The Blood Spell (Ravenspire, #4)(80)

The queen stopped walking and turned to face Dinah. “I don’t know. How does it benefit you?”

Dinah clenched her fists. Let the queen see anger. An innocent woman would be furious at the accusation. “It doesn’t benefit me, Adelene. I lost my husband, my home, my business empire, and my income in one fell swoop. A week later, I had to take guardianship over an old farmhouse, an alchemy shop, and a defiant girl who won’t even help me clean out her own root cellar, much less be of any assistance with anything else. My girls are miserable. I’d much rather be living at one of James’s cousins’ homes in the Chauveau quarter, but my responsibility to Valeraine keeps me at the de la Cours’.”

The queen held up her hand to stop the flow of Dinah’s words. “You made Blue go down into her root cellar?”

Dinah blinked. “Of everything I just said, that’s what you want to discuss? I realize the girl is a friend to your children, but, Adelene, she must be taken in hand. I asked her to do something as simple as go through the boxes of old belongings in the root cellar so we could organize them, and she barely spent twenty minutes working with me before she ran out of the house entirely.”

“Valeraine died in the root cellar. Blue was with her for hours after she died until Pierre got home and could fix the broken ladder and get to her.” Adelene’s tone was a slap, and Dinah quickly blinked a few tears into her eyes.

“Oh no. I didn’t realize Blue was with her when she died. Poor thing, I wish she would have just told me.”

“Blue doesn’t like to talk about it.” Adelene shivered as the wind picked up.

She was going to suggest turning back, and Dinah couldn’t leave. Not without a leaf from the volshkyn bush.

Quickly, Dinah said, “Speaking of Blue, she asked me to get something for her from your garden. A leaf of some plant from Morcant. Volsh . . . something.”

“Volshkyn?” Adelene looked puzzled. “She’s never asked me for that. Why does she need it?”

Why would she need it? Dinah scrambled for an acceptable reason and came up with the task Blue had set herself earlier in the day. “She’s making protection charms for the betrothal girls. I guess she needs that plant for the potion.”

The queen smiled. “That’s Blue. Always ready to try to fix what’s wrong.”

Dinah made herself smile in response. “Perhaps I’ve been too hard on her in my own grief. The upheaval of my world has been difficult to withstand.”

“Your guardianship document held up to examination,” Adelene said.

“Of course it did.” Dinah promised herself she’d give her solicitor a lovely bonus once the wraith laid waste to her enemies. A man with his talents should be rewarded.

“I won’t tell the council about your financial situation, though unfortunately, this takes Jacinthe out of the running for the betrothal.” The queen’s voice held regret. “I’d so hoped to unite our families, but we must do what’s best for the crown.”

Dinah nodded, careful to keep her expression blank. What was best for the crown had cost Dinah everything once. It wasn’t going to cost her again.

“We should go inside,” the queen said, rubbing her arms briskly as a chill descended and the first drops of rain began to fall.

“Agreed. But first, I’ll need to get the volshkyn for Blue,” Dinah said.

“Over there beneath the rynoir tree. Only take a little bit. It’s very potent and takes years to grow back.”

“Thank you,” Dinah said as she walked toward the rynoir tree, envisioning Adelene’s blood and the blood of her children staining the seashell path red.

She had a dinner party to attend tonight at Lady Faure’s, and a brunch with Lady Perrin in the morning, but her schedule the following night was clear. Once the midnight bells rang, she would head to the Wilds, and then the people of Balavata would get the reckoning they deserved.





THIRTY-THREE


THE DAY AFTER Blue and Kellan had nearly drowned at sea, he showed up at her doorstep just before breakfast. She opened the door to his knock, Papa’s apron wrapped around her, a wooden spoon in her hand.

“Are you cooking?” he asked, his expression hopeful.

“Are you telling me you didn’t already eat half the castle’s food supply this morning?”

“I only ate one-third of the food supply, so clearly I’m nearly starving at this point.” He gave her his charming smile. The one that weeks ago would’ve made her want to slam the door in his face. This time, something warm and fizzy ignited in her chest and spiraled into her stomach.

She stepped back to let him in and said, “I’m trying to make Grand-mère’s fried apple cake recipe.”

He sniffed the air. “Smells good. I’d say you’re succeeding.”

“Papa always did the cooking. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m any good at it, but I think it’s a lot like alchemy. It’s just the science of making sure the right ingredients go together the right way.” She turned toward the stairs. “Should I tell Jacinthe and Halette that you’re here? Dinah didn’t tell me you were coming for brunch today.”

His hand shot out and wrapped around her arm. “I’m not here to see them.”