Page 117 of The Twisted Throne
“Tell me of this urgent need you have of Edward,” she said, picking up her knitting, the needles making little clicking noises as she worked. “You look as though you’ve been dragged through a pasture by your own horse, so I expect it is nothing good.”
“Caught in a storm on the Ranges,” he said. “A significant number of cattle were lost.”
“You didn’t gallop through the night to tell Edward about deadcows,” Alexandra said, eyes not moving from her work. “Try again.”
James didn’t answer.
The trouble with lying to Alexandra was that she always knew more than she reasonably should, and the consequences of being caught in a lie by her were unfailingly painful. “It’s for my father’s ears, Your Grace.”
She made a soft humming noise, then began another row of stitches, fingers moving swiftly. “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with Ahnna Kertell?”
The muscles in his jaw clenched, because of course she knew. Alexandra always knew.
“She’s why Edward returned to Verwyrd,” Alexandra said. “We have come to believe that there is a great deal of conflict between the Kertell twins, and that perhaps Ahnna does not have the influence over Aren that we had hoped.”
“Does this information come via Virginia?” James asked flatly.
“It comes from many places. The Ithicanians are not as secretive as they once were, and our spies posing as merchants have learned of the bad blood between Ahnna and Lara, which has caused a rift between Ahnna and her brother. He sides with his wife in all things, and it has caused tremendous conflict. The rumors sway two directions: The first being that Aren sent Ahnna to us to get rid of her and the second that Ahnna abandoned Ithicana because she could not stand to watch her brother simper to the Maridrinian woman who nearly destroyed Ithicana. Edward seems inclined to believe the latter, for he is convinced that Ahnna is the people’s princess.”
“She is the people’s princess,” James hedged. “But the conflict between her and Aren has been overstated. Likewise the extent of her animosity toward Lara.”
Alexandra tilted her head. “She told you this?”
“Yes.” To give more detail felt like he’d be betraying Ahnna’s confidence.
“Interesting.” Alexandra pursed her lips. “And yet it is in direct conflict with every other source, including her own cousin Taryn, and Lara’s sister Bronwyn.Hate,I believe, is the word most often used to describe Ahnna’s sentiment toward her sister-in-law. Ahnna holds Lara entirely to blame for the hurt inflicted upon Ithicana.”
“That they believe so doesn’t make it the truth.”
“That Ahnna told you otherwise doesn’t make it the truth.” Alexandra gave him a small smile. “That’s the game, isn’t it, James? To puzzle through reams of gossip and speculation, all of which seems in direct contradiction, to find the truth. And once one has it, to know what to do with it.”
“I know that Ahnna harbors no ill will toward her brother,” he countered. “Nor he to her.”
“He did not even grace her with a goodbye when she departed Northwatch,” Alexandra said, starting yet another row of stitches. “Sent her with a laughable escort, put gross restrictions on her spending, and has sent no communication beyond an announcement of his daughter’s birth. Would you treat Virginia so, Jamie?” Not giving him a chance to answer, she added, “Unless it is an act, it seems that Aren wants nothing to do with his sister. If it is not an act, I worry of what greater plans might be afoot.”
Why would Aren pretend to quarrel with his sister?James silently wondered even as he asked aloud, “What does my father intend to do?”
“He is quite taken with Ahnna, so he’s furious at how he perceives Aren has treated her. He was fit to be tied when he rode out, if I am being honest. Cursing and carrying on.” Alexandra sighed. “And you know how Edward reacts when he’s angry. Digs in hisheels. All the worse when he’s in his cups. He did not share his precise plans before he went galloping out the gates of Whitewood Hall, but I anticipate we’ll discover them when we arrive in Verwyrd.”
Trepidation filled James’s chest, because if his father’s ambivalence toward Aren had turned to dislike, there would be no chance that he’d risk the negotiations with Cardiff to protect Aren’s interests. Yet all he said was, “I’ve never known you to be content with waiting for information, Your Grace. What do you predict he will do?”
“I expect that we’ll see a wedding very soon. Edward is the most powerful man in the known world, James, and he will have his way.”
It hurt to breathe, because his mind kept trying to forget that it was William whom Ahnna would marry. “You are content with that? For William to marry Ahnna even if she brings no power over Ithicana’s ruler?”
Alexandra did not answer. And experience had taught James not to press.
Silence stretched. For minutes. Then an hour, James’s stomach twisting into tighter and tighter knots with each passing mile they drew closer to Verwyrd.
As the carriage rolled into the gate town, wheels rattling over cobbles, Alexandra’s hands finally stilled. “I know you and I have not been friends, Jamie. That for all we share the name of Ashford, we are not family. But I don’t think you have any doubt in your heart that everything I do is for the benefit of William and Virginia.”
“Of that I have no doubt.” His mouth was dry, his voice hoarse.
“William needs a strong woman as his queen,” she said. “And while Ahnna is not the sort of woman I would choose for him, I dothink she is the key to the bridge. She’s far more valuable than anyone gives her credit for.”
“How so?”
Alexandra gave a small shrug, leaning against the window, eyes fixed on the Sky Palace. “That, James, is a question you need to pose to your father.”
