Out of Time

Chapter 28

Two weeks had passed when Morgan returned to start her duties as lady in waiting. Dani didn't know what to do with her or her sickeningly sweet behavior. When she arrived, she gushed over Dani, making her skin crawl. Even without knowing what she did about Morgan, she would have wanted to run for the hills merely to escape the way the woman was acting.

As it was, she feared that if anyone had been within arms length, she would have grabbed them and begged them to rescue her. But more than that, she really didn't know what to do with a lady in waiting. What the hell was one anyway? She racked her mind, but came up blank. She just couldn't remember anything about them, other than maybe being companions to high ranking women.

And if that was all there was to it, why on Earth would she want someone she didn't even trust so close to her? Dani'd instructed maids to bring Morgan and her things to one of the spare rooms for her to use, hoping that it would occupy her sister-in-law for quite some time. If she was really lucky, a few days.

As soon as Morgan was out of sight, she ran off in search of Merlin. For the first time in weeks, she actually wanted to see him. When she couldn't find him in the first half dozen places she looked, she got frustrated. "Merlin! Where are you?"

"Behind you," he said, leaning against a stall in the stables.

"Christ, Merlin. What the hell?"

Merlin frowned. "Hell?"

"Never mind."

"Very well. How may I help my queen?" He smiled, and it made him look even younger.

"If that smile gets any bigger, you're going to look all of twelve."

He laughed. "I see I'm not yet forgiven."

Dani frowned. "I'm trying, okay? Isn't it enough that I don't really blame you? I understand why you did it. I can accept that. But that doesn't change my emotions. That just takes time."

"Of course."

She sighed. "What am I supposed to do about Morgan?"

"She is your lady in waiting. Do what you will with her."

"Oh, don't start with me. You know what I mean. I don't trust her, and she's so saccharine, it makes me sick. But she's Arthur's sister. I can't turn her away without hurting him."

"And yet she's a danger to you."

"You're sure?"

"Well, no. I'm sure of nothing now. But though my Truth has failed me, there are things that I doubt have changed, and I have my own experience and intuition about things I can still rely on. From my visions of the future, Morgan conspired against Arthur."

"Because of her sister." Dani paused, trying to remember the details. "Mordred's mother."

"Yes. I doubt that this timeline has changed her malice for an act that occurred long before you arrived. If she is choosing to come closer to you and Arthur, I can only assume it is to enact new plans for Arthur's demise."

"We can't let that happen."

Merlin smiled, and reached out to grasp her hand. "We won't."

#

Morgan settled into her room, shooing the maids away to give her some peace. She'd used her behavior to get a little token of Queen Danielle. She had a spell in mind, and she would need something personal of the queen's, and the more personal the better.