Chapter 501: The Vintage Unveiled

Chapter 500: The Vintage Unveiled

Lyria’s POV

Duke Thorncrest shook his head quietly.

"I have no explanation for that particular matter."

Lucian, too, appeared to weigh the question with care rather than offering any reply merely to satisfy curiosity.

That, at least, was preferable to being presented with a convenient falsehood.

"How curious," I murmured.

It was more than curious, of course. There was a reason for everything, even if that reason proved to be nothing nobler than greed, cruelty, or the satisfaction of a man’s vanity. The portraits still lay before us, their silent faces bearing witness to lives that had been deliberately set aside and forgotten. The weight of that knowledge pressed upon me more heavily than the moist air of the cavern.

Duke Valenridge interrupted my thoughts.

"First," he said, "I doubt the nobles in question care particularly what becomes of the people they have wronged. Their station affords them a degree of protection that most inhabitants of this kingdom could scarcely imagine."

He spoke quietly and quite matter-of-factly too. It hurt that this was the only way upon which he could afford to answer, for everything was a fact.

"Secondly, very few outsiders ever reach Gallowshill. Those who do seldom speak of what they have witnessed. Whether this silence arises from fear of consequence, from a wish to remain uninvolved, or from a simple desire to forget the place altogether, I cannot say. Whatever the cause, the town has remained largely beyond the notice of those who might otherwise inquire."

He paused, then directed his gaze towards the parchment still held in my hands.

"But that aside, there is something further I ought to place before you all."

Lucian’s attention shifted to him at once.

"Is it concerning the Petrograd Vintage?"

"Indeed," Duke Valenridge replied, with a measured inclination of the head.

"Then I believe I am in possession of much the same intelligence. I had already commenced my own enquiries into the matter," Lucian said.

"Gallowshill was once the principal producer of the Petrograd Vintage," Lucian continued. "That continued for a number of years, until production ceased."

Duke Valenridge inclined his head in confirmation.

"That is correct. The town’s inhabitants were responsible for the greater part of its manufacture, and the trade afforded them a modest livelihood. There were, however, several difficulties that rendered the continuation of the enterprise increasingly perilous."

He permitted a brief silence before proceeding.

"The first was the risk of discovery. Everyone present is acquainted with the circumstances that presently surround the town. The difficulty resembles that which confronts us this very spring. Were the Crown to learn that a settlement which was expected to govern itself poorly, and always to remain in want and upon the verge of ruin, produced a vodka so highly esteemed that persons of every rank sought it for themselves, they would claim authority over the entire production, leaving not so much as a single drop of profit for the residents."

"The second difficulty concerned the water."

I looked towards him.

"The w-water?"

"Yes, Your Highness. In the distillation of vodka, pure water is an ingredient of the first importance. I believe that very purity was among the qualities that rendered the Petrograd Vintage so greatly desired. Water of superior quality enhances the character of the spirit itself. Yet the source upon which the inhabitants relied for their manufacture had a canal constructed directly over it, thereby corrupting its clarity. You must understand that water presented no difficulty when the people first settled here. It was only after the canal was imposed, without any provision for an alternative source clean enough for cooking or drinking, that the problem arose. The townsfolk did attempt to continue production, yet the quality declined so markedly that the enterprise could no longer be sustained."

The quiet of the cavern seemed to deepen as the full significance of his words settled upon the company.

"Then the c-canal did n-not merely a-affect their drinking w-water," I said. "It d-deprived t-them of their t-trade as w-well."

"Precisely."

"I must confess we discovered precisely the same particulars," Lucian observed. "For that was the sum of the intelligence I myself obtained."

"I c-cannot say t-this s-surprises me," I admitted. "F-for I had an i-inkling from t-the moment I s-saw the b-bottle that t-there was m-more to it."

Duke Thorncrest gave a slow, grave nod.

"Neither can I."

I drew a steadying breath, steadying myself against the rising tide of indignation and sorrow that threatened to disorder my thoughts.

"W-what can b-be done to h-help further?" I asked. "A-and not j-just the town, b-because I do b-believe there may b-be many m-more whom those in p-power have o-oppressed continuously."

A brief silence followed. At length Duke Thorncrest spoke, his voice soft yet carrying clearly in the enclosed space.

"For the present," he said, "we can only affect to observe."

"And whilst doing so, seek out allies," Lucian added.

"B-but you a-are all allies, are y-you not?" I inquired. "I h-have after all allied m-myself with you."

"And yes—we shall render assistance without question—but you require more than ourselves, Your Highness," Lucian replied. "You require power and support comparable to, and even exceeding, that of the oppressors."

Confusion deepened within me.

"Again, y-you all have p-power. You f-for one—the A-Aurelgrave family has p-power, do they n-not?"

Lucian only gave a quiet chuckle at my words. Then he shook his head and offered me a small, regretful nod.

"I beg your pardon, but I must take my leave, Your Highness."

"W-why?" I asked. "If t-this is due t—"

"Grant me this grace, Your Highness, and permit me to depart. Perhaps this conversation may be resumed upon another occasion."

I regarded him for a long moment, then directed my gaze towards Zephyr, who now sat licking his paws and watching us with an air of grave attention, as though he comprehended every word that passed among us.

"Y-you need not a-ask for p-permission y-your grace," I told Lucian, finally returning my eyes to him. "You m-may leave."