three straight hands of double hearts.
she used the compliment as a chance to launch her interrogation. "I thought I was familiar with the strongest teams in the city, but I didn't know the one we ran into last night. Tell me, robert. What is being done about that carriage? Has the driver been identified?" she glanced up to gauge his reaction.
robert fumbled, cringing as a jack of diamonds fell faceup on the table. "Why would anyone tell me ?"
she gave him a penetrating look. "because your uncle is the king's adviser, your father was a spy, and you were there last night. don't tell me you haven't asked." she sloughed a high card. "What does Chris say?"
"I doubt Chris will say anything for several hours yet. He's still asleep."
The lie was so unexpected Aurelia had no idea how to react. True, she had feared Henry might tell his nephew not to discuss the accident with her until the investigation was complete, but why would robert lie over something as trivial as Chris's whereabouts? It was a lie, though. she had already seen Chris that morning, laughing with Tedasa in the parlor.
"Asleep?" she gave robert the chance to correct himself.
"As a drunken rooster."
"don't play verbal games with me." she slapped another high card on the table. "That driver on the road last night came around the corner in a reckless manner. He or she should have reported the incident to the authorities."
robert picked up the card with a painful slowness and began a new round. "I would have thought so myself, but nothing has been reported. Apparently the driver does not want to be identified."
doubt spiked through her chest. If robert had lied about Chris, he might be lying now. "Then we must see that the driver is found," she snapped. "He or she shouldn't be allowed to endanger other lives."
"I agree. However, I doubt the palace guards have enough time to investigate the disappearance of a reckless carriage driver. perhaps I should ask in the city myself. I believe I could describe the horses well enough so someone who knows them might recognize them."
"I suppose that would be a decent start," she acknowledged grudgingly.
"you don't know who in the city might be a good horseman or horsewoman to ask?" robert probed. "perhaps someone familiar with the upper classes as well as the horses that come in and out of the city gates?"
she floundered, not able to come up with an ulterior motive behind his offer. "There are several people," she finally said, then gave him the best suggestion she could, "but I'd start with drew Fielding. daria's father asks him for breeding advice, and I know drew advises many upper-class families looking for strong teams. He runs the gamut on horseflesh. spends plenty of time fleecing commoners at the city racecourse as well. And he'd probably like to talk to you anyway. He loves to hear about horse breeding in other regions of the kingdom."
The clock chimed eleven and robert stood up. "Listen, if I'm going to go find this Fielding, I need to leave." He placed the winning card on the table. An ace of hearts.
she stared, stunned, unable to shake the feeling that he had won more than the game.
Twenty minutes later, a commoner rode out through the palace gates.
At least he was dressed as a commoner. Comfortable in his own worn shirt, trousers, and buckskin jacket, robert guided his personal mount onto a dirt trail skirting the western half of Tyralt City. According to a talkative groom, the place to be was a local horse fair, and robert assumed drew Fielding would be there.
The fairgrounds were located in the northeast corner of town, not far from the main gate. robert could have walked straight there as quickly as he could ride around the city circumference, but he preferred to avoid the heavy traffic of wagons and carriages cluttering the main road.
The famous Tyralian wall rose up on his left, its protective layers of stone reaching as high as the palace tower. The wall swept out from behind the palace, traced
she used the compliment as a chance to launch her interrogation. "I thought I was familiar with the strongest teams in the city, but I didn't know the one we ran into last night. Tell me, robert. What is being done about that carriage? Has the driver been identified?" she glanced up to gauge his reaction.
robert fumbled, cringing as a jack of diamonds fell faceup on the table. "Why would anyone tell me ?"
she gave him a penetrating look. "because your uncle is the king's adviser, your father was a spy, and you were there last night. don't tell me you haven't asked." she sloughed a high card. "What does Chris say?"
"I doubt Chris will say anything for several hours yet. He's still asleep."
The lie was so unexpected Aurelia had no idea how to react. True, she had feared Henry might tell his nephew not to discuss the accident with her until the investigation was complete, but why would robert lie over something as trivial as Chris's whereabouts? It was a lie, though. she had already seen Chris that morning, laughing with Tedasa in the parlor.
"Asleep?" she gave robert the chance to correct himself.
"As a drunken rooster."
"don't play verbal games with me." she slapped another high card on the table. "That driver on the road last night came around the corner in a reckless manner. He or she should have reported the incident to the authorities."
robert picked up the card with a painful slowness and began a new round. "I would have thought so myself, but nothing has been reported. Apparently the driver does not want to be identified."
doubt spiked through her chest. If robert had lied about Chris, he might be lying now. "Then we must see that the driver is found," she snapped. "He or she shouldn't be allowed to endanger other lives."
"I agree. However, I doubt the palace guards have enough time to investigate the disappearance of a reckless carriage driver. perhaps I should ask in the city myself. I believe I could describe the horses well enough so someone who knows them might recognize them."
"I suppose that would be a decent start," she acknowledged grudgingly.
"you don't know who in the city might be a good horseman or horsewoman to ask?" robert probed. "perhaps someone familiar with the upper classes as well as the horses that come in and out of the city gates?"
she floundered, not able to come up with an ulterior motive behind his offer. "There are several people," she finally said, then gave him the best suggestion she could, "but I'd start with drew Fielding. daria's father asks him for breeding advice, and I know drew advises many upper-class families looking for strong teams. He runs the gamut on horseflesh. spends plenty of time fleecing commoners at the city racecourse as well. And he'd probably like to talk to you anyway. He loves to hear about horse breeding in other regions of the kingdom."
The clock chimed eleven and robert stood up. "Listen, if I'm going to go find this Fielding, I need to leave." He placed the winning card on the table. An ace of hearts.
she stared, stunned, unable to shake the feeling that he had won more than the game.
Twenty minutes later, a commoner rode out through the palace gates.
At least he was dressed as a commoner. Comfortable in his own worn shirt, trousers, and buckskin jacket, robert guided his personal mount onto a dirt trail skirting the western half of Tyralt City. According to a talkative groom, the place to be was a local horse fair, and robert assumed drew Fielding would be there.
The fairgrounds were located in the northeast corner of town, not far from the main gate. robert could have walked straight there as quickly as he could ride around the city circumference, but he preferred to avoid the heavy traffic of wagons and carriages cluttering the main road.
The famous Tyralian wall rose up on his left, its protective layers of stone reaching as high as the palace tower. The wall swept out from behind the palace, traced
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