The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)(43)

There it was. A shred of uncertainty edged the last question.

Prince Colin heard it, too, because he turned and appeared to study her. “This morning. Did you see the looks they exchanged?”

Again, silence from the duchess.

“It’s worth noting, too, that her response to his injury was rather . . . dramatic. Wasn’t it?”

Was it? I closed my eyes for a heartbeat, remembering the attack. Remembering the way I’d felt everything inside of me burst when Tobiah dropped with that bolt inside him.

I shuddered, and Theresa touched my hand.

“I wasn’t there to witness it,” Meredith said. “I saw a commotion too quick to immediately understand, and then the guards were dragging me inside, along with Her Majesty.”

“I see. Then you’ll have to take my word for it.”

Meredith could probably count on one hand the times someone said she’d have to do something.

If I were her, I’d be remembering the morning of Tobiah’s awakening, when she and the queen had walked in to find me already there. And the look Tobiah and I had shared as I descended the steps in the cathedral. And, if she’d seen it, the way he stood close last night, holding me upright after I’d put the building back to sleep.

“More importantly, don’t you think it’s interesting that the same man responsible for the king’s assassination is also responsible for two attempts on your fiancé’s life? And that the assassin works for Wilhelmina?”

He made such compelling arguments. I wouldn’t trust me, either.

“I worry,” Prince Colin continued, “what her influence on Tobiah will be. The grief of losing his father, the near loss of his closest friend and bodyguard, the attack on him, and now the collapse of the cathedral on top of everything?” Prince Colin shook his head, as though honestly uncertain, and honestly concerned.

“Your points are all valid, certainly, but I am not worried about Tobiah’s faithfulness. He is honorable.”

“But she may not be. I can only pray Tobiah resists her, but if he changes at all—if the stress of what he’s been through begins to affect his duties as a king—please know that I want only what is best for the Indigo Kingdom. That, above all, is my priority, as I’m sure it is yours as well.”

He was telling her to spy for him. To keep watch over Tobiah’s activities and report to him. He’d already planted the seeds of doubt in her mind, though they must have been there already. She knew what I was. What I’d done. But still she’d made overtures of friendship. She’d shown me support and kindness in spite of the way I’d hurt her best friend.

Meredith had trusted Tobiah all these months, and he had betrayed her. In the breezeway. With me. He was honorable, but he wasn’t infallible.

We’d both betrayed her.

“The Indigo Kingdom is in a state of flux,” added Prince Colin. “I worry constantly for my nephew’s life, and his ability to rule the kingdom when those to whom he gives his trust are not trustworthy. I pray that he recovers from all of these traumatic events and proves himself a strong sovereign.”

“Crown Prince Tobiah is strong.”

“I agree. As proven by his swift recovery.” He paused. “And now it’s being said the injury wasn’t as great as we first thought, but saints, I saw the wound myself. It’s a miracle he lived. Truly a miracle.”

Meredith regarded him with a steady gaze.

“Though I certainly want my nephew to be king, more than anything else in this world, I hope no one else questions this miracle. Or . . . whatever it might have been. The law is clear, though. About magic. If someone were to contest his ascension to the throne—”

“Who would do that?” Meredith lifted her chin.

“No one, I’m sure. But I am so aware that I am next in the line of succession. When Tobiah becomes king this evening, I will become the crown prince. Heir to the throne.”

The duchess remained motionless, but it was a different kind of stillness, now. One filled with doubt and contemplation and unease. For a thundering heartbeat, I wondered if she’d give in and accept his not-so-subtle threats.

She could spy for him and be cared for when Colin made some kind of move against Tobiah.

Or she could go down with him.

Instead, she simply curtsied and said, “Excuse me, Your Highness. I must prepare for my fiancé’s coronation.”

“Of course. I’m sorry to have detained you. Please remember what we’ve discussed.”

“I don’t see how I could forget.” Before he could reply, Meredith turned and vanished from my sight. A door slammed, and Prince Colin glared after her for a breath. But then he clasped his hands behind his back, making a small noise of satisfaction.

Only after he went inside did I allow myself to move. My limbs groaned in protest, having stiffened from the cold. Theresa used the rail to help herself up. “I—”

The balcony door opened and Connor peeked out. “Wil? Rees?”

Theresa and I scrambled to our feet, the wool blanket falling to the balcony floor. Streaks of dirt smeared across the fronts of our dresses, and a few drops of rain dotted our faces.

“Oh.” His eyes widened. “What were you doing on the ground?”

“Eavesdropping. And it’s very rude, so you shouldn’t ever do it.” I bent to seize the fallen blanket. “Get ready for the coronation, Connor. We have to prepare as well.”