Leaves of Revolution Read online

Thomas didn’t answer her question, turning to her instead with a fierce look in his eyes. “Get out of here now, Nay. Ask James or Dorian to escort you to Quinn’s council room.”

  She wouldn’t normally have allowed Thomas to be so abrupt with her, especially without telling her what was going on – but something in his expression made her turn and search the room immediately. James Blackwelder was furthest from the group Thomas seemed so worried about, so she went to him and asked him to take her to the council room.

  The guard led her out immediately staying right at her elbow as they exited through a side hallway. Only once they were inside the meeting room, with the door closed, did he speak. “Is everything all right, Lady Linnea?”

  “I don’t know. Thomas … I think he saw someone he didn’t expect to see, I don’t know who. He just told me to ask either you or your father to bring me here right away.”

  “All right.” James nodded as if she’d just told him something normal instead of bizarre. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll start a fire?” He led her to an area in the far corner, away from the long table where Quinn now presided over meetings. Here there were several comfortable chairs and couches gathered in front of the large fire grate.

  She was just settling into one of the leather chairs when James ducked behind a couch and emerged with a wool blanket. “You should be keeping warm, milady. It will be cold in here until the fire is going.”

  “Thank you. I suppose the news of my condition has spread to everyone by now?”

  He shrugged. “I tend to fall behind on castle gossip, sorry. I just thought you should be comfortable.”

  The blanket was soft and warm; she wrapped herself in it as James knelt in front of the hearth, spreading kindling from the bucket on the floor.

  “It’s true,” she said. “I’m with child.”

  He didn’t stand, but he turned his whole body to face her. “I hadn’t heard that. It’s not any of my concern, but if you’ll forgive my indiscretion, I would like to tell you how pleased I am to hear it.”

  “Thank you.” She watched him turn back to the grate, so formal and solemn. “James?”

  “Yes, milady?”

  “I’m going to be living here in Philotheum – you don’t need to be quite so afraid of me. Surely you’ve at least heard that I’m not the sort of princess who disdains interactions with guards.”

  He turned to her again, still mostly serious, but this time she could see a tiny spark of amusement in his eyes. “Even if I did partake of gossip, milady, I’d have assumed Ben was a special case. Certainly he was a rare man worthy of the honor.”

  She swallowed back the feelings that always snuck up on her whenever she talked about Ben with anyone. “He always spoke highly of you.”

  James’ gaze fell to the floor. “I only knew him for a short while, but even in that time, he became one of my dearest friends. The fact that he didn’t return … my life will never be the same. It may be presumptuous to say this, but I had hoped, when he returned with you, that I might be blessed with the friendship of the lady who occupied his every thought.”

  She smiled around the thick feeling in her throat. “Even under these circumstances, James, we can still be friends.”

  To her surprise, he gave her a little smile, betraying a hint of a less-serious young man underneath. Unless she was mistaken, James wasn’t any older than William. She doubted he’d seen his nineteenth birthday. “I would like that, milady. Thank you for sharing your news with me. It gives me peace to know that his legacy will be carried by his child. Please know I will do whatever I can to serve the both of you.”

  Just as he was turning back to the grate, the door at the other end of the room burst open. James was on his feet in one swift movement, blocking Linnea, his hand on his hilt. She quickly brushed away the few escaped tears.

  But it was Marcus who’d opened the door. He, too, rushed to Linnea’s side, followed by Thomas, Quinn, William, Stephen, Dorian Blackwelder, and Luke Willoughby. Once everyone was inside, Luke closed the door and secured it with a heavy wooden bar.

  Quinn looked first at Linnea. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thomas just told me to come here. Nothing’s wrong,” she repeated, noting her sister’s concerned look didn’t quite go away. She stood and walked over to the table to prove her point. “At least not with me. What’s going on, Thomas? Who did you see?”

  “That man,” Thomas said, looking at Quinn, “the one who was talking to Charles. What is he doing here?”

  Quinn frowned, glancing at William. “I think that was Callum Haddon – if I’m thinking of the same man. Is he wearing a red shirt?”

  “Yes.” Thomas nodded. “Long brown hair, going a little gray, pulled back.”

  “That’s Callum.”

  “Why is he here?”

  “He’s the head councilman in Brandleby. We invited councilmen from every town and village in the kingdom. Not all of them came, clearly.”

  “Is Brandleby close to the Rhinewald estate by any chance?”

  “It was, before we dismantled the Rhinewald estate and sold off the pieces,” Marcus said, his voice dark.

  Quinn had gone pale, though, undoubtedly having the same thoughts that were making Linnea’s hands clench into tight fists. There was only one way Thomas could recognize the man – one reason he was so distraught over seeing him.

  William walked away from the group, toward the fire, bouncing and rocking Samuel in his arms.

  “Okay.” Quinn’s shoulders rose and fell several times as she tried to compose herself. “How bad are we talking about, Thomas? Is Callum guilty only of withholding information about your kidnapping, or is it worse?”

  “Only? Isn’t just knowing about it and not doing anything bad enough?” The shaking had crept from Linnea’s hands to her voice.

  “Nay.” Quinn’s quiet warning came at the same instant Linnea felt her father’s gentle, but firm, hand on her shoulder.

  “I don’t know how involved he was,” Thomas said, looking at the floor. “He was at Harbin Rhinewald’s estate already when I was brought in, though. And I saw him a few times after that.”

  Thomas was… Linnea had never seen him this upset. No, upset didn’t even begin to describe him. His voice was small, in a way that suggested if he raised his volume at all, he would explode loud enough for the whole castle to hear. His shoulders were curled forward, his whole body wound tighter than a spring. She reached for his hand to squeeze it, but he yanked it from her grasp and took a step away from her. Her father pulled her a bit closer.

  “Okay,” Quinn said again, pacing back and forth. She looked up at Marcus. “We have several separate problems here.”

  Marcus nodded. “He needs to be questioned.”

  “We need to arrest him,” she said. “But doing it now would be a disaster – people are here for a party, and we have no idea who’s here with him.”

  “Which brings up the security issue.” Marcus’ gaze shifted between Linnea, Thomas, and William who still held the baby. “There’s a strong chance Callum still has ties to Tolliver.”

  Quinn took another deep breath. “All of the guests’ names were recorded?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. And checked against the invite list – but clearly we don’t know everything about the people who were invited.”

  “It would be a bold move to attempt something during the heir’s Naming Ceremony.”

  “Yes. Bold and unwise. It’s difficult to sway public opinion to your side if you commit a crime in front of enough people,” Marcus said. “Although that’s the same reason you can’t arrest a man with his level of influence in the middle of the party, either.”

  “Perhaps you can have someone follow him?” Stephen asked. “A small guard detail, to see if we can discover his associations?”

  Marcus looked at Quinn. “I can arrange that, if you’d like, Your Majesty.”

  “Yes. Thank you, Marcus.”

  “In t
he meantime, we have to address the clear safety concerns. This man presents a potential danger to Linnea, Thomas, the other Rose children… and to Samuel, in particular.”

  Quinn’s entire body twitched, though she retained her composed demeanor. “Yes. So what can we do, Marcus? Can I remove them from the party without causing a scene?”

  “I think it’s probably been a long day for the children already,” Stephen said. “The babies all need to be fed and put down to rest and the other children surely can’t be expected to maintain their composure for much longer.”

  Over in the corner, Samuel gave out a sudden squeak – his warning signal that he needed to eat soon.

  “See?” Stephen smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “The future king over there is in agreement. I can start having the oldest children quietly escort the younger ones upstairs.”

  “I’ll gather some Eirenthean guards to keep constant watch.” Luke said, already heading for the door.

  “I’ll stay with you and Samuel,” Marcus said to Quinn. “James, Dorian, help me out with these two, and also William, Thomas, and Linnea?”

  “William and I will have to return to the party,” Quinn said. “We can’t just disappear.”

  Marcus nodded. “After you feed the baby, you return for a short time before we announce a formal exit. Samuel should stay here under guard, though.”

  “That’s going to cause a problem. Sophia will come unglued if I don’t take Samuel back with me. Do you really think we’re in danger – in our own castle, at a party?” Quinn frowned. “I might want to rip Callum’s throat out myself, but he’s managed to keep his ties from Tolliver separate for this long. Perhaps he’s turned against him?”

  Linnea’s hands started shaking again.

  “Your Majesty.” Marcus’ voice was quiet, but dark. “With all due respect… We’ve made the mistake of underestimating the potential for danger twice now.”

  Quinn’s gaze fell to the floor.

  “I, too, would prefer if we could trust everyone in Philotheum, but we can’t. As we’ve discussed, the situation is far more complicated than I think anyone realized, and we don’t know everyone involved, or how far the deception goes. The biggest target in this castle is your son – followed very closely by you. Or perhaps I even have that wrong. I have no idea what Tolliver, and those who support him, are after. We must protect both of you.”

  ~ Four ~

  Sophia and Charlotte

  AS QUINN HAD EXPECTED, there was fallout from the decision not to bring Samuel back to the party.

  She was alone in her apartment, rocking an almost-asleep Samuel when the pounding on the door started, startling him awake. Instinctively, Quinn stood, moving behind the rocker.

  “He should be in bed already,” Sophia snapped as soon as she was inside the room. “If you put him to bed properly, he wouldn’t be too tired to attend functions.”

  “He’s only two months old!” Quinn said, taking a step back to keep him away from her grandmother’s outstretched arms.

  “Two what old? You can’t be teaching him those ridiculous words. He’ll never be fit to rule a kingdom if you don’t train him properly. A prince has a duty to stay at an event until he says a formal farewell. Now give him to me. He needs to be put to bed. In his cradle, like a proper prince.”

  “He still needs to be burped.” Quinn took another step back. He didn’t need to, not really, but the rocking and patting motion might help hide the furious shaking of her hands.

  “Let me do it.”

  When the door opened just as Sophia was reaching for the baby again, Quinn nearly fell over in relief.

  Charlotte followed William into the room. She looked calm and composed, but a glint in her eye told Quinn that Charlotte had already assessed the situation. “I thought I’d come in to say goodnight,” she said. “That was a beautiful ceremony today, Sophia. Your planning was just perfect.”

  “Thank you, Charlotte. I would have thought you’d be tending your younger children now.”

  “They’re in bed, so I thought I’d step in here for a few minutes to spend some of the little time I have left here with William and Quinn. I’ll miss them when we return to Eirentheos the day after tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad to hear your children are asleep. I was just attempting to impress upon Quinn the importance of a proper bedtime for a royal child.”

  “Yes, I’m sure she’ll be putting him down here in a moment. I’m glad I had the chance to see you again this evening. I was just telling Ellen I hoped I would be able to tell you how beautiful those centerpieces were. She was wondering where you had disappeared to.”

  Sophia sighed. “I suppose I’d better go and find her, then.”

  “Perhaps we’ll have more time to visit tomorrow. I’ve heard so much about your collection of paintings. I’d love to see them.”

  “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll talk to you in the morning then.”

  Quinn had to use her finger to return her jaw to the right place once Sophia had disappeared into the hall.

  “Are the children really asleep?” she asked as she handed Samuel over to Charlotte.

  “I didn’t say anything about asleep. They’re in bed – or beds, more precisely. I believe Emma and Alex are trying to determine which mattress is bounciest. Alice might be reading in hers.”

  “No. Sarah distracted her,” William said, chuckling. “Now they’re building a hideout with all the quilts they can find. Father was helping, but he somehow wound up with three babies in his lap, so now he’s giving directions.”

  “Oh, I wish you weren’t leaving,” Quinn said to Charlotte. “I am never going to be able to handle my grandmother the way you just did. She was about to rip Samuel out of my arms and put him in the crib so I could listen to him scream. And then she could tell me how he’s only screaming because I’m doing something wrong.”

  “She means well,” William said, looking at his mother. “She’s just overly protective of Samuel – and upset that she didn’t get to see him sooner.”

  “I know she is. I’m trying to get along with her…” Quinn sighed. She wanted to have a relationship with her grandmother, wished that things could be as easy with her as they were with William’s family.

  But Charlotte had narrowed her eyes at her son. “Did you even ask Quinn what Sophia said when she was in here?”

  William looked at Quinn guiltily. “No. What did she say?”

  “I don’t know. The same kind of stuff as usual. Telling me I need to put him to bed. It doesn’t sound bad when I say it.”

  “Of course not,” Charlotte said. “When you repeat it, everyone just tells you she sounds like a concerned, well-meaning grandmother.”

  “You don’t think she means well?” William asked, surprise in his voice. “You think she means to upset Quinn?”

  “I don’t know whether what she means is good or not, William. I haven’t asked her, and I’m guessing you haven’t either. I hope she means well. It’s always helpful to assume that someone means well. The problem, as it concerns you, is that it doesn’t matter what she means. Look at your wife.”

  He did. Quinn could feel the difference when he really looked, when his steady hand stretched toward her still-shaky one.

  “Now,” Charlotte said, lowering her voice as Samuel was getting drowsy in her arms, “at the risk of exposing my own neck as a grandmother, both of you need to understand that being polite to Sophia and trying to get along with her isn’t the same as letting her run over you – over Quinn, especially. If she has good intentions, that’s lovely. It’s still none of her business when or where Samuel sleeps. Or what he eats, or whether he has socks on his feet, or even whether he remains at an event long enough to suit her. She’s not his mother.”

  “She is the former queen. She knows more about this than I do. I’ve never been a queen before. Or a mother.”

  “So ask for her advice, Quinn. Twenty seconds before
she starts in on you, if you can learn to time it. But remember you’re the queen now. And you’re Samuel’s mother. The advice may be hers to give, but the decisions are yours to make.” She kissed the now-sleeping baby on the forehead.

  “We do have a guard outside the door,” William said. “We could just ask James not to let her in.”

  Quinn chortled. “That would cause more problems than it would solve.”

  “Would it?” Charlotte asked. “I’ve no doubt it would upset her, but then she manages to upset both of you nearly every time she comes in here. Do you intrude on Sophia in her rooms?”

  “I’ve never even seen the inside of her apartment.”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrow knowingly. “You’re allowed to have rules like that, too, Quinn. Don’t confuse being polite and respectful with allowing someone to do whatever they want to you. Some things can’t be solved by giving in.” She looked at Will. “And when Sophia is crossing a line, Quinn needs help standing up to her, not excuses for Sophia’s behavior.”

  William nodded.

  “You can’t make people be who you wish they were. Sophia may come around, or she may never be quite the grandmother you imagine. In the meantime, William, Quinn needs your ear and your support more than she needs a grandmother. Standing up to Sophia isn’t going to be easy. It would be nice if she had more family, but it’s even more important for the family she has to cover for her.”

  Charlotte placed the sleeping infant carefully in William’s arms before turning back to Quinn. “I wish this wasn’t so challenging for you, and I wish I could be closer to help you navigate it. But my first advice is to listen to your feelings. If you feel like she’s overstepping, she is. Be nice, but have rules.” She hugged Quinn tightly. “And if you ever need me to send a message to my son to remind him whose side to take…”

  Quinn giggled, glancing toward the bedroom where William had carried their son. “He’s a fast learner. I think we’ll be okay.”

  * * *

  When William came out of the bedroom, Quinn was standing by the window, looking out at the dark night.