The oak floorboards creaked, her ears following every step long before the old door opened with a groan, inviting the hallway’s dusty light into the room’s gloom. Even with the firepce crag and oil mps along the walls, it seemed like only moonlight could cut through the shadows, bathing her in a silvery light.

  “Lr,” she said.

  “Your not-so Royal Highness,” he said, pausing there to chuckle, eyes pinched by his broad smile as he very mujoyed his own joke. “Lady Augstadt, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  She gave ion to his antics, simply took a sip of tea before closing the rge book oable. Raising her gaze, she picked out her butler and, at her look, he stepped out the room. Gr’s butler watched, but did not follow.

  “This matter is one of secrecy,” she said, pointedly looking at the butler. “Is he to be trusted?”

  “Oh, old Grim? I dare say I would trust him with my life,” Gr said, turning to give his butler a heavy the shoulder, nearly toppling the middle-aged man.

  She smiled, the kind of smile that looked sweet. “I hoped you would say that.”

  Gr shuffled over, his eyes darting around the room. “You know, when your father was still around, I visited quite often. This pce hasn’t ged much, has it? He kept his records along that bookshelf,” he said, pointing over.

  “Indeed, he did. I have had no reason to disagree with his arras, so I have kept things as they are,” she said, her gaze never leaving him.

  “A good child, very filial,” he said, more muttering aloud than speaking to her.

  She crossed her hands on the desk. “The matter, then,” she said, her voice quieter.

  He seemed to sober up, assed for his joviality melting into a sombre expression. With a creak, he sat down on the chair in front of the desk, already tapping his foot. “You say the Prince had designs on my nd?”

  “I am careful not to say anything, and twice as careful not to leave it in writing,” she replied, pulling a slip of paper out of the book in front of her. It had a single senten it, which read: “He hopes t mrain to the capital.”

  Gr looked over the familiar sentehen slid it back to her; she turned around and pced it in the fire, watg the eime it burned until there was nothi, then turned back to face him.

  “You uand his iions?” she asked.

  “How I not? The grain es through my nd and it’s only by taxing it my barony prosper,” he said, again talking aloud more than to her. “Whatever pns he has, the first part is surely to seize trol of the toll.”

  She said nothing, simply sat there, watg.

  He raised his gaze, finding hers and giving a rueful smile. “Of course, your father raised you well, did he not? You sought me, not out of kindness, but knowing that he must have other means to deal with you than marriage, no?”

  “My Lord is as clear on these matters as my father thought,” she said, answering his smile in kind.

  “Yes, your father and I often spoke of these matters too. A brilliant man. Truly, he gave me much good advice over the years. If not for him, well, I remember being unvi the time, yet he was corre most things, so I took him at his word and it has all worked out perfectly.”

  She tilted her head. “That is, you are speaking oter of the grain tax?”

  “Indeed. A merary pany with no ties to this pce, what do they care if some have to suffer? If anything, they relish in it, any excuse to wet their bdes,” he said, pausing to chuckle. “While other lords have to fear rebellion when famines es, I instead make a tidy profit. After all, there are always more peasants, sprouting up in open fields like weeds.”

  At his joke, she gave a smile. “So they are.”

  While his humour faded, he tapped his . “Enough of the past. This matter, do you have insight into what means he pns to take? Whether material or of his personality, I do not care, any clue helpful in pnning to obstruct him.”

  “Well, it is not that I do not wish to help My Lord…” she said, bowing her head as she trailed off.

  “Afraid, are we?” he said, his tole. After a long sed, she gave the smallest nod. “No need for that. Your father, I owe him a great deal, and it is not good to allow the Royalty sujustices. On principle, I would try my best to preserve your nd. However, if all else fails, I extend an offer of safe haven.”

  She listened patiently, the out a shaky breath as she raised her head. “My father said you could be trusted, so I will do my best,” she said.

  He grinned, pig at the brim of his top hat. “Such a good daughter. Do call me Uncle William,” he said.

  “Once we finish this discussion,” she said, smiling. “This is a talk between peers, is it not? My apologies, I should be more formal.”

  He let out a chuckle as he leaned back the chair. “You are doing well—your father would be proud.”

  She held her smile for a moment, theled into a ral expression, her haing on the book. “I ot say for sure; however, if I had to guess, he intends to find issue with your son and pay off yuard.”

  “Murder and interfering with wful succession?” Gr mumbled, looking down, then looked up at her and asked, “You think him capable and ceous enough?”

  She gave a lopsided smile. “He is ceous enough to break a betrothal arranged by his father and I heard rumours on my many visits to the Royal Pace. Besides, whether or not he is, it is not as if he would be the oo put the bde to your neck. Which of us ot find the ce to say a single word?”

  “Indeed, all he would need is an advisor willing to ask him,” Gr muttered.

  “Of course, that pn hinges on the loyalty of yuard. What good is him finding issue with your son if there is no iao yet test?”

  His haed over his mouth, eyes focused on some distant spot beyond the firepce. “That is, to meddle, he intends to frame my son?” he asked.

  “I would think so. How else would he justify suspending the iao our peers?” she said.

  He shut his eyes, face sched up, rubbing his forehead. “Such a vile man would bee our king one day,” he whispered.

  She smiled. “He hides it well.”

  Gr let out a heavy sigh, sloug in the chair as he did. She picked up her teacup and took another sip before pg it back down.

  “If he is brave enough to frame my son, then he is brazen enough to cim su act would disi my grandsons,” he said.

  “While we discuss tingencies for the worst, suffice to say it would be better if we could avoid them altogether,” she said, softly smiling.

  He looked at her, nodding. “I would. Yes, the matter of my murder,” he said, his lips curling into an ironic smile. “My apologies, you even asked of my guards’ loyalty. It is, I suppose, feasible that they could be paid off. After all, I sought them out precisely for their loyalty to mohat said, they have lived well off my and the leader is a ical man, knowing full well that a chi which ys eggs is better than one meal of meat.”

  “I see…. And you are fortable to keep paying them? If not, I have some savings I could tribute,” she said.

  He chortled at that. “My dear, of all the worries I may have, money is not one. Although I may indulge, it is reasonable.”

  She nodded. “Then there should be no reason to worry about his pn at all,” she said.

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, bing his moustache with a nail. “I doubt he would give up so easily.”

  Pouting, a wrinkle formed on her brow, which made him ugh. Before he could ent on it, though, she said, “I fear that he may simply foe first. If I die, there is no oo i, so it would be easy for him to seize the nd. Rather than that, what if I leave my title to My Lord?”

  His expression softened. “You are quite brave to think beyond your life so clearly,” he said.

  Her hands atop the book ched. “After what he did to me, I wish for nothing more than to be a nuisao him, however that may be,” she whispered.

  Gr looked on, a softness in his gaze as if he truly was her uncle. “Yes, you really are as clever as your father, and as beautiful as your mother. That is a wonderful idea.”

  She broke into a sweet smile. “Truly?” she said, then her eyes widened. “Oh, what if you did the same? That is, after your son, of course. It would mean that, if the worst did e to pass, I could hold on to it until your son is cleared and rightfully return it to him.”

  He nodded along, eyes pinched. “Certainly, that would make it easier to sleep at night,” he said, then turned around to his butler. “Grim, would you see to the wman when we are back? A trivial ge, it shouldn’t need much of his time.”

  “Yes, sir,” the butler said, bowing his head.

  At that moment, a kno the d out. Gr looked to her and she smiled.

  “You may enter,” she said loudly.

  The door opened without a sound, her butler entering with a tray. Gr saw that and tutted. “Poor thing, you barely pay for the staff, yet offered to help me with money? When I return home, the first thing I will do is send some maids over to help. On my , of course,” he said.

  She softly smiled, watg her butler pour the brandy for her guest. “Like my father did?”

  Gr stilled for a moment, then nodded. “You are talking of old Grim? It is true your father reended him to me, yes; however, I assure you, I have been the one paying him,” he said.

  “Of course. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise,” she said.

  He settled, his gaze drifting to the gss in front of him, a smirk tugging at the er of his mouth. “Your father did always have the best brandy. I must fess, I have quite missed it.”

  “Then please, indulge,” she said, gesturing at the gss with a smile.

  Without a sed thought, he picked up the gss and gave it a swirl. “Yes, your father and I talked many nights over brandy and whiskey, oh how he loved to praise his sweet daughter. You know, if he did not mao snag up a prince, I dare say I would be your father-in-w,” he said, ending with another smile that sched up his face.

  She gently ughed. “Uncle William will have to do,” she said.

  As if waiting for her to say that, he took a sip, the old taste as familiar as the st time he’d had it years ago. “Ah, liquor truly is life’s fi luxury.” After another sip, he gave her a wink, saying, “Uncle William will have some suitable drinks for dies prepared for your birthday. When is that, month?”

  “Rather than that, how about we sign the new wills now?” she asked, opening the book in front of her.

  He frowned, but took another sip before asking, “You had your will prepared already?”

  “Of course, and yours.”

  A chill ran down his spine and, as tipsy as he felt after beied with his beloved brandy, what he saw sobered him instantly. “Th-that is—” he said, pushing himself back from the table, scrambling to his feet as the chair fell back, hitting the floor with a loud thud. “How did you—”

  “It would be best if you sig,” she said, pushing the book over with a copy of his will shown—except for where it had been ameo include her.

  “No, no, what game are you pying? I won’t. I won’t!” he said, voice rising to a shout.

  She smiled and, this time, there was no doubt in his mind that it was a sickly sweet smile. “I would reend calming down. After all, your heart might go at any moment.”

  His eyes widened and gaze jerked to the gss still in his hand. Overe with a rush e, he went to throw it at her, only to find his arm in a tight, unyielding grip. All he could do was drop the gss, shattering on the floor, his beloved brandy spread across the floorboards.

  Turning around as far as he could, he caught his butler’s eye. “Grim! Go get the guards!”

  “Right away, sir,” his butler said, only to stay there, unmoving.

  “My father was rather tale finding good people,” she said.

  He snapped around, his eyes wide, breaths boured, and the tightness in his chest only made him panic more. “My son—he won’t let you get away with this!”

  “Oh dear, but didn’t you know? Your heart attack is because we learhat your son and his whole family are dead,” she said, the on her face, in her voice, so believable that, even knowing it was a lie, he couldn’t help but half-believe her.

  “My… son?” he said, f each word out.

  She sighed, bringing the book back to her side of the table. “It is a good thing we updated our wills a month ago, as verified by your exer Grim, otherwise some may have suspis. Of course, it is not ued that, after all you have done, some peasants would attack your son’s carriage upon learning of when and where he would be travelling. Given your lifestyle, to die so suddenly isn’t ued either. I dare say no doctor would be able to tell it remature ending.”

  As his heart struggled, a shooting pain down his arm, he held on to the surging anger for strength. “Did you utter a siruth this night?” he asked with a strained and pained voice.

  She smiled. “It would have been easier if you sighe will,” she said, tilting her head. “Oh and, let it be known, my father was a great man who raised me well after my mother’s passing. However, this game of politics he pyed so well, he pyed by mother’s rules.”

  Her hand tapping the book in front of her, he looked at it, only now that he was reminded reising the first name paired with the maiden hat book he had always seen her father reading, the book her father would often check during their discussions, which had disappeared upon his death, only to return now she had.

  “Unlike you, I won’t dare leave ao take vengeane,” she said, standing up, walking over until she was a step away from him. Before he could even think to do anything, her butler took hold of his other arm. Staring him in the eye, she whispered, “My father sends his regards.”

  Walking over to the door, ready to send out the call for a doctor, she had o thing to say.

  “The poison was not even in the brandy, was it, Mr Grim?”