“Easy? It’s madness. This is a suicide mission. And for what?”
Dinah raised herself up from the bench and took his arm gently. “For the future Queen to have the upper hand before her coronation. For not wondering, ‘What if?’ For answers that have never been given to me, and never will be. For the possibility of understanding something about this place.”
“And if I lose my head?” Wardley asked.
“Then I will be very sorry,” she said. “It is a lovely head.”
She placed her hand on his cheek. She felt so near to him; his physical presence was overwhelming. She took in his hot breath washing over her face, the sweat shimmering on his brow, his curly chocolate hair pushed haphazardly back from his forehead. Without thinking, she pressed her lips against his. They were cool and soft, and hers felt warm and hungry against them. White lights exploded underneath Dinah’s eyelids and she opened her mouth slightly under his. His lips remained still as he jerked back in surprise, his hands on her shoulders.
“Dinah, I—” He didn’t have time to finish. Something moved in the darkness below. They heard the shuffling of feet, an unexplained whoosh of air. The ladder gave a wooden creak. In one rapid movement, Wardley drew his sword and pushed Dinah protectively behind him. His blade gleamed in the moonlight. “Someone’s here,” he whispered. “Don’t move. Stay behind me.”
Fear froze them both as a chill crept upon Dinah’s skin, a breath caught in her throat. Neither of them moved for several minutes, barely daring to breathe. From the darkness, the sounds of long, easy breaths drifted up the ladder. And then, just when the sound of her roaring heart was so loud she was sure it was drowning out the entire palace, the presence disappeared. The malignant air was sucked out of the room, although the feeling of being watched lingered. Dinah wondered if whoever it was had been there the entire time. Wardley replaced his sword.
“They’re gone. They couldn’t have heard us, could they?”
Dinah shook her head. Suddenly, there was a bang, and they both jumped toward each other as the doors of the Heart Chapel burst open and three Cards marched in for their nightly rounds. Dinah and Wardley ducked down into The Box to avoid being seen. She felt a rush of relief at the Cards’ presence, even though she lay on the stinking floor to avoid their gaze. Wardley looked over at her with wide eyes.
“There was someone there,” he whispered. “I heard him.”
Dinah gave a nod. Wardley gave her a look of defeat, his face coated with a fine layer of brown dust. “Fine,” he hissed. “I’ll go to the Black Towers with you, but I’m not going to enjoy it. You’re right—something is amiss. I hear whispers at the stables, and amongst the Cards. A Spade told me that the King fears for his life and is gathering his Cards all around him. But why?”
“You’ll go with me then?”
Wardley nodded, his ear cocked, listening to the watch. Dinah was glad to see them go, but the mortification of kissing him slowly returned now that the danger had gone.
“Wardley, I’m sorry about the—”
He cut her off. “Don’t worry about it.”
They heard the doors to the chapel slam shut, and suddenly they were alone again. Wardley grabbed her hand and yanked Dinah to her feet. “It’s time to go. Now.” They climbed quickly down the ladder, Wardley wrapping his arms around Dinah’s waist at the bottom and putting her on the ground. “Go, now. Go back to your chambers. Take the servants’ passage. We will talk about this later. Come see me at the stables tomorrow. We are not going to meet here again. Ever. I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
Dinah didn’t need to be told twice, but she didn’t want to leave him, not now, not while he was so upset. “Wardley, you don’t have to go to the Black Towers. I see now that I shouldn’t have asked you. But I must go. I am not a child anymore, and I need to know what is happening in my kingdom. Can you understand?”
Wardley glanced over at her like she was insane. “If you are going to be the Queen of Hearts,” he deadpanned, “you should try not to be so daft. I have no choice. If you go, I will go. You’re not as good with a sword as you think. Besides, if you die, your father will have my head one way or another. It might as well be for doing something brave.”
Dinah gave him a quick smile. “Brave? Or a fool’s errand?”
Dinah had played Wardley—she knew he could never resist an adventure. Wardley glanced around the empty room. It was silent.