A day later, formally dressed in civilian clothes, Mardans trotted down the steps to meet a carriage as it pulled under the porte-cochère. He opened its door and handed Lady Liandra Marini to the cobblestones. This evening she wore a dress of Satelen sea-green, which she could rarely do while serving the Dowager Queen. She had pulled back the sides of her dark hair and caught them in a pearl clasp behind her head, allowing the rest of her long hair to flow down her back. Pearls, a Marini Family export, hung off her ears and around her neck. One large pearl topped a gold ring on her finger, and more of them encrusted the tips of her shoes and the flap of her handbag. Over her arm hung a long white jacket for the expected chill later in the evening.
“Welcome to my mother’s humble abode, Lady Marini,” Mardans said with a smile, taking her beauty in. “I’m overjoyed you could come.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” she replied with a little smirk. “I’m happy to be here. It is a lovely mansion!”
“Wait until you see the inside,” Mardans replied, accompanying her up the few steps to the wide door, which a doorman held open. “Mother’s taste is impeccable, and she has furnished this place with all the luxuries and amenities money can buy. But,” he said, looking around to see if anyone else might be listening, “I’ll let you in on a little open secret: We both prefer our cozy little house up the street around the bend of the hill. This monstrosity is the family’s public house, made for meetings, dinners, parties, balls, and housing the important people who come through Palisade—an extension of Satele’s interests. The other place is home.”
“I would like to see it, too, if I could,” she said, dark eyes shining. “I would bet it says more about you and your mother than this grand estate.”
“And you would be right,” he agreed, taking her jacket and hanging it in a nearby closet. “Blood and wealth have given us position and influence, especially my mother, but you might be surprised how ‘normal’ we are when no one is looking.”
She glanced up at him coyly. “Normal like playing a jester?”
Mardans laughed. “So you figured that out! What gave me away?”
Blushing, Liandra dropped her eyes. “Well, first, it was your voice, which I thought might be a coincidence. But then I noticed the eyes and smile were the same as what I had seen when you visited the Dowager. Once I saw that, I was sure. You have been playing three different roles. You’re an excellent actor!”
He bowed theatrically, his hand almost sweeping the marble floor. “Thank you, my lady! Your kind words are a blessing and balm to the fragile ego of this poor thespian! I am forever in your debt!”
Lirens came in at that moment, witnessing Mardans’ actions but not hearing what he had said. He asked, “Did he just propose to you, Lady Liandra?”
“Prince Lirens!” Liandra cried, her face reddening more deeply as she gave him a quick curtsy. Her eyes darted here and there, but she could find no words to answer him.
Seeing her distress, Mardans chuckled. “No, just bowing my thanks for a heartfelt compliment on my incomparable acting skills. The proposal is tentatively scheduled for after dinner.”
The prince roared. “You’re not incomparable, little brother, you’re incorrigible!”
“I didn’t know you knew either of those words, little brother!” Mardans retorted.
“I’ll teach you some words, you little—”
“Boys! Boys!” Tiena Santinetta said from down the hall. “Behave in front of this sweet lady, my countrywoman!” Shaking her head, she walked forward, her gaze on Liandra. “My apologies for their boorish behavior, Lady Marini! They always act like this, and they haven’t even started drinking! I’m Tiena, and I am so pleased to meet you!” They kissed each other on both cheeks.
“Lady Santinetta, it is my honor!” Liandra gushed, curtsying again. “My father and mother send their greetings and wish you health and happiness!” Tiena gave her a radiant smile of thanks, taking the younger woman’s arm and leading her toward the parlor. They laughed at something Tiena said, probably about Mardans and Lirens.
The brothers just shrugged and followed in their wake.
The early arrivals clustered around a resplendent Dinae. Elegantly gowned in deep blue, she sat like a queen on a white upholstered chair, seemingly no worse for her unwelcome adventure, while Aran stood like a bodyguard next to her, attempting to stretch out the stiff collar of his new dinner jacket. Patting the older woman’s hand, Red comforted a slouching Mrs. Luven, dressed in mourning black, a lace veil over the upper half of her face.
Sidy, beaming with excitement, was there, too, but not as a guest. Dressed in a service uniform and holding a tray of appetizers, she offered them, curtsying, to the prince as soon as he entered the room. But she ignored Mardans, still miffed that he had deceived her about who he really was. Fortunately, a manservant came by with a tray of wine-filled stemware, softening the blow.
Mardans brought a glass of wine to Liandra, who stood alone after Tiena excused herself to handle a minor kitchen problem. He said, “I’m sorry if I offended you, Miss Marini. Lirens and I just—”
She placed a hand on his arm. “Think nothing of it. My younger brothers kid like that when they get together. I’m just glad you and your royal brothers reunited.”
“Thank you,” he said, disarmed.
“Besides, you’re the jester,” she continued, taking a sip of her wine and peering over its rim at him. “Aren’t jesters supposed to have a little of the fool in them?” She grinned.
“Ouch!” he said, laughing. “Witty and pretty! And a force to be reckoned with!”
“Oh, by the way,” she said, “if you’re going to propose after dinner, you might as well call me Liandra.”
It was his turn to blush. “I said that in jest, but even so, it seems a bit hasty.”
“Maybe just a little,” she answered with a wink.
At that moment, Tiena returned and called them to the table, and the guests flowed into the dining room. At the head of the table, Mardans sat with Liandra on his right and Lirens on his left. Tiena took the chair next to her countrywoman so they could converse about Satele, while Dinae sat at the prince’s left and Aran to her left. Mrs. Luven shuffled to the chair at the table’s other end. As soon as they were seated, the skilled staff began serving the first course, a selection of appetizers.
By common consent, the dinner was delicious. Even so, several minutes after the third course had been served, Mrs. Luven, who had been picking at her food, excused herself with a brief curtsy, thanking Tiena for a wonderful evening but complaining of weariness. Sidy came forward to escort her to her room. The other guests wished her a good night as she tottered away on Sidy’s arm, clutching her handkerchief.
Everyone sat back down to resume the meal, Mardans last of all, muttering, “We will bring Gemma’s killer to justice.” Only Liandra, watching him carefully, seemed to notice. Her hand covered his momentarily before she picked up a knife and fork to finish the small bison steak, spicy green beans, and Tiena’s secret creamed potato and herbs dish that comprised the main course. Mardans said thank you with a quick smile.
Lirens must have been thinking similarly. “You know, little brother, the hardest part of the job is before us. We did well getting Dinae back—and thank the Shepherd for that!”
“The worst six hours of my life!” Dinae interjected. “But thanks to all of you, I was just bound and gagged and scared out of my wits. It could have been so much worse!”
“Yes, I’m thankful you weren’t harmed further,” Tiena said, her eyes tearing up. “My boys did well, didn’t they?”
“Yes, Mama, they did,” Dinae agreed. Upon meeting her, she almost immediately began calling Tiena “Mama.” Since she considered Mardans her older brother, she had told her, what was Tiena but her mother? “I was so relieved when I saw Dance staring down at me!”
“So relieved you nearly drowned me in tears!” Mardans exclaimed in a mock-serious voice. “My best set of rescuing clothes is still drying!”
“Come down here so I can punch you, Lieutenant Mardans Jester!” she returned, brows drawn low. “They were happy tears!”
“So they were, Red, so they were,” he said, grinning at her. “I was relieved and happy, too, despite the corpse lying just a few feet away.”
“I tried not to look,” Dinae said. “What happened when we left, anyway?”
Hearing that as his cue, the prince pushed his chair from the table, giving him a bit more room. Wiping his mouth, he cleared his throat before answering. “Well, after I convinced His Excellency the Tanjari Ambassador that it would be good form to let me inspect the coach house—no small feat!—he insisted on us walking to it! I think he was stalling, hoping whoever was there would clear out. It probably helped you, Dance, giving you time to get Red over the wall. So, after a while, we walked in the main door, which I suspected you had left open.”
Mardans nodded. “Under the circumstances, we had no incentive to tidy up,” he said drolly.
“Of course, the first thing we saw was the body on the floor and all the pooled blood. Considering my vocation, I knew he was dead immediately, but the ambassador insisted on searching for a pulse. Once he was satisfied that calling a doctor was useless, he said he had no idea who the man was and how he had gotten there. He was clearly lying his head off, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had to take his word for it.
“After that, I wandered around the coach house for a bit, making my way to the older coach. When we’d entered, I’d noticed its door was still open, so when I peered in, I saw the ropes and gag on its floor. I called the ambassador over to see them. I told him, ‘Someone has been tied up and gagged here. It’s pretty clear what happened.’ He played dumb, so I explained with every ounce of patience in me. I said, ‘The dead man was holding someone against his will’—sorry, Ms. Dinae, I know you’re a ‘her,’ but I didn’t want to give away that I knew even that much. I went on, ‘And one or more rescuers came, killed the man out there, and spirited their friend away.’ He didn’t like that scenario at all, as you might expect, so he just said it was mere speculation and repeated that he had no knowledge of any criminal activity.
“Just about then, we heard some curses and struggling from up in the hayloft, so I sent my lieutenant up there. He went up the ladder like a cat after a mouse, and when he reached the top, he burst out laughing. ‘Commander,’ he said, barely keeping a straight face, ‘you’ve gotta see this for yourself!’ So, I climbed the ladder and had a good chuckle.” He stopped speaking to snicker again, shaking his head in his glee.
Lirens took a drink and grinned around at them. “What I saw up there was a young man, probably Aran’s age, I guess, hogtied with a rope that had a big metal hook on the other end. Someone had thrown the hook over a rafter and pulled the rope and tied it off, leaving him hanging five feet off the floor!” He dissolved into hilarity again. When his shoulders had largely stopped shaking, he continued, “I said to myself, ‘That can only be the work of Mardans the Mighty Wrangler!’”
The accused could only shrug and offer a sheepish smile. “So I know my way around a stable. What of it?”
“I called a few soldiers up to take him down and untie him—then we had to wait while he screamed in agony when the blood rushed back into his hands and feet. By the way, according to this fellow’s next words, we’re all going straight to the lowest depths of hell, especially Mardans. Just so you know, brother. Oh, yes, he admitted he never saw who hit him with the locking bar, but he swore he’d find him and kill him with that same blunt instrument. You’ve been warned, Mardans. Watch your back. Look out for a young fellow carrying a six-foot locking bar with him wherever he goes.
“Anyway, when we left, we took him with us and threw him in a cell when we got back. It’s amazing what a night in prison will do to some people's confidence! You can be sure he sang for his breakfast this morning! I had a recorder there just out of sight, and he scribbled every word this louse of a stable hand said. If this matter ever comes before the judgment seat, there will be little doubt about the verdict.”
He downed the wine in his glass. “One other thing, Mardans. I don’t know how I forgot this until now: He coughed up a clue about Margonne’s dagger. He said the captain of Formosis’ guard knows where it is.”
A note:
The Santinetta fortune—old money in every sense of the phrase—was based on trade and shipping. Even before the fortuitous meeting of Margonne and Estavao Santinetta when both were about sixteen years old, the Santinetta family had built a reputation for reliable transport of goods by their modest fleet of ships. Margonne’s arrival in Satele in 1000 AL (After Landing) marked the beginning of an upswing in the Santinetta’s fortunes since he not only invested in their company but also took to sea himself, guarding their lumbering cargo ships with fast anti-piracy crafts that ultimately spelled doom for the pirate enclave on Neva Island. That is a story for another day.