bring you far better news. I am sorry I abandoned you. For the last year, I have been at various Abbeys while Ellowyn is taught to read and scribe in our language, Pry-rian, and Dahomeyjan. Three languages, instead of one. Her head nearly burst! My sister, Marciana, is her companion. It has been a…difficult transition for Ellowyn. She was a lavender at Sempringfall. When I met her, she smelled like that bunch of flowers I saw you with this morning. The scent reminded me of you.” He stopped and breathed deeply, staring down at the grass. “Knight-mastons are being murdered, rebels are skulking in the woods, the Privy Council has threats of war from three other kingdoms, and I…I must coax a girl to read who is terrified of learning, who is terrified of the Medium, and who would rather be washing clothes in a trough.” He looked at her, being open with his disdain. “When the latest threat to her life came, we were at Billerbeck. I suggested we come to Muirwood. This is the oldest Abbey in the realm. Your Aldermaston is very wise and may help her to master her fears. But most importantly, I wanted to be able to tell you in person why I could not come earlier and apologize for neglecting you. The Aldermaston will not let you become a learner in the cloister. You must continue to serve until your obligation is fulfilled. But my oath to you still binds me. It is a duty which I will, for once, enjoy. I am forbidden to teach you now how to read and engrave, Lia, but I am not forbidden to share with you what I know and what I have scribed in my own tome.”
Lia took a deep breath, trying to keep it calm and even. So much had happened in so short a time. Of all her feelings, it was jealousy that tormented her. She was jealous that the other girl, who had once been a wretched, had been found. She had been allowed the privilege of enjoying Colvin’s company for a year. The privilege of learning to read three languages and practice the Medium openly. What Lia would not have given to have had that opportunity! It was a petty feeling, and she crushed it in her mind, unwilling to let it fester or take root.
“What about your other promise?” she asked, glancing down as she twisted the apple stem and plucked it out.
“The other promise?”
“The one you whispered in my ear when you left?” She glanced up at him.
A knowing smile crossed his mouth. He rose and wandered a few steps, leaned back against the trunk of a tree, and folded his arms. “Well, I never said which Whitsunday I would ask you to dance.”
“So you were going to ask me to dance? That was your intention?”
“You had said it was to be your first year to dance around the maypole. It was also an opportunity to meet you. It did not come to pass as I wished. But patience is the companion of wisdom. It is also a trait you need to practice, Lia.”
“If I were not so patient,” she said, tearing another bite from her apple with her teeth. “I would have broken your foot when you surprised me last night.”
“Break my foot? Ample reason to avoid dancing with you this year.”
“You were very kind a moment ago, Colvin,” she said, pleased he was teasing her. “A year past, you could scarcely speak ten words without insulting me. But it did not take you long to fall back to your bad ways.”