Van chuckled.
Marek didn’t spare the two traitors as much as a glance as he strode away from the table. His thoughts were racing—he needed help, and he knew only one person who might even consider helping him, and really that was a winged prayer. But he had seen the way Osiander had looked at Dromio and Van.
He knew that it was entirely possible that Osiander was just as treacherous as the other two. Marek didn’t know whom he could trust—besides Hollis, that was.
He had to try. He couldn’t reach the king on his own. Osiander was his only hope.
Marek strode to the room he knew Osiander to occupy and knocked on the door. No one answered. He strained to hear some movement behind the door, but it was pointless—his hearing was too weak.
Marek put his hands on his waist and stared at the carpet at his feet. This was it, then. Short of storming the palace and demanding to speak to the king, there was nothing more he could do. He could go to the Alucians, but why would they help him? They had everything they wanted from this summit.
The door suddenly swung open. Osiander stood in the door, his hair wet, a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked Marek up and down.“Je?”
Marek stared at him. The words he needed to say would not form as quickly as he would have liked. How exactly did one say he suspected two ministers were plotting against the king?
“Out with it, man,” Osiander said in Weslorian.
Marek drew a breath. He leaned forward and said softly, “I have reason to believe that Lord Dromio and Lord Van are plotting against the king.”
Osiander’s gaze turned hard, and he glowered at Marek. For a moment, Marek fully expected guards to be summoned to detain him. What would they do to him—hang him? Drive him out of London and drop him in a marsh? Toss him overboard on the voyage home? Incarcerate him and make him stand trial before his father?
“Come in,” Osiander said, and then looked up and down the hall to see if anyone was about. “Don’t stand there, come in,” he urged him, and opened the door wider.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
King Maksim, the Duke of Tannymeade, and Prime Minister Russell gathered at the House of Lords to sign the accord between the kingdoms of Alucia and Wesloria. Peace has been achieved, although some say at a great cost to Wesloria. King Maksim had to be helped to the dais, as his health has been weak of late. While the accord was being signed, reports from the continent arrived citing unrest in the Astasian coal-mining region between the two countries.
It would appear that the desire to address social ills is only for warmer days, as the Coalition for Morality and Decency has not been seen near Piccadilly Circus, nor any other public place since the colder weather set in.
—Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies
HOLLISPACEDINfront of the hearth until Donovan made her go to bed. “He’s not coming tonight,” Donovan said firmly, and put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward the door.
“But he said he would.”
“Aye, he said he would come as soon as he was able, but it would appear he is not able tonight. And you’ll be no use to him if you are dead on your feet. But he will come, Hollis.”
“What if something has happened to him?” Just voicing the thought aloud made her feel queasy. She’d felt this way once before—the day Percy hadn’t come home when he was expected. “I shouldn’t have let him go,” she said with a moan.
“He’s a grown man, love. You couldn’t have prevented him. Go on, then, go to bed. I’ll send Ruth to you when he comes.”
Hollis did as Donovan requested—she went upstairs and began to pace there. But eventually she tired herself out and lay down on her bed, fully clothed. She couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept racing around thoughts of Marek. She imagined that the four soldiers had beat him just like Donovan had been beaten. He could be dead by now. Donovan said Hackney Wick could be dangerous.
She thought of the way he always looked at her, with that half smile that made him look somewhat amused, somewhat confused, but mostly intrigued. She thought of the way he watched her lips when she spoke. Of his quiet strength. Of the heat of his body, and how easily he held her.
Lord. She’d gone and fallen in love with him like a fool.
She eventually did sleep, and her reward was to be rudely awakened by Donovan. She heard him whisper her name, and when she opened her eyes, he was looming over her.“Aiiee!”she shouted and rolled away from him. “What the devil are you doing?” She pressed a hand to her wildly beating heart.
“Pardon, but Ruth has gone out to the market. Get dressed and come downstairs.”
“Has something happened?”
“Aye, something has happened.” He suddenly smiled. “Mr. Brendan has come.”
With a gasp, Hollis clambered out of bed and ran to her vanity. She could hear Donovan chuckling as he went out of the room.
Hollis assembled herself as quickly as she could, knotting her hair loosely at her nape, and buttoned the last buttons of her blouse as she flew down the stairs.
