To bring you good luck, we have put your Telling Stones in the bottle.
Luciana peered at the bottle, and sure enough, there were three pebbles in the bottom. The number two, red, and black. With a sigh, she pressed the bottle against her chest. She had indeed met a tall and handsome stranger with red hair and a black horse.
“Are you done, my lady?” Jensen asked.
“Not quite,” she replied, then went back to the letter.
We cannot wait to hear from you! Maeve says on the third day after today at dawn, you are to place a note in this bottle and put it in the same place that you found it.
Please write! And know that you always have our love.
Brigitta. Sorcha. Gwennore. Maeve.
Luciana wiped a tear from her cheek. “I love you, too.”
Jensen stiffened. “My lady?”
“I was talking to the dog.”
Pirate snorted and flopped onto his belly, a forlorn look on his face.
Quickly, she inserted the note back into the bottle and corked it. Then she squeezed some water from her skirts, deposited the bottle in a deep pocket, and slipped on her shoes. “I’m ready to go.”
Back in her bedchamber, she built up the fire in the hearth, then quickly removed her wet clothes and put on a robe. It was dangerous to keep the correspondence from her sisters, but she couldn’t bring herself to burn it. The bottle and pebbles were harmless, she figured, since they wouldn’t mean anything to anyone but her. After inspecting the room, she found a slight opening in the upholstery of one of the chairs and slipped the note inside.
When Gabriella came in with her breakfast tray, she gasped at the sight of wet clothes in front of the hearth. Luciana was equally shocked, for her maid had come in through the dressing room.
“How did you do that?” Luciana wandered toward the dressing room door, which was still open.
“There’s a servants’ door,” Gabriella replied as she set the tray on the table. “My room is on the other side. I thought you knew that.”
“Oh, of course.” Luciana waved a dismissive hand. Now that she was looking for it, she could make out the lines of a door hidden in the wooden paneling. “And your room has another way out?”
“Yes, a servants’ corridor.” Gabriella gathered up the wet clothes. “I’ll take these to the laundry room, then come back to help you dress for mass.”
“Thank you.” Luciana watched as Gabriella pushed a hidden latch in the paneling and a door swung open. As the maid left, she smiled to herself. This was a way she could leave without being followed by her guard.
Mass wasn’t as bad as she had feared. A new guard escorted her to the chapel and back, since Jensen was finally getting some rest. Afterward, she did as her father had requested and spent the rest of the day in her bedchamber.
That afternoon, a new guard from the Lord Protector’s army arrived. Unfortunately, he knew about the second exit through Gabriella’s room. He spent his time marching from one exit to the other.
Dinner in the Great Hall was uneventful. Luciana kept glancing at the musicians’ gallery, hoping to see her dream man, but he never put in an appearance. Disappointed, she retired to her room early.
As Gabriella helped her change into her nightgown, she told her, “I won’t need you for the rest of the evening.”
“Really?” Gabriella’s eyes lit up. “The servants are having a party tonight with all the food and wine that was left over from last night’s banquet.”
“Then you must go and enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you!” Gabriella rushed through her small room and out the door.
Quickly, Luciana pulled on a black gown and dark cloak. In her bedchamber, she plumped up a line of pillows and pulled the coverlet over them. Now if a guard or Gabriella checked on her, they would think she was asleep.
A twinge of guilt pricked her. It was not like her to deceive people, but how could she explain her need to go to the southwestern tower? And she certainly couldn’t risk anyone hearing her reunion with her mother. Besides, if the guards were here to keep her from escaping her betrothed, there was no need for that. In order to keep her father alive, she would go ahead and marry the Lord Protector. Even if he was a Beast.
This one small act of rebellion would not cause anyone any harm. She slipped through Gabriella’s room and peeked out the door. The hallway was empty! The guard from the Lord Protector’s army must be by the other door. She dashed down the servants’ corridor before he could return, then scurried down the stairs.
In the courtyard, she stayed in the shadows, her dark gown and cloak keeping her hidden. There was quite a bit of traffic going back and forth through the south gate as servants brought food from the kitchens to the hall where they were having their party. She followed a group out and no guards stopped her.
It was a dark night, with clouds hiding most of the twin moons. She dashed across the sheep pasture, then climbed the stairs in the southwestern tower till she arrived at her mother’s favorite room.
“Hello,” she whispered as she shut the door. The small bedchamber was dim with a little starlight shining through the two windows. “It’s me. Luciana.”
There was no one there. Yet.
* * *
“Report,” Leo told Nevis and Brody that evening in his tent.
“Nothing happened,” Nevis said as he poured himself a goblet of wine. “It was a quiet day.”
Leo drummed his gloved fingers on his desk. What was taking the assassins so long to make their move? He’d only arrived here yesterday, but already he was getting damned tired of lurking about the camp when he should be in the castle, attempting to court Tatiana.