Read Online The Autumn Palace by Ebony McKenna - Free Book Online

sawno refreshing glass of water on her side table. She attempted to swallow again and felt the ash-dry results. Wincing at the night chill, Ondine pulled her top blanket over her shoulders and did her best to be as quiet as possible so she didn’t wake Draguta the laundry boss, who was asleep in the bed beside hers. She closed the door with a soft click and made her way to the kitchen.
    At this time of night, she expected to be alone. No such luck. There in the kitchen, standing at the central galley bench, was a woman dressed in a shimmery satiny nightgown, with a whimpering fluffy white dog. A white dog with soft red gums, full of gouges where his teeth used to be.
    The Infanta! Ondine tried to work out the correct form of address to use. Your Grace? My Lady? Her father would have known, but he wasn’t here to help.
    â€˜Your Highness.’ Ondine quickly dropped into a curtsey. In any case, she couldn’t say much more because her mouth was as dry as week-old bread. The woman smiled and Ondine felt a surge of reliefat getting it right. 38
    At first Ondine thought she’d surprised the woman, judging by the Infanta’s shocked expression, but after a while it became obvious the woman’s eyebrows sat up like that permanently.
    â€˜Were you sent to the kitchens at this late hour, child?’
    Croak, rasp. ‘No one sent me. I need a drink of water, Your Highness.’
    The Infanta nodded her head towards the taps and put a spoon in the dog’s mouth. For the smallest moment Ondine felt sorry for Biscuit. Straight after that she thought the dog deserved everything he got for attacking her beloved Shambles.
    Glass of water safely in hand, Ondine decided toget out of there before she said anything stupid. When she turned around, she saw the Infanta make a quick movement away from the large stockpot bubbling over a low flame.
    â€˜What?’ The Infanta’s gaze bored into her.
    Ondine was hardly going to say she thought the Infanta had put something in the soup. A queef of disgust 39 spread through her at the thought that the Infanta was feeding the dog with the soup spoon. Or was the soup just for the dog? In which case it would be all right, if a little unconventional. However, if it was the communal soup, she should probably warn everyone it had Biscuit slobber in it.
    Hot on the heels of that internal soliloquy, Ondine had another thought that pushed disgust aside and let fear in. Maybe the Infanta didn’t put the spoon back in the soup. Maybe she put something else in the soup?
    â€˜Sorry, I just . . . my eyes are still half shut. Please excuse me, Your Highness, I must get back to bed.’
    Those imperious raised eyebrows made Ondineuneasy. Somehow, Ondine felt sure the Infanta had put
something
in the soup and she had to tell Old Col the moment she got the chance.
    â€˜What are you named, child?’
    â€˜Ondine, Your Highness.’
    â€˜And what did you see, Ondine, hmm?’
    â€˜I . . .’ She took a gulp of water and thought desperately for something convincing to say.
    The dog provided inspiration as it licked the offered spoon. ‘I’m so sorry to stare, but I saw that your puppy has no teeth. I really wasn’t expecting that.’
    No change at all in the Infanta’s expression. It was hard to know if this was deliberate. ‘No. Earlier this evening I wasn’t expecting my dog to be mauled either,’ she said. ‘It was my baby brother’s new friend who did it. This had better be set to rights or there’ll be trouble.’
    Something else Ondine wasn’t expecting – the Infanta paid no attention to her audience and put that licked doggy spoon back in the soup, confirming her earlier guess at the slurry of dog bacteria swilling in the pot.
    Ondine’s face must have betrayed her disgust, because the Infanta said, ‘He has a better pedigree than anyone else under this roof.’
    Yes, but his mouth is still