Page 147 of Bloom
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I just finished this, and you said you wanted to read it, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot. I thought you were never going to finish it.”
“Sorry it took so long.”
It seemed Lord Monet was alone. The hall was empty, and Jaime couldn’t hear anything.
“Jaime made us some hot cacao earlier,” Aleric was saying.
“It’s summer.”
Aleric let out a light chuckle. “So?”
“You’re just like your Mother. She craved it a lot while pregnant with you in the last month.”
“It tasted off. I think the cook needs to throw out that batch.”
“Isn’t pregnancy supposed to change your tastes? Your Mother couldn’t stand certain foods, and the smell of bacon made Honoré nearly throw up in the first few months.”
“Jaime said it didn’t taste right, so it wasn’t just me. I don’t think it was the milk either. The cacao’s gone off.”
Thank Elira Aleric could think of things to say on the fly.
“We can tell one of the servants tomorrow. They’ll toss it. Do you feel ill?”
“No. We didn’t finish it.”
“If you feel sick, let me know. I’ll send a guard to fetch Delphine.”
Jaime waited while they made a little more small talk. Aleric finally exited and firmly closed the door.
“It’s just him,” he whispered. “Let’s go downstairs.”
Jaime waited until they were in the kitchen to explain himself. “Maybe I overreacted, but I swear it looked like he hid something in his pocket, and with the way he jumped when I came in, it gave me a bad feeling. He was too nervous for a guy making a couple of drinks. All I could think about was Gautier getting him to poison your Father…I guess I worried for nothing. It would be stupid to kill Lord Monet because you’d automatically become the lord and take over. I couldn’t take the risk.”
Aleric bit his lip and looked at the pot as he brushed his hair back. “He was so nasty earlier…maybe…”
“What?”
“I’m glad you told me. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Zacharie was so angry and off earlier…and now this. He wasn’t with Father, and he had no drink, so I know my brother didn’t drop it off for him. What if he’s trying to kill Gautier?”
“He’s besotted with Gautier,” whispered Jaime. “The sun might as well rise and set on him.”
“I believe he was nervous and put something in his pocket. You said that’s what it looked like.”
“What if it was nothing important? Or maybe he was…scratching his hip. I don’t know.”
“If he’s innocent, what if he wants to kill his lover because Father’s forcing them to go away? Zacharie might be the type to do just about anything in bed. For all I know, he might even be into consensual nonconsent. He also might not.”
Jaime had a feeling what he meant. “You mean…”
“Zacharie’s attitude and way have been consistent in the past two years. He’s never been the type to keep his mouth shut if hegets hurt or he’s pissed about something. Still, it could be that there’s something wrong, and Gautier’s scared him.”
“And now he’s afraid to go somewhere alone with Gautier because it might grow worse.”
“Yes.”
