Chapter 27

We had resumed the road two days behind schedule. The snowstorm had not let out the following morning, and I had used that time to change the colour of my hair. Gideon had done a double-take when he had seen me coming down for supper that day. I had grinned and winked at him.

“You said so yourself. My hair was a dead giveaway, remember? I’ve found a better way of hiding it without cutting everything off.”

Gideon’s face had become beet red from recalling that event, and Xander had looked at us questioningly. I recounted what had happened, and everyone laughed at Gideon’s rash action that ultimately saved my life. Gideon had been right, though. I would have been found within a few days, maybe a week at most, if he hadn’t cut all my fiery red hair.

The inn we had stayed in was called the ‘Wayward Dog.’ I learned from Gideon that it was a place many shifters stopped at while on the road. I also discovered that all three men were shifters, which explained why they hadn’t seemed bothered by the cold storm.

I had known Gideon from a very young age, but that was an incredible piece of information I hadn’t known about him. It made sense why he had been the game hunter for the castle. His heightened sense of smell and hearing made him perfect for tracking and hunt animals. My father hadn’t frowned on Unnaturals. And this new information on Gideon made me think my father must have employed many of them. He had not seen inter-species breeding as a bad thing. He thought it would strengthen the country.

I had suspicions that this kind of thinking was very unpopular with the then Duke Osprey and possibly contributed to his betrayal. Osprey had been by my father’s side for years as one of his most trusted advisors and close friend. He was a big part of our lives. When I learned he was responsible for the uprising and publicly killed my mother and father once the castle surrendered, I was outraged. But it forced me to hide, knowing that if he found me, he’d recognize me instantly and have me killed right where I stood.

As we neared the city of Maple, the weather had turned warm, and the sun shone brightly, making the snow that covered the roads melt. The carriage wheels made sucking noises from the mud beneath them, making it harder for the horses to pull.

My head bobbed slightly as the carriage rattled with the uneven trail and woke me up when it jerked to a stop.

“Have we arrived?” I asked Diana, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

“No, but we are close. Lord Alexander went outside to keep Gideon company while you slept.”

“Then why have we stopped?”

“I don't know.”

I pulled the curtains covering the windows and tried to look outside without waking up Leo, who was propped up against the carriage wall near the door. I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear people talking.

A dark face came in front of the window and startled me. The person was staring at me, and it wasn’t a face I recognized. I backed away, shooting Diana a confused look.

“Identify yourselves and state your business.” Said a deep distant voice from outside the carriage.

“I am Lord Alexander Kestrel, son of Duke Kestrel. This is my coachman, and inside is my fiancée Ida Raven, accompanied by her servant maid and my personal footboy. We are here on Duke Kestrel’s orders. We require a meeting with Baron Mallard.”

“I’m sorry, my lord. We were expecting you days ago. We are tasked with escorting you to Baron Mallard’s guest house and then bringing you to him once you have taken a respite from your journey. Please follow us.”

I felt the carriage wobble as someone got down, and the side door opened. Xander came back inside and scooted Leo on the other bench.

“How did he know we were coming? Did you send him a letter?” I asked Xander curiously.

“No.” His face was grim. “My father must have sent word once he received my letter stating that I would pursue my investigation here.”

If Xander was counting on the element of surprise, we surely did not have it anymore. The baron would have had enough time to overthink our business here. This was not good.

“The security here seems pretty rough,” I stated.

“Yes. Since the rebellion headquarters are here, rebels often cause commotions and traffic goods, explaining the added security on the road. I doubt Baron Mallard knows about the headquarters, but it still makes this section of the country a hot spot for trouble. They have checkpoints everywhere near the city. No one comes in or out without passing through it unless you go through the forest. But there are no practical roads in there. You’d have to go on foot.” Xander said, looking out into the distance.

“Where are Sam and John? You didn’t identify them.”

“They left sometime this morning to inform the rebellion leaders of our arrival into the district.”

It was prudent of them to leave us. And with what Xander had said, I wondered if they took to the woods to avoid the patrols. It would have attracted too much attention with them following.

It took maybe a little less than an hour before they brought us in front of a lovely country house. It was bigger than Xander’s home we had stayed in Saltsburry. There was an attached solar room made almost entirely of glass windows, and I could see a lot of greenery inside, which contrasted starkly with the white scenery surrounding the house. The building was also made from washed stones, with multiple chimneys sticking out of the dark gray slab roof. Smoke was coming out of the stacks, which made me think that the baron had ordered people to prepare the house for us.

A butler greeted us and showed us our rooms. He had placed me in a different section from Xander, which I had found odd, but I remembered we were not married and were not supposed to share a room until our wedding.

I thanked the butler, who accepted it with a bitter expression. I figured news of my engagement to Xander had circulated, and, although it was not impossible, it was highly improbable that someone with a slave stature like me would have been able to catch a nobleman or a lord for a husband. It was pretty unheard of, and I knew there would be resistance. I thought back to Duke Kestrel and the way he tortured me, thinking I was using his son for my gain and shook my head. If only they knew the truth, although that would also mean our deaths.

Two footmen brought the trunk that contained my clothes up to my room, and I hastily looked through it to find something suitable to meet the baron. I finally settled on the blue high neck dress I knew Xander loved. The material was thick and seemed a little more expensive than my other dresses.

I braided my hair with many difficulties, then twisted it in a bun, made sure it was held up nicely in place with pins, and put some small pearl earrings Xander had brought back from Saltsburry to complete the look. I hoped my appearance would make them question the fact that I had been a maid. I wanted them to doubt if the rumours were true or not.

Last, I removed the bandage from my right hand and carefully kept my healing fingers in front of me, near my waist. I had to be careful not the hit it anywhere and risk damaging all the progress I had made.

I took the stairs and met Xander in the main parlour. He was dressed in one of his two-piece suits. This one was dark gray and fit him perfectly, hitting all the delicious shapes of his body. His eyes lit up at the sight of me, but his gaze quickly shadowed when he saw that my hand wasn’t bandaged anymore.

“Ida, are you certain? I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“Hmh, I’ll be fine. It didn’t go with my looks, anyway.”

He took my arm and led me to the carriage. It had fresh horses, and Gideon still posed as our coachman. The man gave me a sly smile and resumed his straight sitting position of a diligent coachman.

Xander helped me in and followed behind, closing the door and pressing a reassuring hand on my own.

“You look stunning. Except for that hair, ugh.”

“Hey, it’s just for a short while. Besides, you might start liking it better this way.” I snickered back.

His smile died when the carriage started rolling, bringing us back to the matter at hand.

“You may not like the Xander I’ll be when we meet with the baron. You’ve always seen my true self, but I need to be… different when I work. Do you trust me?”
I squeezed him and nodded, “with all my heart.”

“Good.”

I worked on my breathing to calm myself. I hoped the anxiousness I was feeling was unfounded. Everything will be fine; I kept repeating this in my mind. What could possibly go wrong?