“It is not a bad idea—she could know more than we think,” said Titus. “I will come with you.”
Five minutes later, they were inside the sitting room at Windsor Castle where Lady Wintervale had first brought Iolanthe. “Toujours fier,” said Iolanthe.
They did not have to wait long before the door of the sitting room opened and in came Lady Wintervale. At the sight of the prince, she bowed.
“My lady, have a seat,” said Titus.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Shall I ring for tea?”
“No, that would not be necessary. We would be glad if you could answer a few questions for my friend.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” said Lady Wintervale.
“Can you tell me, my lady,” said Iolanthe, “why I was translocated to your house, when I left the Domain?”
“You are my late husband’s illegitimate daughter,” Lady Wintervale said calmly, “and he had promised to protect and look after you, should the need arise.”
A gong went off in Iolanthe’s head. Titus looked almost as flabbergasted.
Her lips opened and closed several times before she managed to make a sound. “I am Baron Wintervale’s child?”
“Yes.”
On his deathbed he asked me to swear a blood oath that I would protect you as I would my own child, Lady Wintervale had once told her. She should have guessed then. For who else would a man ask this, if not his flesh and blood?
“And—” Iolanthe’s voice seemed to echo in her own head. “And you know who my mother is, too?”
“Of course. But I do not speak that woman’s name.”
“So . . . they had an affair?”
Iolanthe could have kicked herself, as soon as the question left her lips. Of course they’d had an affair.
“Yes, an affair of long standing. It continued even into his Exile—they used to rendezvous at Claridges’, in London.”
“Is she also an Exile?” That would mean the memory keeper was someone other than Commander Rainstone.
“No, she was never an Exile—she was too clever to be mixed up in the rebellion. When Atlantis restricted all the instantaneous modes of travel, she managed to have some loopholes made just for herself. So it was not difficult for her to slip away for an afternoon and meet him.”
For you he gave up his honor, Lady Wintervale had once said to Iolanthe. For you he destroyed us all. “Was that why you said I caused him to lose his honor?”
Lady Wintervale raised her chin a fraction of an inch. And suddenly she was no longer the frail-looking Exile, but a mage of great dignity and power. “I married my husband knowing full well that he was never going to be faithful to one woman. But at that time I believed him to have the markings of greatness and I was proud to be his wife.
“But alas, I was deceived. At the end of the January Uprising, when the outcome became clear, Baroness Sorren had the courage of her conviction to face execution, but he could not bear the thought of losing his life.
“He needed to live, he convinced himself, because you, his daughter, would someday be the greatest elemental mage on Earth, and must be protected from the forces of Atlantis—though why Atlantis would be after you I never fully understood. He had awakened from a nightmare, you see, screaming in fright of the judgment of the Angels. The story spilled from his lips. But after a while I became incapable of hearing properly, because it dawned on me what he was telling me: he had given my cousin to Atlantis in exchange for his own life.”
Titus rose to his feet, his face deathly pale. Understanding hit Iolanthe like a mallet to the temple: the cousin Lady Wintervale was talking about was none other than Princess Ariadne, Titus’s mother. And Baron Wintervale, the hero of the rebellion, had been the one who betrayed her.
“Why did you never tell me?” His voice was hoarse.
“For Leander’s sake, I kept it a secret. I never wanted Lee to know that his father had been such a faithless coward.” She smiled a little, a strange, hollow smile. “But fear not, Your Highness. I avenged your mother.”
He shook his head. “Atlantis put the execution curse on him.”
“No, Your Highness, it was me. I could not suffer him to live after that. He did not try to stop me, but asked that I swear a blood oath to look after his daughter as if she were my own flesh and blood. I did no such thing; I only finished him.”
Lady Wintervale clenched and unclenched her hands. “Murder, it changes a person. I used to be calm, unflappable, even. But after that, sometimes I . . . I . . .” Stiffly, she rose from her chair. “I hope I have answered all the questions to your satisfaction, sire.”
Titus’s jaw moved. “Thank you, my lady. Is there any message you would like us to take back to your son? He would be much relieved to know you are safe and well.”
“No.” Her answer was adamant. “He must not know that I am here.”
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