Heir of memory and shado.., p.23
Heir of Memory and Shadow, page 23
“But I thought Lord Olivera never married, and had no children? Unless there was some buried indiscretion that no one knew about,” I said.
Baxley snorted. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was some sort of suppressed scandal in that man’s life. No, he had no wife or child. The Crown represented him in this case, which in some respects made things even worse. If you’re going to say the Crown is in the wrong, you need to have a very strong argument as to why.”
We were close to Asthore Manor. To Delphine, I said, “I suppose you’re headed home?”
“Oh, yes. Mother wasn’t called in to the court today, and I’m sure she’ll be anxiously waiting at home, wondering what happened. She’ll be thrilled to know the trial is over.”
“Well, why don’t you go get your mother and bring her over to Asthore Manor? Everyone will be excited to hear about the trial. Not that they wouldn’t want me to tell all about it, but I bet they’d rather hear it from you. Plus, if you come by, it will make Jondan stop moping about the house.”
Delphine blushed. “It would be nice to see him again. And your family, of course.”
“Of course.” I winked, causing her to blush deeper.
She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Shall mother and I see if Rhyss and Farrah are available to join us?”
“No need,” I said. “I’ll send one of the servants to their homes to extend an invitation.”
We said our goodbyes as Delphine turned down the street toward the Pahame residence, and Baxley, Shelda, and I continued on to the Asthore home.
When we arrived, I found I didn’t need to send anyone to fetch Rhyss or Farrah; they were already there. Rhyss was working on repairs in the study. Farrah was chatting with Kaela in the parlor while they waited for us to come home.
Farrah stood up when she saw us. “There you all are! Finally!”
“Is something wrong? What are you doing here?” I asked.
“And hello to you too,” Farrah said pointedly. “I’m here for several reasons. One, you’re all my friends and I wanted to visit. Two, I wanted to see how Shelda’s health was doing, make sure she hasn’t had any magical issues lately.”
“And three, you’re incredibly nosy and curious and you want to see if you can glean any information about the trial,” Rhyss said, walking into the room.
Farrah looked put out at being exposed so easily. I laughed. “One, it’s good to see you. Two, Shelda will have to tell you that herself. And three, if you can wait a little bit longer, the Pahames should be arriving soon, and Delphine can tell you herself.”
“Delphine will be here?” Jondan asked as he joined us. “It must be good news, then.”
“Yes,” I said. “But that’s all I’ll tell you right now. She can fill in the details herself.”
My parents, alerted to the commotion, trickled into the parlor as well. I sent a waiting servant off for refreshments. We all settled in and made small talk while we waited for the servant to return. When the servant came back, bearing a tea tray and a plate filled with small sandwiches, she announced, “Lady Pahame and her daughter have just arrived.”
Adallia and Delphine appeared in the doorway, with matching smiles on their faces.
“If you’re here, you must have been freed of all charges,” Kaela stated.
Delphine nodded. “Yes, completely and absolutely. Thanks in large part to Kaernan. Because of his wonderful Seeker gift, because of him, the Council declared me innocent. He saved my life.”
Her words settled into the silence that had now fallen over the room. My sister, sitting next to me, reached over and squeezed my hand, her broad smile and bright eyes clearly letting me know her thoughts. Across the room, my mother dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, smiling mistily through her tears. And as for my father ... I couldn’t quite read the expression on his face.
I was so busy trying to decipher the look my father was giving me that I nearly missed what Delphine said next.
“I know some of you — the ones who were at the trial — know the whole story. I told mother everything on the way over. But before I get into the details ... here, look at this ... a messenger brought it to the house just before we left.”
She thrust a piece of paper at me. I took it, looking it over curiously. On one side of the thick, creamy paper was the seal of the Council of Seekers, which had been broken.
I opened the letter and read aloud:
LET IT BE KNOWN, AS restitution for the physical peril and emotional harm caused by Lord Olivera to Lady Delphine Pahame, the Crown and the Council of Seekers of the kingdom of Orchwell hereby award the entirety of the late Lord Olivera’s estate to Lady Delphine Pahame. This includes all his residential properties located in Orchwell and the surrounding areas; the monetary allowance given him by the Crown; and his business properties located within Orchwell.
IT WAS SIGNED BY PELLHAM Ravenwood, the other Council members, and the King and Queen of Orchwell.
My wide eyes and look of amazement as I gave the letter back to Delphine matched everyone else’s in the room.
“Lord Olivera’s entire estate is more than enough to keep Mother and me comfortable for the rest of our days. And because it’s so much ... we’d like to share part of it with each of you.” Delphine looked at me, Rhyss, and Farrah in turn.
My jaw dropped. A side glance told me that Rhyss and Farrah’s mouths were wide open too as they gaped at Delphine.
“And I’d like to use some of Olivera’s money to repair the study here at Asthore Manor. It’s only right, of course.”
I shook off my bewilderment. “Delphine, that’s incredibly generous of you. But we couldn’t —”
Delphine cut me off.
“Think of it as a well-earned bonus to your completed commission,” she said. Rhyss and Farrah looked at me hopefully. Seeing that Delphine was determined to gift us from her new bounty, I sighed and nodded.
Rhyss nudged Farrah. In a voice that was meant to be an undertone but clearly carried to where I was sitting nearby, Rhyss said, “Wait until Beyan hears! This never happened on any of his commissions.”
Farrah nudged Rhyss back, harder, causing him to yelp. Loudly, she said, “What my friend is trying to say is, thank you, Delphine. This is a truly wonderful surprise.”
Rhyss nodded in agreement as he rubbed his arm in the spot where Farrah had nudged him.
The look on his face made me burst out laughing. Rhyss looked at me reproachfully.
“Well,” I gasped, trying to get myself under control. “Congratulations, Delphine. And to you as well, Lady Pahame. I look forward to visiting both of you in your new home. Assuming you want to move into any of Lord Olivera’s properties.”
“Why wait?” Delphine asked. “If you’re not busy, you should visit now. So you can decide which one you might want as a reward. Mother can tell the others what happened.”
My jaw dropped as Delphine grabbed my hand, unresisting, and gently tugged me through the parlor’s entryway and out the front door. The sun dipped low in the sky; sunset would soon be here.
As we walked down the flower-lined walkway, we heard several footsteps hurry to join us and turned around, stopping. It seemed we were to have some company: Rhyss and Farrah.
“Can’t leave us behind,” Rhyss said. “We’re a team.”
Farrah smirked. “Plus we want to hear the story of the trial straight from Delphine.” She tactfully didn’t state the other reason they wanted to tag along.
I looked back to see my sister Kaela, my cousin Shelda, my uncle Baxley, and my father and mother, the Lord and Lady Asthore, standing at the front of the manor, waiting to see us off.
My family.
Kaela beamed as she waved at me, her arm linked in Shelda’s. Mother was still dabbing at her eyes. Uncle Baxley said something quietly to Father, who nodded. My eyes met my father’s. His gaze, normally harsh and unyielding when he looked at me, was different this time. Father looked surprisingly ... proud.
Of me.
My father was proud of me.
As Delphine led the way, and her chatter with Rhyss and Farrah flowed around me, I carried my father’s look in my mind ... and in my heart.
Epilogue
“AND SO, YOU MAY NOW seal your marriage with a kiss. May you have a lifetime of love and light. I give you all, Lord and Lady Asthore!”
We all cheered and clapped wildly as the recently reinstated Lord Baxley Asthore kissed his new bride, Lady Adallia Asthore, formerly Adallia Pahame. It was the following spring, and we had all gathered to celebrate the wedding of Baxley and Adallia. I now had a new aunt, and my uncle had been officially recognized as an Asthore again after years of disgrace.
As the bride and groom walked down the aisle to receive the congratulations of the wedding attendees, Rhyss nudged Farrah. “Two weddings in two years. Kind of makes you wonder when it will be your turn, doesn’t it?”
Farrah got a strange look on her face. “Maybe. I guess I never really thought about it. Until you brought it up just now.”
Kaela, sitting on Farrah’s other side, giggled at their conversation but didn’t comment. Instead, she turned to me and winked. I just smirked and shook my head. Let Kaela play matchmaker if it pleased her; that definitely wasn’t my area of expertise.
Just a few seats ahead of us, the newly married couple was hugging Delphine, Jondan, Juneyen, and Carissa. Shortly after the trial’s completion, Juneyen and Carissa had left Rothschan and moved to Orchwell to be with Jondan. Jondan’s family adored Delphine, and the feeling was mutual. And from the loving looks Delphine and Jondan gave each other, I knew it was just a matter of time before theirs was the next wedding I attended.
Delphine had been true to her word and had generously gifted Rhyss, Farrah, and me each with a substantial reward. Rhyss and Farrah had opted for a monetary reward.
As for me, I was now the proud owner of one of Lord Olivera’s smaller estates. It definitely wasn’t as large or fancy as Asthore Manor, and it was in need of some repair, but I was happy to have a place of my own, as well as work to keep me busy in between commissions.
Not that I had a lot of down time.
In a strange and unexpected turn of events, the truth of Delphine’s trial and the story of Lord Olivera’s treachery had spread throughout the Gifted Lands, making my services now highly sought after. Sometimes people would hire my sister and me together, which added a new dimension to our commissions. I had never worked in tandem with Kaela before, and it strengthened both our bond as siblings as well our magical abilities to work together.
And the oddest thing was, I now didn’t mind my work as a Seeker.
Before I had resisted the darker side of emotions, thinking it less valuable or something that shouldn’t be touched too often. And while I still didn’t enjoy delving too deep into sadness, regret, or despair — who does? — I had now learned to embrace them when needed, and viewed them as just one side of the same coin of the human experience.
Uncle Baxley and my now Aunt Adallia had reached my row. Embraces and handshakes were exchanged as Farrah, Rhyss, and Kaela congratulated the new couple. When they reached me, Uncle Baxley clapped me on the shoulder, pulling me in for a big hug.
“Kaernan, you’ve given us both so much to celebrate this day,” he said. “You brought my family back to me, as well as given me a new one.”
“Yes,” the new Lady Asthore said as she embraced me in turn. “Without you, this wedding may never have happened. Thank you for giving us our love back. And for giving me hope.”
My uncle and aunt smiled at me, then moved to the next group of people waiting to congratulate them. As I watched the joyful couple, I felt my lips tug into a smile.
Perhaps I was capable of helping people find their happy endings after all.
Dear Reader: THANK YOU so much for reading this book.
IT MEANS SO MUCH TO me that you took the time to read Heir of Memory and Shadow. I hope you enjoyed this second journey in the Gifted Lands as much I enjoyed creating it.
If you liked this book, please leave a review wherever you like to buy books and learn about new titles.
Want to be the first to know about new adventures? Let’s be friends!
Instagram: @rachaneelumayno
Twitter: @rachaneelumayno
TikTok: @rachaneelumayno
Sign up for the newsletter on the Website: www.rachanee.net
Join the community on Discord: Kingdom Legacy
Acknowledgements
If it takes a village to raise a child, here’s all the people who helped me raise this baby!
Thank you thank you THANK YOU to Tom and Jaime for reading the early drafts, giving amazing notes, and taking a lot of late night (for Tom) phone calls.
Thank you to my husband, for listening to me blather on about my writing issues without giving any context. You are a patient, patient man.
Thank you to my cat Riley, whose constant “must need to sit on mama’s lap” meant I was forced to sit at my computer and work on my story when what I really wanted to do was laundry ... grocery shop ... vacuum ... anything but actually write. Couldn’t have done it without you, cat. (Well, I could have, and much easier, but I did enjoy having you around constantly getting in my way.)
About the Author
RACHANEE LUMAYNO IS an actress, voiceover artist, screenwriter, avid gamer, and amateur dodgeball player. She grew up in Michigan, where she spent way too much of her free time reading fantasy novels. She still spends too much of her free time reading fantasy novels, although now she writes them too. Heir of Memory and Shadow is her second novel, and the second book in the Kingdom Legacy series. You can find her online at www.rachanee.net or on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram (@rachaneelumayno).
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Rachanee Lumayno publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-JWOM-SEDUB
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Rachanee Lumayno, Heir of Memory and Shadow
