Part 22 (1/2)
”I was ordered to keep watch,” the man said, his face twisted in pain. ”Chief Patrascue set me on guard duty. He told me to disguise myself in this way.”
”Ridiculous man,” Siegfried snapped. ”He had no right. These suits of armor are precious state heirlooms, not to be worn like carnival costumes.”
”My leg,” the man groaned. ”Get me out of this contraption.”
Just as they were extracting him with care a figure in black came flying toward us.
”What has just transpired?” the newcomer asked. He peered down at the suit of armor. ”Cilic, is that you?”
”Yes, my chief, it is I,” the man said.
”What are you doing down there?” Patrascue asked. I told you he wasn't very bright.
”I missed my footing and I fell,” the man said, then groaned loudly again for maximum effect. ”It is hard to see, wearing one of these visors.”
”You had no right to instruct your man to wear our armor,” Siegfried said. ”What on earth were you thinking? Rather farcical, wouldn't you say?”
”I had my reasons,” Patrascue said. ”I placed my men invisibly on duty around the castle to protect your royal personages, but I didn't think this man would be foolish enough to attempt to move from his spot.”
”I needed to find a bathroom,” the man said, followed by an exceptionally loud groan as the armor was removed from his leg. ”I didn't notice the top of the stairs.”
”Get him to bed, and stop this nonsensical behavior at once,” Siegfried said. ”This is royal property and you have no authority here, Patrascue. Now go away and leave us in peace. You have upset my betrothed. Come, mein Schatz mein Schatz.” And he extended his arm to me.
He escorted me to my door. ”I am so sorry your sleep was disturbed by this idiot,” he said. ”Is there anything I can have brought to your room to help you sleep better? Some hot milk, maybe? Some more coal for the fire?”
”Oh, no, thank you, Your Highness,” I stammered, conscious of Darcy presumably still lying in my bed. ”I have everything I need.”
”You need no longer address me as 'your highness,' mein Schatz mein Schatz,” Siegfried said. ”Now it is to be Siegfried and Georgiana.”
”Thank you, Siegfried,” I muttered.
He clicked his heels, something that had little effect in bare feet. ”That is good then. Let us hope there are no more disturbances tonight.” And he took my hand and put his fish lips on it again.
Chapter 29.
My bedroom and not alone Still the middle of the night
I let myself into my room with a sigh of relief. Even in the darkness I could see the bed turned back and no sign of Darcy.
”Darcy?” I whispered. He must have heard Siegfried's voice outside the door and decided to hide, just in case. I tiptoed around, lifting up drapes, peeping under the bed. ”It's all right, you can come out now,” I said. Still he didn't appear. I glanced over at that chest. I certainly wasn't about to open that. But I did open the wardrobe and peer inside. It was big enough to hide several men.
”Are you in there?” I asked.
”Who are you talking to?” A voice right behind me made me spin around, heart thumping.
Darcy was standing there.
”I was looking for you,” I said. ”Don't do that again. You're going to give me a heart attack.”
”I heard the commotion and decided I better take a look for myself,” he said. ”As usual that fool Patrascue was making a b.a.l.l.s-up of things. Go back to bed, you're freezing.”
I got into bed and he followed. I put my head on his shoulder. It felt wonderfully comforting and safe. This is what I want and need, I remember thinking. If only . . . I suppose I must have fallen asleep because the sound of screams at first seemed to be part of my dream. Only gradually I came to the surface and realized that they were part of the real world. Darcy was already standing up.
”What now?” he demanded. ”Can't a fellow get a decent night's sleep in this place?”
”I'll go,” I said. ”It's probably another of Patrascue's men frightening the maids by walking around in a suit of armor.”
Darcy laughed. ”Quite possibly. I'll stay put for now. I really don't want anyone to know I'm here.”
Siegfried was standing at his door again. ”I must apologize, mein Schatz mein Schatz. Two ridiculous disturbances in one night is unforgivable. I will demand that this man Patrascue take his underlings and leave our castle immediately.” He strode down the hallway with me in tow. This time we went down the first flight of stairs and met n.o.body. Other guests in night attire were standing at their doors along the second hallway as the screaming continued, coming up from down below.
”Some hysterical maid,” my mother said as I pa.s.sed her. ”Probably had to fight off the footman. Happens all the time.”
We came under a low archway and found ourselves at the top of that final flight of steps above the entrance hall-those alarming steps that hugged the wall with no kind of banister. A group was already a.s.sembled at the bottom. One of them was indeed a maid, now sobbing instead of screaming while other servants attempted to comfort her. Beside her was a spilled scuttle of coal. The rest of the group was standing around something on the floor.
”What is it?” Siegfried called, his voice echoing through the high-ceilinged hall. ”Why are we being subjected to this noise?”
The group broke apart. A couple of maids curtsied. Dragomir stepped forward. ”Highness, there has been a tragedy,” he said. ”The English lady. She must have fallen from a great height. There is nothing to be done.”
And there at the bottom of the steps lay the body of Miss Deer-Harte, her head at an unnatural angle. I had seen death before but the heightened tension of the past few days brought bile up into my throat. My head started to sing and for a second I thought I was going to faint. I leaned against the cold stone of the wall and inched my way down the stairs before I could pa.s.s out and join Miss Deer-Harte on the flagstones below.
”Someone should let Lady Middles.e.x know,” I said, trying to master myself. ”This lady was her companion.”
”Poor woman,” Siegfried said, eyeing the body with distaste. ”I wonder what she was doing wandering around down here in the middle of the night?”
”Maybe the commotion from Patrascue's men upset her and she was coming down for a hot drink or a cognac,” Dragomir said. ”Or maybe she was sleepwalking. Who knows. It is unfortunate that such a thing should happen.”
There was a certain smoothness to his voice that made me look at him sharply. I knew very well why Miss Deer-Harte had been wandering around. Had she actually spotted the man she was seeking this time, and been foolish enough to follow him? And was it possible that Dragomir was somehow involved? I wanted to get back to my room to tell Darcy what had happened, but perhaps my first duty should be to break the news to Lady Middles.e.x.
We heard her long before we saw her. ”What is this nonsense now? Why am I being dragged out of bed at this G.o.dforsaken hour?” Her voice echoed down the hallway. She came out to the top of the steps. ”What do I care if some other stupid foreigner has fallen and-” She broke off, her face rigid with horror.
”Deer-Harte?” she gasped. ”No. No, it can't be.” And she pushed her way down to the bottom of the stairs until she was standing over the body. ”Oh.” She put her hand up to her mouth and a great gulping sob came out. I went over to her and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. She wasn't the sort of person one would think of embracing. She continued to stare down at her friend, her body heaving with convulsive sobs. I was as shocked as everyone else. It wasn't the reaction I had expected of her over someone I thought she considered a rather annoying companion.
”I'm really sorry,” I said. ”It's a horrible thing to have happened.”
She nodded, fighting to compose herself. ”Poor silly woman. Always imagining she saw danger and intrigue everywhere we went. She said she was going to keep her eyes and ears open.”
”Yes, she must have been prowling around and fallen. Those stairs always struck me as awfully dangerous.” I didn't say what I was thinking-that she hadn't fallen at all. She had been pushed.
”Come, my Lady Middles.e.x.” Count Dragomir took over. ”There is nothing you can do here. Let me escort you back to your room and have some cognac and hot milk sent up to you.”
”It's all right. I'll take her,” I said. ”I know you have plenty to do down here.”
I had to half drag Lady Middles.e.x back up those horrible stairs. She staggered up like a person in a trance. But by the time we reached her room she had regained her stiff upper lip.