An hour later – hair done up prettily by Tara, and dress in place – Ellanor left her rooms to find the Duchess and continue the preparations for the ball. Lukas followed her closely, while Jane stayed behind guarding the doors for the day. Tara had slipped down below the castle right before Ellanor had left, off to more snooping. Ellanor tried not to think of her handmaid and all the things that could go wrong for her.
Redstone Castle was bustling with life as noon was nearing – avvir servants carrying decorations, cleaning supplies, and furnishings rushed by her. Some slowed as they passed, giving her polite nods, but most were too focused on their tasks to even notice her.
She crossed the great entrance where the doors stood wide open to the brewing spring outside. The stairs up front were being scrubbed down thoroughly by two young avvir boys, two others polishing the railings. Further out the gravel of the driveway was being raked, the surrounding garden getting a trim. The sight made her feel a tad homesick – she could imagine Mr. Waugh, the groundskeeper, was very likely preparing Skyward Manor for the spring right in that moment.
Continuing through the castle Ellanor made her way to the gargantuan ballroom. Despite having attended a few balls and parties at Redstone the room still managed to take her breath away.
The entrance doors opened up at the top of a large staircase – walking down it would make the lowliest peasant feel like royalty – that flowed down onto the pink marble floors of the room. The walls were of the same red stone as the rest of the castle, polished until perfectly reflective. The room itself was an oblong rectangle, the ceiling residing far above Ellanor’s head, and at the other end of the space lay an upraised section where there had once been a throne. Now, it housed an abundance of tables placed in a u-shape, all to be filled with foods and delicacies from Avvyr and Casanve both.
At the centre of the grand room, on top of a spectacular stone mural set into the floor, stood Yvet in conversation with Clados. The servant’s brown-spotted wings were lowered and folded back into a position that was most respectful, and Ellanor knew from it she must be delivering bad news. A small furrow had found its way between the Duchess’ brows, setting her face in deep contemplation.
Panic burned in Ellanor’s chest, but she choked it down – no need to jump to conclusions.
It was the golden avvir that noticed Ellanor at the top of the stairs first, abruptly straightening her wings and bowing her head. Yvet turned from Clados, and smiled broadly as her eyes landed on Ellanor. With a wave the servant was dismissed, no sign left of the tension between them.
“Marvelous, is it not?” Yvet called as she approached the stairs from across the room. The golden avvir snuck away and disappeared from view, too quick for Ellanor to see where.
With a greeting smile, Ellanor descended to the main floor of the grand hall, careful not to let her tail drag on the newly polished steps. “It is lovely. I am impressed you managed to pull this off in just a week.”
Yvet made a noise that was something between a laugh and a snort. “Oh, hush, you flatter me. Look! The fabrics have arrived,” she suddenly exclaimed and rushed away in a flurry of skirts. Ellanor turned her head to where half a dozen servants filed into the ball room, all carrying bolts of lilac, light blue, and white fabric. The Duchess returned holding a small square of the textile in her hand. She smiled broadly as she handed over the scrap for Ellanor to examine.
The lilac fabric was light and slightly sheer, matte and soft in texture, with small embroidered lilies covering the surface. It was beautiful – Lourelle would have loved it.
“This is too much, Yvet,” Ellanor began, “the cost of this–”
The Duchess cut Ellanor off with a wave of her hand, shaking her head with a smile. “It is nothing, dear Ellanor. Lourelle was an old and close friend to Redstone. It is the least I owe.”
Ellanor curtseyed, earning an amused smile from Yvet. “Thank you. I really appreciate it, I do.”
Yvet gave a small nod back, then clapped her hands once. “Well then! Let us get to it then, shall we? This room shall be fit for royalty!” She sauntered across the room, to where the servants had begun unfurling the rolls of fabric across the floor.
Getting to it really meant giving instructions to the servants on how the room should be decorated. Once the lengths of fabric had been unraveled and checked, it was cascaded from the ceiling in lovely drapes, slowly turning the room from its usual red self to a soft pastel landscape.
They were about one fourth done when Jane entered the ballroom and descended the stairs with steady steps. Lukas stiffened as she approached, most likely fearing the worst, taking an almost unnoticeable step closer to Ellanor. The other guard came to a stop before them and bent smoothly into a bow, wings lowering to the floor.
“Jane?” Ellanor inqueried.
“Madam,” Jane said and straightened back up, “a message arrived from Skyward. Mr. Waugh has some questions about the garden.”
“Oh,” said Ellanor, spotting the lie only because Mr. Waugh knows he has free reign to do what he pleases with the garden. He could decide to turn it into a swamp and Ellanor would without doubt find it beautiful. She knew then something must be wrong. “I am not sure I have the time–”
Yvet cut in. “Oh, I can finish up here, you go ahead and see what your groundskeeper writes. Must be urgent if he cannot wait until your return.”
“If it is not too much to ask,” Ellanor said with a nod. “Thank you, Yvet. The decorations are really lovely.” The Duchess smiled and gave a small wave as Ellanor followed Jane out, Lukas in tow. Not before they were out of earshot did Ellanor dare speak.
“Has something happened?” she asked. There were still plenty of avvir servants around them, so she tried to keep the question as neutral as her nerves permitted.
Jane kept her eyes ahead. “Nothing big, just Mr. Waugh’s usual anxiety I suppose.”
This did not make Ellanor feel better – the groundskeeper was not an anxious man, rather the opposite. Whatever had happened it was urgent enough to cause Jane to make up a lie.
Upon arriving at the doors to Ellanor’s rooms, they found them unguarded. Jane must have noticed Ellanor glance around for she said in a hushed tone, “I sent them away before I left. They were not doing any good anyway.” She placed her hand on the door handle and it lit up with a pale green light. Ellanor’s eyes widened as the lock clicked open with a hiss.
“I did not know you knew magic,” she said to Jane once inside the doors. Lukas looked equally surprised.
“What you just saw is the extent of it,” the guard said as she checked the rooms. “Basic locking spells and wards. My mother taught me – she is a healer.”
Ellanor had much more to ask about this new discovery, but it would have to wait. “What has happened,” she asked as she sat down on the couch, tail twitching beside her. “I suppose there is no letter from Mr. Waugh?”
“There is not.” Jane finished checking the main room and sat down on the couch opposite Ellanor. Lukas stayed by the door. “I caught Clados in your room just now.”
Ellanor sighed at this. “That woman is everywhere, how does she do it?” The two guards grunted their agreements, Lukas muttering “she was just in the ballroom with us”.
“Well,” Ellanor continued, “there is nothing in here for Clados to find. Did you confront her?”
Jane leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, face hard. “Yes. She must have snuck in through one of the servant’s passages – I was guarding inside the doors with two castle guards on the outside. I would not have noticed her if she had not made a slip and tipped something over in your room.”
Ellanor frowned, but it was Lukas who uttered their concern. “That is unlike her.”
“Yes, it is,” Jane nodded, “but I cannot think of a reason why she would alert me to her presence. It must have been an accident – maybe she did not know I was in the room next door.”
“Tara mentioned spotting Clados in Dalton’s private study yesterday,” Ellanor said, fingers drumming against her chin. “She has been busy since the Duchess’ return, it seems.”
Jane straightened. “That is not good. You believe the Duke might leave evidence of his crimes laying around?”
Ellanor shook her head. “No, he is not that stupid. Besides, he has been running this operation for years – no, Clados is only snooping around now because Yvet suspects something. Whatever she has found, it must have been reported to Yvet already,” she added, more to herself.
Lukas stepped forward from his position at the doors and glanced between Jane and Ellanor. “Then we should leave,” he said.
“If we leave before the ball the Duchess will be even more suspicious,” Jane pointed out.
“Then we leave right after the ball. Claim sickness, or just leave.”
When Ellanor did not answer Jane spoke. “We have been here for twelve days, Madam. It would not be impolite to leave right after the ball. We have to admit it is no longer safe for you here.”
“I know,” Ellanor bit out. She dragged her hands across her face, taking a deep breath before getting up. “We stay until after the ball. You are right – fifteen days total is more than enough for a visit at this time. Yvet will understand that Skyward needs me back.”
Standing as well Jane nodded her agreement. Lukas, on the other hand, looked ready to argue, but one swift elbow in the side from Jane had him checking himself. He bowed his head and muttered a “yes, Madam”. Ellanor nodded back and turned for her room.
“Guard the doors,” she said with a wave over her shoulder, “I have a letter to write.”
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