He came to a stop just outside the room of the man he was sent to fetch and adjusted his doublet before knocking sharply on the door. “What is it?” Lord Alton demanded sharply. “Milord, his grace requires your presence in the study immediately,” the page called through the door, relaying the duke’s orders. The page leapt away as the elderly lord swung the door open with enough force to send it crashing against the wall and shoved past the startled underling. This was the first time that the duke had spoken to anyone since General Baneford’s betrayal. Alton hesitated outside the study for a moment before taking a deep breath and pushing his way inside. Duke Ulric was standing in front of the fireplace drinking a glass of chardonnay. Lord Alton had overseen the repair of library after the duke’s outburst but evidence of the destruction was still evident. Several of the bookshelves showed deep gouges and many of the shelves remained empty as a team of scribes continued to work diligently to repair the destroyed books.
