Page 24 of Betraying Korth

But I let the matter drop. Clearly, Korth would never willingly be on the rebellion’s side. If I wanted his help, it would have to be as Princess Odette.

“We have just enough time for me to show you the swans and the cygnets on the lake,” Korth said as we got back. “The geese are there too, but I haven’t seen any goslings yet.”

“Just so long as we keep our distance. I’m not overly fond of birds,” I told him, thinking privately that I didn’t want to give Odette any opportunity to call out to Korth.

Korth let out a soft chuckle. “From a distance is probably for the best. But don’t worry.” He patted my hand that was coiled around his elbow. “I’ll handle it.”

The tranquil lake lay nestled in the shadow of the castle, surface gleaming like a polished mirror and reflecting the azure sky. Vibrant foliage framed the water. A group of swans glided across the glassy surface, honking their distinctive calls to the air as a line of grey cygnets paddled after them, peeping along with the adults.

Across the lake, I spotted Curdy ordering Odette about. It was impossible to resist the smile that curved my lips upward as I watched her struggle to lug a heavy bucket of water over to the goose pen and slosh it over the rocks to clean it from the foul-smelling droppings. I squinted. Her tangled blonde hair was disheveled and tied back with a dull brown kerchief, and her servant’s dress was even more patched and frayed than when I’d given it to her.

As I watched, Odette’s distant profile leaned against the pen, panting for breath as her shoulders sagged. Her words from before floated back to me. “Servants are the lucky ones,” she had said. “We keep all of you fed, clothed, and housed without charging a single copper for it. I don’t understand why anyone would not want to have that life. What a glorious opportunity, to be taken from life on the streets to being raised at a royal palace.”

Any guilt I may have entertained about my role in this charade vanished completely. This healthy dose of humility was just what Odette needed. How long had she stood by, applauding the injustices doled out to her people? She deserved everythingshe’d received. Curdy paused in shoveling out one of the pens and shaded his eyes from the sun, turning toward me and Korth.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Korth asked, oblivious to the servants working at the other end of the lake. His gaze was fixed on the swans and geese. The sun warmed my back as the rhythmic ripples caressed the shoreline with a soothing melody.

I smiled and leaned my head against Korth’s shoulder, watching Odette slip and fall into the mud. The bucket she had been carrying flew into the air and landed upside-down on her head. Even from this distance, I could hear her whiny squeals in a perfect imitation of a squalling piglet. “It’s perfect.”

“Pardon me, Your Majesties,” Garrik grunted as he carried a sack of feed past us. As he crossed the path, his foot caught on a protruding root and he stumbled. The sack tumbled to the ground and split open, pouring the grain all over.

“I’m sorry, so sorry,” Garrik apologized over and over as he hastily gathered up the grain, scooping it back into the sack. “Please forgive me.”

Korth knelt to help him. “Don’t worry, friend. It could happen to anyone.”

“It was all my fault. I was up late last night and will be again tonight.”

“Lots of work?” I asked sympathetically, bending down to assist him as well.

“Just a moonlit stroll planned with some friends,” he said, throwing me a darkly significant look. Acting as though he was wiping sweat from his face, he touched first his ear, then his lips and finally his forehead. “Midnight is the quietest time.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I said, discreetly copying his action so that it appeared I was simply brushing hair out of my eyes.

“My friends and I always have a lot to talk about.” Garrik gathered the sack back into his arms. “My apologies once again for the interruption.”

CHAPTER 12

After feigning a headache and resting for several hours in the afternoon, I had no trouble staying up until it was time for the rebellion’s midnight meeting. I’d kept the cabinet doors open all evening, watching to ensure that no one had raised or lowered the dumbwaiter. My guards still stood outside my doors; there was no way to leave there, and I didn’t trust that a rope lowered from my window would go unnoticed for the duration of the meeting. It was just as well; even if I could lower myself, I doubted my ability to climb back up a rope, let alone in a dress. It was time to see how well designed this dumbwaiter really was. I padded over to the shaft and pulled at the rope, but it wouldn’t budge. I studied it for a few minutes, then remembered Gerta snapping a lever before the dumbwaiter lowered.

A red handle was located in the top right corner of the cabinet. I flipped it and immediately felt the tension in the rope change, nearly wrenching it from my hand. I redoubled my grip and pulled again. This time, the rope moved, and I continued pulling until, with a soft groan, the dumbwaiter was lifted to where it rested level with the cabinet’s opening.

After snapping the brake handle back into place, I clambered in and saw an identical handle inside. As I examined the ropes, trying to figure out how to operate it from the interior, I heard the brake lever release again, and the floor lurched unpleasantly as it descended.

I didn’t have the time to scramble out of the dumbwaiter. Cursing myself, I carefully braced myself against the side wall, praying that whoever held the rope at the bottom had steady hands as I remained trapped in a box suspended over nothingness. Who would have called for a dumbwaiter at midnight? And what would happen when they discovered me inside it? I cringed. What would everyone say when they discovered that their crown prince’s fiancée had climbed into a mechanism meant to transport food and laundry?

Then in a dark turn, I imagined what would happen if the person below lost their grip or simply released the rope without locking the brake into place. My stomach lurched again and sweat beaded out on my palms. To distract myself, I studied the interior of the compartment. The red lever was near the top, with locking clamps opened around the rope sliding through the brake’s open jaws. I dared not touch anything for fear it would cause the dumbwaiter to plummet thirty feet straight down and kill me, so I compromised by holding tight to the brake handle, waiting to pull it if whoever was moving the dumbwaiter failed to maneuver it safely.

Thick ropes passed through holes in the floor and ceiling. I watched in fascination as they moved smoothly past my face and ran my fingers lightly along them, feeling the stiff, wayward fibers that poked out of the tightly braided cords. If there were as many pulleys as I suspected, I should very likely be able to maneuver myself up and down from inside the dumbwaiter.

With a gentle thud, the dumbwaiter settled on the solid ground at the bottom of the shaft and my anxiety abated withthe feeling. Just for good measure, I pulled the lever. Just as I’d thought, it acted like a brake clamp and locked down on the ropes so it was impossible to move the dumbwaiter. I unclamped the brake and heard several other brakes far above me snap into place as well.

Fascinating. They must be interconnected so that if one was set, they would all lock to ensure the compartment wouldn’t move until the next person, at whichever level they were, was prepared to hoist it up or down again.

A scraping sound came from directly in front of me, and I braced myself for whatever humiliation was in store for me. The panels opened, but no horrified maid squealed her surprise. Curdy was there, looking rather sullen and sulky. He didn’t even bother to hold out his hand to help me clamber out, not that I wanted him to.

“I’ve been waiting for you for ages,” Curdy told me in hushed tones as I followed him down a long, dark hallway. “I thought you’d pick this way. You and your fixation with dumbwaiters.”

“We said midnight. I’m on time.” I looked around nervously for any sign of additional servants.

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