Page 106 of Disillusioned
Lilac snapped her head to him like a wandering shark who sensed blood. “And is it Henri’s business when I bathe? When I change? When I relieve myself?”
He reddened. “No, Your Majesty. I suppose not.”
“Then my lady-in-waiting she is.” The guards said nothing more on the matter as Piper failed to conceal her own shocked grin. Lilac cocked her head at her. “What’s so funny?”
Piper shook her head, allowing her hair to curtain her face. “Nothing, Your Majesty.”
“Very well. I’ve been anticipating her arrival after my second visit to the haberdashery,” Lilac continued. “She’s arrived early and was probably forced to let herself in after you all abandoned the gate.” She shot a look at the other guard who’d begun to say something, silencing him. “Unhand her and restation the bailey. Have your men secure my gates.” She took Piper by the arm and stared the guards down. “Now.”
They promptly released Piper.
“Your Majesty,” one said as Lilac took several steps in the direction of the foyer staircase. “You were at the haberdashery? In Paimpont?”
“In Rennes.” Lilac regretting the words before they were out of her mouth, cringing inwardly as they tumbled out anyway. She’d been gone for several hours at the most. It was not near long enough for a trip to either town and back, even on the main roads.
She clutched her friend’s hand, eager to escape to her tower, but something else pulled the guards’ attention out the door.
Lilac had forgotten all about Myrddin. “And this is?—”
“Herlinde,” came a light, dancing voice as a woman entered the doorway. She was wrapped in a fuzzy black robe over a pink nightgown adorned with green tassels that swept her beet-red boots. Her shoulder-length curls were a dazzling shade of black, so vibrant they were almost blue, and when she shifted in the torchlight, it was as though the light itself sashayed through them.
She smiled in a strikingly familiar manner, her cheeks rosy and welcoming. “Herlinde of The Hemlock Haberdashery.” She bowed as she stood in the doorway, stifling a yawn.
“Come in,” Lilac said, highly impressed. She’d never known whatHerlinde actually looked like, but the disguise Myrddin had taken on was uncanny.
She strode in, reached past Lilac and Piper, and unflinchingly shook one of the guards’ hands. The guard jerked back, wiping his palm on his robes. Herlinde—Myrddin—then pivoted to Lilac, opening her arms for a hug as both guards retreated.
Lilac accepted her stiffly.
“You and that warlock owe me,” Herlinde growled into Lilac’s ear, patting her daintily on the back. The witch pulled away, her light brown cat eyes twinkling at the crystal-studded iron chandelier. “Your castle is marvelous. Thank you for having me. It’s a rather quick ride back when magic is in the air and the breeze is right.” She winked at the guards, nudging her head at the door. “Your driver just parked the carriage at the stables, Your Majesty.”
“Th-thank you.”
“The pleasure’s been all yours.”
Reeling, Lilac stepped aside to see what Herlinde had motioned at. Piper leaned over to see, too. Impossibly, Lilac’s own carriage, horses, and a grinning Giles sat just outside the stables, waving quietly from his seat. When the guards craned their necks out the door, Herlinde shot Lilac a knowing look behind their backs and winked.
An illusion?It had to be. Myrddin had glamored himself as Giles.
And it was Herlinde who stood next to Lilac.
“You’re a witch,” first guard said, gazing into Herlinde’s vertical pupils.
“She is,” Lilac said. “What of it?”
“Was this witch also stranded without her horse?” The second guard eyed them dubiously, probably remembering her and Lorietta’s half-baked excuse when she and Adelaide had showed up in her carriage. He also likely wondered why Lilac would bring Herlinde to the castle at what must be near midnight by now.
She was honestly stumped. Her body felt strong somehow, muscles burning with energy and the memory of Garin’s hands, but her mind was exhausted and all out of lies.
“No,” Herlinde answered for her with a snort. “Me? Stranded? You see, Lilac had visited me to check if I’d received the imported fabrics she’drequested on our first visit. I hadn’t, not yet, but I invited her in despite the late hour,” she explained. “We had some tea, and I expressed concern with her not taking a guard with her, especially after the last one abandoned his duties—” Herlinde glared at the guards—“in favor of a tavern stop.” Herlinde sighed in pity. “Anyway, we get along splendidly. Still without guard, Her Majesty was so kind to invite me to accompany her on the way back, and I suggested I might take a peek at her wardrobe for her fitting and style preferences. Although, I am glad to return at a later time, though.” Herlinde bowed again, taking a hurried step back toward the door. “I feel I may have walked in on something.”
“Wait,” Lilac blurted before Herlinde could escape. She had questions, and the witch would answer them. “Herlinde, you came all this way. You are welcome to peruse my closets any time. At the very least, come in for dessert before Giles brings you back.” She ignored the irked gleam in Herlinde’s eyes—she had to be at least distantly related to the Aglovens—and turned back to the guards. “Are Hedwig and Mother still awake? We’ll take dessert upstairs, if so.”
“And some of her croissants—” Piper cut herself off, the constellation of freckles across her face nearly disappearing in her increasing redness. “If she has any, that is.”
“How assuming,” Lilac gritted through her teeth.
“I said,if.”
