Page 70 of The Fury She Holds
“And Waylon?”
Faron searched the space around them, and the muscle in his jaw flexed.
“I’m happy to cook him if the situation calls for it.” Tal tried a tentative smile, but the noble merely pursed his lips. Faron didn’t need to talk, he needed action. “Well, no sense in storming over it.” Tal ran across the grounds without a backward glance.
Outside the door to the servant’s quarters, they hid behind a wooden cart and a barrel of water. They pulled their hoods low and used a cloth to cover their faces. The guests ate dinner while the clanging of dishes and servants chatter accompanied the smell of roasted pheasant and buttery vegetables drifting out the open window.
Tal sat next to Faron with their backs against the outside wall. Running across the grounds had done nothing for the noble. His knee bounced erratically against her own leg.
Tal placed a hand on the offending limb.
Faron’s attention shot to her hand, and his leg immediately stilled.
Her eyes softened, as if to implore him to calm his nerves. Faron took a slow, deep breath in response. She eyed him, concern blooming over what Waylon’s arrival would mean for Faron. When he caught her staring, he exhaled and looked away.
Chatter about dessert reached their ears, and soon, silence filled the kitchen. They waited five more minutes before sneaking inside. The table in the center of the room held piles of newly washed dishes on one end and two platters of leftover desserts and glasses of wine at the other. Tal reached for one of the miniature blue tarts and stopped halfway to see Faron’s reaction. That seemed to ease some of the tension in his shoulders. She winked and pulled her hand away. She passed a carafe of magenta colored wine, a shade she’d never seen before. Faron regarded the liquid for a moment before continuing.
He flinched at the sudden noise when she quietly whispered, “What is it?”
“Not sure.”
Outside the kitchens, they paused to let one of the valets pass down the hall before heading toward the great room. When they reached a corner, approaching voices sent the pair back into the shadows.
“—must get back an’ clean up ‘afore they begin.”
“I’m nervous. What if someone finds out?”
“That’s not fer ye to worry ‘bout. Did ye take yer mixture?”
Tal couldn’t hear a response, but the first woman gave a throaty giggle.
“Ye’ll be forgettin’ yer nerves in no time.”
Two female servants walked quickly arm in arm past the spot where Tal and Faron hid. The more they learned, the more confused she became. A glance at her companion indicated he too couldn’t interpret the overheard conversation. They steppedthrough the doors of the great hall only to find it completely empty.
“What now?” Tal turned. They were in the open and without a plan. “Have they left already? We didn’t see them pass.”
“Try the study.” Faron placed a hand on her back to urge her in the right direction, and Tal tensed at the warmth from his touch. Faron either didn’t notice or chose not to comment. His hand remained.
Eerie silence filled the house, which didn’t bode well for Tal’s nerves. Something about the whole night felt off. Finally, noise reached them from the study. The spicy, sweet scent of tobacco reminded Tal of the brothels at the docks. Fading echoes of laughter filtered through the closed door. “Why is it getting quieter? Is there an exit on this side of the house?” she whispered outside the door.
Faron’s confusion offered little comfort. “Something’s not right.”
Tal eased the door open and thanked the gods the hinges didn’t groan. Inside, a single candle cast a dim glow from a desk on the far wall. Moonlight filtered in through the floor-to-ceiling windows as Tal’s eyes adjusted to the dark. Small tables and upholstered chairs littered the room, arranged for entertaining. Movement behind the desk caught Tal’s attention. A well-dressed man only a few years older than Egan fiddled with the buttons on his jacket and puffed erratically on a pipe. A moment later, he faced the bookshelf along the back wall and pulled out one of the books. A metallicclickreached her ears. The bookshelf swung forward with an audible groan, and the nobleman slipped behind it before the shelf swung back into place.
Tal’s hand shot back and grabbed Faron’s. The men had left the house through the study, and they just found the secret passage they used to do it. She dropped Faron’s hand and sweptinto the room. She weaved around the labyrinth of furniture, finding herself in front of the grand windows.
A hand suddenly covered her mouth, and an arm around her waist spun her behind the heavy, floor-length curtain. She reached for one of her daggers until a near-silent “shhh” sounded in her ear. Faron’s expensive leather sleeve felt familiar in her grip.
A feminine melody hummed just a few paces from where they stood. Glassthunkedonto one of the wooden tables. Chair legs scraped on the wool rug. One of the servants tidied up the study. Tal completely missed her cleaning in the far corner when she went after the noble.
Faron released her, and Tal spun to face him. His muscled torso pressed against her in the confined space. She ripped her hood back and pulled on the cloth covering her face. Faron did the same. The moonlight filtering through the window reflected in his eyes. Faron responded to Tal’s wide-eyed look by mouthing, “What were you thinking?”
“I was going after him!” she mouthed back, gesturing in what little space they had between them.
He pointed to the corner of the room and silently replied, “The woman isright there!”
Tal stood on her toes to get closer to his eye level. “Well, I didn’t see her!” She swayed into Faron, and he caught her around the tops of her arms.
