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Finally, the princess, who had been turning the ring over in her fingers, spoke up "Who is it who chops the vegetables for ood cook?"
The cook puffed out his chest "Why, I do, Your Highness!"
"And who is it who sets the soup upon the fire to boil?"
"I do, Your Highness!"
"And who is it who stirs the soup while it boils?"
The cook’s eyes widened "The little kitchen boy"
And what a commotion that caused!
"Fetch the little kitchen boy at once!" cried the king
--fro and knew even before he opened his eyes that he was alone There was a coldness in the pallet where before Melisande’s warered faintly, but she was no longer in the roo the ache of muscles used until exhaustion She had worn him out, but in the end, he’d heard what he wanted to know She loved him
Melisande loved hiht He probably didn’t deserve her love She was an intelligent, sensitive, beautiful woman, and he was a man who had watched his best friend burn to death In some ways, he bore scars deeper than the men who had been physically tortured His scars were on his soul, and they still seeped blood now and again He was hardly a worthy object of any woman’s love, let alone Melisande’s And orse--what made him tru�souly a cad--was that he had no intention of ever letting her go He ht not be entirely worthy of her love, but he would hold it close until the day he died He’d not let her change hersalve, a balm upon his scars, and he would treasure it for the rest of his life
The thoughts made hiing for Pynch but washed and got dressed by himself He ran down the stairs, where he found out froone to visit his mother and wouldn’t be back for an hour or led with relief The discovery of her love for him was very fresh--it was almost too sensitive to bear touch He wandered into the breakfast roo into it absentmindedly But he was too restless to sit and eat His lih his veins
He finished the roll in two ht not be back for several hours, and he couldn’t siet through, and hewith Matthew And if it was another dead end, as he suspected, well then ht
Maybe it was tio and let Reynaud rest in peace
"Ask Pynch to come here, please," Jasper said to Oaks "And have two horses brought ’round"
He paced the hall as he waited
Pynch appeared fro to talk to Matthew Horn," Jasper said He gestured for Pynch to follow as he strode out the doors "I want you to accouely
The valet understood "Of course,horses, and Jasper nudged his bay into a trot The day was a gri rain
"I don’t like this," he ood family, and I consider him a friend If our suspicions are correct" He trailed off, shaking his head "It will be bad Very bad"
Pynch didn’t answer, and they rode the remainder of the way in silence Jasper did not relish this task, but it ht to some kind of justice
A half hour later, Jasper pulled his horse to a halt in front of Matthew Horn’s town house He looked at the old bricks and thought of the faenerations Horn’s mother was an invalid, confined to this house now God, this was a nasty business Jasper sighed and disrimly He knocked at the door and waited, conscious that Pynch stood on a step just below hi pause The house was still, no sound co up at the s above Nothing stirred He frowned and knocked again, more forcefully this time Where were the servants? Had Horn told the his hand to pound oncefootman looked out
"Is your master at home?" Jasper asked
"I believe so, sir"
Jasper cocked his head "Then will you let us in so I may see him?"
The footman flushed "Of course, sir" He held the door wide "If you’ll wait in the library, sir, I’ll fetch Mr Horn"
"Thank you" Jasper entered the roo was the same as the last time he’d visited Matthew A clock ticked on the mantelpiece, and froes Jasper strolled to theItaly to exa chairs and a table in a corner As he neared, he heard a sort of whimper Pynch started toward him even as Jasper leaned over a chair to look in the corner
Two people were on the floor behind the chairs, a wo a man in her lap She rocked back and forth steadily, a whispered whi froer still protruded from his chest He was quite obviously dead
"What has happened here?" Jasper asked
The woman raised her eyes She was pretty, her eyes a lovely blue, but her face was bone-white, her lips colorless
"He said ould have a fortune," she said "Enough o to the country and open a tavern of our own He said that he’d marry ain, quietly rocking
"It’s the butler, my lord," Pynch said from behind him "Mr Horn’s butler--the one I talked to"
"Pynch, go get help," Jasper ordered "And see that Horn is all right"
"All right?" The wohed as Pynch ran from the room "He was the one who did this Stabbed my man and shoved him back here like so much rubbish"
Jasper stared blankly at her "What?"
"My man found a letter," the woentle the war in the Colonies He said ouldthe letter back to the master And then we could open a tavern in the country"