“Is that all that matters to you?” she asked. “The survival of your heir?”
He relaxed back on the pillows and stared at her for a long moment with eyes that glimmered like jewels. Even when he was weak from a deadly poison, he was still the most attractive man she had ever known, and she couldn’t bear to imagine losing him.
“No, that is not all that matters,” he replied. Then his eyes fell closed and he winced, as if in pain.
Not wanting to exhaust him further, she helped him sit up and handed him the water.
* * *
Later that day, a team of three young physicians from the university arrived to examine Randolph. While they were there, he succumbed to another fit of convulsions, which lasted only a few moments but left him further weakened.
After much poking and prodding and heated debate, during which time the doctors referred to a number of heavy medical books they carried with them, the young medical men determined that the king had indeed been poisoned. The offending substance was arsenic.
Alexandra thanked them profusely, then climbed onto the bed beside Randolph to hold him tight, while her heart rose up in an overflowing flood of emotion. Thank God they knew what it was!
“Oh, Randolph, I am so relieved. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you. I would die without you.”
She felt a wild impulse to kiss him passionately on the mouth, right there in front of everyone, but somehow she managed to control those urges.
He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair away from her face. “Alex, my darling. Do not fret. I’m not going anywhere.”
“We will find out who did this,” she said. “I swear it on my life, and when I uncover the truth, I will want blood.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” he gently said. “We must ascertain all the facts before we call in the executioner.”
He glanced across at Nicholas, who nodded at him.
“I, too, am relieved,” Nick said. “But if you will excuse me now, I will accompany the doctors to the kitchen to examine the palace food stores.”
With that, he took his leave, and Alexandra snuggled ever closer to her husband.
* * *
Below stairs in the palace kitchen, traces of arsenic were indeed detected in the beef that had been served to King Randolph the previous evening.
An interrogation quickly followed. All members of the household staff were questioned personally by Nicholas and the High Constable. It was also discovered that Randolph’s valet had been hit over the head and dragged into the belowstairs pantry.
“It could have been anyone,” Nick said that night while he played chess with Alexandra in front of the fire.
Randolph sat beside them, watching their game.
They were all extremely grateful that Rand’s condition had not worsened since the disturbing seizures that morning, and the doctors’ prognosis was promising. They believed he would enjoy a full recovery as long as he did not ingest any more of the deadly poison. Eventually it would simply leach out of his system.
Randolph pointed at one of Alex’s chess pieces to suggest a particular move. “I agree it could have been anyone,” he said to Nick. “My popularity has most certainly diminished since my return from Vienna. Someone in the street shouted to me a few days ago. He said I was not worthy of the crown.”
“Who said such a thing?” Nicholas demanded to know.
“A faceless stranger in the crowd,” he replied. “I am no fool, Nick. I know there are many who would take pleasure in seeing me dethroned. We cannot hang them all.”
“That will not happen,” Alex said. “You will not be dethroned.”
She was uncomfortably aware of Nicholas’s dark, brooding eyes watching her every move over the chessboard. She was quite certain he still did not trust her, despite how she had proven herself with the doctors.
For that matter, she was not entirely sure of her husband’s feelings either.
Not after what he had said to her before his seizure.
“What about the countess?” she asked. “Has it not occurred to either of you that all of this began after she revealed herself at that masquerade ball? Ever since that moment, you have been skewered from all angles, Randolph, and I assure you I have taken no pleasure in it.”
“But you have enjoyed the fact that your popularity has grown,” Nicholas suggested.
She boldly met his gaze. “You believe I am pleased about this turn of events?”
He repositioned a knight on the game board and lounged back in his chair to await her next move.
“Stop it, both of you,” Randolph said. “We are all on the same side. The countess should indeed be a suspect. She is a woman scorned, is she not?”
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. “I certainly hope so.”
Randolph leaned closer. “Are you still jealous, Wife?”
“Not of her,” she replied. “I would never allow myself to indulge in such a pathetic indignity.”
Nicholas chuckled as he watched them. “Perhaps not, but I suspect you would enjoy tossing her into a well.”
“I beg your pardon?” Alex replied. “You insult me, sir.”
Nicholas laughed again, and she found herself bristling in return.
Randolph raised a hand. “I said simmer down, you two.”
Alexandra took a deep breath and let it out. “May I assume that Nicholas has not been able to locate the countess?”
She raised a triumphant eyebrow in his direction over the chessboard.
“Your assumption is correct,” Randolph replied. “She is both disgraced and missing.”
“And a danger to herself,” Alex added. “With a brand-new wardrobe. It reeks like rotten fish to me.”
She continued to study the chessboard, but had no idea where to move next.
* * *
After the newspaper reported the botched attempt on the king’s life and a great wave of shock rippled through the nation, a most conspicuous letter arrived at the palace, addressed to Her Majesty the Queen.
Alexandra was about to begin breakfast but set down her fork to pick up the letter from the silver salver that was presented to her by a white-gloved footman.
Curious, she broke the seal.
Your Majesty, I must speak with you. I implore you to meet me in the palace chapel this morning. Alone.
I have the honor to remain Your Majesty’s most humble and obedient subject,
The Countess of Ainsley
Good God.
Alexandra wished impulsively that she had a quill and ink to write a brash response and inform the countess that she would not, under any circumstances, meet her alone. If Lady Ainsley wished an audience, she would come to the throne room like everyone else.
But Alex did not have a quill at the breakfast table, nor was there a return address on the letter. Nor did she wish to squander an opportunity to apprehend a possible suspect in the attempt on her husband’s life.
After a brief moment’s consideration, she sent for Nicholas and prayed to God it was the right thing to do.
A short while later Nicholas walked into the breakfast room and bowed to Alexandra. “Your Majesty.”
She knew it was time to break bread with Nicholas, or break out the guns. They had been at each other’s throats since her arrival in Petersbourg and she very much wanted it to stop. He was her husband’s brother and closest ally, and the last thing she wanted was to drive a wedge into their relationship.
But if she was ever going to earn her husband’s complete trust, she was going to have to win this man’s support as well.
“I have just received a letter,” she told him, “and I don’t quite know what to do about it. I am seeking your advice.”
He regarded her questioningly, then stepped forward to take hold of the letter she held out to him.
He frowned as he read it, and set it down on the table.
“You cannot possibly go alone,” he said. “This woman is not balan
ced in the head. There is no telling what she might do. Your life is far too valuable to risk it.”
Alex rose from her chair. “I agree completely,” she replied. “Besides, no one orders me about in such a way, demanding that I do this or that.” She paused. “I don’t want to tell Randolph about this just yet. He is not well enough and will insist on accompanying me. Therefore I need you, Nicholas. Someone I can trust. You must bear witness to whatever she wishes to say, and I will rely upon you for protection and the safeguarding of your brother’s unborn child.”
Nicholas kept his blue eyes fixed upon hers, and for a long moment they stared at each other intently. She recalled those first days in England when they had danced together and he had worked so hard to be charming and amiable. Much had changed since then, and they had weathered a great deal of suspicion and conflict.
“Will you stand by me?” she asked, keeping a keen eye on his expression.
He took far too long to answer, but when at last he did, she was overcome by gratitude, for he bowed down on one knee and nodded.
“I am the king’s champion,” he replied, “and it is my solemn duty to protect him and all that he holds dear. Therefore I am at your service, madam.”
Alex let out a breath and smiled, laid a hand on his shoulder, and urged him to rise.
* * *
To Alexandra’s surprise, when she walked through the chapel doors—with Nicholas and an armed escort of four palace guards—the countess had not changed her mind about the meeting. Wearing a hooded black cloak, Lady Ainsley was kneeling before the altar in prayer.
The instant she heard the door open, she leaped to her feet. Her face went pale with shock and fear when she saw the five men with weapons at the ready.
Nevertheless, she performed a deep curtsy.
“As you can see, I did not come alone,” Alex said, gesturing toward her protectors.
The countess lowered the hood of her cloak, and for the first time Alex was able to clearly see the woman her husband had once loved and nearly married. The woman who could have been queen.
Her hair and eyes were brown. She was petite with freckles, which was not how Alexandra had envisioned her when she read about the scandalous events at the masquerade ball. She’d imagined someone tall and swanlike, with flaxen hair.
“Am I to be arrested?” the countess asked, swallowing uneasily.
Alexandra studied her frantic eyes. “Why do you ask? Have you done something wrong? Do you wish to confess it?”
The woman hesitated. “Your Majesty, may we speak in private?”
“Absolutely not,” Alex replied, “for you may be hiding a dagger in your cloak. I will not risk it. Whatever you wish to say you will say in front of Prince Nicholas and my guards.”
Lady Ainsley began to back away. “I cannot.”
Alex moved to follow. “Why?”
“I am frightened.”
“Frightened of what?”
“I am not certain.”
Beginning to wonder if the woman truly was half-mad, Alex tried to move up the chapel aisle, but Nicholas barred her with his arm.
“Not without me,” he said.
Alex nodded at him, then addressed the countess. “Prince Nicholas and I will approach you together. You can speak privately to the two of us. No one else will hear.”
Lady Ainsley agreed, and they gathered, all three of them, at the front pews.
“What do you wish to confess?” Nicholas said. “Did you poison the king?”
“Good heavens, no!” Lady Ainsley replied. “But I believe he may be in grave danger. There are plots against him.”
“There are always plots against the king,” Nick said. “Be more specific, madam.”
She turned her stricken eyes to Alexandra. “Nothing untoward ever happened between us. I give you my word. The king has been faithful to you, despite all my efforts.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she demanded to know.
“They said it was to make you jealous, and that they wanted to remove you, not Randolph, because you sought revenge on the New Regime. They paid me a handsome sum, but I would never have agreed to any of it if I had known they wanted to harm Randolph, for he is a good man.”
“But you were willing to harm me,” Alexandra challenged.
The countess lowered her eyes in shame. “I apologize, Majesty. It was wrong.”
In a sudden flash of movement Nicholas grabbed Lady Ainsley by the throat. “Who are they?”
Four swords scraped out of their scabbards at the rear of the chapel as the palace guards dashed forward to assist, but Alex held them off with a raised hand.
“Let her go,” she calmly said to Nicholas. “Can you not see she is frightened?”
He refused to release her, while the tension in the chapel rose to a very high pinnacle. The countess gasped for air.
When at last he loosened his grip she fell to the floor, coughing and choking.
Alexandra dropped to her knees beside her and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I apologize. Please understand that Nicholas is very protective of his brother, but it will not happen again. Please tell us what you know. If you reveal the name of the person who paid you, I promise no harm will come to you.”
“He did not tell me his name,” she explained, “but he was a handsome older gentleman in a top hat. I believe now that he deceived me in order to smear Randolph’s good name, and to cause the people to turn against him. The man is a Royalist; I am certain of it. I believe it with all my heart.”
“Would you recognize him if you met him again?” Alex asked.
“Yes. He was very tall.”
Nick glared down at Alex with raging ire. “Your blasted benefactor…” Then he grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her roughly to her feet. “Do not try to tell me you didn’t know about this, Alexandra. Where the devil is he? And I swear when I find him I will drown you both.”
He let go of her and stormed out. “Arrest the countess,” he said to the guards.
“I didn’t know about any of this!” Alex shouted after him. “And we must tell Randolph!” She stood back as the guards seized the countess and escorted her to the door. “Have no fear, Lady Ainsley,” she said, following them out. “I will speak to my husband on your behalf. You did the right thing coming to me. It will not be forgotten.”
Then she hurried to catch up with Nicholas before he reached her husband first.
Chapter Thirty-four
Alex chased Nicholas across the icy courtyard. “Where are you going?”
“To speak to my brother. Where else?”
“I will go with you,” she insisted, catching up with him.
“Why? Do you not trust me to convey all the proper details?”
“Quite frankly, I do not,” she replied. “Would you trust me to go and speak to Randolph alone? Would you not insist on being present while I told him about Lady Ainsley’s confession?”
He did not answer the question. He merely continued at a brisk pace into the palace.
Their boots pounded up the grand staircase, and a few short moments later they were admitted to Randolph’s chamber.
He was out of bed and fully dressed. His trusted valet was tying his cravat.
“You’re feeling better,” Alex said as an almost dizzying swell of happiness bubbled up within her. She laid a hand on her heart and fought back tears. “Thank God.”
He stared at her with confidence and affection, and she could have wept with joy.
Nicholas stepped between them.
“What’s wrong?” Randolph asked. “You both look as if you just escaped a burning building.”
“There is news to report,” Nick replied. “The Countess of Ainsley sent a letter to Her Majesty to request a private meeting this morning, which has just taken place.”
Randolph dismissed his valet. “Why was I not told of this?”
“It was early,” Alexandra explained. “We did not wish to wake you and hinder your recov
ery, but now I see you look very well.” She withdrew the letter from the pocket of her cloak. “Here it is. You must see it for yourself.”
She handed it to him, and he read the contents. “You’ve already spoken to her? What did she say?”
Alex repeated every word of their conversation.
“Someone paid her to follow me to Vienna?” he asked. “Who? Why?”
“She did not know the gentleman’s identity,” Alex replied, “but she said he was very tall. We believe it may be Mr. Carmichael.”
Randolph regarded her with dismay. His eyes seemed to impale her. She could barely keep her heart still.
“Did you know about that?”
“Of course not,” she replied. “I am shocked, just as you are.”
“But why? Carmichael was a Royalist from the beginning, as you have always been, and do not try to deny it, for you are a Tremaine.”
She felt all her muscles clench into tight knots. “That does not mean I wanted to depose you. I’ve always been clear on that point. I wanted to rule beside you, to unite the country. I am carrying your child now, Randolph, and you know I love you. Why would I wish to destroy all that we have accomplished and enjoyed?”
He glanced uncertainly at Nicholas.
“Where is Carmichael?” Randolph demanded to know.
“We have not yet summoned him,” she tried to explain, “but I suspect my stepmother will be able to tell us where to find him.”
“I shall summon Her Grace to the Privy Council Chamber,” Nicholas said, turning to go.
“No, wait,” Randolph replied. “We will go to her now, all three of us, for she must not suspect anything and find a way to send him a warning.”
Alex followed her husband out of the room and prayed that everything would not come tumbling down onto her shoulders like a deadly avalanche.
* * *
Alexandra knocked on her stepmother’s door, but no one answered. She knocked again, more firmly a second time. “She must be here. She never rises early.”
There was a heavy clunk on the other side of the door.
“It sounds like she just fell out of bed,” Nicholas surmised.
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