In the hall, I am careful to keep my head down and hope the wimple I wear will shield my features from any casual passersby. The farther I move away from the door, the more it feels as if some great weight is pressing down upon me. Instead of making it hard to breathe like it once did, the force propels me forward, much like a crashing wave hurls a boat toward shore.
I have not gone two doors down before I hear voices—the clear, high voices of children. They come from inside the third chamber. There are no guards posted, so I take a deep breath, remind myself that I am Mortain’s daughter, then rap on the open door. The voices stop.
“Come in.” It is Tephanie, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I had half feared Madame Dinan or Julian himself would be guarding the girls. But no doubt they did not expect me to come gamboling into the lion’s den unannounced.
I enter the room, careful to keep my eyes lowered, and slip my hands inside my sleeves to my hidden knives, in case I need them quickly. “Hello.” I pitch my voice deeper than normal. “I am Sister Widona, from the convent of Saint Brigantia, and I have been sent to see to the child they call Louise. She is said to have contracted lung fever.”
Tephanie draws closer until I can see the tips of her plain brown shoes poking out from under her skirt. “Not lung fever, no. But she coughs all the time and her lungs seem weak. We would be very grateful for any healing skill you care to offer.”
“But of course,” I say as I shut the door behind me and then slowly look up.
It is Louise who recognizes me first. She leaps from the couch where she has been playing with her doll and runs forward, flinging herself at me. I pull her close, savoring the feel of her small arms wrapped around my neck. She has grown thin and frail, and her cheeks bear an unhealthy flush. Tephanie watches her with a mixture of surprise and dismay until her startled gaze moves up to my face. Her mouth drops open and her hand flies to her face. “My lady.”
I hold my finger to my lips and pray she is loyal to me and the girls.
Slowly, Charlotte rises from the couch, her solemn brown eyes never leaving my face. “I knew you’d come,” she says, and I open my arms to her as well. Stiffly, she walks over to me, but she does not throw herself at me like Louise. She has always been more formal, so I reach out and pull her close. Only then does she relax into my embrace.
Tephanie glances to the door. “My lady. It is not safe for you here. They say . . . they say the most horrible things about you.”
I smile at her. “Some of them may even be true,” I tell her. “But for now, I have come to get the girls to safety.”
Tephanie crosses herself. “Then my prayers have not been in vain.”
“You must come with us, Tephanie, or else you will be gravely punished for their disappearance.”
Her earnest gaze meets mine. “My lady, I would follow you anywhere.”
“Good. Then follow us to safety.” I set the girls from me, but Louise sways on her feet. I let go of Charlotte’s hand and pick up Louise so I may carry her in my arms. “Grab their cloaks. And boots. And any warm clothing you can find quickly. We do not have much time.”
She nods and hurries to the chest at the far side of the room.
I turn my attention back to the girls. “We must be very, very quiet. If anyone sees us, they will try to stop us, and we may never see one another again. Do you understand?”
Both nod solemnly, and Tephanie returns with her arms full of garments. “Shall I dress them now, my lady?”
“No, there will be time enough when we reach safety. Can you carry all that?”
“Yes, but what about you? Can you carry Louise the whole way?”
“I will not have to.” Just as we are ready to leave, there is a sound at the door. I whirl around to find Jamette staring at us.
“You’re back? I had hoped you would never return.”
“A minute more and I won’t,” I tell her. “The girls and I are leaving, and you will never have to see me again.”
Indecision flits across her pretty, shallow face and I find that all the hatred I once felt for her is gone. “Come with us if you like. You do not need to stay here.”
“No.” She all but spits the word. “I will not betray my lord father. Or yours.”
Suddenly, I am afraid for her, afraid the full force of our fathers’ anger will land on her silly head. “Do not be a fool, for they do not bear you the same loyalty and would wring your neck as soon as listen to your prattle. Come with us. You can have a new life, free of all this lying and deceit.”
Bitterness flashes in her eyes and she takes a step closer to me, her hands gripping her skirts. “I do not want a new life. I have always only wanted your life. All the admiration you commanded, all the attention you garnered, all the riches heaped upon you—those would be mine if you were gone.”
“If that is what you want, then all you must do is let us go.”
She shakes her head. “It is not that simple, and well you know it. I will be horribly punished if I do not stop you.”
And she is right. As she turns to go, I reach out to grab her, but Louise is heavy and I am not fast enough. Jamette steps beyond my grasp and dashes down the hallway.