Fallen Grace (The Death Dealer Book 1) by Katie Roman Page A

to ever feel like this again. Next time a man pulled a knife on her, she’d knock him unconscious and tie him to a tree. Killing again was not an option. Her stomach churned at the thought. And to think earlier that evening she found scaring brigands off boring. She would take boring over the alternative now.
    “ You cannot just stay in bed all day. Word will get out that The Death Dealer has killed, and when you suddenly do not show up, people will talk. No – you have to go out.” Grace wanted to roll her eyes. Cassandra was playing the fatalist. No one would put those pieces together. However, Grace knew her maid would be on edge all day with paranoia if she didn’t go out. A nervous Cassandra was a greater danger to her than someone figuring out who The Death Dealer was.
    Cassandra rooted through Grace’s things until she found her riding tunic and gown. She ripped bits and pieces off of it and wiped Grace’s face with the rest. “We will take you to the healer, say you were on a ride last night and were thrown into a ditch.”
    “What if the stable hands are questioned?”
    “ A few pieces of silver will get them to say anything you like. Hurry up and get dressed and then it is off to the healer with you.”
    ~*~*~
    Calvin’s manservant and Grace’s friend, Donald, went to the stables to talk with the stable hands about Grace’s “fall.” The stable hands did not question Donald or his need for them to lie. They assumed only that this young Grace woman had spoken out of turn and a male relative put her in her place, and now the family was trying to cover it up. These things weren’t all that uncommon. Plenty of other court ladies had suffered from “falls” in the past. While Donald handled one situation, Cassandra took Grace to see the castle healer to handle another.
    He was an old man who looked as though he had lived through every king of Cesernan. He grabbed Grace’s face with his icy hands and she was reminded of death, which brought up the image of those dead eyes again. Her heart beat faster. The healer moved her head this way and that, looking over her bruises carefully.
    “You should have come to me last night when your horse threw you. I could have stopped the swelling on your eye.” He released her face and walked to a cabinet.
    “ I did not want to inconvenience you since all your candles were already out. I had no idea I would wake up looking like this.”
    He mumbled to himself as he looked about his cabinets. “When I was young, ladies didn’t go riding after dark. Probably went to meet a lover.” Grace rolled her eyes. The healer turned back to her, holding a small blue bottle. “Take this ointment, apply to your eye every few hours, and by tomorrow the swelling should go down. There’s nothing I can do for those bruises, but in a few days they won’t be as bad.” He handed her the ointment. “You are very lucky to have survived with only a few bruises. I suggest having something done with the horse you were riding.”
    “Thank you, sir.” She curtsied and left his room.
    Cassandra was waiting for her. “Well?”
    “I do not see why I cannot stay in bed. No one will suspect a thing. You are being paranoid about this.”
    “ I refuse to take a risk.” Cassandra took Grace by the arm and started to lead her down the hall. “I will do nothing that could possibly put you in the hangman’s sight. You will do as the healer said and you will go to the tournament today. I am going to see how Donald fared with the stable boys. Meanwhile, you stay out of trouble.” Cassandra patted Grace’s shoulder and was gone.
    Grace looked at the blue bottle and sighed. She should have stayed in Arganis. The healer in Arganis wouldn’t have believed she was off seeing a lover. He’d have scolded her about proper riding techniques and handed over the ointment with a laugh and a smile.
                  “I, for one, would like to see how Benjamin fares today against Calvin.”