The Third Son (36 page)

Esmeralda’s head was spinning, but she was grateful for the sweet old butler’s help. “Jarvis, I have a feeling you and I will get along nicely together.”

Another smile tugged at the corners of Jarvis’ normally straight mouth. “I have no doubt in my mind that you are right.”

****

Footmen and maids scurried to remove themselves from her path as she glided down the hallway at a brisk pace. The only sound that could be heard was the click of her high-heeled slippers on the marble floors and the rustle of her black skirts. Queen Alexandra could have been wielding and sword and shield, so quick were the servants to be out of her way. She was on the warpath and they all knew instinctively not to cross her when she was in such a mood.

She marched toward her son’s wing of the palace, moving gracefully past footmen toting trunks and various furnishings. Damien was moving into the king’s chambers. She had already vacated the room adjoining the king’s chambers and now had her own wing of the house, which she found quite satisfactory.

This was not the issue that brought her before the new king. The news of his impending wedding to that insipid Gypsy girl had not been well received. She had hoped that her son would be wise enough to know that his newly elevated status demanded that he choose a more suitable bride.

Apparently
,
Damien needed some sense talked into him and she was fully prepared to do battle with him on this. The two guards on either side of the door hesitated when she demanded entrance, but soon stepped aside when it became evident that she would not leave before gaining an audience with her son.

Damien was seated behind his desk, talking quietly with a man in military dress that Alexandra recognized as a Captain in the army. The two men stood and shook hands.

“Thank you for this opportunity, Your Highness,” the captain said as he turned to take his leave. “I know that this decision could not have been easy for you, but I am honored to know that you trust me enough to reward me with this position.”

“You will make a fine General, Adams
.
I have no doubts about that. I shall assemble the High Council in a few weeks’ time. General Stombol will be arriving from Barony soon and I will expect a full report from the two of you when the council is gathered. Use whatever information he can give you on the state of affairs in Barony and come up with a strategy. I will expect the two of you to be prepared to share that strategy with the council and myself. Be sure to include the amount of money and the number of troops you will need.”

The newly appointed General Adams bowed and turned to leave. He stopped to bow once more before the queen mother and was gone. Alexandra stepped forward.

“Damien, a word if you please.”

Damien sat back behind his desk, his head lowered over a letter he was composing. “Who allowed you to come in here?” he asked distractedly, never lifting his eyes from his quill pen and paper. “I asked not to be disturbed.”

“I made it quite clear that I would not be turned away,” she replied, approaching Damien’s desk. He glanced up at her impatiently.

“State your business and leave. I have several other important meetings today and I don’t have time for another one of your lectures.”

“You will make the time,” she said, her eyes growing even more frigid with her fury. Damien
infuriated her even further by daring to appear unruffled in the face of her anger.
Alexandra lowered herself regally into a chair and folded her hands tightly in her lap.

“It has come to my attention that there is a wedding being planned for a few weeks from now,” she began.

“Yes,” he said sharply
.
. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. “I assume you’ve come to congratulate me.”

“I have come to talk you into coming to your senses! What on earth could you be thinking, choosing a peasant Gypsy dancer as your queen?”

“There is no law dictating my choice of bride and since father and Lionus both neglected to choose one for me before their deaths, I have made the decision for myself.”

“I won’t allow it!” she shrieked, leaping to her feet. The false mask of calm she had donned before entering was now slowly slipping away. Her cheeks were tinged pink and her fists were curled tightly at her sides. She was furious.

Damien stood, his fury a match for hers. “And how do you think to stop me? All I have to do is say the word and you will be confined to your rooms for as long as I wish it! Or better yet, I could have you banished!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed, though she was not so sure. She had never shown Damien great affection and now her neglect of her youngest son might just come back to haunt her. It would be just retribution in her son’s eyes to have her sent away.

“You think so?” he taunted
“Do you really want to find out?”

Alexandra sighed, unclenching her fists and smoothing her skirts with her palms. She took on her smooth, cool demeanor once again. “I warn you, you are making a terrible mistake.”

“No,” Damien said with a frown. “It is the only thing that makes this whole situation bearable. I had no desire to be in this position and yet here I am, in my brother’s place. I just appointed a General to take Serge’s place. I find myself responsible for the lives of everyone around me. When I think of a future with the woman I love, all of those things seem inconsequential by comparison.”

“You are being unbelievably selfish,” Alexandra said. “You haven’t the slightest idea what being king really entails. Your father sacrificed much for the sake of duty and honor.”

“Yes, and look what it gained him; a loveless marriage, and a vindictive bastard son. Do you honestly wish that kind of life for me? I am your only remaining son! I would think that you would want some form of happiness for me.”

Alexandra sighed, exasperated because things had not gone her way. It was clear that Damien was not going to listen to reason. All this drivel about love and happiness were blinding him to the truth. She decided to take her leave of him. Surely
,
within the few weeks that remained before the wedding, she could find another way to prevent the marriage from taking place.

“I hope you will at least think about what I’ve said,” she remarked before leaving. “As king, you do not have the luxury of thinking only of yourself.”

When Damien did not respond, Alexandra breezed through the doors of the library, which magically opened as she approached. The guards swung the doors shut behind her and she turned in the direction of her own chambers. She encountered Jarvis as she neared her wing of the palace.

“Your Highness,” he said with a stiff bow. “You have a caller.”

“Who is it Jarvis? I do not wish to be disturbed at the moment.”

“Lady Davina Russell was most insistent. She said that it was urgent and she would be willing to wait all day if necessary to see you.”

Alexandra sighed. She had never cared much for Damien’s ex-mistress. The woman was vulgar and crass, but she would be more than grateful if Damien were to turn his attentions back to her instead of carrying on with a common Gypsy dancer. At least Davina Russell was of noble blood. Alexandra wondered what the girl could possibly want with her.

“Where is she?” she asked, allowing curiosity to overcome her desire not to be disturbed by callers.

“I placed her in the room overlooking the rose garden, Your Highness; the yellow salon.”

“Very well,” she replied, waving Jarvis away high-handedly. “See that we are not disturbed.”

She entered the salon to find Lady Russell seated on a soft yellow chaise, holding a china cup in her gloved hands. She stood and curtsied prettily. Despite the girl’s flaws, she was very beautiful, Alexandra observed. She possessed a confident air and an impeccable sense of style. With a little more polish Lady Russell could be transformed into a lady fit to be her son’s queen.

“Your Highness,” she said demurely, “I am so pleased that you would take the time out of your busy day to meet with me.”

Alexandra took a seat on the other side of the coffee table, allowing Davina to serve her a cup of chocolate from the gold tea service between them. “I was assured that your reasons for coming here were most urgent,” she said, accepting the offered cup and sipping slowly.

“Oh yes,” Davina said passionately, whipping a white, lace-trimmed handkerchief from her reticule. Tears welled up in her wide brown eyes. “It is most urgent, Your Highness, and I thought to come to you first since Damien has avoided me like the plague since ending our…association.”

Uncomfortable with the girl’s simpering display of emotion, Alexandra sat her cup down in its saucer and reached across the table awkwardly to pat Davina’s hand. “Pull yourself together girl,” she commanded between Davina’s soft sobs. “Tell me what kind of trouble you’re in and I will tell you what I can do to help you.”

“I am with child!” Davina cried, dabbing at her eyes, careful not to smudge the kohl she had carefully applied that morning. “I am pregnant with Damien’s child.”

Alexandra was stunned. She knew that it had only been a few months since Damien had last been with his ex-mistress. She also knew that the girl had spread her thighs for several other men since then. Alexandra was suddenly delighted. Even if the child wasn’t Damien’s it would be just the leverage she needed to convince Damien to marry Davina instead of Esmeralda. “Are you quite certain, dear?” she asked.

Davina nodded vehemently. “Yes. I had it confirmed by a physician only this morning. I know that Damien no longer holds any affection for me, but I was hoping that he would at least provide for us. I know I could not expect any more from him than that.”

“Nonsense, child. Of course
,
Damien will do what is right by you once he hears the news. Now, you are certain that the child is his? I only ask darling because you have a certain…reputation, as it were.”

Davina nodded. “Oh yes I am certain. The doctor assured me that the conception took place during my last few weeks with your son as I have not had my monthly courses in over two months. I know that I have not exactly been circumspect in my liaisons, but I assure you that the child is his.”

Alexandra narrowed her eyes. “Would you be willing to bring your physician here? Damien will want to know for sure that you are pregnant.”

Davina nodded again, clutching her handkerchief tightly in her hands. “Yes. He would be willing to come if I asked him, I know it.”

Alexandra stood and began to pace before the fireplace, the wheels in her head turning rapidly. She knew that Damien had a reputation as a scoundrel, but her hopes were that he was not so much a
scapegrace
that he would abandon a woman pregnant with his child. “You must leave everything to me,” Alexandra declared. “You mustn’t worry anymore, everything will be all right.”

“Oh, thank you, Your Highness. You are most kind to assist me.”

“Think nothing of it girl. You go home now and rest and I will send for you soon.”

Davina stood and curtsied to the queen mother, gathered her reticule, and went out into the hall where the butler was waiting with her cloak.
Alexandra watched her go, a smug smile of satisfaction twisting her lips. Perhaps things would go her way after all.

Chapter 21

Largess Hall was a chaotic whirl of activity; the wedding plans were now well underway. Esmeralda spent much of her time with Jarvis, following his guidance on nearly every aspect of the planning. The only thing she felt confident about was her wedding gown, which Madame Didier was designing with relish. Each time Madame Didier called on her for a fitting, the gown became more and more beautiful, more a work of art than a piece of clothing.
             

She followed Jarvis’ lead on everything, from the flowers to the wedding reception menu. Even Isabelle managed to shake off her somber mood to throw herself into helping Esmeralda plan the wedding. Esmeralda sensed that her friend merely needed something to take her mind off her own troubles.

The evening was growing late, but Esmeralda was suffering through yet another fitting for her gown. Isabelle was being
outfitted
as well, having agreed to stand up with Esmeralda as her maid of honor. The grey silk
dress
she was having created for the affair was still in keeping with the tradition of mourning colors.

Once the fittings were complete, Esmeralda and Isabelle retired to the dining room for a late supper. Once Jarvis served them, they ate in companionable silence, each lost in her own thoughts. Esmeralda wondered how her friend felt about her uncertain future. Esmeralda would soon be stepping into the role Isabelle had been born to play and Esmeralda could not shake off feelings of guilt over it.

“Nonsense,” Isabelle said in her soft, melodious voice when Esmeralda voiced her concerns. “None of this is your fault. No one could have foreseen that things would happen this way. I must find my own place in this world now, whether it be here or in the country of my birth. You must find your happiness here with Damien. Believe me when I say I am truly happy for you.”

“I’ve never been more nervous about anything in my entire life. I only hope that Damien does not regret making me his queen.”