Chapter 27

Gideon

I heard my brother’s voice in an odd location. For some reason, he was in one of the gazebos in a garden near the servants’ dormitories. Marcus wasn’t exactly an avid fan of gardens, and he considered the servants beneath him. So why was he there?

I hesitated at the edge of the garden when I spotted Marcus and realized he wasn’t alone. Was he meeting with a lover? I certainly did not want to walk in on that!

But then I heard the scratch of chalk on slate and I took a closer look at Marcus’ company. That was Clara!

I hurried over. My brother had some sort of grudge against the maid. I didn’t want to see her hurt again. I owed it to Nora to protect her friend, too.

“Are you bullying Nora’s maid again, Marcus?” I asked.

I couldn’t imagine what else he would be doing. I noticed that Clara had a slate and chalk with her. That was clever. Not many of the other servants in the royal palace understood sign. As far as I knew, only the cook and the butler did.

“No,” Marcus scoffed. “I am not bullying her. Am I, dear?”

Clara glared at him, but she also shook her head.

“Are you all right?” I asked her and she nodded.

“Then what is going on here?” I asked.

I didn’t really expect an answer. Clara couldn’t speak and Marcus had been weird and evasive about everything lately. I hadn’t had a normal conversation with my brother in weeks.

Marcus sighed heavily. And then he slung an arm over Clara’s shoulder and pulled her in tight. She was startled enough to lose her grip on the slate. I caught it on the way to the ground so it wouldn’t shatter.

“I guess we can’t hide it anymore, my dear,” Marcus said to her.

Her eyes widened. She shook her head rapidly. What was going on?

“Well, brother, this isn’t how I wanted to announce it, but you’ve left me no choice. I have found my fated mate. It’s this woman.”

I stared as my wolf writhed in rage. Despite everything the damn beast wanted Clara. I hushed it and swallowed hard so I could speak.

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“There is no mistaking this feeling. You should know that, brother. Don’t you feel this way when you’re with what’s-her-name?”

“Nora,” I growled.

“Yes,” Marcus snapped his fingers. “Nora, that’s her. Don’t you feel like there’s no other woman in the whole world when you look at her face? Doesn’t your wolf dance inside you and whine for her touch?”

I crossed my arms. “If you feel that way about Clara,” I said, “Why have you been treating her so badly? You tried to have her whipped to death.”

I remembered that scene vividly. The poor girl had been terrified, and rightly so. Thirty strikes from a salted whip would most certainly have killed her. Only five strikes from a normal whip had knocked her unconscious.

Marcus growled. “That was a mistake. That other maid set her up. The one you had whipped in her place and banished.” He paused and tilted his head. “Thank you for that, by the way. I should have taken care of it but I was angry and confused.”

“Oh. Well, I was just seeing justice done. It was my duty,” I said.

I honestly hadn’t thought anything about the other maid once I delivered the sentence. She had lied to get another maid punished, so she took that punishment instead. It was only right.

“Yes, of course, it’s your duty,” Marcus said. “And you always do your duty.”

Why was there mockery in his voice? He was a prince, too. He understood the responsibilities on our shoulders. I sighed.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. “Why have you been so cruel to Clara?”

“I was confused,” Marcus said. “And I thought my wolf had gone insane. I mean, she’s a servant! Is it even allowed?”

I nodded. No one could choose their fated mate. That was well known. Therefore, the rules about choosing a wife were relaxed.

“It’s allowed,” I said. “Didn’t you know that?”

“I honestly never thought I would find my mate so I never looked into it,” Marcus said. “But hey, you found your mate. And they’re even friends! Isn’t that convenient?”

“I guess it is,” I said.

Nora would be happy that her friend would be her social equal again. She was uncomfortable having Clara as her servant.

I was a little jealous, though. Marcus described what all the stories said about finding your mate. Nora described much the same sensation when she looked at me. All I felt for her was gratitude. My wolf yearned for Clara, which was ridiculous.

Nora was the one who saved me when I was injured and blinded. Nora was the one who claimed to be my fated one. Clara was only her friend, and not one I found particularly trustworthy.

In that way, she and Marcus were well matched. Marcus had always been secretive. He plotted and planned. He schemed.

I shook myself. There was no reason to be jealous. I wasn’t convinced that I would ever feel anything more for Nora than I already did, but I had promised her a little time. Maybe with Clara mated, my wolf would turn away from his strange yearning and notice Nora instead.

I turned to Clara. “Did you only just realize he was your mate? You’ve never given any hint that you felt that way. I would have arranged an introduction.”

Clara blushed and shrugged, and reached for her slate. I handed it over.

“I thought you would think I was scheming,” she wrote.

I winced. I would have thought that. No wonder she didn’t say anything.

“Well,” I said, “Let me be the first to congratulate you both. I’m happy for you.”

I smiled and clapped my brother on the shoulder. I should be happy for him. I would be happy. No matter how much my idiot wolf whined inside me.

“If you like,” I said, “I can have Clara moved into a more appropriate apartment. Or would you like to make the arrangements?”

“I’ll take care of it, brother,” Marcus said. “But I appreciate the offer.”

Clara looked startled, and wrote, “Arrangements?”

“You can hardly be Nora’s servant if you’re my brother’s mate,” I said. “You’ll need an attendant of your own. And I’ll need to find someone else to serve Nora now.”

“I’ll have Clara moved into mistress quarters near my room,” Marcus said. “We can’t present her formally until you and Nora make your formal introductions. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Right, right,” I said. “I still want to give her time to adjust. We could present them together, maybe. In the meantime, you and Clara must join us for dinner. Would you like to join us in my rooms?”

“That would be lovely, wouldn’t it, Clara?” Marcus asked, squeezing her tightly against his side.

Clara nodded. She looked nervous, and scribbled on the slate.

“May I tell Nora, first?”

“Of course you may,” Marcus said. “I’ll have your things moved into your new rooms. And get to work on finding you a personal maid. Isn’t that exciting?”

Clara’s smile was uncertain, but she nodded.

I hugged Marcus with one arm and clasped Clara’s hand to lift it for a brief kiss to the back of her knuckles.

“I am most happy for you both,” I said, and I worked hard to mean it.