The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)(36)

Aya jumped at the strength of his voice booming throughout the courtroom, and she wondered how so much sound emitted from such a little man.

“You have been summoned here today to witness the trial of Lady Jauntley and her alleged lover, Lord Pottsmore.” The bishop clapped his hands together twice. The clinking of his many rings echoed through the courtroom. “I call to the Throne of Judgment His Majesty, King Archon Lionel Monashe, ruler of Desertera.”

King Archon entered from a doorway behind the throne. He wore his signature cog-embroidered top hat and a sharp black suit. Aya imagined his white cravat was a noose, and she smiled at the thought of it tightening around his neck. As King Archon reached the center of the room, the bishop bowed again and exited without another sound. The king bowed to the nobles and took his seat on the throne. As he did, the nobles sat down on their benches. The three individuals on trial, however, remained standing.

“It begins,” Varick whispered.

King Archon cleared his throat, and Aya felt goose bumps rise on her skin as his gravelly voice issued throughout the room. “Lady Katlyn Jauntley, you have been accused of adultery. How do you plead?”

“Innocent, Your Majesty.” To Aya’s surprise, Lady Jauntley’s voice did not shake. It was defiant.

“Very well. Lord Aron Pottsmore, you have been accused of aiding Lady Jauntley’s adultery. How do you plead?”

“Innocent, Your Majesty.” Lord Pottsmore’s voice, Aya noticed, did quiver.

“Very well. Lord Enok Jauntley, you accuse your wife and Lord Pottsmore of these crimes. Is that correct?”

Lord Jauntley cast a cold glance at the accused lovers. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

King Archon nodded. “The accused may sit. Please make your case, Lord Jauntley.”

As Lord Jauntley waited for his wife and her supposed lover to settle, Varick leaned into Aya again. “Listen and watch carefully, my dear. King Archon will do most of the talking, and it will be over before you know it.”

Aya’s nostrils flared. “How is that possible?”

“Shh.” Lord Varick patted her knee. “Watch.”

Aya’s mouth went slack, a dozen silent questions hanging on her limp tongue. What about the finer details of the case? What about witnesses? Surely King Archon would have to call on witnesses, the same way the merchants in Portside always asked for bystanders when someone was accused of stealing. And what about deliberation? Everyone knew the king was the sole judge of crimes of this caliber—unlike in civil crimes when a group of merchants or farmers would decide the punishment—but did he not need time to think?

Aya nearly laughed at her thoughtlessness. Of course he didn’t. The king had his mind made up about her father before he even walked into Prince Lionel’s room that day. Papa’s trial had been merely an inconvenient formality, political theatre.

Lord Jauntley gave a low bow to the nobles. “My lords and ladies, please forgive this intrusion on your lives. However, I simply could not let our fine nation’s laws be so violated once I found out the truth.” Lord Jauntley paused, shaking his head as he stared at the accused. “My wife, Lady Jauntley, intends to divorce me so that she can be with her true love, Lord Pottsmore.” Lord Jauntley could not have said “true love” more sarcastically if his life had depended upon it.

“Divorce is not a crime,” Aya whispered. “As scandalous as it may be, people have divorced to avoid adultery. The king can’t have her killed for that, can he?”

“Just watch.”

King Archon straightened on his throne. “She may divorce you if she wishes.” King Archon turned his cold eyes on Lady Jauntley, and Aya saw within them the same manipulative malice as when the king had questioned her father.

“Lady Jauntley, since your husband will not be direct, you tell me. Have you had sex with Lord Pottsmore while engaged in matrimony with Lord Jauntley?”

Lady Jauntley stood, her head high and voice steady. “I do not believe Lord Jauntley and I are properly married, Your Majesty.”

King Archon guffawed. “Lady Jauntley, I attended your marriage ceremony. I blessed your union. You may have forgotten, but I have not.”

Lady Jauntley glanced in her husband’s direction before staring down at the table. “Yes, Your Majesty. However, Lord Jauntley and I, even after a year, we have never…”

“Spit it out, Katlyn.”

“We never consummated our marriage, Your Majesty.” Lady Jauntley looked up at the king, and Aya noticed the sad catch in the lady’s voice. “Enok won’t touch me.”

King Archon’s eyes widened, and he turned them on Lord Jauntley, who looked down at his feet. The courtroom was silent for a moment. Then King Archon burst out in laughter. He carried on until tears streamed down his face and dripped off the end of his pointed beard.

While the king laughed, Lord Varick nudged Aya. She tore her eyes away from the horror in front of her to follow Lord Varick’s pointed finger.

“There’s the prince. He came in late, of course, but he’s sitting in the back. If you look past the throne, you can see him.”

Aya craned her neck. “What does he look like?”

“He has a top hat. There is an ugly little redhead with him.”

Aya shifted slightly to her left, and she finally saw the prince. For some reason, his appearance surprised her. He did not look as she remembered, but then again, she had only seen him once and on the worst day of her life. He wore a plain black top hat with a large black feather sticking out of a satin band. The only features he shared with his father seemed to be his sharp nose and an affinity for pointed beards. The girl seated next to him was pretty enough, but she looked far too young to be courted by the prince. Then again, if the prince took after his father, as the rumors indicated, Aya knew better than to be shocked.