Page 58 of The Queen's Crown
“Oh, and there’s one other matter to discuss before you leave.”
She turned to face him. “Yes?”
“The only kingdom that hasn’t specifically expressed concern over our union is Avoni.”
“You didn’t mention any suspects from that kingdom either.”
“Exactly. Which naturally makes me suspicious, so I sent the king a letter inviting him to our wedding.”
“Did he reply?”
“He wrote back thanking me for the invitation. He politely declined but said he is sending a small delegation in his place to witness the joyous occasion. His words, not mine.”
“Are you going to let them in the palace?” Rainer must not have expected that response.
“I have no choice but to welcome them here,” he said. “They will arrive shortly. Once they do, our wedding will take place.” He turned his back to her, facing out toward the mountains in the distance once again.
Sabine didn’t bother to say anything else as she left the room, wondering about Avoni. If the assassin was from that kingdom, he could come with the delegation and be granted entrance into the palace. If so, he could try to kill her to stop the union.
ChapterFourteen
Sabine entered the courtyard, inspecting it. Her tea party was due to start in fifteen minutes, and she hoped there wouldn’t be any problems. A large round table had been set up near the center of the area, next to the water fountain. A white cloth covered it along with several plates and teacups.
Claire approached with a large smile on her face. “What do you think?” she asked. “Is it to your liking?” She swept her hand out toward the table. In the middle, a vase with bright pink flowers stood.
“It’s beautiful.” The sun was out, the air was the perfect temperature, and the flowers smelled divine.
“A few minutes after everyone arrives, a servant will bring the refreshments along with some treats. The guards have been instructed to remain at the perimeter of the courtyard.” Claire folded her hands behind her back, giving the area a once over. “Anything else?”
“And you’re sure it’s acceptable for me to be serving mead with fruit instead of traditional tea?”
Claire laughed. “Yes. Besides putting everyone more at ease, I’m sure it’ll get the ladies talking more freely.”
“Which is what I want if I’m to make any real friends here.”
Claire placed her hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “I’m glad you listened to me and wore the red outfit. It looks stunning with your eyes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make sure everything is ready in the kitchen.”
This centrally located courtyard was the perfect location. People at the palace would see her talking and laughing with the few carefully chosen high ranking ladies that would be in attendance. By making the small gathering exclusive, she hoped others would want to befriend her and be included in future events. To find the killer, she needed all the gossip she could get. And what better way than through those married to the most powerful men in Lynk. Since Rainer only seemed to be focused on suspects from other kingdoms, Sabine wanted to be sure there wasn’t someone right in his own palace that he’d missed. Or at the very least, see if anyone saw or heard anything that could help find the killer.
A woman in her early fifties strode through one of the archways. With her head held high, she glided over to Sabine and bowed. “I’m surprised you invited me given how my son spoke to you the other night.” She straightened.
This had to be Cutler’s mother, Lady Regina. Given that her husband was the commander of the army and Cutler a captain, Sabine needed to tread carefully. “Welcome.” She forced a pleasant smile on her face. She didn’t recall meeting this woman the night she’d been introduced to the court. “I believe your son was just making sure I knew he was going to marry Heather.”
Regina raised a single eyebrow. “I believe he wants to make sure everyone in the kingdom is aware of that fact.”
Lottie entered the courtyard, her arm clasped with another young woman’s who looked vaguely familiar. “Greetings,” Lottie said. “I ran into Duchess Marin on the way here.”
Sabine silently thanked Lottie for reminding her who the woman was. Duchess Marin had just married a man who owned the smallest and weakest duchy of the kingdom. However, a duchess was a duchess, nonetheless. While Sabine remembered meeting the woman, she didn’t remember having a conversation with her.
Movement through the archway to the right caught Sabine’s attention, and she looked to see Duchess Cassandra and Lady Karmen enter the courtyard. “The last of our party has arrived.” She’d invited Cassandra because she was the duchess of the wealthiest duchy in the kingdom. Karmen, on the other hand, had been invited because she seemed to know a little something about everything.
Once the women had all assembled around Sabine, she said, “Ladies, I hope we can all forgo our titles for this afternoon. I don’t feel the need to be called princess every time someone wishes to speak to me, and I invited you all here so that I can get to know some people here in Lynk. I could use a friend or two.” She smiled sweetly at all of them, wanting to come across as non-threatening but needing to show she could be a powerful ally as well. Besides, since people from Bakley seemed to have a reputation for being stiff and overly formal, this was Sabine’s chance to show them she could be one of them—that she was more Lynk than Bakley.
“I believe every one of us could use a friend,” Lottie said. She headed to the table.
Everyone else agreed and followed suit.
After they were all seated, Cassandra said, “I was surprised to receive your invitation to this gathering, but when I saw it was a tea party, it made sense.” She was a large woman in her late forties with beautiful chestnut hair that was starting to turn gray.
