‘It’s only a silly hobby,’ she muttered as they turned on to the drive of Rock Turtle Cove Manor. Her heels were loud on the cobblestones, so she tried to stay on her toes. Jest, on the other hand, walked like falling snowflakes. ‘It’s nice to be good at something, though. It’s not what my parents wanted me to be good at, but it is something.’ She sighed. ‘Whereas you seem to be good at everything.’

‘Not everything,’ he said. ‘Would you believe I’ve never so much as held an eggbeater?’

‘Scandalous!’

He grinned at her, and she was surprised at how much she wanted to tell him about the bakery she and Mary Ann were going to open. The desire to bring him into her fantasy was fast and fervent, maybe even to tell him of how she’d begun to dream of him being a part of it all. But she and Mary Ann hadn’t told anyone about their plans, other than the Duke, which had been necessary, and to tell Jest felt like it would have been a betrayal of her oldest friendship. That alone held her tongue.

‘You don’t have to walk me all the way to the house,’ she said, realizing that her feet were dragging more with every step.

‘Stuff and nonsense. After the night we’ve had, I couldn’t imagine deserting you before you’ve been seen safely to your door. Or, window.’

Catherine was unwilling to argue. They cut across the grass, damp and soft from dew. Morning dew? The whole night had been whiled away, yet it seemed as if she had just left.

Her gaze traced the boughs of the lemon tree to her bedroom window. The glass was black as pitch. The hearth fire had burned down hours ago.

‘I suppose now you’re going to grow wings and fly us up there?’

‘Unfortunately my wings come only in one size, and they wouldn’t be helpful in this circumstance.’ His jaw clenched, his yellow eyes raw with uncertainty. ‘You asked if I was man or bird, Lady Pinkerton, but I’m neither.’ He drew in a long breath and turned to face her fully. ‘I’m a Rook, as is Raven.’

She tilted her head. ‘Isn’t a rook a type of bird?’

‘In Hearts, perhaps.’ His fingers tightened around hers. ‘But in Chess, we are protectors of the White Queen.’

She held his gaze, trying to puzzle through his words, unsure if this was another riddle. ‘Chess?’

His head shifted in what could have been a nod. ‘That’s where Raven and I come from.’

‘Chess.’ The word was little more than a breath now, spoken with awe. Chess. The Land of the Red and White Queendoms.

She had never known anyone from Chess. There were rumours that one could travel between the two lands, but there was a maze that no one knew how to get to, and a doorway said to be guarded by fate itself.

But such rumours could all be fairy tales as far as she knew.

‘If you’re a protector of the White Queen,’ she said, ‘whatever are you doing here?’

‘It’s . . . complicated.’ He seemed to be fighting with an explanation. ‘The Queen sent us here on a mission of sorts. One that could determine the fate of Chess. One that could end the war between her and the Red Queen, a war that is as old as Time himself.’

Cath gaped at him, wondering how there ever could have been a time when she had looked at this man and seen only a joker – all pranks and magic.

He was from Chess.

He was on a mission that could end a war.

He was the protector of a queen.

Her heart suddenly twisted, and she was surprised at how much it hurt. ‘Then how long will you be in Hearts?’ she asked, not caring how the unexpected sorrow showed in her question.

Jest’s eyes widened with surprise, then softened. He settled his free hand on to their entwined fingers, encasing hers completely. ‘I don’t know. Once our mission is complete . . . perhaps I’ll have a reason to come back, and to stay.’

‘Won’t . . .’ Her voice caught and she had to clear her throat to continue. ‘Won’t your queen need you?’

‘She appointed some replacement Rooks in our absence.’ His gaze shifted to some spot over Cath’s shoulder and he frowned. ‘Bizarre little men, the Tweedles. Always fighting over a rattle, but . . . I suppose they fit the role well enough. Maybe she won’t need me any more, or Raven.’ He looked back and said, with more hesitation, ‘If I had a reason to stay, that is.’

‘Naturally.’ Her lips had dried and she licked them instinctively.

Jest inhaled and dropped her hand, taking half a step back. He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I apologize, Lady Pinkerton. I’ve kept you out too long.’

‘No, I . . .’ She folded her hands against her stomach, wondering how her fingers had got so cold so quickly. ‘Thank you for telling me your story. I promise your secret will be safe with me.’ She hesitated. ‘Or at least, I think it’s a secret. Does the King know?’

‘No one knows. Only you, and Raven of course, and Hatta and Haigha.’

Her eyes widened. ‘Are they from Chess too?’

Jest rocked on his heels. ‘Of a sort, but their secrets are not mine to tell.’

She nodded in understanding, although her curiosity gnawed at her insides.

‘Anyhow, being the protecting sort, my job won’t be finished until you’re returned to your chambers.’ Jest took off his three-pointed hat and set it on her head. ‘Hold that, if you would.’

‘I should have known the hat would play a role.’