The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)(21)

CHAPTER FIVE


“What is next on the agenda this evening, Varick?” Aya asked as the lord led her away from the throne room.

Lord Varick squinted. “Hmm. How about a quick walking tour to get you in position for your first moment alone with King Archon?”

Aya raised her eyebrows. “We’re starting this evening?”

“Of course.” Lord Varick tapped his cane. “No time to waste! We want you to stay fresh in his mind, after all.”

Aya squeezed Lord Varick’s arm. “Good.”

They walked until they reached a fork in the hallway. At the fork stood a tall stone statue, immortalizing the broad body and stern face of a queen. A plaque rested at her feet. Queen Hildegard, the Navigator. So this was the woman behind the ship’s name. Aya admired Queen Hildegard’s determined expression. She didn’t look as though she would have been so easily duped by King Archon. She looked like a woman who would have laughed the king all the way to Sternville.

“To the left of our beloved Queen Hildegard is the corridor that will take you back to my estate.” Lord Varick pointed down the left-hand hallway and crooked his finger to the right. “At the end of the hallway, take a right. My estate will be down the hallway on the right-hand side. You will know it by sight, I’m sure. In case of emergency, there is a stairwell a few doors past mine that will lead you out of the palace.”

Aya repressed a shudder as she thought of the eye painted on Lord Varick’s door. “I remember the stairs. We are not so far from the Rudder then, are we?”

“Very clever, Miss Aya.” Lord Varick nodded. “Yes, those are the same stairs my guard led you through last night.”

“And the right-hand corridor?” Aya pointed toward it.

“Ah, yes. Down this corridor, our destiny awaits.” Lord Varick turned Aya to face it. “This hallway spans nearly the entire length of the ship. There are many offshoots. Some go to libraries or sitting rooms or ballrooms, others to servants’ chambers and the many food pantries and kitchens. However, if you follow it all the way to its end, you will find yourself in a rounded end with a large grandfather clock staring back at you.”

“A clock,” Aya gasped, her eyes feeling as if they may pop out of their sockets. “Truly?”

Lord Varick laughed. “My goodness, you are the cogsmith’s daughter. If I had any doubt, it is erased now.”

Aya blushed. “I’m sorry. Please continue.”

“On either side of the clock will be a door. The door on the left is the door to King Archon’s private chambers.”

Aya nodded. “And the door on the right?”

“It doesn’t go anywhere.” Lord Varick tugged on his glove. “It is simply a diversion to slow down those who may seek to enter the king’s chambers uninvited.”

“Oh.” Aya studied Lord Varick’s face. His eyes avoided hers a moment too long, the way men’s eyes at the brothel avoided hers when the men claimed they didn’t have enough coins left for a tip.

Lord Varick cleared his throat. “I am afraid, my dear Miss Cogsmith, this is where I leave you for the time being. I cannot expect you to succeed in wooing King Archon if I am lingering on your arm, now can I?”

“True.” Aya smirked. “You might just dampen the mood.”

Lord Varick laughed. “There is my girl! Follow the corridor to the end and busy yourself with examining some element of it. There should be plenty of paintings and tapestries and old books to fawn over. There should also be a fainting couch in the center to pose on. When King Archon arrives, which should be rather shortly, play the lost, innocent newcomer and inflict your best charm upon him.”

Aya swallowed. “What if Queen Zedara is with him?”

“I do not expect her to be. She will likely want to return to her own chambers to dress for dinner, and they are in a separate corridor.”

“All right. And if things go well with the king…” Aya paused, trying to formulate modest words. “How far should I let them proceed?”

“Goodness, Miss Aya.” Lord Varick chuckled. “Not far at all. While I imagine you must be drooling over the opportunity to establish physical intimacy with your father’s murderer, trying to do it tonight will get us nowhere. He is not like your clients at the Rudder. He thrives on the chase, and to my knowledge, he has never actually committed adultery. If that were his game, he would still be married to one of his earlier wives, and my sweet daughter would still be alive.”

“So, the Honest Husband Package?”

Lord Varick cocked his head to the side. “Beg pardon?”

Aya blushed. “At the Rudder, we have this routine for married clients who want to feel desired but who are too scared of breaking the law to actually engage in the adultery. With these men, we use suggestive language and body movements, but we do not actually touch them or allow them to touch us beyond a simple brush of the fingertips.”

“That is precisely what you need to do.” Lord Varick tapped his cane on the floor again. “Give him a little taste, and leave him wanting more, so that the next time he sees you, he will be the one to instigate the interaction.”

“Got it.” Aya pushed her shoulders back. “I can do this.”

“I know you can. Now, hurry along down the corridor. The nobles will be exiting the throne room, and we need you to be in place to greet our beloved king.” Lord Varick gave her a quick kiss on the hand, squeezing her fingers tightly in both fists. “Good luck, my dear.”