Stars May Fall (Stars May Burn #2)

22. Venerick

VENERICK

M y schedule dictated it was time to call on Annabelle, and I had been nervous about it all morning. I straightened my steel grey jacket as I shifted between my feet outside her door. I’d changed my jacket and trousers especially for this meeting. One could tell with a mere glance that Annabelle was somebody who cared about appearances. She was always immaculate. She was also stunning enough that I found it hard to say the right words around her.

I muttered a curse when I spotted a small ink stain on my shirt and pulled my jacket sleeve lower to cover it up. I had been writing legal documents all morning. Some of them had been mind-numbingly long. It was a wonder that I hadn’t spattered more ink than I had. I really should have changed my shirt as well, but I’d thought with my jacket buttoned up she wouldn’t see it.

I blew out a long breath and straightened my back. I didn’t want Annabelle to pick up on my nerves. I wanted her to think me calmly competent. Our relationship was still static despite my help with Sir Halfield. She had given me nothing more of substance. She was polite rather than curious. All delightful smiles and sweet touches, but no trace of vulnerability.

And I craved that side of her. The real side that nobody else saw. I was certain she was so much more than she appeared. Her unexplained presence negotiating between Lord Lyrason and General Kasten had proved my suspicions.

I knocked on the door, and her maid, Hetty, opened it. She bobbed a curtsy. “My Lord High Chancellor. Please come in.”

I thanked her and walked into the tidy, richly decorated sitting room where Annabelle liked to entertain personal guests. I was surprised to find I wasn’t the only guest present. And Lady Sophie Batton wasn’t somebody I was aware Annabelle regularly associated with. But I supposed, if she saw General Kasten as her brother, she would see Lady Sophie as her sister. And that would explain why Annabelle had wanted me to expedite the banishment of Lady Sophie’s father to protect her.

Annabelle cared about her. And that meant I had to make a good impression on Lady Sophie. If only I knew a little more about her. Normally, when I was to meet new nobles or people of importance, I thoroughly researched their backgrounds first. Today I was caught off guard. But I was intrigued, nonetheless—very intrigued. Was Annabelle testing me by having Lady Sophie here during our scheduled meeting? Did she want to see how I reacted to her?

I’d researched Lady Sophie when Annabelle had asked me to help with her situation but hadn’t gone much further than her relationship with her father and the circumstances of her two marriages. I had dug far deeper into the previous affairs of Sir Halfield, which gave me no qualms about recommending his banishment as quickly as possible. I also knew the lord who her half sister had married—I had, in fact, suggested him to the king—but Lady Sophie herself was still largely an unknown. I would have to trust my observation skills.

I bowed to both Annabelle and Lady Sophie as they stood to greet me. Annabelle appeared relaxed, her hair in a complex style. Lady Sophie appeared shy, a slight flush to her cheeks. Her dress was lighter as if designed to fade into the background.

Annabelle smiled. “Venerick, please let me introduce Lady Sophie. We were having a pleasant conversation. I thought she could join us for a time.”

I bowed to Lady Sophie again, deeper than needed, and placed a kiss on the air above her hand. “It is an honor, my lady.”

Lady Sophie didn’t seem to be expecting my greeting and returned it with a bright smile. “Oh no, it is my honor.” Her curtsy matched my bow. She was quite charming.

Annabelle didn’t seem to be watching and was pouring goblets of spiced wine. She handed one to each of us.

I smiled in thanks. “How were the envoys, my dear? I saw you a few times from a distance, and you seemed to be performing an admirable job.” She’d been calm and elegant as if she had done it hundreds of times before. A natural. I’d admired how effortless she made these momentous occasions seem.

Her face had a slight glaze to it. “I managed thanks to help from the merchants’ guild. I’m honored that my father has chosen to give me more responsibility.”

I widened my smile in encouragement. “That is excellent news.”

Lady Sophie was watching the exchange more intently than our conversation warranted. It made me suspect that she was used to a different side of Annabelle and was trying to work out the rules of our relationship so she could join the conversation appropriately.

An unpleasant twinge of jealousy moved my gaze away from her. I would get there, I just had to put in the work. And I was no stranger to hard work and patience. But seeing that she trusted a lady from a family who was out of favor with everyone in court over me stung a little. James absolutely hated Kasten’s guts. But then, James was hardly a good judge of character. I dreaded the day when the things he was up to came to light, whatever they were.

There had to be more to people’s dislike of Kasten than met the eye. And I always loved to dig beneath the surface.

I turned to Lady Sophie. “I’m sorry about your sister Irabel’s passing. I read the coroner’s report. Terribly tragic.” Her face fell, and I saw more than just sorrow there. Guilt? I hurried on. “Your other sister, Claribel, asks after you often.”

She perked up at once. “You’ve seen Claribel since her wedding?”

I smiled and took a sip of the wine. “I have. She’s a sweet girl and she’s settling in well. Their house is not grand by Adenburg standards, but Jakobe is a kind man. I’ve known him since we were boys. I can arrange for a letter to be sent from you, if you wish. Claribel mentioned she wasn’t sure if you would want to hear from her.”

Lady Sophie’s eyes creased at the edges. “Of course, I would. I will write to her. Thank you so much for the news, it is good to hear.”

I decided it would not be wise to bring up her father. Instead, I accepted her thanks with a nod. “She will be thrilled to hear I have seen you in person and that you are looking so well.”

Lady Sophie smiled. She had a wide, innocent smile that transformed her whole face. It was contagious. She couldn't have appeared more different than the general. Her willowy frame meant she had to be about a quarter of his weight. “Thank you for looking out for her well-being. I’ve been worried about her.”

I inclined my head in a small bow. “I shall continue to do so.”

I noticed Annabelle was watching me from the corner of her eye while pretending not to. I was glad she had asked me to help wrap things up with Lady Sophie’s family. The thought of anyone harming this sweet girl made the anger buried deep inside me stir.

I spent so long entangled in court cases and trying to keep the justice system fair while dealing with the likes of Lord Lyrason, I worried Annabelle felt I wasn’t readily available to support her despite our regularly scheduled meetings.

The three of us spoke for another half hour about trivial matters before Lady Sophie excused herself to go home.

At last, I was alone with my betrothed. She was quiet, and I wondered if I should excuse myself too. She was probably still tired from dealing with the envoys yesterday.

“Venerick,” Annabelle paused with a conflicted expression, and my breath caught. Whatever she was about to say was important and not for show. This meant something more. She straightened. “Venerick, I’m sorry to ask this, but I was wondering if you could do me another favor?”

Now this sounded like the true test, as if meeting Sophie had just been the pretext to see if I qualified for it. Just like the test to help banish Sophie’s father. At last, her trust in me was growing. I tried not to seem too eager. “Of course.”

She winced. “If I give you a name, could you look into his disappearance, no questions asked? And in a way that doesn’t trace back to me?”

Of all the questions she could have asked, this was the last thing I was expecting. Was she involved in something big? Or was she helping a friend? I chose my words carefully to be as unthreatening as possible. “It sounds like something that would easily come under my repertoire.”

She hesitated again and my curiosity grew. At last, she took a deep breath and looked down, twisting the goblet between her fingers. “Please be careful. His name is Regan Jones.”