"Lord Torre" I say entering the room once more. "I apologize on behalf of my brother, he had an urgent matter to attend to"
"Goodness! Nothing bad I hope" Lord Torre returns, mocking my formal tone. He shoots me a sly grin as if aware of how uncomfortable I am around him.
"I have called for your carriage and will see you out."
"Aww, so soon? Haven't you missed me Jor?" He says, taking a closer step towards me, closing the distance. "Here I thought you'd be more excited to see me."
My gaze remains cold as I take in his familiar blue eyes, they used to feel like looking through transparent smooth ice from below freezing water, but now, now they weren't so familiar anymore, and I certainly took no comfort in them. He really expected me to miss him? After the years and years of him completely ignoring me, as though my existence had utterly vanished from memory.
I scoff, "Well, I`m sorry to disappoint." I say walking towards the gate, not waiting for him to follow. "Weylan said he will arrange to see tomorrow or so" I say once we finally reach the gate.
"Well I hope he arranges it here again so I have the pleasure of seeing you" He says, a challenge in his smirk as he climbs into his carriage
"That makes one of us."
His familiarity unnerved me. I`ve turned him down once before and I always thought that was the reason for the distance between us. Yet here he is acting like it never happened. Maybe all his new wealth and power has been getting to his head.
As the carriage leaves, I spot something on the coat of the driver. A thin short bright red thread stands out on the fabric of his dark black coat. The sash I realize, always tied onto Weylan`s packages, meant to distinguish and allow him to see the package arriving from afar. It was frayed the last time it arrived too and now clearly it has been handled by his driver, but why would Brycen steal from us?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It was him. Brycen stole your package" I blurt out as soon as Weylan enters his rooms where I wait for him.
"Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have brought him here today "
"Call him out in public. Tell his family about it when he's not around, they would return it immediately out of shame without daring to check the contents or say you left it there" I voice out every idea I've had since the moment Brycen left.
"No" Weylan says firmly. "Brycen isn't a fool, he probably will have it kept somewhere safe only he knows and guarded. Plus, he'll see me coming."
"How did he know about it?"
"He must've suspected. He doesn't know exactly what it is I'm planning but if he open it and reads the letters he`ll know for sure" Weylan pauses "Gods, I should've seen it coming, he seemed far too insistent on visiting some of my holdings today specifically. He planned the entire thing"
"How could you be stupid enough to be addressed in letters when you know you're transporting something illegal?" I ask dumbfounded
Weylan ignores me, eyes lighting up for a moment. "Steal it back!" He says looking at me
"Me?!"
"Yes, you"
"Gods, no. Weylan, I could be arrested!"
"He stole from me first. Your smart Jordyn, steal it back. You're good at that. I know you've done it before.
My face pales as the words leave his mouth. "You- you're not supposed to know about that! No one is."
"Well I do, and you managed it then very well I must say"
I frown hesitantly.
"Come on, Jordyn. He doesn't know that I know he did it. If he does we can be certain he'll be expecting me to come after it. But you, he wouldn't expect you at all. He doesn't even think I share these things with you seeing as how he thinks we barely speak or see each other." A plan forms in his mind. "There's still time, he moves slowly by carriage, you'll beat him there by horseback. You could disguise yourself as a slave and intercept the package before he has it brought to wherever he's planning on keeping it."
My jaw tightens." If I do this, you must tell me everything. Who your corresponding with, your plans, schemes, all of it!"
"Fine, now hurry up"
I hurry to my rooms and change into a simple shift, the slaves usually wear and then work quickly to remove the hairpins and powder from my hair and face. I lock the door to my rooms and dig out a container of finely crushed coffee powder from under my mattress and stuff it into my satchel.
When I reach the stables, my brother is already waiting for me with his horse saddled and ready.
"Take my horse, she's faster" He says helping me mount. "There is a combination to the package, I've written it down for you" he says handing me a scrap of paper. "Remember Jordyn, even if you cant manage to steal it back, you must, MUST burn the letters in the package. Whatever you do, don't let them get into his hands."