So that was it. He would kill her and do it with a clear conscience. She had broken the rules and that justified him in his own sight. Well, if she was going to die …. She stood up tall and gave him the sternest look she could muster with her chin trembling as it was. "You may think you can kill me and not bear guilt, but Providence will decide between us."
He sighed heavily, an exhausted old man. "Providence has already decided, Repentance. He raised me up as king and He made you my slave."
He was right. Providence had picked favorites two hundred and fifty years earlier.
The king continued. "I stupidly thought I could defy the order Providence has set. I thought I could lift you out of slavery and educate you and make something out of you. But apparently you aren't able to be reasonable and to appreciate the good I've given you. You turn, like a wild animal, and bite me."
She cringed. In the end she was no more than an animal to him. To the slaves at the palace she was a lady and to the overlords she was a yak. When Providence created her, he was having a joke on the world. "So you might as well kill me as you would kill a hog that gored one of the stable boys."
"Quit goading me, or I just might do that. Who did you tell? Your maid? How did you get involved with the Deliverance Day group?"
"I don't know anything about Deliverance Day."
"I was in the Village Circle not one hour ago and I saw you with them in front of the Hall of Justice."
"I was there with Skoch and the young princes. I wasn't—"
He slammed his hand on his desk. "Who introduced you to them? Who do you give your information to?" he shouted.
She couldn't hand Sober over. "My Lord, I told no one."
"You are standing firm on that patch of ground, then?"
"I am."
He laughed—not a happy laugh. "Is it to be forever this way, Repentance? Will you always speak when I order you to silence and remain silent when I bid you speak?"
"I cannot tell you what you want to hear." He was so mad at her he was about ready to kill her. And he liked her. A little, anyway. He cared nothing for Sober. If she gave him Sober, he would likely not hold himself back.
Anger burned in the king's eyes. "So you are no longer my concubine. You never were, in fact. There's no need for you to attend afternoon lectures. You are to spend your afternoons washing, as well as your mornings. As soon as I can arrange it you will be transferred to Madame Cawrocc for resale."
The last time she'd seen Cawrocc, she'd tried to choke her. After Cawrocc killed her, if she was lucky, what was left of her would be sold to Jadin to be handed over to the prince. The prince! He was the one who set up the trip to the museum. He knew the Deliverance Day people were there. He must have sent the king there. "Your Majesty, the prince—"
He waved to silence her. "I'll put it into the ears of the tale-bearers that I've grown tired of the game we've been playing. I took you only because I wanted to hurt my nephew. I knew how much he wanted you and I wanted to remind him, in public, that I had power over him. But now I let you go, laughing over the whole thing. He can have you now."
"You can't mean that!"
"You've brought this on yourself. See Provocation when you are done with your work tonight, and she'll show you to the maid's quarters."
"How did word reach you? Your majesty while you were gone the prince told me he wanted to take me to a feast. He had some ... some plan. That's why I didn't do the washing. I've been hiding from him for two weeks. And he's the one who told Skoch to take us to the museum. I wasn't there to meet the Deliverance Day people. How could I have orchestrated a trip into the city? He must have started this rumor to get me into trouble."
"The prince is taking much pleasure in my disgrace. There can be no doubt. He sent word to me to go into the Village Circle. He's been watching you and he's taken great pleasure in telling me of all your many trips to the stables. And he's handing those stories to many others besides me, we can be sure. If the people find me ridiculous and believe he's been running the kingdom, his popularity will grow." He coughed and took a swig from his flak.
"Oh, yes, the prince is making the most of my humiliation. But he's not the one that started the rumor. You told someone. The look on your face when I asked, said as much." He sighed. "I've told you before that your expressions always betray you."
"But the prince—" She pictured his leering face. "You might as well kill me."
"No!" he yelled, pointing a finger at her. His face was red and his hand was shaking. "You might as well have killed me. In making me look ridiculous, you've given the prince power over me that he never had before had. The troopers won't follow a weak leader. And you have done more to weaken me in two weeks than the prince has been able to do in ten years. You've handed me
