Page 35 of Where Shadows Bloom
My mind plunged into disaster. I could so easily picture sweet Ofelia standing before him, declaring him to be her father, and how he’d have her imprisoned with a flick of his hand. “My lady,” I said, “I do not think it would be wise to speak so publicly about any of...thisin front of the king, with the whole court watching—”
“Then I’ll speak to him privately.” She leveled a stare at me, arresting me with the determination blazing in her eyes. “You cannot dissuade me from this, Lope. If anyone knows where Mother is, it’ll be him.”
When she strode out of the library, I followed her, even though my pulse was crashing madly. Even though my heart was screaming how dangerous this was.
“Wait!” called Eglantine. “My ladies, please wait!”
We turned, and the librarian met us in the hallway, her lips pressed into a thin, grave line.
She touched each of us on the arm. “I know that you are new here, so please, might I offer you some words of caution? Please, I will not be able to rest easy if I do not speak plainly with you.”
Ofelia’s gaze met mine. We nodded at the same time.
Already, courtiers in their bright gowns and suits trickled down the honey-colored halls to see the king. Eglantine pulled us into a quiet alcove.
“It is forbidden to go to the gardens after sunset,” said Eglantine softly. “Furthermore, though the whole palace is at your disposal, you must not travel alone. The two of you—you must stay side by side at all times.”
The request was unnecessary. It was as though she were instructing me to breathe. I would never leave Ofelia alone.
Yet Ofelia’s head tilted. “Well... well, yes, madame, I never walk without Lope by my side. But why do you give us such a warning? This palace is a safe and blessed place.”
Eglantine squeezed her hand against Ofelia’s arm. “Yes, dear,” she said softly. “It is safe and blessed.” Her eyes met mine, serious and cold. “That does not change certain facts. Your mother’s disappearance, for one. I pray she is on her way to you, but... it concerns me. Not a month ago, a singer in the royal opera, a young lady of only twenty years, vanished. If your mother is the—” She cut herself off abruptly beforeseeming to choose her words carefully. “If she’s the second in a series of women vanishing from this palace... I only ask that you stay together. Please.”
My eyes narrowed. “An opera singer? How could she have disappeared? Was she not well-known among the court if she was a performer?”
“She was well-known, yes. Her name was Françoise de la Valliere. A soprano. The court loved her.” Eglantine retracted her hand, folding her arms as if she had a chill. “But she is gone now, and no one speaks of her anymore.” The librarian nodded and then glanced back at the flood of nobles excitedly walking—and even running—to the courtyard. “That’s all I know about her. No matter how loved she was, she wasn’t safe from... whatever it is that happened to her.”
I stood in front of Ofelia. “Speak plainly, madam. Do you think there is some kind of danger at this palace?”
She gazed at me, unblinking. “Gracious, no, I’d never suggest such a thing. The king watches over us all.” The librarian offered me a stiff smile and a curtsy. “You know where to find me, mesdemoiselles.” And with that, she turned and swam along with the current of lords and ladies streaming to the palace gates.
Ofelia clung to my arm. “If thereissome sort of danger,” she murmured. “If I see the king, if I tell him that I am his... that I am hisdaughter... he would keep us safe. You and me and Mother. Wherever she is.”
Her body was rigid, her fingers upon my arm as firm as claws. Fear shone in her amber eyes.
“All will be well,” I told her in a soft voice. It was not a lie, not really. It was my own hope, desperate and frail. But I would gladly give her any strength within my own heart if it meant she would smile again.
Just as I’d wished, a small, faint smile graced her lips. Her hand squeezed into my arm, as if to say,Thank you. And she led us on.
While I walked by her side, I kept my gaze forward and my focus solely on the knife at my hip.
10
Ofelia
There were so many courtiers crowding the view of the courtyard that we were not even able to see the king. I found this to be a relief, in some way. My stomach was all tied in knots, and my thoughts were like a river cluttered with twigs and leaves, about mother, about the king, aboutmy father, whoever he might be.
Yet my chance to see the king came all too quickly that evening, when all were called to the Hall of Ceremonies. This chamber was grander and more decadent than any room thus far. The vast ceiling portrayed a morning sky fading from day into night and then back into sunrise, like one could spend an entire day just walking the length of the room. One wall was covered entirely with large windows, proudly displaying the sunlit gardens. Fading sunshine spilled through the room, turning the parquet floors gold.
To celebrate the king’s return, all courtiers were to wearsilver clothing that day. The maids had given us new gowns and shoes, the color of moonlight. My hair was adorned with pearls like twinkling stars, but at my request, they left Lope’s alone and found her a silver coat and breeches. She’d kept her hair in a plait, and seeing her look like herself again—well, it gave me a bit more courage.
We were crammed into a room full of people in their silver costumes, all of us pointed toward a set of golden double doors. Courtiers craned their necks, murmuring eagerly to themselves.
Any moment now, the king would walk through. That alone was terrifying, to see the man whom the gods had favored. But... the thought that I could be meeting my father. The thought that perhaps he knew where my mother was now.
I clung to Lope’s arm. She was steady, she was never-changing. And I needed all her steadfastness in this moment.
“What if I make a fool of myself?” I whispered to her. “What if he laughs me out of the palace? What if our search leads us nowhere?”
