she’d been sleeping in Talin’s bed. In her haste to evacuate, she tangled her legs in the bedding and sprawled in the floor.
The fall seemed to rattle her brain. For several moments, she lay still, evaluating
the level of pain she could feel. Finally, she pushed herself up and managed to get to her feet.
The maids, she saw, had brought in fresh water and a tray of food. When she’d
assured herself she was still in the room alone, she moved to the pitcher and basin that had been brought to her and washed her face and teeth.
She wasn’t accustomed to eating in the morning and an odd mixture of hunger
and nausea washed over her as she smelled the scent of food. After a moment’s thought, though, she decided to see if she could eat anything. She felt weak and uncommonly
weary, and the urge to climb back into bed and go back to sleep was strong. She
reminded herself that she had no desire to be caught in Talin’s bed--not by Talin.
The hot tea, she discovered, went a long way toward reviving her. Nibbling on a
scone, she settled in the chair and looked around the room thoughtfully, wondering what seemed out of place.
It occurred to her finally, that it wasn’t that anything was out of place, but that
something she’d expected to find wasn’t there.
Her lips tightened. The maids had told her they’d taken her gown to lauder it.
They hadn’t brought it back.
THE DEVIL’S CONCUBINE
Jaide Fox
32
Slamming her tea cup back on the tray so hard she was a little surprised it didn’t
shatter, she surged to her feet and searched the room, knowing even before she did so that it was unlikely her dress would turn up.
It didn’t. The chests in the room contained nothing but men’s clothing--Talin’s
clothes. Slamming the lip of the last closed, she looked around the room for a bell pull to summon the maids and discovered there wasn’t one.
She supposed that accounted for Talin’s tendency to bellow for servants when he
wanted them.
She glared at the door for some time, fighting the urge to march over to it and
pound on it until somebody came. At best, such a thing would probably be useless since she doubted she could pound, or scream, loud enough to be heard over the din no doubt going on down in the great hall. At worst, it might bring Talin himself.
She moved back to the chair. The maids would come back, she assured herself, to
remove the tray. When they did, she would give them a piece of her mind if they didn’t have her gown when they came.
The food grew cold. Her anger dissipated at roughly the same rate as the heat
from the food, and without that to sustain her, weariness set in.
She’d had very little sleep, she knew, and the activities of the day before had
already strained her physically and emotionally. Realizing that she was going to nod off in the chair if she continued to sit, she got to her feet and began exploring the room.
There wasn’t much to explore. She’d already rifled through all of the chests and
not only had she not found anything in any of them of any interest, but she didn’t
particularly want to risk being caught plundering through Talin’s personal belongings.
The only conclusion anyone could draw from such an action would be that she
was searching for something to steal, or more interested in Talin than she had any desire for anyone to think.
Moving to the door that led into the corridor, she put her ear against it, listening.
In the distance, she could hear the murmur of voices, but she couldn’t hear well enough to tell what was being said.
Tiring of that fairly rapidly, she left the door and paced the room a while and
finally returned to the chair.
She wasn’t just scared anymore, she realized. In fact, at the moment, she wasn’t
fearful at all.
She was bored.
Sighing, she glanced around the room dully.
She missed her ladies. They had been chosen to serve her and she was not
supposed to encourage them to treat her as
The fall seemed to rattle her brain. For several moments, she lay still, evaluating
the level of pain she could feel. Finally, she pushed herself up and managed to get to her feet.
The maids, she saw, had brought in fresh water and a tray of food. When she’d
assured herself she was still in the room alone, she moved to the pitcher and basin that had been brought to her and washed her face and teeth.
She wasn’t accustomed to eating in the morning and an odd mixture of hunger
and nausea washed over her as she smelled the scent of food. After a moment’s thought, though, she decided to see if she could eat anything. She felt weak and uncommonly
weary, and the urge to climb back into bed and go back to sleep was strong. She
reminded herself that she had no desire to be caught in Talin’s bed--not by Talin.
The hot tea, she discovered, went a long way toward reviving her. Nibbling on a
scone, she settled in the chair and looked around the room thoughtfully, wondering what seemed out of place.
It occurred to her finally, that it wasn’t that anything was out of place, but that
something she’d expected to find wasn’t there.
Her lips tightened. The maids had told her they’d taken her gown to lauder it.
They hadn’t brought it back.
THE DEVIL’S CONCUBINE
Jaide Fox
32
Slamming her tea cup back on the tray so hard she was a little surprised it didn’t
shatter, she surged to her feet and searched the room, knowing even before she did so that it was unlikely her dress would turn up.
It didn’t. The chests in the room contained nothing but men’s clothing--Talin’s
clothes. Slamming the lip of the last closed, she looked around the room for a bell pull to summon the maids and discovered there wasn’t one.
She supposed that accounted for Talin’s tendency to bellow for servants when he
wanted them.
She glared at the door for some time, fighting the urge to march over to it and
pound on it until somebody came. At best, such a thing would probably be useless since she doubted she could pound, or scream, loud enough to be heard over the din no doubt going on down in the great hall. At worst, it might bring Talin himself.
She moved back to the chair. The maids would come back, she assured herself, to
remove the tray. When they did, she would give them a piece of her mind if they didn’t have her gown when they came.
The food grew cold. Her anger dissipated at roughly the same rate as the heat
from the food, and without that to sustain her, weariness set in.
She’d had very little sleep, she knew, and the activities of the day before had
already strained her physically and emotionally. Realizing that she was going to nod off in the chair if she continued to sit, she got to her feet and began exploring the room.
There wasn’t much to explore. She’d already rifled through all of the chests and
not only had she not found anything in any of them of any interest, but she didn’t
particularly want to risk being caught plundering through Talin’s personal belongings.
The only conclusion anyone could draw from such an action would be that she
was searching for something to steal, or more interested in Talin than she had any desire for anyone to think.
Moving to the door that led into the corridor, she put her ear against it, listening.
In the distance, she could hear the murmur of voices, but she couldn’t hear well enough to tell what was being said.
Tiring of that fairly rapidly, she left the door and paced the room a while and
finally returned to the chair.
She wasn’t just scared anymore, she realized. In fact, at the moment, she wasn’t
fearful at all.
She was bored.
Sighing, she glanced around the room dully.
She missed her ladies. They had been chosen to serve her and she was not
supposed to encourage them to treat her as
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