Kendare, Blake - Three Dark Crowns 001 - The Oracle Queen by Kendare Blake

Author:Kendare, Blake [Kendare, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

THE VOLROY

Queen Elsabet and Bess walked along the rows of roses on the west side of the Volroy. To anyone watching, it would have looked like an idle errand: the queen accompanying her friend as she pruned. But those who knew her best knew that Bess was often the queen’s eyes and ears, when she could not be seen to be looking or listening herself.

“You need better spies than me,” Bess said quietly. “It is too well known I am of your household. No one speaks when I’m nearby.”

“But who else could I trust? Only you and Rosamund.” Perhaps Jonathan Denton, one day. But she did not say so out loud.

“Catherine Howe is loyal. And I am sure her household has very good spies.” Bess clipped a rose and teased the petals back and forth beneath Elsabet’s nose. “There was one rumor that was too loud to be hidden.”

“What?”

“That Jonathan Denton is the queen’s new lover.”

Elsabet laughed. “New? As if there have been others.” She had known that was what people would think. What she did not foresee was how much the idea would please her. “Poor Jonathan. He will have no peace.”

“Poor Jonathan?” Bess smiled. “Is he coming back to the Volroy soon?”

“I think so.” She prodded Bess in the hip when she laughed. “To show me my painting.”

They walked together around the castle, and two servants stepped up and bowed.

“What’s this?” she asked, and they held out a long, formal cape, soft and shining black. Threads of silver had been sewn into the collar.

“A gift for you, from the king-consort,” one of the boys said.

Bess ran her fingers along the collar, thumb rubbing the silver. “It is very fine.”

“He sends me gifts instead of returning to my bed. He sends me gifts with one hand while the other is inside some other woman’s bodice.” Her anger returned quickly. Her words took shape inside her head until she could see them, hear them, and she clenched her fists together and tore the cape along the seam.

“Take it! Get it away from me!”

The servants bowed their heads and ran, mumbling apologies.

“Elsabet.” Bess put her hand on the queen’s arm.

“Forgive me, Bess. I need no spies to know what the people are saying about me. And what new things they will say about me now, following this outburst.” She took a breath. “But I would know where my king-consort is spending so much of his time. Would you and Rosamund be kind enough to find out for me?”

Jonathan met Elsabet on the top floor of the West Tower as she spoke with her master builders about the progress of the construction. It was a hive of careful, deliberate activity as always, the air full of moving ropes and brick and stone. The clumsy poisoner boy nearly tripped twice and almost had his head taken off by a swinging board. Elsabet could barely contain her laughter as she watched him from the corner of her eye.

“This is coming along nicely,” he said when he reached her, and bowed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.