The Viper and the Urchin BoxSet by Celine Jeanjean

Author:Celine Jeanjean [Jeanjean, Celine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lotus Press
Published: 2019-03-10T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

The return to the mansion took place in deathly silence. Well, except on Rory’s part.

“Longinus ain’t got nothing to do with this,” Rory said to the Old Girl for what felt like the umpteenth time. “Me neither, I swear. I —”

“Hold your tongue,” growled a Varanguard.

The Old Girl’s face was set in grim lines. She wouldn’t look at Rory, like she was pretending that Rory wasn’t there. Lady Martha was acting much the same, although her face was smooth, carefully neutral.

“You can’t just arrest me!” Rory said, trying another tack.

“You’re not being arrested,” snapped the Old Girl, finally goaded into giving a reply. “You’re being brought in for questioning.”

“So question me! I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I’m innocent and so is Longinus. We got nothing to hide.”

“Is that so? And what about the fact that Jake is your old partner in crime, while Myran is Longinus’ sister? It’s all very convenient, isn’t it?”

“No, it ain’t like that. Longinus… well, he hates his sister.” Rory explained Longinus’ difficult past with his sister. Until now they had kept it under wraps to keep his fear of blood a secret, but exonerating Longinus was more important.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said the Old Girl as they arrived at the mansion. “You really expect me to believe that an assassin is afraid of blood? If you’re going to lie to me —”

“It ain’t a lie!”

“Don’t take me for a fool.” The Old Girl turned and bore down on Rory. “Was the attempt on my life at the Revels even real? Was it a ploy to get close to me?”

“No! I —”

“And why did Jake call you a traitor right now?”

“I… I don’t know, but you’ve got to believe—”

“Silence. I don’t want to hear your excuses.” The Old Girl abruptly left the conveyance and gestured to the guards within. “Take her to the holding cells.” She stalked away.

The two Varanguards obeyed, leading Rory away into the mansion. She had time to overhear the Old Girl turn to Lady Martha, who had come to her mother’s side.

“I shouldn’t have let you talk me into hiring those two. You’re too young still, and too quick to trust.”

“I’m the same age as you were when Damsport won its independence,” Lady Martha replied coldly.

The Varanguards escorted Rory to a door at the side of the mansion, and then down some stone steps. They reached a long corridor with doors on either side. The third door was open, and the Varanguards shoved Rory inside. There was the clunk of a key turning in a lock, and then silence.

Rory looked around her. For the first time, she felt truly worried. The room was small and windowless, furnished only with a cot and a chamber pot. There was no way for her to escape, and they’d taken the daggers at her thighs and her spiked bracers, so any kind of attack was out of the question.

Rory ignored the cot and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. What

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