Chapter 28 Heartfelt Conversation
The tea was still warm, and the rain was now barely a memory.
After a while, he inhaled.
“I had another question for you.”
She looked up, cup in hand.
“I’m listening.” She looked rather amused by his somewhat formal manners.
He drew another breath; his hands were moist again.
“I know this is a sensitive subject, but I really want to understand what drives you to act so… nonchalantly toward those individuals roaming the streets.”
Almost imperceptibly, the duchess tightened her grip on her cup. Her gaze had hardened. Oscar’s heart raced.
Again, the silence stretched—uncomfortable. With his father, at least, he could cut, fill, and control it. With the duchess, he felt powerless, forced to wait. Effective, yes, but terribly heavy.
The duchess’s eyes drifted, drawn to some imaginary documents on a perfectly tidy desk. She hesitated.
“Our… troops are not what they used to be. They are diminished. It’s not that I do not WANT to post more sentinels in our streets. It’s that it’s impossible for me, for now.” Her gaze fell on the tea—one of the few times she looked down—before returning to Oscar. “For the rest, everything I’ve told you is true. These individuals have been roaming our streets for months, if not years. Nothing suggests they have harmful intentions.”
“And the disappearances?”
“The disappearances?”
Oscar noticed the duchess’s gaze harden. Again.
“The…” he began cautiously, “the disappearances of criminals in Mulberry.”
She shook her head, cup still in her hands.
“People panic, and the servants gossip, but there are no suspicious disappearances in Mulberry.”
“Really?” The young man hesitated. “I heard that—”
The cup landed on the tray with a sharp clack. Oscar thought it might even break.
“My Lord, criminals have decided to leave the town for broader horizons, for more luxurious places. And who could blame them? What bandit with any sense would stay in Mulberry, a town where only the bakery and jeweller are worth robbing? People worry over nothing nowadays, but such disappearances are extremely rare. And no innocent or well-established citizen has ever been harmed.” She waved her hand as if dismissing the entire idea. “It’s nonsense.”
The young man observed silently, finishing the last sip of his tea before nodding.
“Very well, I believe you,” he said.
The duchess’s cup was already back on the tray when Oscar’s followed. The sun slowly sank behind the trees; time moved on.
“Will I see you at dinner tonight?”
The question seemed to catch the duchess off guard.
“Of course, yes. Don’t think I’m avoiding you; I'm not.” She reassured with an amused smile.
He nodded and set his cup down before rising.
“Very well, I shall take my leave now.”
Lady Brynn tilted her head, about to say something, then reconsidered. He took a step when she spoke again.
“Have you met the librarian and found the book you were looking for?”
“The librarian?” the young man repeated. “No, not yet. And Abélie told me she hasn’t seen her either.”
The duchess rested her hand on her chin, thoughtful. She murmured something Oscar didn’t quite catch.
“Well, too bad. Nothing can be done until she returns,” she sighed, shaking her head.
“Actually…” he began.
“Hmhm?”
“Could you recommend a book yourself? I would be delighted to read one that impressed you.”
The question caught her off guard.
“A political treatise?”
“Doesn’t matter. Even a work of fiction would suit me perfectly.”
She tilted her head, her long cherry waves falling lightly over her shoulders. The sun illuminated her face, and Oscar thought she truly deserved to be captured in a portrait.
‘The Silver Lady’s Mask’, she finally replied. “It’s a gripping novel that… might please you.”
“Very well, thank you for the recommendation,” he said with a smile.
With a faint smile on his lips, he returned to his apartments.
Abélie refused to leave him in peace; she even insisted on accompanying him into the antechamber. For a majordomo, this was not unusual, but Oscar still refused to let her enter his room to plot. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression.
“So, so! Tell me everything, finally!” she pressed, a big smile on her face.
Seeing she wouldn’t relent, he sighed.
“You are persistent, you know that.”
“Perhaps, perhaps. Now, spill it!”
Oscar rolled his eyes, feigning offence.
“Nothing wild, I apologised… as you suggested. And then we discussed a bit of this and that.”
“Only that?” she asked, disappointed.
He shrugged.
“Only that, yes. I went solely to apologise.”
The young majordomo pouted, elbows resting on the edge of a chair.
“I expected a scene worthy of those contemporary romances. Where the young lady, overwhelmed with emotion, swoons, while the young lord catches her, apologetic.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun.”
Oscar raised an eyebrow, ignoring what she could be referring to.
“You women read some… curious books.”