“B-but I do not want to forget about him,” I say as if insulted.
He takes three giant strides toward me, his entire demeanor changing as he grabs my shoulders. "Enough with the games. Who are you? What are you doing here?”
I let my body go slack, as if I’m weak and frightened. “I might ask the same of you. who are you and what are you doing here?” “Gavriel Duval. And if you are looking for a tryst, I can accommodate you.”
He pulls me closer, so that I feel the heat rising off his body, warm and smelling faintly of some spice. “But I do not think that is what you are looking for.”
He knows! I can see it in the depths of his eyes. Somehow he knows what I am and why I am here. I panic and begin to babble.
“I am sorry, milord, but I am waiting for JeanPaul. I will leave you to your moment of quiet and be on my way.” with a nimble twist of my body, I slip from his iron grip. It is artlessly done, but I am free and fleeing for the door.
Once in the hall, I run all the way to the stairs. I take them two at a time, then pause a moment to compose myself. I look over my shoulder, but there is no sign of Gavriel Duval.
I straighten my skirts and square my shoulders, then enter the great hall. Upon seeing me, Crunard extricates himself from his conversation and makes his way through the crowd to my side.
He arches an eyebrow. “Is everything as it should be?” “It will be once we are away from here,” I say.
As he escorts me to the door, I feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of my head. I know if I turn and look, they will be the color of storm clouds.
Chapter Nine
At the convent, the reverend mother looks at me sharply as she leans forward. “You are certain he said Duval?”
“Yes, Reverend Mother. That was the name he gave. Although perhaps it was false? He also wore the silver oak leaf of Saint Camulos,” I add, in case that will help in any way.
The abbess glances at Crunard and he nods reluctantly. “Duval does serve Saint Camulos, as do most knights and soldiers.”
"Even so,” she says. “It would be easy enough to get hold of such a pin to round out the deception.”
Crunard shifts in his chair. “But if it was Duval . . .” he says.
“There could be other reasons for his being there,” the abbess points out.
“There could,” Crunard agrees grudgingly. “But it is also possible we have caught a very big fish indeed.”
The abbess turns her piercing blue gaze back to me. “How did he react to finding you in the room?”
“He assumed I was there for a liaison of some sort and was flirtatious at first. Then he grew angry.” I want to look away, afraid she will be able to tell just how poorly I played my role with him, but trying to avoid her will only make her pay closer attention.
“Tell me everything he said. everything.”
And so I repeat the conversation for her, word by word. when I am done, she looks at Crunard, who shrugs. “It could mean nothing; it could mean everything. I no longer claim to know all the duchess’s enemies. They hide too well among her allies.”
“But Duval . . .” the abbess says, shaking her head. She leans back in her chair and closes her eyes. I cannot tell if she is thinking or praying. Mayhap both. while her eyes are closed, I take a deep breath and long for my own bed. Tonight’s duties have been exhilarating, but draining too. That Duval saw through my deception has left me shaken. I had thought there was little more for me to learn, but tonight has proven me wrong. I vow to pay more attention to Sister Beatriz’s lessons in the womanly arts. Perhaps Annith and I can even practice on each other.
“So,” the reverend mother says, coming out of her reverie. “This is what we shall do. Baron Lombart’s guests will be staying the week. Chancellor Crunard was on his way back to court, but he has had a change of heart, haven’t you, Chancellor?”
He nods, then spreads his hands. “I fear my horse has gone lame.”
The abbess smiles. “So of course he will return to Lombart’s with his young guest. And you” — her eyes pin me to my chair — "Will return with him and find a way to engage Duval again. Preferably alone. with luck, you can convince him to play a game of seduction with you, a liaison or some such — ”
“But Holy Mother — ”
Her face grows cold and distant. “Did you or did you not vow to use every skill you possess in the service of Mortain?”
“Of course, but — ”