Midnight Jewel
Page 69

   “It’s fantastic, isn’t it?” he said, almost as soon as I walked in the door. “There’s no way you can doubt our family’s standing.”
   “I never doubted it before,” I replied.
   He went on and on about their means until another guest pulled him away. Never once did he mention his father’s virtues. I supposed he figured that, with the age difference, material goods would mean more to me than the man who possessed them.
   I actually liked Rupert quite a bit and purposely sought him out after dinner. He sat in a plush, overly stuffed chair and surveyed the festivities with amusement.
   “Miss Viana. What a pleasure.”
   He started to rise, and I waved him down as I pulled up a smaller chair. “And for me, Mister Chambers. How have you been?”
   “Oh, the same. I lead a quiet life, you know. And now Cornelius insists I ease up on managing our workers. So, lately, my most exciting days are when new books arrive from Osfrid. I’ve kept my eyesight, but the arthritis is getting worse.” He opened one of his hands for emphasis and then curled it up again. “I’d had it in my head to write my life’s story, but I don’t think these old hands could manage it anymore. I’d have to dictate to a servant.”
   “I hope you do. You’re an inspiration to everyone who comes to Adoria for a better life. Look at all you’ve achieved.”
   He glanced around the great room but didn’t appear that impressed. “There’s certainly a bit more to it than there used to be, especially since Lavinia arrived. She has lavish tastes—very lavish—and Cornelius indulges her. But that’s young love.”
   “It’s all very grand,” I said diplomatically, but I caught his meaning. Lavish bordered on gaudy. Some thoughtful architect had built the room with simple but elegant lines, and I could make out remnants of what must have once been a very dignified aesthetic. Now, it was like someone had covered it up and hadn’t known when to stop adding embellishments. Curtains made of brilliant crimson velvet. Vases and sculptures on every surface. Enormous paintings that would have looked lovely, if only one of them had been centered on a bare wall. Instead, they sat side by side in a disorienting display. Our earlier dinner had been served with the finest crystal and china I’d ever seen. And everything in the house seemed unnecessarily gilded.
   “Lavinia’s even very particular about what we drink,” Rupert added, his voice wistful. “Only the elitist Evarian wines for her. I miss my rum. It’s the spiced kind, from Royal Point. Have you ever had it? Marvelous. But she thinks it’s too ‘common’ and had the audacity to store it away on the pantry’s highest shelf. Can you believe that? Out of my reach, like I’m some naughty child. Then she put the fear of the Six into any servant caught fetching it for me.”
   I studied the crowded room, filled with posh guests who were completely absorbed in their own affairs. I grinned, and suddenly, the party became a lot more interesting. “Would you like me to get you some?”
   Rupert’s complete lack of reaction made me think he hadn’t heard the question, but just before I could repeat myself, a low chuckle started in his throat and then grew louder. He slapped his knee. “Oh, I wish you could. Don’t tease an old man.”
   I sprang up. “I’m not. Believe me, a high shelf isn’t much of a challenge, compared to half the things I do.”
   He laughed again. “That I believe, but flattered as I am, I don’t want you risking it. Lavinia’ll have your head.”
   I thought about how eager she was for me to marry her father-in-law. “Something tells me she’ll forgive me. I’ll be right back.”
   I hurried away amidst his protests and deftly slipped through a door I’d seen servants move in and out of all night. A long corridor extended before me, and I simply followed my nose from there. I passed one servant along the way, and as usual, acting like I knew where I was going got me ignored.
   Only one person stood in the vast kitchen, a boy washing dishes with his back to the door. With dinner over, most servants were now out delivering cordials to the guests. I crept to the other end of the kitchen, far from the dishwasher. A cavernous pantry loomed around a corner, filled with enough food to feed a party twice this size. I didn’t recognize half the items. High on the top shelf, golden bottles of rum gleamed. As I contemplated my strategy, an uneasy voice said, “I beg your pardon, miss. I . . .”
   I turned to see a nervous kitchen maid. “Thank goodness,” I exclaimed. “I hope you can help me. I’m trying to do a favor for Mister Chambers—the elder one. It’s a, uh, bit of a secret. He was hoping I could find something for him. Something from . . . Royal Point.”
   I was playing a hunch. After thinking about how Rupert had said Lavinia had threatened the servants, it occurred to me they might not be so fond of their new mistress and her changes. But someone as mild as Rupert? Loyalty to him would likely still run strong, and I might not even have to steal.
   Sure enough, the maid’s expression softened. “I do know where it’s at. And the Six knows he deserves it after such a good long life. But I could lose my job if Mistress Chambers catches me.”
   “Show me. I’ll do it. I’ll take responsibility.”
   “All right then,” she said after a moment’s deliberation. “There’s a ladder right over there.”
   She brought it to me, and I made the climb in high heels without any difficulty. When I stepped back down with a bottle in hand, the maid handed me an elegant china cup. Catching on, I poured a generous amount of the rum into it.
   “Hopefully the mistress will think it’s tea if she sees him with it,” my conspirator said with a wink.
   I replaced the bottle and thanked her. Careful not to spill the cup’s contents, I returned to the corridor and slowly made my way back toward the party. Smiling, I wondered if this counted as an act of great justice.