Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan Read Free Book Online

skirts brushing by my forehead, catching at my hair. Even in the midst of the garden, she smelled of lavender and something else, a sharp but pleasant spice I could not identify. All of the castle was like that, aswirl in pomanders and scents that I encountered at every turn. I had begun working with Anna to sort them out, but I was still a hopeless novice.
    “Walk with me,” the Queen commanded, and I popped up so quickly, I felt dizzy, stumbling forward as Beatrice shoved me.
    “Go!” Beatrice hissed. “And try not to embarrass us!”
    I nodded tightly and hastened after the Queen, who was already several steps ahead.
    The Queen set out at a fast pace, and I carefully remained just behind her. We were of a height, which made it easier for me to match her stride, though her heeled slippers made her seem taller. At the far corner of the yard, the Queen still did not look at me, but glanced out across the garden as we turned, never slowing. “So, Meg, tell me,” she said, her words almost casual, but not quite. “What have you learned in your three months of training?”
    “Your Grace?” I asked, surprised by the breadth of the question. “Ah, I have learned a great many things.” She did not reply, so I blundered on. “I have learned the family lines of all political houses in England and the rest of Europe. I have learned to dance the Almain, and I have—”
    “And what have you learned about your fellow maids?”
    I hesitated again. Where is this going? “Well, Beatrice’s mother is from the house of Winterton, and is married to the Earl of—”
    “Beyond that.” The Queen silenced me with a wave of her ringed fingers. “What is Beatrice’s best ability?”
    “Manipulation,” I said, without thinking. Then I rushed to soften the words, lest they seem uncharitable. “She is perfectly placed in the court. Everyone knows her and her standing, and she makes alliances with ease and elegance. She is one of the most sought after young women of the land, though far below you, of course, Your Grace.”
    “Of course,” the Queen said dryly. “And her flaw? What is her greatest flaw?” The Queen was walking more swiftly, and I was forced to keep pace, my heart now beginning to beat a little faster. I tried to choose my words carefully, and the Queen’s lips pursed. “Don’t try my patience, Meg,” she said, the words a slap.
    “Her pride,” I bit out, cringing at the betrayal, even though it was just Beatrice and she richly deserved it.
    Rather than ask me to explain, the Queen moved on. “Anna, then,” she prompted.
    “Anna’s best skill is her discernment—she can see hidden patterns in events, encoded letters, or even in mechanical things,” I said, thinking of Anna’s fascination with the puzzle boxes. I swallowed, knowing the next question. “Her flaw is her innocence. She believes the best in everyone, even when there is naught but evil there.”
    It was only the truth, but I still felt wrong in saying it. Before the Queen could speak again, I hurried on. “Sophia’sgift is the Sight, of course, or at least the promise of the Sight. Her flaw is her lack of confidence.” I blinked at that, surprised at my own assessment. “Jane knows what it is to take a man’s life without remorse, and it has turned her heart to stone.” My words sounded curiously sad to my own ears. “And that is both her gift and her curse.”
    Time seemed to hold its breath as we stood there, and I saw my fellow maids line up before me in my mind’s eye: Sophia and Anna, Beatrice and Jane. The Seer and the Scholar, the Belle and the Blade.
    And as for me? I had a nickname too, of course. As the Maid whose job it was to ferret out secrets, I’d received my nickname the very first day I’d arrived, when the others had not realized I could hear them whispering. Now they didn’t even bother to hide it from me. My esteemed partners in the Queen’s service called me . . .
    The Rat. And I had just proven their