The Stolen Jewel by Lisa Dawn

Author:Lisa Dawn [Dawn, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

“It was only one customer,” Greta reassured me later. “We’ll have plenty of others.”

I had been trained to never let anyone finish a meeting unhappy. If that had been an ambassador at the castle, I could have started a war. How could I explain that to Greta in a way that didn’t give away my identity?

“Let’s say that man was… a competing innkeeper,” I said.

“Then why would he be staying here?”

“I don’t know. To scope out the competition? Anyway, if I offended him, and he went back to his inn and told everyone about the service he got here…”

“They’d stay at his inn.”

“Maybe that’s not the best example.”

“Do you always worry this much?” she asked me.

“Yes, I suppose so, but I always had good reason to.”

“Well, whatever happened in your past, I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Thanks,” I said, “Me too.”

To my surprise, I actually meant it. When I left the castle, I thought I would never find a new purpose for myself, and yet here I was, serving my people just as I wished to do as queen. The only difference was that it was on a smaller scale. If I hadn’t stolen that jewel, I might have never had the opportunity to see how people in Klingland lived outside of the castle. I decided to make the most of this experience.

“Why don’t you take over the front desk while I go out to the stream to fetch some water for the kitchen?” asked Greta. “Edgar tells me you’re good at record keeping.”

“I do love organizing and taking notes,” I said.

“Then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this more than serving breakfast.”

She grinned at me as she headed out with some buckets.

I took my place at the front desk. There was a quill and some parchment to keep track of guests and a locked box underneath to hold their coins. I was eager to enact the diplomacy skills I learned at the castle in real life scenarios. My first guest entered the inn. She was a tall well-dressed woman in a dark purple overcoat and a hat with a large feather. I greeted her with a warm smile.

“Welcome to Edgar’s Inn,” I said. “May I help you find a room?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m visiting family in this part of town.”

“How lovely. May I get your name please?”

I pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and began writing.

“Emmeline Dellancourt.”

I nearly snapped my quill. That was Lily’s family name! Lily’s family visited often for ceremonies at the castle. There was a good chance this woman would recognize me. In fact, she was probably here for what would have been my coronation. I acted as though nothing was wrong and recited the lines that Edgar taught me. He said I would earn a customer’s trust by not trying to upsell and make them think that getting the more expensive room was their own decision. Unfortunately, the woman didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what I said about the rooms.

“We have a basic room for two coppers, a standard room for five, and a deluxe suite for two silvers.

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