Page 64 of Degradation

“I do,” I said.

I’d already touched my will to Mrs. Wimbles and determined that she truly supported the rightful heirs taking the throne. She was willing to do anything to get rid of the Foul Queen since she’d lost her husband to the woman’s wrath when he refused to surrender their grown son for breeding.

Learning what that meant had almost been my undoing.

The queen wasn’t using men and women to breed the children that she was sacrificing to prolong her life. No, she was taking men, fair of face and physique, to breed with herself. Rumors were that she cast spells during the act, hoping to create a powerful child—one who would reverse the aging the queen had already sustained. The spells involved blood magic, and the men never survived.

My thoughts briefly turned to Edmund before I forced them to the task at hand as the carriage slowed.

“We’ve arrived,” Liam said through the door.

“Thank you…Liam,” Mrs. Wimbles said.

I could feel how uncomfortable it made her feel to address him so informally.

He opened the door and helped us down then ran ahead to knock on the door. The butler who answered only looked at Mrs. Wimbles and me. I smiled beatifically under his regard.

“Please tell Mr. Ascott that Mrs. Wimbles has come to call with a guest.”

The butler showed us to a sitting room while Liam returned to the carriage. Neither he nor Eadric had liked this part of my plan, but I saw no other way. If they openly arrived at the traitor’s door, either we would be turned away, or all of us would be caught. As long as I remained hidden, I was safe. As far as Mrs. Wimbles knew, I was a simple caster helping the heirs attempt to find their missing brother.

A distinguished man with a greying beard and welcoming smile strode into the sitting room.

“Ladies, welcome to my home. To what honor do I owe your visit?” he asked.

“I wanted to introduce you to my new acquaintance, Miss Cartwright,” Mrs. Wimbles said. I rose and curtseyed gracefully. “Miss Cartwright, allow me to introduce Mr. Ascott, an old friend of my husband’s.”

The man smiled and bent low over my hand.

At the moment of our contact, I touched his mind and searched for any hint of betrayal. Like Mrs. Wimbles, he devoutly wished for the heirs to overthrow the queen. He feared that she would discover the son he’d hidden away in a distant corner of the kingdom. The lad was a few years older than me, and the elder Ascott thought that, with my gentle bearing, I’d make a fine wife for his son.

I smiled in return and allowed him to guide me back to my seat.

“From where do you hail, Miss Cartwright? I thought I’d met all the fair maidens in Adele.”

A servant entered the drawing room while carrying a tea tray set for three.

“My father and brothers hid me away in a far corner of the kingdom when I was born. They told me I was a beauty from my first breath and feared a hectic life chasing away suitors.”

Mr. Ascott chuckled as I’d hoped. “Since you are here, I deduce their plan did not work?”

“It did not. The quality of the suitors they needed to chase away had simply decreased. So here I am, where my father believes I will find a suitable match.”

I reached out to accept my tea directly from the servant, and our fingers touched. I felt her hate for the rich and her despair for the child taken from her. Her yearning and desperation boiled over, and she wondered if the guard would also be interested in news of a maiden from the countryside.

In her mind, I saw her last conversation with the guard. She’d gone to them to share the appearance of a handsome young man at her employer’s home. She’d been certain the news would interest the queen and win her favor.

“Sleep,” I said.

The woman partially fell onto the table. My teacup rattled, but I steadied it and met Mr. Ascott’s shocked gaze.

“Your servant went to the guard and reported that you met with a handsome young man from the countryside. She overheard your arrangement for him to meet with Mrs. Wimbles today and conveyed his expected arrival.”

“His highness never arrived,” Mrs. Wimbles said calmly.

Mr. Ascott’s gaze shifted between the two of us. “Who are you truly?” he asked me.

“A friend of the princes. They asked me to help find their brother.”

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