by Matilda Hart
“Quickly, Marie. We must hurry.” He took my hand and whisked me through the narrow passage before pulling the bookshelf back into its place. Following blindly, I let him lead me through the twists and turns of the inner palace walls then we descended a narrow path and I was in awe of the maze that had remained a secret from me all this time.
“Where are you taking me?” I whispered as I swatted at a spider web that had fallen into my face.
“I have a carriage waiting to take you to a safe place but we must hurry before the king notices I’m missing. Wait for me, my love and I’ll meet you in two days’ time.” We came to what looked like a dead end until he turned and pressed on a stone to the right of the end of the path and a portion of the wall opened so that we could pass. Looking around to get my bearings, I found that I was looking at the rear entrance near the servant’s quarters. My husband led me to the side of the building where I found a small horse drawn cart that was waiting for me. Gregory ushered me into the carriage and quickly kissed me on the lips as he bid me farewell.
“I’ll come to you but you must be out of the king’s reach and unable for him to locate you until I can find a way for you to get out of this.” Closing the door and slapping the side of the carriage, the driver took off with a loud urge to the horse and I was whisked away from the palace with my heart beating in my chest like it was trying to escape. Turning my head to look out the window, I caught the last glimpse of my dear Gregory’s face that I would see until he returned to me and I dreaded being away from him almost as much as the fear of losing my head.
Chapter Eight
For two agonizing days, I waited for my Gregory and as the sun went down on the second, I heard the rapid clomping of hooves and ran to the front window of the small cottage that my husband had arranged for me in the deep of the forest so far from the palace that I’d actually had no idea where I was at the time. Seeing that it was my valiant duke and that he was alone, I rushed to the door to open it so that I could once again be in his arms. He quickly dismounted and tied his horse as I made my way to him and he met me in a strong, loving embrace. I met his lips in a hungry kiss as I wrapped my arms around him and he moaned lightly as he felt me in his arms after being away for so long. Taking my hand, he led me into the house and quickly shut the door.
“Claude Beauchamp has said that he’s been passing correspondence between you and French emissaries for years and though I know him to be true, I cannot allow any harm to befall you, my love. Know that I will do any and every thing that I can do to assure your safety but I need to know what you have told them. I need to know if the crown is in danger.” I continued to explain that what I’d been doing was in no way to damage England but to give French an advantage. Never did I divulge any information that would have been detrimental to the crown nor did I pass along personal information about the king but merely gave France a warning of possible attacks or weaponry that they would need to defend against. I tried to explain my case to my husband as he looked at me with eyes that seemed to understand my position but also a pained expression because he felt betrayed. Since he was next in line for the crown, he couldn’t have a queen who would divulge information to the enemy so there was an understandable concern.
“How long have you been doing this, Marie?” His eyes seemed to express deep concern as I answered,
“The entire time, my love.” His eyes went to the floor and he took a deep breath before raising them to look into my own and he replied,
“It makes so much sense to me now. You were always interested in the talk of men and after a while, nobody even noticed your presence since I’d told them to trust my beloved wife. The betrayal is as much my fault as that of yours.” He turned from me and I placed my and on his shoulder in an attempt to get him to face me.
“My love, I admit that at first, our marriage may have been just a manner for me to get my hands on whatever valuable information that I could but I did fall in love with you immediately. The touch of your hand is what makes my heart beat and I’ll die without your love. I’d rather give my head than to love without your love but I had to do what was best for my country.” He turned to face me and screamed,
“England is your country! The day you became my wife, you left France behind to become the Duchess of Wellington!” Clutching my left hand with my right and wringing them nervously, I stood in my place and allowed him to walk away from me as he dealt with his anger. I’d seen him become violent with others but he’d never so much as raised his voice to me before and it frightened me a bit, not for my safety but for the love that I was afraid he’d lost for me.
“My love, it was always in the best interest of those for whom I care so deeply and never once did England fall short because of my warnings to France.” I pleaded with him to forgive me and continued to assure him that I’d never do anything to put him, the king or the country in danger but only to help France against the attacks that would otherwise have been devastating and I had to do what I could for them. I hope you can forgive me but I never meant to do any harm to you or the crown.” I stared at him with the most sincerity that I could muster and with a cracking voice, whispered, “I love you” as a tear fell down my cheek. Walking towards me, he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close as he kissed me with enough passion to wake the inner urges that had been developing over the past few days that I’d been away from him and as I melted into his arms, he picked me up and walked me towards the bedroom of the small cottage nestled deep in the woods.
Tossing me onto what had been my bed for the last two nights, he quickly disrobed as I attempted to untie the laces of my dress but I was taking entirely too long for my eager duke, who pulled a knife from its sheath and placed it at the bottom of the lacing and sliced upwards, cutting through the satin tie that bound the corset to me. He went about disrobing himself after he ripped the corset from me and tossed it into the floor. I tossed my dress and underthings into the floor and just as my husband was shed of his trousers, I once again had him in my arms.
Chapter Nine
The ache between my thighs was more intense than ever before as the turn of events and our days apart seemed to have fueled a fire inside of me that wanted nothing more than to burn in response to his touch. Not only could my duke be a tender and considerate lover, the man was also somewhat of an animal at times and knew how to drive me to the point of madness. His fingers tightly gripped the flesh of my hips as he looked down to me with intense fire in his eyes that told me that he was about to test the strengths of the bedframe. Running his hands from my hips to my stomach and below, he placed a hand on each thigh and forcefully spread my legs widely as he gazed upon my aching femininity while biting his lip. He ran two fingers the length of the moist slit before sliding them into me, sending my body into a frenzy. I gripped at the covers underneath me as I stared into his eyes while his fingers easily manipulated my womanhood into a sopping, aching mound of desire. Never had I wanted him inside me so badly and I felt as if I may reach climax before we even truly began our escapade. I writhed in response to his touch and he knew exactly what he was doing as he stared into my eyes and lowered his head to the source of my throbbing ache.
Gasping as his warm mouth covered my anxious femininity, I raised my legs and opened myself to him while his fingers quickened their pace and his tongue matched their pace. He moaned as he tasted me and I cried out into the night as his other hand reached up to cup my breast and squeeze my hard nipple with his nimble fingers. I felt the rush of heat pulling from the bottoms of my toes, radiating up my legs to explode deep within and I moaned his name, begging him not to stop. My loving duke licked and kissed me between my thighs until the pulsations on his fingers subsided and he raised up to his knees, placing his manhood where his fingers had just been. I could feel his anger and frustration as he bore into me but I knew that the driving force of his actions were not malicious but passionate. Never would he hurt me but the force that he used when he entered was like that one wou
ld use on a woman of ill repute and not a wife. My husband was taking me like a whore and it was the most thrilling experience of my life.
He pounded into me as he placed his hands on my hips, holding me to him so that he could bury himself deeper with each stroke. His hands ran from my hips, along my slender thighs to the backs of my knees, which he pulled to him and placed over the tops of his shoulders. His head turned and gently bit the side of my leg and I smiled to him as I rocked my hips to meet his stride. Placing both hands on my breasts, he cupped and squeezed as he drove into me with such force I wondered if the shaking bed would stand against much more of his abuse towards it.
“Yes, oh Gregory! Yes!” I screamed as I felt myself begin to reach climax once more and he stared into my eyes as he pushed forward with his muscular body, driving into me as he moaned my name as well as he closed his eyes and spilled his seed.
Releasing his hold on my legs, he collapsed on the bed beside me and caught his breath as he placed his hand on the top of my thigh.
“My love, your effect on me is absolutely intoxicating. After all these years, we can still screw with such wild passion.” As he closed his eyes, I laid my head on his chest and he held me close to his heart and though I wanted nothing more than to simply lie in his arms and relish the moment, my mind drew to the troubles that awaited me at the palace and wondered if I would ever be able to go home again. Not only that, but what would it mean for Gregory to have a wife that had been accused of treason? It could cost him the throne and I didn’t want that to happen so I decided that the best thing for us all was for me to never go back to the palace and take my place in hiding. The possibility that I could evade the king and his men for any length of time was highly unlikely but I couldn’t have my Gregory punished over my actions.
Deciding that I would not tell him of my decision out of fear that he would try and talk me out of it, not seeing how his future could be terribly changed if I were to return, I closed my eyes and listened to his heart for what was going to be the last time. I’d not even known that I was crying until I felt the moisture on his chest smearing into my cheek. Hearing the steady beat of his heart in my ear seemed to work as well as mother’s lullaby and I was asleep in his arms in no time. For what would be the last time, I felt safe and far from harm but after he returned to the palace, I would make an escape to a place where he would never find me. Once I managed to get a horse or some form of transportation, I would go back to France and ever look back. I couldn’t risk my beloved’s throne and there was nowhere on English soil where I would feel safe as long as King Julian was looking for me.
Chapter Ten
As I watched my duke ride away the next morning, I was filled with a great sadness but I managed to hide it with a smile. Knowing that I would never see him again was breaking my heart and I couldn’t stand to be without him but there was no way that I would risk his loss of the throne upon King Julian’s death. The king was not in bad health nor was he so old that one would expect him to fall to age any time soon but when the time came for the passing of the crown, I couldn’t risk Gregory watching it go to his brother, Louis. Making sure that Gregory was not implicated in any foul play against the crown was my main focus so as much as it ripped out my soul to watch him go, I waved with a forced smile through tears to that he would know nothing as he raced back towards the palace.
He told me that he would try and return soon but now that I was gone, they would be watching his every move and it could be weeks before he was by my side once more. This would give me more than enough time to make a plan to figure out the best path to the south so that I could find a ship to take me home. I would need to prepare some things for my journey but first things first, I would have to find out exactly where I was and unless I left the cottage to explore the area, I would never know which direction to even head when I was ready. Deciding that I would pack a small sack and venture out the next morning, I took the rest of the day to tidy up the cottage, taking my mind off of the heartache that I was about to endure. Already, it felt as if I’d lost my love and broken my heart to shards but it was the only thing that I could do to make sure nobody got hurt or worse. I’d no idea what happened to poor Claude and I could only speculate that his head rested on a pike as a warning not to cross the king or go against the crown. England would be in such better shape if the king wasn’t steadily collecting the heads of those who crossed him. Rightly, it was an effective tactic but gruesome and barbaric, nonetheless.
As the sun rested itself for the night, I told myself that I should do the same, for tomorrow I would wander until I discovered my location. Tossing and turning all night, I thought of nothing but my darling’s face and could swear that I felt his touch in my dreams. His scent still lingered in my bed and my heart cried out for him, even while I slumbered, causing me to sit up with a jolt and wipe tears from my face. Lying back down, I turned to my side and clutched the pillow next to me, brought it to my chest and wrapped my arms around it as I silently wept, praying that morning would come quickly.
I was jerked from my sleep by the sound of hooves and I feared that the king’s guards had found me and were coming for my head. Jumping from bed, I quickly threw on a dress and tied the belt around my waist as I went to the window to look outside and see if I could tell who approached. My heart almost jumped from my chest when I recognized Gregory’s frame sitting atop his favorite stallion but I noticed that he was not alone. Two men rode with him and that could only mean that they were here to arrest me. How could he return to the palace and give away my location? What was the meaning of this? I returned to the small bed chamber and tried to find a place to hide but knew that I was being foolish.
“You should have gone when you had a chance, girl.” I told myself as I shook my head, hearing the approaching footsteps of boots and felt the great sense of despair as I heard the steps cross the floor to the door that separated the two of us. Standing tall and proud, I took in a deep breath as the doorknob turned and Gregory walked through with a look of great sadness.
“It’s alright, my love. I understand.” I nodded to him as he shook his head to me.
“No, you don’t.” He wrapped me in his arms and I felt his body shudder as he sobbed into my hair. “It’s my uncle. His horse reared and he fell off, breaking his neck instantly. The king is dead.” My ears wouldn’t believe what I was hearing but I knew that if there was no king to have my head then I was more than likely in the clear of all charges against me but I patted Gregory on the back as I comforted him over the loss of his uncle. He raised his head and I saw that he was not crying but laughing and I tilted my head trying to make sense of it all. “Don’t you see? I’m to be king!” That thought had not even entered my mind yet and I wrapped my arms around him as he held me tight, swinging me around the small room as he held my waist.
“There is a carriage not far behind my guards and me but I had to rush ahead and tell you personally that all charges against the crown have dissipated and you are to return at once. You are safe, my love. It’s time to come home and become Queen of England.”
Queen of England had quite a nice ring to it but it was nothing in comparison to being the love of his life, regardless of title or position. With my husband as king, I could work with him and France as a sort of mediator and finally rid both countries of the need for war, finding the peace that both nations have been needing for so long. Not only would I be queen, I would be the savior of the world as we knew it and that was more than fine with me. I pressed my head into Gregory’s chest and listened to the sweet sound of his heart, knowing that it beats only for me and thought of how close I was to never hearing it again.
“I love you, my little spy but you have to promise that you will no longer feed France my secrets. Let’s work together and figure something out, agreed?” With a smile, I kissed him lightly on the lips and replied,
“Agreed.”
I was going to make one hell of a queen.
THE END
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