Chapter 24

Clara

Prince Marcus gave me his orders. He wanted me to be a spy for him. He wanted an agent close to Prince Gideon. He told me that as a servant, I could stay close to Prince Gideon and watch him without anyone thinking it was suspicious.

“No one pays any attention to servants, after all,” Prince Marcus said. “You’re all basically part of the scenery as far as anyone important is concerned. You’re tools, nothing more.”

I glared. It was safe enough to do that, since he couldn’t see my face in the dark.

“Anyway. There are some papers in Gideon’s office. I want you to find them, take them, and bring them to me.”

What, was I supposed to grab the first random packet of papers I found?

I reached out and tapped Prince Marcus’ hand.

“What?” Prince Marcus paused. “Oh. You don’t know which papers to bring me.”

I squeezed his hand once.

“Yes, well. I suppose it’s too much to hope you can read.”

I squeezed his hand again.

“Wait, you’re literate?”

I squeezed his hand.

“Will wonders never cease, a literate maid. Who taught you to read? And why bother?”

I had no way to answer him. My adoptive mother had taught me. She insisted that I learn.

“You won’t always be a simple low rank maid,” she had told me. “And being literate will be a useful skill as you climb the ranks. Plus, it’s a way to communicate. Not everyone will understand your signs.”

“Well, I guess that’s convenient anyway,” Prince Marcus said after a moment. “I want you to bring me any papers labelled “battle report.”

I squeezed his hand once to show I understood.

“There we go,” Prince Marcus said. “I’m sure you can come up with an excuse to be in Prince Gideon’s office. I’ll leave you to it. I know you won’t dare fail me.”

He turned and left the tiny room. I stayed behind, blinking in the sudden light from the hallway.

I went back to my duties. I could not be caught slacking. I couldn’t offer the excuse that Prince Marcus had wanted to talk to me. No one would believe it.

While I worked, I thought about his demands. Why would he want battle reports from Prince Gideon’s office? Marcus was a prince, too. He should have access to any reports he wanted.

At least it didn’t seem like he wanted me to take anything that could be used against Prince Gideon. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if he had asked for something like that.

I owed Prince Gideon my life. I hated the idea of spying on him for Prince Marcus. But I had no choice. It wasn’t just my life on the line. Nora would be caught up in it too if Marcus carried out his threats.

I needed an excuse to go into Prince Gideon’s office. I remembered what the butler said about taking initiative. I could claim I was doing that. Surely something in the office needed dusted or straightened up.

I found a feather duster and gathered up the bed linens for both Prince Gideon and Nora’s rooms. I would switch out the sheets and then duck into the office to dust.

There actually was quite a bit of dust on several surfaces. Prince Gideon’s desk was scrupulously neat, but the top of his filing cabinet and the edges of his bookshelves had accumulated a thin layer of dust. I would just claim I’d noticed it while serving dinner.

I dusted the bookshelf first, so that I wouldn’t look suspicious. I checked the books there, in case any papers had been shoved between the pages of the expensive leather tomes. My foster mother used to keep notes in her books sometimes.

Several of the books had bits of folded parchment marking pages, but none of them had anything useful written on them. Most of the books were reference materials. I wondered what if anything Prince Gideon read for pleasure.

I went to the filing cabinet next and dusted the top. I tried the top drawer and found it locked. That was a problem.

I checked the desk. The only papers there were the prince’s daily schedule and several letters he was in the process of writing. There was nothing about battle.

There had to be a key to the filing cabinet somewhere. I just couldn’t picture Prince Gideon keeping something like that on his person at all times. Where would he hide it?

It had to be nearby, for convenience. I checked the desk drawers, but there was no sign of a key. That was probably too obvious.

I noticed a little table tucked against the wall. It had a vase and several small carved statues. What it didn’t have was any dust. The shelves and file cabinet had dust, but the table didn’t, which meant that it was used more.

Somehow I didn’t picture Prince Gideon as an avid flower arranger. I picked up each tiny statue, and grinned when I reached the third one. It was hollow, and there was a tiny brass key inside.

I tried the key in the filing cabinet, and it opened to reveal rows of neat little folders. The third folder from the front was helpfully labelled “battle reports.”

I took the entire folder. Every page was marked “battle report” and I had no idea which one Prince Marcus might want. I closed and locked the filing cabinet and tucked the key back into its little statue.

I checked the office over one more time to make certain there was no sign of my presence besides the lack of dust. I went to the door and froze. I heard the outer door to the royal apartment click open. Prince Gideon was back.

I was trapped! My excuse about dusting would explain my presence, but not the sheaf of papers I still held in my hand. I had planned to hide them in the pile of dirty bed linens but I hadn’t had the chance.

Prince Gideon took a step into his room. I pressed myself against the office wall, barely daring to breathe.

I realized as his footsteps drew closer that he was heading right for his office.

“Gideon,” Nora’s voice echoed from the hallway. “I need your help. Would you come with me for a moment?”

The footsteps stopped as Gideon paused.

“Of course,” Gideon said.

I slumped in relief as Gideon’s footsteps retreated out the door. I waited for a short count before I darted for the door.

There was no one outside when I dared to crack the outer door. Nora must have led him into her rooms. I silently blessed her sense of timing and scurried down the hall to my own room.

I hid the folder under my mattress. I would meet Prince Marcus in the garden in the morning to deliver it, as ordered. Until then, I would serve Prince Gideon and Nora their evening meal and try my best to act like everything was normal.

I only hoped that this was enough for Prince Marcus. There was no way I could do anything like that ever again. My heart was still hammering in terror.

At dinner, Prince Gideon mentioned that he’d found his office had been dusted.

“Do you know anything about that, Clara?” he asked.

“Oh, I ran a rag over your bookshelves, when I brought up the sheets,” I said. “Should I not have gone in there? I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Prince Gideon said. “I appreciate the extra effort but you don’t have to trouble yourself. Focus on Nora’s needs, not mine in the future.”

I bowed. “Thank you, Prince Gideoon.”

The prince dismissed me with a gentle smile and I left, feeling both anxious and guilty. What if he noticed the missing folder? He knew I had been in his office and he would surely realize I had to be the one to take it.

My only hope was that he didn’t check his filing cabinet often. It was quite dusty.