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Cold washed over Ilse, but she kept her voice under control. “Yes. Tell me what crime I supposedly committed.”
She spoke to Kosenmark, but it was Hax who answered her. “Your appearance here coincides with certain unhappy events,” he said. “That coincidence troubled me before, and after last night, it troubles Lord Kosenmark.”
Ilse swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat. So she was the suspect behind last night’s events. “Do you think I’m a spy, my lord?”
He met her gaze directly. “You must admit that the coincidence is strong.”
“Very strong,” Hax said. “The night you came, two guards failed to make their usual patrol, which allowed you entry onto the grounds. You arrived in a pitiful condition, one well-calculated to overcome any mistrust. You accepted a position far below your abilities, and at the same time, you quickly gained not only Kathe’s trust, but also Lord Kosenmark’s.”
“And yet …” Kosenmark paused a moment, his gaze flickered from Ilse back to Hax. “And yet I have confirmed her background with Rudolfus. He did attend a dinner party at Maester Zhalina’s house. And the story about her disappearance from Melnek is well known. She is who she claims to be.”
“That does not disprove my point, my lord. Whatever we know about her life in Melnek, we know nothing about her actions since. Men can change in three months. So can young women.”
“You never trusted me,” Ilse said softly. “You never stopped watching me, not since Lord Kosenmark made me your assistant.”
“Of course not,” Hax said calmly. “Suspicion is one of my duties.”
“And you, my lord. Have you always doubted me?”
Kosenmark stirred, as though uncomfortable for the first time. “Not at first, but we know about the letter you opened—”
“That was an accident—”
He cut her off with a sharp gesture. “We know you were curious and strangely discreet at the same time. I would like to believe you, but then came the evidence of last night.”
Last night. The room had become so silent, Ilse thought she could hear her blood pulsing in her temples, and the whisper of her breath through the air. Now it became clear to her. Kosenmark had never trusted her. He and Hax had only pretended to.
Kosenmark’s next words, delivered in his soft high voice, confirmed her fears. “Khandarr could not have known when and where we were to meet except that someone told him,” he said. “All of those who attended are trusted friends. You are not. And after the meeting … To say it bluntly, I wonder how someone treated so brutally could respond, even superficially, to my attentions.”
The pulsing in her temples grew louder. “You think I would try to seduce you?”
“We thought that possible.”
He continued to speak, but she could not hear him. Then the doors opened. Two guards appeared and took her by the arm. She came to herself with a jolt. “Where are you taking me?”
“To your rooms, while we continue to investigate your story.”
She had a brief flash of memory: Ropes binding her to the wagon. Brandt saying, She gets dinner if she behaves. “At least Alarik Brandt liked it when I pretended for him,” she said in a low furious voice.
Kosenmark flinched. “Take her away,” he said to the guards.
* * *
LORD KOSENMARK PICKED his guards for their strength and loyalty. One yanked her arm behind her back and propelled her from Hax’s bedroom, while the other strode ahead, opening doors. Ilse grabbed for the doorframe. Her guard twisted her arm harder. She let go with a gasp. She had one last glimpse of Kosenmark, both hands over his face, then she was through the outer parlor and into the corridor.
The two men pushed her fast enough that she had trouble keeping her balance. They spoke over her head in short phrases. Check that door. Hold the girl back a moment. Careful about the carpet. When she stumbled, the guard holding Ilse pulled her upright, his handling rough but impersonal. When she tried to scream, he covered her mouth with one huge hand.
“Be quiet,” he hissed. “It’ll go easier for you.”
If only someone were about, but Hax and Lord Kosenmark had picked the time well. The courtesans would be sleeping. The chambermaids and runners were occupied elsewhere. By now they were approaching her quarters. She dropped into a heap, refusing to move, but the taller guard simply picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.
He carried her into her bedroom and dropped her onto the bed. Immediately she stood. He pushed her back down and leaned over her. “Stay there, or I will have to get nasty. Lord Kosenmark’s orders. Do you understand?”
She nodded silently. From the look in his eyes, she didn’t want to test those orders.
“Good.” He left, closing the door behind him. A moment later the outer door slammed shut.
Ilse ran and tried the latch. Locked, of course. She rattled the door and felt a stinging sensation. She jerked her hand back and rubbed it. Magic. There had been no magic in her rooms before Lord Kosenmark’s summons. None. She was sure of it. They must have prepared the locks during her interview with Hax and Kosenmark. They expected to arrest her.
