Waking up in an unfamiliar room was a rare occurrence in my life. My family rarely travelled. Blinking my eyes open and catching sight of the gray walls where I expected my usual blue walls was jarring and I had to pause for a moment before the events of last night came crashing back into my mind. I gasped and sat up, flinching at how sore my body was.
Mirella was asleep in the armchair, bless her soul. I smiled at the comforting sight of my old care maiden. Her graying locks were loose, dancing around her face. In sleep, even her usual laugh lines were smooth, making her look younger and more vulnerable.
I placed a gentle hand on her lap and she awoke with a start. She looked around wildly for a moment, stopping when her eyes fell on me.
"Oh mistress. I've fallen asleep in my chair again, haven't I?"
I laughed. "Yes, it would appear you have."
"Well now, I'd best see if these old bones of mine still work after such a night." She stood with a groan and a few cracking and creaking joints.
"You look quite as spry as the dust maidens," I teased, naming the youngest of our employees, the teenage girls who came to clean after school.
Mirella shot me an offended look but I could see the laughter dancing in her gray eyes. After shuffling around the room for a bit, she made her way back to the bed. "And how are you feeling this morning?"
"A little sore," I admitted.
"And well you might be, after a night like yours. We should get you into the bath again and get those bandages changed."
"I just bathed a few hours ago," I complained. I did not have a strong aversion to bathing, but it seemed rather unnecessary.
"Aye love, but now Cook's awake, so I can fetch a soothing herbal mixture that will help with your soreness and make sure those cuts don't get infected."
"Oh." I acceded to her ministrations and was soon washed and dressed in a loose, simple, blue gown, my dark hair pulled into a neat braid. Mirella left me in the drawing room to wait for Remdon.
I sat and lost myself in a book while I waited. It was some time before he finally strode in. He crouched in front of me, taking my book and then taking my hands in his.
"Are you well, Jen?" he asked.
"Yes. Certainly I am well. What is wrong?" He looked like he was near tears. I patted the seat next to me and he sat, keeping hold of one hand.
"You could have been killed. I was supposed to protect you, but I failed."
"If you had truly failed, I would be dead," I answered bluntly. "You saved my life, you know. And now we have three excellent leads to help us figure out who is at the bottom of all of this."
"Perhaps- perhaps it would be better if you and Del went your separate ways," Remdon suggested softly. "He will not want you in danger either."
"I do believe it is quite too late. I think whoever is behind this knows very well that they can get to Del through me. Do you really think they would be fooled by a sudden parting of ways right after I was nearly killed?"
"They might if they believe you are the one who ended things."
"If I ended things, that would not invalidate my usefulness as a tool to manipulate Del. My ending of our relationship would not remove his feelings, which he has already essentially declared in a very public setting by escorting me to a ball."
Remdon shook his head. "I know you are correct, but I do not like this. What if I had stayed out longer? What in Solnara possessed you to leave the window unlocked without me there to protect you?"
"I did not leave it unlocked. They must have found a way to open it themselves," I answered. "But we will track down the mastermind behind these plots and stop them. You and I and Del all working together- I think we can do this."
"Well we are certainly trapped now, whether we want to help or not," he agreed. "I had the physician over to take care of the men. They are locked in one of the storage rooms in the stables now and I have placed two of the grooms on guard."
"Thank you. We will need to inform Del."
"I wrote him a letter this morning requesting his presence as soon as he is able. I expect he will arrive any-"
The door opened, revealing the man himself. Del looked as though he had rushed over as soon as he awoke. He wore only a loose jacket over his untucked white shirt. His dark hair was poking up in random directions and I wondered if he had even combed it before he came. His dark eyes held a wild look that calmed somewhat when they fell on me.
"Jen. You are unharmed?" His eyes lingered on my cheek, where the small cut was now scabbed over.
"I am well enough," I answered.
He turned his attention to Remdon. "I had your note. You have captured three men? What happened?"
"They finally attacked, as we assumed they would," Remdon answered angrily.
"Our plan did not work as you had hoped?" Del seemed to be trying to understand why Remdon was upset.
Remdon sighed. "They managed to get the window open and attack before I returned home last night."
Del's gaze swung back to me, now full of amazement. "You defeated three men single-handedly?"
I snorted in a most unladylike manner. "Hardly. I took one down with the element of surprise, but I was very close to being overcome by the other two when Remdon arrived. He took care of them." Recounting the episode reminded me of the scene I had left and I turned to Remdon.
"Will we ever be able to get the blood out of my carpet, do you think?"
"Blood?" Del interrupted, falling on his knees in front of me and grabbing my hands, much like Remdon had.
"Mostly theirs. Remdon cut off their sword arms." My tone was nonchalant, but Del could likely feel my hands trembling in his. As much as I was trying to play it off, the grisly scene burned into my memory made me want to gag.
Del looked at Remdon again. "Thank you."
Remdon nodded. "We really must find a better way to protect Jen. This cannot happen again."