Cage of Deceit(71)

Allyssa wanted to kiss her friend for her quick thinking. “Of course,” she said. “Prince Odar, Jarvik, if you’ll excuse me.” Without waiting for either one of them to respond, she turned and strode away.

“I see you have some new guards,” Madelin observed.

“Yes,” Allyssa replied. “Apparently, the Fren and Emperion guards must learn to work with one another.” She waved Marek closer, away from the other guards. “Where can I go to at least have the illusion of privacy?” she whispered.

The corners of his lips lifted. “Certainly a dress fitting would accomplish that.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, well, I was thinking somewhere outside.”

“I understand,” he said. “However, you might want to consider that your entire guard, along with some of Prince Odar’s men, heard you say you were going to a fitting. You might not want them to see you lying to your future husband. It won’t instill faith.”

Allyssa sighed.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped my place,” Marek quickly said.

“No, I appreciate your candor, and you are correct.”

When they reached the seamstress’s room, they found it void of people. All the guards waited outside while Allyssa entered with her ladies-in-waiting. “I’ve never been in here before,” Allyssa said. The seamstress always came to her.

“I guess we’ll just sit in here for fifteen minutes or so,” Madelin suggested.

There were several worktables, and fabric was strewn all over the place. The room was on the ground level, and there were half a dozen windows along one of the walls.

“With the ball tonight, you think there would be several people in here working,” Mayra said.

Madelin laughed. “This is the seamstress for the royal family only,” she informed them. “If she’s not here, then she’s most likely in the Royal Chambers. She’s probably delivering the princess’s dress as we speak.”

Marek stepped inside the room. “Your Highness, Jarvik needs to speak privately with you. He said it’s important.”

“When?” Allyssa asked.

“He’ll be here shortly.”

Marek escorted Madelin and Mayra just outside the entrance. A moment later, Jarvik stealthily slipped inside the seamstress’s room, using an interior door Allyssa hadn’t noticed before now.





Jarvik waved her over to the corner of the room so that if anyone passed by the entrance or peered inside, they wouldn’t be seen.

“Do you think it wise to be meeting like this?” Allyssa asked. “I feel as if we’re doing something we shouldn’t be doing.”

“That’s never stopped you before,” he said. “But to answer your question, I don’t want my soldiers that have been assigned to guard you to be aware of this conversation.”

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Not that she minded him seeking her out; she was grateful for the opportunity to see him.

“Let me ask you a question,” he said. “If you were in Grevik’s position, and the assassin tortured you and threatened your family, could you keep a secret even under such strenuous circumstances?”

“If you’re concerned about him revealing my true identity, don’t be.”

Jarvik leaned against the wall. “But if the roles were reversed, could you keep a secret that big?”

Why did he care? “Of course,” she said. “I’d do anything to save my friend.”

“What if the assassin threatened to kill your family?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

He tilted his head back, gazing up at the ceiling. “I want you to know that I never meant to deceive you.”

“I know,” she said. “You were only following Prince Odar’s orders.”

He focused back on her face. “I need to tell you something, and you’re probably going to be upset with me.” His eyes flickered to the door and back to her. “But it’s going to have to wait.”

She nodded, wondering what he had to tell her.

“Right now, I’m concerned about the assassin.”

She was too. The couple of hours she managed to sleep this morning had been plagued with visions of the man killing her parents.

“Since he told you to return in two days if the royal family was still alive, I have to assume he’s going to attempt to assassinate you tonight at the ball.”

“Do you think he’d be so bold?”

Jarvik ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. “I don’t know, but we can’t risk it.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“We need to tell your father so he can notify the sentries on duty.”