Page 14 of The Noble Servant

Magdalen nodded.

“Oh, and Lord Hazen made an announcement this morning. The duke apparently was sick when he arrived from Prague, and Lord Hazen wanted him to have time to rest from his trip and recover his full health before letting people know he had returned.”

Magdalen’s heart jumped at hearing someone mention the duke.

“And his betrothed, Lady Magdalen, has arrived from Mallin. He only just announced it.”

“The duke and Lady Magdalen have seen each other?”

“They have now, I suppose.” Katrin sighed. “She is a fortunate woman. Can you imagine marrying the Duke of Wolfberg and living in Wolfberg Castle? It is so grand.”

“I can imagine it.” The hollow space in her chest seemed to swallow up her hope.

Agnes must have fooled the duke.

Chapter Six

Magdalen rose, dressed, and skipped breaking her fast, since the food was so disgusting anyway.

After the other maidens had left, including Katrin, Magdalen got on her knees, reached under her bed where she had hidden the blue dress and white headscarf, and pulled them out. As she put them on she imagined confronting the duke, telling him that Agnes was not the real Lady Magdalen.

He would look into her eyes and exclaim, “It is you!” He would kneel in front of her and say, “My dear Lady Magdalen. Please allow me to tell you how sorry I am for all that you have suffered at the hands of this woman and her father. I shall banish them forever.”

Then he would kiss her hand and promise to love and cherish her always.

She whispered, “Oh, God, Lord above, help me. Don’t let me get turned away at the door. Help me find the duke, and let him believe that I am who I say I am. Thwart the plans of the wicked and the deceitful”—she pictured Agnes’s and Erlich’s faces—“save me, Jesus, from their plot, and give me success today.”

She lifted her eyes heavenward and breathed an “Amen”before she tied the kerchief around her hair at the back of her neck.

She stuck her head out of the barracks doorway and glanced around. A few people mingled around the side of the castle, but no one looked her way. She hurried out and focused on the door where the guard had turned her away the day before. Her heart seemed to tremble as she headed straight for it.

Magdalen grasped the handle, opened it quickly, and stepped inside.

“Who goes there?” A guard advanced toward her.

“I am Maggie, a new upstairs servant. I stepped out to speak with my brother, but I must get back to my duties now. Excuse me.” She curtsied and rushed away without waiting for his permission.

The back of her neck prickled as she listened for him to call her back, to call her a liar, but she kept walking. Only silence loomed behind her.

Her heart thumped hard as she hastened through the corridor. Was this the way to the stairs? She had no idea, but she kept going, trying to look confident. Finally, she came to a back staircase made of unpolished wood—the servants’ stairs. She practically ran to them and hurried up the narrow steps. When she reached the next floor, she had to decide whether to go up to the next floor or search this one. Not wishing to lose any time, she ventured out into the corridor.

A long hallway stretched out in front of her with doors along either side. How could she know what she might find if she opened a door? Magdalen could be tossed out of the castle before she found the duke.

This was madness. She had no idea where his bedchamber was, and he might still be in bed. But if he was up this early, hemight be in the Great Hall breaking his fast, especially since he had a guest in the form of Lady Magdalen. Didn’t he realize she wasn’t the same woman he had danced with at Thornbeck? Or did he think Agnes was to be his bride?

Magdalen walked a few more feet, listening, hoping to hear the duke’s voice. But she heard not a single sound.

She turned and went back down the servants’ stairs. Still she saw no one. Apparently the inhabitants of Wolfberg Castle were not early risers. Otherwise, servants would be scurrying up the stairs bringing whatever Lord Hazen, “Lady Magdalen,” and the Duke of Wolfberg wanted or needed.

At the bottom of the stairs she encountered another guard. She ducked her head and walked by him as if she knew exactly where she was going. Her throat went dry until she was past him.

She found her way to the Great Hall. It was not hard to find since it was the largest room in the castle. She approached the door carefully and peeked inside—empty of people except for one maidservant cleaning the table. Did she dare ask if the duke would be coming down for breakfast?

She could barely breathe at the thought of being ordered out, so she took a step back and pressed herself against the wall, but her gray underdress sleeves and white kerchief practically glowed, even in the small amount of light in the windowless corridor. She looked all around her, walked a few feet away, and ducked into a doorway.

The room was dark, having no window or candle or torch. She stood just inside and watched the Great Hall door. Soon servants milled around, setting goblets and platters of bread on the table.

Her hands trembled. Would she see the duke? Would he recognize her? What would he say? What shouldshesay?