“Are they all like that?” I asked as the squire’s wide backside receded.
“Who? The local Luminate? Mostly. Your great-uncle’s kind enough, but the majority have let their power go to their heads. The Austrian Circle encourages it, and the Hapsburgs do little to restrain them.”
I shivered. Eszterháza seemed so sleepy and remote it was easy to forget how widely the Circle reached. I had heard rumors that the Hapsburg family I’d seen in Vienna were more governed by the Circle than the Circle by them. It seemed the rumors were true. Queen Victoria would never allow such impertinence.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, not sure whether I was sorry for the government’s corruption or the poor reputation of my own kind. Perhaps both.
I turned back to Starfire, meaning to head home, and stopped, staring in dismay at my sidesaddle. I hadn’t thought, when I slid down to ask directions, how I was to remount without a groom or a mount.
Gábor blew out a breath behind me. “Let me help you.” Rather than cupping his hand for me to step into, like a gentleman would, he set his hands on my waist and lifted me to the saddle. The pressure of his fingers sent a jolt of electricity through me.
“Thank you,” I said. “You’ve been kinder to me than I deserved.”
I was not like Catherine, to see admirers in every male I met. But there was something about Gábor, something rarer than mere attraction.
Were he not Gypsy—no, Romani—I thought we might be friends.
Gábor’s eyes lifted to mine. “Not kinder,” he said, a rueful twist to his lips. “I’ve been as quick to judge you as you have me. I’m sorry for that.” He shut his eyes for a moment, as if conceding something, then opened them. “I’ll do it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’ll teach you what you want.”
My heart jumped, beating in my ears.
“But it must be on my terms, when I can arrange for us to meet safely. And your cousin must come with us.”
“Noémi?” I asked, surprised he would consider the proprieties.
“Mátyás. I know him, and I trust him.”
That anyone would trust Mátyás defied nearly everything I knew of him. But I was too relieved at Gábor’s acquiescence to protest.
After my encounter on the Hanság, it was a relief to slip into the familiarity of teatime rituals, to trade the discomfiting role of supplicant for the polish of civilized conversation and the soothing clink of china. János nursed his tea as he worked through a pile of pastries, and Noémi ignored me. Mátyás was conspicuous by his absence. I wondered if he were already drinking.
“How was your outing with Noémi, szívem?” Grandmama asked.
Over the rim of her teacup, Noémi’s china-doll eyes met mine.
“I am so glad to see you are becoming friends,” Grandmama continued.
I swallowed and set down my cup.
Noémi did the same. “What outing is this, Irína néni?”
Confusion marched across Grandmama’s face. “This morning, you…and Anna?”
My heart plummeted. If Grandmama knew I had ridden so far unescorted, she’d never allow me out of the palace alone.
Noémi’s face cleared—and she laughed. “Oh! This morning! Of course. Anna accompanied me on an errand.”
Surprise, then relief, washed over me. Before I could say anything, Mátyás charged into the room. “I’ve brought a guest,” he announced, but there was a note in his voice that meant mischief.
A man stepped through the door behind Mátyás, his confident posture as familiar as his red hair. My hand jerked, and the saucer on my lap clattered against the cup. Mr. Skala was obnoxiously persistent, and I disliked the ease with which he’d found me. Again. Perhaps Eszterháza was not as safe as Papa supposed.
“William,” Noémi said, the smile falling from her face as if she’d been slapped.
My racing heart slowed. Maybe he had not come searching for me after all. Noémi’s curt welcome hinted at some history between them. Noémi would never tell me, but I suspected I could pry the truth from Mátyás.
William bowed. “Miss Noémi. Your radiance puts the sun to shame. As always.”
Mátyás said, “William, this is my great-uncle János, my great-aunt Lady Irína Zrínyi, and my cousin—”
“Anna Arden,” William interrupted. “We’ve met.”
All the eyes in the room turned toward me. William smiled. I winced.
He turned back to Noémi. “It has been a long time.”
“Yes.” Her single syllable was cold, unyielding.
A tense silence settled over the room. William watched Noémi, who smoothed her hands across her lap. Everyone else watched William.
“Mátyás says you have lovely gardens. Will you show them to me, Miss Noémi?” William shot an irritated look at Mátyás, who was trying to smother laughter with a cough.
“If you like your gardens ragged and unkempt,” Mátyás murmured.
Noémi crossed her arms. “I should prefer not to. I have nothing new to say to you. Unless your situation has changed?”
William didn’t answer.
Noémi’s eyes were very bright. “I thought not.” She picked up her teacup and stared fixedly at it. My heart tightened in sympathy at her obvious distress.
William stilled for a moment, then swiveled toward me, his face already taking on his familiar energy. “Well, if Miss Noémi will not show me the gardens, perhaps you would be so kind?”
I shook my head but smiled, to soften my refusal. “I think you should prefer my cousin. In any case, there truly is not much to see.”
The corner of his mouth twisted ruefully. “I suppose I deserved that. Only, I do wish to speak with you.”
Grandmama interrupted her sotto voce conversation with János to say, “You cannot have anything to communicate to my granddaughter in private. You can speak with her here.”
William’s eyes danced. “Very well. I’ve come to ask your granddaughter…” He paused, drawing out the suspense of his announcement. He was enjoying himself too much, the impertinent wretch. Grandmama frowned, and Noémi looked stricken. Did she think he meant a marriage proposal? I knew better. “…to help me win a revolution against the Hapsburgs and the Austrian Circle.”
My stomach flipped. He had said it.
Mátyás laughed. Grandmama looked astounded. “A what?” she asked. “You cannot be serious.”
János frowned at his great-nephew. “A revolution is no laughing matter. The Hapsburgs have been kings of Hungary for generations. I own I should like to see Hungary more forward in the world, but the way to do that is through industry, not rebellion. And to stand against the Circle? You should bring war and devastation on us.”
“Don’t let him bother you, János bácsi; he’s talking nonsense.” I set my cup down and rose, crossing the room to stand closer to William so he needn’t shout his conversation at everyone. “I’ve already made my refusal quite clear.”