“You had better do it quickly.”
Norah nodded, with a heavy stomach.
He paused again. “So… you remember nothing of your father?”
While she didn’t feel the pain of his passing, the tragic void wasn’t lost on her. She shook her head.
“It’s a shame,” he said sadly. “He was a great man.”
“I want to remember him. I’m trying.”
He nodded. “Then I suppose I’m not too insulted you hold no memory of me either.” But deep lines of sorrow creased his brow. This was the hardest part—the pain of loss felt by the people who had cared about her. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “Did Catherine tell you to drop my title and just call me James?”
She pulled her lips between her teeth and winced.
“Oh, she’s good,” he said with a gruff. “Well, let’s get back. I’m sure she’s beside herself. Just do me a favor and wait until I’m gone before you tell her I know about you.”
Norah couldn’t help a small smile again. It lightened her spirit. They found her grandmother and Alexander in the throne room, and both turned abruptly as they entered, looking to see how the conversation fared, no doubt.
James turned to Norah. “Welcome home, Your Highness. Enjoy these last few days, for everything is about to change.” He bowed to Catherine, then left the throne room.
Alexander followed James into the hall with a deep anxiousness in his stomach. The councilman had given no indication that Norah’s secret had slipped, but he was a difficult man to read at times.
“No memories?” James said finally as they walked, eyeing Alexander with a raised brow.
Alexander snorted. Of course. “She told you.” He shook his head. “She’s not very good at secrets, is she?”
“I’m surprised by you, Alexander. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
He expected this. “Of course not. But, James, I gave my word, and I’m committed.”
“That you are.” The old man pushed out a long breath. “Quite a mystery, though, isn’t it?”
It was a mystery, one that Alexander was desperate to solve. But he also needed to focus on the future. “Will you help her, James?”
“I will, so long as it helps Mercia.”
“Are they not one and the same?”
James turned to Alexander, a seriousness coming to him. “No, they’re not.”
Chapter twelve
Norah followed Catherine to her chamber. She wasn’t sure the woman could contain herself until they got there. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to sharing that she’d told James about her memory loss, especially after Catherine had explicitly told her not to, and that Alexander was still her only consideration for lord justice. They reached the chamber too soon.
“How did James feel about Lord Branton?” Catherine asked as soon as the door closed.
Norah’s heart raced. “He knows,” she said with a frown. “He knows I’m not me, that I don’t have my memories.” It was best to get it out of the way.
“You told him?” Catherine asked, alarmed.
“He saw right away I was lying. There wasn’t much I could do. But he’s going to help me.”
“Does he plan to tell the council?”
She bit the side of her cheek. That would have been a good question to ask. “I don’t think so,” she said slowly. “He asked me who all knew and said you were right: I shouldn’t share it. He also told me to listen to you.”
Catherine’s eyes widened. “Did he now?” She straightened. That puffed her up a bit. “Let’s hope he does the same,” she added with an edge. “Norah, you have to be more careful.”
How could she possibly be more careful? She’d have to not speak at all.
“Now, what did he say about Lord Branton?” her grandmother pressed again.
Norah’s stomach knotted at the next wave of disappointment to deliver. “I have only Alexander to consider.”
“You know that’s not an option. You were supposed to discuss Branton.”
“I did,” she insisted. “I don’t understand why Alexander’s not an option. I don’t know anyone else,” she added, exasperated. “He wouldn’t talk about any of the names you gave me. Branton, Bosley, Seymour—he didn’t like any of them.”
“Lord Semaine.” Catherine sighed. “Oh, Norah, no wonder he discovered you.”
“Well, he figured me out well before we even talked about names.” And really, what did she expect?
“Don’t worry, we’ll solve this,” her grandmother said flatly. “You’ll choose someone else.”
“Who? I just said I don’t know anyone.”
“There are many options. You’ll settle on someone.”
Norah felt a flash of frustration. Her grandmother wasn’t listening. “All right, let’s see, there’s Adrian—”
Catherine snorted. “Don’t be silly.”
“Caspian.” Norah counted the second name on her fingers.
“That’s enough.”
“These are literally all the people I know,” she said. “Will a councilman do? Oh”—she brought a third finger—“there’s a girl named Jane.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Catherine snapped, but then she paused. “You saw Jane?”
“Um… kind of.” She did see her.
Catherine’s face turned an even paler shade of white. “What did she say? What did you say? Gods, that girl has a mouth on her. Just what we need.”
Norah gave a smirk. “Actually, I didn’t speak to her.”
“Thank the gods,” Catherine said with a sigh. “I’ll have to set expectations better with the guard. We can’t rely on courtesies for avoiding conversation.”
“Oh, yes.” The guard. “And add Titus to my list of people,” Norah said as she held up four fingers. “And Liaman. There are more guards, but I forget the rest.”
Catherine pursed her lips.
Norah looked at her grandmother squarely. “I’m not going to be able to keep this up for long. Adrian figured me out as well.”
Catherine let out an exasperated huff. “Adrian knows? Norah! At this rate, the whole kingdom will know!”
“What do you expect?” Norah snapped back, her own desperation lashing out. “I’m not going to be able to fool everyone! These are smart people who’ve known me for a long time. They know something isn’t right.” Norah put her face in her hands, letting the cold of her fingers take away the heat from her cheeks. “I have to get my memories back. I have to find out what’s blocking them.”
Norah glanced up to find Catherine staring at her with an expression she didn’t understand. Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“I have an idea,” the regent said.
Norah raised a brow, waiting. “Ummm… normally when people say something like that, they follow it up with the actual idea.”
Catherine shook her head, breathless by whatever sudden thought had come to her. “Tonight. I have to do something first. I’ll come back tonight.”