12
Mabel
Relief filled me when Ian came through the door. I practically threw myself at him and then checked him all over that he was fine.
"Can we talk?" he asked quietly.
I reached up and cupped his cheek. "Please stop worrying. All I care about is you. I will ask just so I hear with my own ears, but I believe you." Still, I led him into the dining room and asked the staff to excuse us so we could have a quiet lunch privately.
He did not even wait for me to ask, coming and kneeling next to my chair. "I did not kill David intentionally. I wanted the dagger away from him and he was drunk, fell, and it was a freak accident that he landed on it."
I leaned down and kissed his lips. "I am glad he is gone. I care that you are not in trouble. Honestly, I was debating asking for his death as your wedding gift to me." I smiled when his eyes went wide. "You already took care of that nasty butler. We both know you were going to kill David."
"Yes, but I thought maybe next year," Ian grumbled. "Not so publicly. The fool was—idiot."
"What's done is done, and as long as you are fine, that is what matters."
That was what I said, but inside I was thrilled. Some part of me healed to know that David was dead. Maybe that was horrible of me, but knowing that he was no longer of this world was a relief I did not know that I could feel.
"Are you okay to discuss what we were going to or do you need to rest?" I asked, trying my best to make it clear it was done and we should get back to our lives… As long as he was fine.
He shot me a quick look but then nodded.
When I had asked Violetta for help with the temples after the medicine for the plague was finally handled, she basically left it to me to come up with what to do. It was frustrating, but it was Andre who said I was upset when she was pushy and specific. He took it as a sign she was letting me be her general instead of being overbearing with me again.
I hoped he was right and thanked him for his outside perspective.
The answer came to me when I'd passed a shop and saw some classic design pocket watches. Something just clicked in me. I went right into the store and bought all of the ones they had and ordered another hundred since the price was good. I made up something about thinking they were perfect for the knights in training who were about to be promoted.
But no, that night I prayed to Violetta asking her to give me the power Ian had. I wanted these watches to become a way to fight against the temple being locked down. And even more, to absorb the holy power to put up the barrier so I might use it for more medicines. Misusing holy power was misusing her trust, and I wanted to use it for something better.
Clearly, she agreed because the next morning they were blessed and I had a dream of what to do with them. So after speaking with Ian and the king, we devised a plan to send James with squads of knights to handle every temple in the kingdom.
Local knights would be tasked to escort the priests, and I would personally meet with them to see who was allowed to stay or who was kicked out of Areca. Also, I asked the goddess to give me holy power detectors for the checkpoints at the border. Our main concern was priests fleeing with all of the wealth of the temples.
No, no more corruption.
The king was hesitant, worried about what I was putting in place could be misused, but he gave a royal proclamation that any "misplacement" or "loss" of the detectors would result in thirty years in prison for all involved. People would have to be insane to mess with that and would treat it as they should.
Besides, hopefully, this shouldn't take too long.
Ian called in a few people to join us including James as I looked over the list of who was going.
"Oh, I have one switch," I said easily. "This knight works with me and manages with the priests. I prefer we not send him." I suggested another name and shot James a subtle wink.
Shock flashed in his eyes.
Ian leaned over and checked the list, nodding. "Yes, that should be fine. We are also not expecting any pushback from the local nobles and lords. Only maybe to try and reclaim the wealth as much as possible."
"How is the king planning to handle that?" I worried.
"Currently, he's thinking of asking the ministers their thoughts," he said with a sigh.
"I would think the priests we clear would be better," I hedged. "Put it all in one large pool of resources for the new minister to be able to use and speak with the priests about their concerns. Some areas have harsher winters or droughts. They would need different supplies to help their local communities."
"You are always the smartest person in the room, lovely," he praised. "Well done. Good, then the military can meet you at each temple, and you will have the authority, James. This is your show. They are only escorting the wealth back to the capital. Plus, these watches back to Mabel. They know their role. The knights handle the priests, and they handle that and assist them."
James nodded. "There were some questions about what to do if the priests demand to leave the Holy Empire? Forgo the hoops and admit they are not loyal to Areca?"
"Understandable question, but they still have to come to the capital," Ian said firmly. "They have to renounce their citizenship then. Paperwork, all of the hoops. We will escort them back and to the border closest to the Holy Empire and they are free to leave. The treaty was broken. This is the result."
"And the king is being kind about this," I added. "I wanted everyone questioned and punished, but the king did not want more problems later. So please, make it clear that the goddess wanted them punished for misbehaving in her name and to scurry off before she gets her way."
"Yes, Your Grace," he agreed, dipping his head to me. He turned to Ian. "I have a few questions about the watches. I would like to speak to the grand duchess about them so I make sure I do not embarrass her."
"Of course. Mabel, what is next for—"
"I have the opening of the women's center the queen sponsored," I reminded him. "So you are on your own for dinner. I am sorry but—"
He leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. "I am proud of your hard work and keeping all of this going. Go be amazing. I worried… If we are fine, I am fine."
"We are amazing. I am in a bit of shock, but the relief will hit me." I cupped his face. "Please, do not worry about it again."
"If my grand duchess says so, I will obey."
"If only things were that easy," I teased, for once not flinching when he referred to me that way.
I went out to the hallway with James and followed him to the room that was now my study.
"How did you know, Your Grace?" he asked quietly.
I smiled. "Your sparkles are the same as your partner when you are near. I have known from the moment I saw you next to him." I patted his arm. "I am sorry that I am sending you to handle this so Ian does not need to leave me when I am so fragile. The least I could do is make it so you both are not separated as well."
"Thank you, Your Grace," he whispered. "He was… Things have been rough for us as well." He rubbed his hand over his head. "He has been asking when I might want to retire." He nodded when I could not hide my shock. "My answer would be never. I adore Ian like a nephew, but I love my partner too."
I nodded. "Then you need to take someone under your wing and start training your replacement, James. That is the answer. Speak to Colin and tell him even and that you want more management roles in the next five years hopefully. That is what your partner really wants. No more being at the front when knights ride to the border to handle bandits."
"You think that would satisfy him?"
"Yes, you dolt. He wants you alive, and you are not young anymore."
"Thank you, Your Grace. Thank you."
I patted his arm again. James was—Ian would not have survived his horrid father without the man. I'd heard both Ian and Andre say the same. It was time to be there for James as well.
I stepped out of my study and saw Ian standing there with a shocked expression. I simply winked at him like he would me if the situation was reversed. There were times it was too hard to speak to the person you loved and respected.
Nothing was worse than feeling like you disappointed or abandoned someone you cared for because you needed to put yourself first. Ian would have done anything for James though, so I was glad I was able to help.
My husband blew me a kiss which I was glad was his response, and I almost tripped over my feet when I realized I had thought of him that way.
How easily I had accepted the role after losing my mind originally. Well, a lot had changed. The king had given me an exemption to still be an adult legally and keep what was mine. Plus… Ian was Ian.
Now, if I could fix things with Andre. Overhearing him talk with Ian had helped a lot, but I wanted to be where we'd been before.
Even better. I wanted this love I had with Ian to be with Andre. I hated he felt on the outside, but others had forced us, and he had put himself there.
I shook off what I was feeling and met up with my three exclusive maids Ian had demanded to hire. They were young and dedicated, not yet corrupted by a noble house besides training with the queen's maids to learn the ropes. I adored them.
I got ready for the party and left, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as I tried to remind myself how capable Kathy was. When she asked to take over the party all on her own and wanted to make her mark on society, show she was her own woman and not a child her brother protected only… It had been a lot of her to ask.
And I'd been proud of her, but the women's center for noble ladies to further their education and learn what society thought we were too stupid to understand was my baby. However, if there was one woman who was the example of exactly what I'd been preaching, it was Kathy. She was so intelligent and excelled in her studies.
I simply hoped I hadn't set her up to fail.
I shouldn't have even bothered to worry. Everything was fantastic. We had a few reporters there to see behind the scenes and even use magic to take photos for the newspaper. Men were only going to be allowed in if they were lecturers or some events husbands or escorts would be allowed to attend.
We'd also always have guards because a place where noble or high-class ladies gathered would always be a target. And a target most would think too easy and profitable. So we made sure to make a deal with the mercenary guild, and the guild leader's wife was going to be a member, so there would be no funny business.
Or heads would roll. Her words even.
I rather liked her even if she was a bit rough at times.
So was the world.
Almost every woman of the nobility who was of age or in their teens escorted by someone of their family who was in the capital attended. It was a bit packed because of that, the nice weather helped, and the large terrace that the queen had put in was gorgeous. It was perfect for the overflow of people to make the event shine without discomfort.
A bit into the event, it was time to greet everyone, and I was nervous. I let out a slow breath and was glad when Louisa moved behind me a bit to lend me her composure and courage.
"Firstly, I would like to thank and congratulate Lady Kathy Follan for organizing and executing such an amazing event today. All while staying under budget, which we all know is impossible, but she is a miracle who could pull it off." I clapped with everyone in attendance, Kathy dipping her head at the praise.
"I appreciate your trust and the opportunity, Your Grace," she replied when things quieted down. "It was educational and challenging. I learned a lot and feel confident for the next event I will plan."
I beamed at her. "And that was exactly the goal." I gestured to the building. "That was the goal in all of this. For too long has it been us fighting against each other thinking we succeed if others fail. That is not the future our wise queen and I see. Lady Kathy helped me and came out with something because of it.
"The queen as well as this will help the kingdom." I glanced around at the women there. "We are not competition. We might be in business but not in life. Competition in business can be healthy. Even who is asked first at the debutant ball can be a healthy competition. We have to stop making it more and hurting each other.
"It is the only way that we can become stronger, and then we can shine. We will never have more power and a voice in our own lives if we continue on as we have. Men owning us and not citizens in our own right." I swallowed loudly. "I was raised to be a doll, obedient and silent. The only example of a noble woman was my mother who was a doll.
"That way of living has to end. It ends with us. No more accepting our daughters live those lives. Our cousins. Our friends. No more laughing when someone is in an abusive marriage or joking that she is an idiot and cannot speak for herself, so her husband does. We are better than that. The goddess needs us to be better than that.
"Our future needs us to be better than that." I cleared my throat and focused on my hands before looking out at the women there. "I forgive those of you who laughed. I forgive those of you who even taunted me that I was abused or I did wrong because my husband hit me or had a mistress. But you must do better from this moment.
"The slate is wiped clean. Today is the first day for us now, and I hope we all do better. I will as well. I will do better than how I was raised. We were raised to criticize women and be harsher to them than men. That has to end." I glanced at the queen and dipped my head. "We have a queen who fights for the women of Areca.
"She took a lot of risks to help free me from my circumstances. Look how it turned out for the kingdom. That is how we need to see our futures. We now have a saint who fights for the women of Areca. I hope you take this to heart, and this women's center is the first of many to come, full of support for each other."
I accepted the applause and praise, nodding as I moved off to the side and thinking we would get back to the party… Except the queen stepped into my spot.
"I will not speak long, but there is one thing I need the women here to know because there have been too many years of rumors about the grand duchess," she said as she glanced out at the group. "When she wrote me a letter asking me for help in her divorce, she did not think of only herself.
"She spoke to me as the mother of Areca and asked for my help for all of you." She nodded when people started whispering. "She asked me to help her change the way people looked at marriage in our kingdom and even divorce. She knew people would talk and her reputation would be ruined. She did not care if it helped the next abused wife have a path to freedom.
"So when she admitted she had the qualities of a saint but was not sure, I honestly was not all that shocked. If there was anyone who deserved to be blessed by the goddess, it was the woman who risked herself and everything to help the women of this kingdom have a better future." She cleared her throat and wiped under her eye. "More than that…"
"Your Majesty?" I whispered when she got choked up.
She turned to me with tears in her eyes. "You did it, Mabel. You are a miracle."
"I do not under—"
"I am with child," she chuckled, nodding when I could not hide my shock. "The palace doctor and healers confirmed it this morning. I am pregnant. Just as you healed the others who tested out your miracle first, it worked. Gerald and I will have a child. Finally."
Cheers went up, and I let out a squeal before gently hugging her, the guards around her moving in closer so she was protected. Yes, she would be extra protected now.
People moved closer to me after I let the queen go and congratulated me. The secret had been out for a while that I was the mage or healer that the king and queen had been working with on their fertility issues. Before I had even been outed, the first women of the group had become pregnant.
All of them except the one who had had children before and her last birth had been too much for her body. The medicine was not for her situation, and it was good to learn that as well.
I hadn't known the king and queen had decided to take the medicine even, leaving it up to them and their healer. Given how many problems they'd had and how she'd been close to divorcing him after that night with all of the kings losing their minds… I hadn't thought they would.
Glancing at the queen, I wondered if they had before that night. For the doctor and healer to confirm it and her to even reveal it, she probably was a few months along. She would not risk telling people if it had only been a couple of months?
She knew what was best. I was simply happy that she was thrilled. This was good news even for the order of healers to be sponsored by the royal family and were already training. They were going to work with these types of situations and help couples around the kingdom.
It meant more good news in the future, and that was what we all needed more of.
I went over to Kathy and kissed her cheek, praising her again. Everything was perfect and I did not have a single criticism.
But apparently, others did… And a lot of them.
It was not surprising who they came from though. Mostly the older generation, the ones who had taught their daughters exactly what I had criticized and said that we had to stop. So instead of hearing me and taking it to heart, the older fools were doubling down.
How typical.
"And what are you learning from this interaction?" I asked Kathy as two such women were "educating" her.
"Who never to ask for advice and whom to leave off the guest list for the next event," Kathy answered honestly.
One of the women scoffed. "I would never allow someone like you to marry one of my sons or—"
"Why would you have any input when women should be silent and less involved in matters?" I purred. "That is basically what you just told Lady Kathy. She needs to stick to the way things are and to stop interjecting her opinions. Your hypocrisy is showing."
She shot me a withering look. "She is a young girl without a mother who is being led astray by a divorcee and—"
"Is the grand duchess," I said, my tone going cold. "I think it time you leave. I said earlier this is a place of support, not bile." I moved in closer and stared her down. "And I refuse to be judged by a woman whose husband ordered me to come bless his family and spend time with him like I was a mare and property.
"I was blessed by our goddess. I answer to her. I obey the laws of Areca. I obey my sovereign and respect the king and queen. I am partner to my husband as he insisted. I am the only known living saint. You have no right to judge me nor anyone. You stay with and support a man who treats women as objects. You are not welcome here so leave."
"I bet that felt good," Kathy said quietly after the two women stormed off.
I felt the eyes of too many and knew we had ears. "I thought Ian's head was going to explode when he saw the letter demanding I bless that man and his family. It was very clear he meant I bless his bed as now I belonged to Areca and the nobility should have the best access to me. While I would want to keep that from your innocent ears, you need to know the truth of the world."
"I heard enough when the grand duke came over and was yelling about how horribly you were being treated. That because you being a saint was not discovered young and before you were married, they were treating you like a prostitute basically."
I shot her an amused look. "I was still a virgin, so they did not care. If I had not been married before, they all would have demanded I be sold to their families as other countries wanted as well. It's horrible, but it's the truth, and I will not hide it so others are fooled or tricked."
I met the gaze of a few others and saw they had daughters with them who were maybe ten. I dipped my head to them and changed the topic. That was enough to say so people knew the truth, but those girls were too young, and I wanted this to be a positive experience for them.
And it was. The majority of the night was perfect. A few salty apples that left or were asked to leave.
I was not the only one who did it. Duchess Woods also suggested a few leave and not come back. I felt better that others were drawing lines in the sand that we weren't going to put up with bad behavior anymore.
We had our first guest speaker who discussed investments and what to look for when people proposed ideas so charlatans never took our money. The information was good, and I had nothing to add. I even learned something about a protection bureau that had been added to the government a few years back.
But the women there were clearly overwhelmed.
I jumped up and thanked the speaker and moved to the front. "No one says you have to go jump into your husband's or other family member's meetings. No one says you have to invest. This is simply so the next time the men say they want to talk business you understand it better. You now know some more basics."
Relief filled me when people accepted that and looked glad.
"Excuse me, Your Grace," a woman who looked a bit younger than Kathy said quietly. "I wonder if you might help us learn first-hand as you did Lady Kathy. Maybe there is some sort of investment we could do together? I have a bit I have saved from allowances—could we pool money? I have heard Father do that with others. Why not some of us in this group?"
I smiled brightly at her. "I think that an excellent idea." An idea hit me. "Even better, I will teach you how to lend money. I will ask you to lend me money."
She frowned and glanced at the others she sat with. "I do not understand, Your Grace. It is well known that you have vast wealth."
"I do, but men still ask for investors or loans when they do too." I spent the next few minutes explaining why and the concept.
"This time is not about making a lot of money but so we learn about contracts like my brother understands like another language," Kathy surmised.
"Yes, and I do as well," I told her. "I can read through a contract and know immediately if something was slipped in or someone is trying to hide something. It's just like dressing. The more you do it, the more you are used it and can learn what fits you."
"We need our own attorney then, yes, Your Grace?" another lady asked. "My husband always says that any deal needs two attorneys. One for each side to protect them."
"Yes, well done," I praised. "And that will teach you how to meet with an attorney and what to ask them. You know this is an exercise, so you will learn from working with this attorney, and next time maybe you will pick a different one. Attorneys can be bad just like investments. You need to learn how to read them."
I was thrilled when it was time to head home. I had thirty investors who were excited to learn. I did not need the money at all, but… Thirty women of the nobility were taking the first step to learn and do better by themselves.
That was thirty lives I had touched.
"Congratulations," Andre said as I walked through the door. He was holding a boutique of flowers and clearly had been waiting for me.
"On what?" I asked, studying him and the flowers.
He gave me a soft smile. "Your success." He chuckled when I blinked at him in shock. "No, I do not know the specifics or what exactly happened, Mabel. I simply know you and you are always a success. You put your heart into everything you do, and you touch people, make their lives better. It's what you do, and I know you did today too. Congratulations on that."
I fell in love with him all over again in that moment. I truly did.