Page 89 of Tashama
“Bread, Listra?” She cut a slice from the loaf.
“Butter?” Listra handed the butter to Tashama.
The prince studied her, and she leaned down and whispered in Listra’s ear, “I believe I am unnerving the prince. I wonder what else I can do to annoy him.”
“You mustn’t do anything further.” Listra sipped her wine.
Tashama ate her slice of bread and then sat back in her chair.
“I believe I will make him aware that his staff is trying to poison us.”
“But we don’t know that for certain.”
“Let him decide for himself.”
Tashama stood. The voice-filled room died to a hush. She walked toward the head table, sure every eye in the great hall watched her. While her eyes remained fixed on the prince’s, his gaze studied her gowns instead, but as she walked in front of the table, his eyes met hers.
“I want to make you aware that Listra and I already had supper served in our room this evening.” She paused for effect. “I assumed the food might make us ill, so I disposed of it—or I should say some servants hurried to dispose of it. I want to thank you for the generosity of offering me lobster, as I love such cuisine so much. I didn’t want you to think me ungrateful.”
Tashama turned back toward her table, stopped, then pulled the grape from her bodice and placed it beside the prince’s plate. “I forgot. This is all that remained from the first supper.” The prince eyed the grape, but Daveal swept it off the table with her hand as she reached for her cup. Then she crushed the grape under the heel of her shoe. “Oh, I tried to stop it from rolling away, Your Highness.”
Tashama tilted her chin up slightly as she considered the woman before her, then nodded. She returned to her table, while the conversation began to build slowly like a stream growing in strength, until the words grew as loud as a river gushing over rapids.
“What did you say to the prince?” Listra whispered to Tashama as she retook her seat.
“The food was poisoned. Simple as that.”
“We have no proof.”
“One little grape, but Devil managed to squish it all over the floor with her shoe. However, I’ve implanted the seed of doubt where she is concerned. She helped very well with the endeavor.” Tashama considered the first supper they’d been served. “Of course, the grapes might not have contained any poison. Most likely, the lobster would have though. I’m certain the word was spread about how much I like the food.”
“Yes, and I do too.” Listra cut off a slice of roast and handed it to Tashama. “What did you mean earlier by, ‘he was passing the tests so well’?”
“Nothing.” Tashama sipped her wine. “Nothing at all.”
“Does he really snore?”
“No.” Tashama smiled. “But the word will soon get all over court that he does, don’t you think?”
“And did he watch you…”
“He helped me to remove some of my wet gowns, but he was a gentleman, always.”
A servant wiped up the grape from the floor.
Listra shook her head. “I wonder if the prince will have it tested on anyone.”
“He ought to test it on Devil.”
The two continued to eat their meal, then Listra cleared her throat. “I believe Oshon is quite angry with you too.”
“Yes, well, he shouldn’t have made plans to turn me over to Loran. Such a notion is traitorous, and it certainly wasn’t my fault that the man bought his freedom in such a way. And to top that off, he is seeing a woman of the Bachava order.”
“No.” Listra’s eyes grew round.
“Certainly. How else do you think I overheard his conversation? I was hiding in the temple when they were speaking. He tried to kiss her, and she wouldn’t allow him to.”
“No,” Listra repeated and Tashama laughed.
