The Promise Page 8
“In the space of a moment, you have slandered my husband’s parents and their steward. I have seen serfs lose their heads for less damning words,” Marguerite said finally. “I placed all my trust in Brother Arros, bringing you here. I wonder now why he places his trust in you.”
Elena shrugged. “I’m a creature of the mountains. Never learned to talk like a lady.”
“You can start by biting your tongue. There are no secrets in this place.”
“Tell me, my lady, if there are no secrets in the house of Oto, why am I here? We’ll fail before we even begin.”
“I order you to cease your prattling and your impertinence grows.”
“I’ve simply asked a question, my lady,” Elena shot back. “A fair one.”
“Our plan will succeed. It must. And now you’ll do your part to keep her safe.”
A tense silence settled over them until the baby girl fell asleep. Elena plucked her out of her mother’s grasp and wrapped her in a length of soft wool.
“When all is said and done, you’ve two healthy babies,” she said. “And one of them a son. The luck of that.”
Marguerite closed her eyes, one hand on the necklace at her throat. “Yes. The luck.”
There was a stable boy Elena trusted, whose mother she had healed from illness on two occasions. She drew her cloak shut to conceal the sleeping baby swaddled against her chest. Bending over the boy’s nest in the straw, she gently woke him and asked him to fetch a certain horse that she knew to be steady and calm. He readied the mare and helped Elena into the saddle. She squeezed his hand in the dark.
The horse clopped down the stone alley to the castle gates. The guards were not surprised to see her; she often came and went at odd hours.
“Good evening, my lady!” called one. “Look at you on that fine horse.”
“I’m not one to put on airs, you know that well enough,” she said in as light a voice as she could muster. “Even poor mountain folk like me are given a favor now and then.”
The men unlatched the heavy iron crossbars and the great oak doors swung open.
“Are you not afraid of wolves and bears?” the other guard asked.
“Those creatures fear the moonlight. Puts them under a spell, it does.”
He snorted. “The beasts outside these gates fear nothing but fire and iron.”
Elena forced out a laugh and prodded the horse forward. Behind her, the crossbars clanged shut. She turned her head and spat. An urge rose up in her to yank the horse’s nose due west and gallop hard all the way to Basque country, to the edge of the world where the rivers flowed into the sea. Instead, she dug her heels into the horse’s belly, guiding it deep into the mountains.
For there was no point wasting her thoughts on idle fantasies.
She would not betray a promise.
* * *
The Miramonde Series
The Miramonde Series tells the story of a 16th-century female artist and the modern-day scholar who tries to discover her secret.
The Promise is a prequel novella to the series. The Girl from Oto is Book 1 in the series; Mira’s Way is Book 2. Book 3 will be published in 2019.
To learn more about The Miramonde Series or to buy books in the series at your favorite online retailer, please click here.
For a free 6-chapter sample of The Girl from Oto, go to BookHip.com/RGNFRV.
About the Author
Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. She studied English literature at Boston University and public policy at Portland State University, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, painting, drawing, dancing, and reading.
Connect with Amy:
www.amymaroney.com
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