Chapter 21

21

Ella

I'd never imagined the day would come when I would purposefully poison myself, but here I was, sitting alone in the servants' dining hall with a pile of dried tarragon leaves, the fresh bread, and some cheese I'd found leftover from breakfast.

The plan was risky, and there were a lot of things that might go wrong. Firstly, while I was moderately allergic to fresh tarragon, I didn't know how I'd react to the dried variety, which presumably had less oils and was thus less potent. Secondly, I had no idea how long it would take to react after ingested.

"You're going to owe me big-time for this, Belle," I muttered, crushing the brittle leaves into fine pieces and pressing them into a hunk of cheese. It smelled divine, and my stomach grumbled.

I ripped a piece from the bread loaf, combined it with the cheese and tarragon, then took a bite, savoring the flavor. Poison or not, the dried tarragon gave the cheese a mildly sweet anise flavor that was incredible.

Why did I have to be allergic to something so delicious?

A small, clawed paw tugged on my clothes, and I glanced down. Pip was peering up at me with plaintive, limpid eyes.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you."

Ignoring the horrified looks from the staff who were eating at adjacent tables, I moved to a secluded corner and fed him some chunks of the cheese.

I feel like a king , Pip said.

I stopped chewing and stared at him. "You can talk. Like all the others."

He wiggled his whiskers at me. Of course.

I blinked. His voice was the same as I'd always imagined it. "Have you always been able to talk? What about the other animals outside the castle?"

Pip greedily yanked another bit of cheese from my fingers. We all talk. People just aren't very good at listening—not like you.

I sat back as my thoughts raced. What was happening? Was it me or was it the castle? Was the castle doing something to me?

I was tempted to ask the others if the animals talked to them, but my reputation was already questionable. I didn't want word getting out and the rest of the staff deciding that I was indeed a lunatic.

Anyway, I had more pressing problems.

I felt my throat. It was slightly itchy, and my head felt stuffy, but it wasn't too bad. Had I gotten over my allergy?

Before I could decide what to do, Katherine interrupted my thoughts. "Ella! There you are. I've been looking all over."

Pip scrambled into my pocket to hide as I stood. "What's going on?"

"Bianca is in one of her moods, and she's nearly torn the suite apart." Katherine looked at me apologetically. "And she's shouting for you."

As we rushed back to the west wing, Katherine gave me a quizzical look. "Are you all right?"

"Fine. Why?"

"It's just that your face is really flushed."

The door to Bianca's suite was wide open, and several servants slowly backed out of her room. It was like a windstorm had ripped through the place. The tapestries had either been torn from the walls or ripped to shreds, while the furnishings had been toppled over.

"You!" Her shrill voice cut through the space like an arrow. "This is all your fault!" She stomped toward me with her index finger extended. "Where were you?"

"My apologies, my lady. I was having a meal in the dining hall." I curtsied awkwardly, feeling slightly off-kilter. Was it hot in here?

"A meal? During the middle of your shift ?" Her eyes narrowed to slits, while her face screwed up. "What is wrong with your skin?"

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Your face…" She gestured toward me with an open palm in a sweeping motion. "It's covered in a thousand tiny red dots and uglier than normal."

Her words barely registered. A slight burning sensation had spread along my wrists, and my stomach rocked with a queasy sensation.

"I think I need to sit down," I said, ambling toward the only high-backed chair that was still upright. Nope, I needed to find a bucket, and fast.

Bianca stepped in front of me, cutting me off. "Don't you dare sit in that chair. What if you have the plague or?—"

My stomach heaved, and I doubled over, emptying the contents of my lunch on Bianca's dress and satin slippers.

She screamed, which only made me retch again, this time on the colorful wool rug.

"My gods!" She pressed her hand to her mouth, horror and disgust flashing in her eyes. "Someone get her out of here before she gives me the plague!"

Katherine grabbed my arm as my eyes started swelling shut.

"Get her to the infirmary," someone shouted.

I smiled inwardly as my stomach contorted in pain. I'm coming for you, Belle.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting on a bed covered in a crisp white sheet, clutching my stomach as my guts tried to throttle me from the inside. Pip huddled in my pocket.

A short man with a twisted, hawklike nose moved into my blurry vision and handed me a small porcelain cup. "Drink this tea. It'll help with the belly cramps." Judging by his linen tunic and trousers, he was a nurse.

"Thank you." I took a sip of citrus peppermint brew. It had a medicinal flavor that I couldn't quite place. "Is it normally this quiet in here?"

A dozen cots filled the room, but besides the one I was in, only two of them were occupied.

The man shot me an inquisitive glance as he pressed the back of his hand to the forehead of one of the sleeping patients. "Thankfully, you caught us at a quiet time, but things are bound to pick up soon with the wave of new hires."

"Oh?" A shooting pain lanced my stomach, and I grimaced. "Why is that?"

He crossed over to me and touched my forehead as he inspected my eyes. "New hires equal fresh meat. There are sometimes unfortunate accidents."

I swallowed hard as my stomach undulated again, this time for an altogether different reason.

I craned my neck to look around. "My sister, Belle, had an accident out hunting. She's here with a broken leg. Do you suppose I might see her?"

His eyes narrowed. "She's in the healing room, but that's off-limits to the infirm."

"I'm not contagious."

"And how would an ignorant farm girl know that? You look hellish enough to have the plague." He whisked his tray of things away. "Rules are rules for a reason." I glared at him, but it did nothing to soften his resistance. "Stay put. Doctor LaMazi will be with you shortly."

As soon as he left, I placed my empty cup on the small bedside table and slipped off the cot. The tea had eased the cramps and nausea somewhat, but my face still felt hot and stingy, and itchy welts had bloomed across my arms.

I'd be damned if those were going to stop me from finding Belle.

I moved quietly past the two patients who were fast asleep, one snoring softly, and peeked around the linen divider. More cots filled a broad room, but all were empty. "Where are you, Belle?"

I hurried to the door at the far end and cracked it open. A long hall opened into several rooms. Another nurse in a white uniform stepped out of the nearest one, her attention focused on the silver tray she was carrying. I ducked down behind a cot, and she walked right past. As soon as she was gone, I raced down the hall, checking all the rooms with open doors, but none of the patients were my sister.

"Ella?"