by June Francis
Alex raised his tawny eyebrows. ‘Well?’ he said.
‘It is what Godmother wishes,’ replied Rosamund, her cheeks flushed.
So once again they performed the movements of the dance and this time Rosamund concentrated on picking up her feet and humming the music. Her husband surprised her by beginning to sing in his own language and slowly she relaxed and began to enjoy herself. They repeated the dance until she was quite out of breath and then he called a halt.
It was in the following silence that they heard voices on the other side of the door. Alex caught his wife’s eye and suddenly he seized her hand and drew her into the alcove close by and pulled across the curtain. She stood trembling in the curve of his arm with her cheek pressed against his chest. She could hear the steady thud of his heart as the door opened.
‘So you agree the plan should work if the other fails?’ asked Edward.
‘I don’t see why it shouldn’t, laddie. I shall have a wee word with yer kinsman. He feels much the same as we do about this damned alliance—and there are others who share his sentiments and will do what they can to prevent it from succeeding. But if we can put some money into our own pockets, who is to gainsay—?’ The voice stopped abruptly. When it spoke again, it was in a whisper. ‘Who’s this?’
‘I can’t say, but she looks a perfect fright,’ sneered Edward. ‘Although…wait a moment. This must be Lady Elizabeth Stanley. I have heard that she paints her face.’
‘Do yer think she might have heard us talking?’ hissed the Scotsman.
‘At her age—she’s probably as deaf as a post. I did hear that she would be here,’ muttered Edward.
‘Why’s that?’
‘She’s kin to the King’s stepfather, as well as being godmother to my stepsister. Mother was supposed to deal with Rosie, but I will have to do the deed myself.’
Rosamund drew in her breath and instantly Alex pressed her head against his chest.
‘What was that?’ asked the Scotsman.
Rosamund could scarcely breathe and was aware that Alex was reaching for the dagger at his belt.
Chapter Twelve
Before Alex could release Rosamund and face the two men, there came a sudden break in the snoring and a sleepy voice said, ‘Where am I? You—you two men! Who are you?’ wheezed Lady Elizabeth.
‘You are in the Palace of Richmond,’ said Edward loudly. ‘Am I correct in believing that you are Lady Elizabeth Stanley?’
‘You are. But you have not answered my question. Who are you?’
‘Ma name is Sir Andrew Kennedy,’ said the Scot.
‘You are a Kennedy. Now why does that surprise me?’ said her ladyship in a vague tone. ‘And you, sir, are obviously English. Have we met before?’
‘No, Lady Elizabeth,’ said Edward.
‘Well, it is of no matter. You can help me up, seeing as how they all appear to have gone.’
‘Who have gone?’ asked the Scot.
‘My troupe of dancers. You will see them perform the day after tomorrow.’ There was the sound of rustling silk and Lady Elizabeth’s rasping breath. ‘Now you, Sir Andrew, can give me your arm. When you get to my age, a woman needs a man to keep her on her toes.’
There was the sound of retreating footsteps and Lady Elizabeth’s breathless voice and then silence. Rosamund tugged on Alex’s arm and looked up into his shadowy face. ‘We must follow them. What if they were to hurt her? You heard what Edward said.’
Reluctantly, Alex set his wife aside and opened the curtain. ‘We will not approach them unless it is absolutely necessary,’ he said firmly. ‘We are Fustian’s intended victims, so I doubt they will hurt her.’
‘They might do so if they decide she heard them plotting,’ said Rosamund, glancing at her husband’s face in the light of the wall lantern. ‘I wonder to what plan they were referring. If Godmother had not chosen that moment to wake up, we might have found out.’
‘She deliberately made a show of being wakened to distract from the noise you made,’ said Alex, leading the way along the passage. ‘I wonder if your stepmother’s treacherous kinsman is another McDonald, working for the previous chieftain of the clan, John of Islay, one time Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross? I doubt the present lord would be involved in such a plot.’
‘How do you know of these people?’ whispered Rosamund.
‘I keep my eyes and ears open,’ he said smoothly. ‘You know how to do that, do you not, Rosamund?’
‘By not asking so many questions, but just staying quiet and listening,’ she murmured. ‘There are more people who wish England and Scotland to stay divided than I thought. What do you deem is their plan?’
‘That is something we have to find out,’ said Alex, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.
‘We?’ she asked. ‘You still want me to help you?’
He nodded. ‘Although there is a certain amount of risk involved.’
‘It cannot be any more dangerous than Edward plotting to get rid of me.’
Alex nodded. ‘We will discuss this later.’
Rosamund felt a lift of the heart. It seemed that he was going to take her into his confidence after all. Right now she was curious to know why her godmother had considered it strange to see a Kennedy at Richmond.
They arrived at the apartment to find Lady Elizabeth sitting in a chair, drinking from a steaming goblet with Hannah in attendance. She looked up and smiled. ‘So there you are, my dears.’ She turned to her maid. ‘I’ll call you when I need you.’
‘I am so glad you are safe,’ said Rosamund, kissing her godmother.
‘You are a good child.’ Lady Elizabeth stroked her cheek. ‘So smooth.’ She sighed. ‘I presume you two were hiding behind that curtain and heard what took place?’
‘Aye,’ said Alex, closing the door and putting his back to it. ‘How much of their conversation did you hear?’
‘We decided that you were only pretending to be asleep when those men entered the chamber,’ added Rosamund.
Her godmother did not answer, but took a sip of her potion before saying, ‘What an ill-mannered fool your stepbrother is to insult me and to talk so openly about his plans for you. I will speak to Derby about him and he will quash his ambitions.’
‘Not yet,’ said Alex firmly. ‘We need to discover what his and the other’s plans are.’
Lady Elizabeth deliberated. ‘The King could have them tortured,’ she said with relish.
‘But surely that would damage the peace agreement and play into their hands?’ said Rosamund. ‘Too long our countries have waged war across our borders. We are neighbours and should be allies.’
Lady Elizabeth sighed. ‘You are right.’
‘Tell us what you know about this Kennedy,’ said Rosamund.
‘I think you should go to bed,’ said Lady Elizabeth, ‘and leave this to the Baron and I.’
Rosamund glanced at her husband.
‘I say she stays,’ said Alex.
His wife gave him a dazzling smile and he felt a catch at his heart, wanting to take her into his arms again.
Lady Elizabeth frowned. ‘But what about her safety? What about the child?’
Rosamund was about to say there was no child when her husband indicated with a slight shake of the head that she be silent. ‘A man should not have secrets from his wife,’ he said smoothly. ‘I see no harm in Rosamund knowing what you have to say.’
Lady Elizabeth appeared slightly flustered by that remark. ‘If that is what you think, but I am depending on you to keep them both safe.’
‘Trust me.’ He waved Rosamund to a settle and sat beside her. ‘Begin,’ he said.
Lady Elizabeth sucked in her cheeks, cracking her paint. ‘The King of Scotland has a mistress, Janet Kennedy. No doubt her family would rather a proxy marriage did not take place between James and Princess Margaret. Perhaps in their wildest dreams the Kennedy clan imagine that the son Janet Kennedy bore King James could follow in his father’s footsteps. After all, the
King has given the boy the title of Earl of Moray.’
Rosamund glanced at Alex to see what he thought of this information.
‘I doubt King James would legalise his affair with Janet Kennedy. To favour them would cause war amongst the clans,’ he said.
Lady Elizabeth nodded. ‘You are probably right. I have heard that she has had other lovers amongst the Scottish hierarchy. One of the powerful Earls of Douglas has been rumoured to have shared her bed.’ She fixed Alex with a stare. ‘One wonders if he could have fathered more than one bastard.’
Alex scowled at her. ‘I think it would be best if we did not discuss the Earls of Douglas.’
‘Why? It was your grandmother who insisted that she was the best person to—’
‘Enough, Lady Elizabeth,’ said Alex, ruthlessly cutting through what she had to say. ‘This has naught to do with the matter under discussion.’
‘Is it possibly that the Kennedys, Douglases and McDonalds might work together to destroy the peace?’ asked Rosamund.
Alex sighed heavily. ‘Definitely not. It was a McDonald chieftain, the previous Earl of Ross, who behaved treacherously towards the border Douglases in the present King of Scotland’s father’s reign. The McDonalds committed murder after signing a treaty with the Yorkist King Edward. They would help him regain his throne and in return he promised to help them defeat the Scottish king, as well as give them land and gold. Edward never kept his side of the bargain and the Earl of Ross suffered defeat at the hands of the present King of Scotland, lost his lands and title and vanished into obscurity. It is possible that he is behind this plot to destroy this chance of peace between England and Scotland.’
‘Such intrigue between our countries,’ said Rosamund, shocked, but fascinated none the less. ‘Do either of you believe that my stepbrother and Kennedy’s plan is to prevent the proxy wedding taking place?’
Alex shook his head. ‘It presents too much of a risk with so many people around. Kennedy spoke of them lining their pockets. It sounds to me that our plotters’ aim is not only to destroy the peace pact, but…’ He paused for several moments before continuing, ‘Let us consider the costly gifts that King Henry will give to his guests. The plot could include them relieving the homebound Scots nobles of those treasures.’
‘But that might not destroy the peace,’ said Rosamund.
‘That’s true,’ muttered Alex, ‘and from what the Kennedy said about lining their pocket, that was just an afterthought.’
The three of them fell silent, pondering on what their enemies’ plan might be. Then Rosamund said, ‘The marriage!’
Alex stared at her. ‘What do you mean the marriage?’
‘If the marriage was not to take place, the alliance would fall apart,’ she said. ‘I mean the proper marriage between the new Queen of Scotland and King James. Where will it take place?’
‘Edinburgh,’ informed Lady Elizabeth, her eyes gleaming. ‘Are you saying their plan could be to prevent Margaret from ever being joined to James?’
‘She could mean murder,’ said Alex, gazing at his wife as if bewitched. ‘They could be planning an attack on the young Queen’s train as soon as they cross the Scottish border. Her murder would destroy any chance of peace between the two countries. Either side of the border would do to destroy the peace pact. I am stunned, wife, by the sheer breadth of your imaginative powers.’
Rosamund beamed at him. ‘Then I haven’t wasted the time spent locked up by my stepmother, when all I could do to occupy myself was to think and think and dream of what I would like to do to her if I was free.’
‘We should inform the King,’ gasped Lady Elizabeth, who was looking exhausted.
Alex shook his head. ‘We have no proof. It is naught but guesswork on our part. We must wait and find out when the journey to Scotland is to take place and set a trap.’
‘If you insist, Baron. I am for my bed,’ said Lady Elizabeth, ‘but I tell you now that I might have other ideas on the morrow.’
Rosamund rose to her feet. ‘I am sorry that we have kept you awake. You’ve had an exhausting day.’
‘It cannot be helped, my dear.’ Lady Elizabeth patted her hand. ‘God put me in the right place so that we could hear those villains plotting. If you could assist me out of this chair, Baron. And, Rosamund, please, call Hannah.’
Alex helped Lady Elizabeth to her feet and Rosamund summoned her maid to come and attend to her. Immediately Hannah came running. Alex and Rosamund went to their bedchamber. There a fire still glowed on the hearth and several candles provided more light.
Alex locked the door, thinking that this would be the first night they would spend together as husband and wife. He watched Rosamund wander over to the bed and push aside a hanging. Then he heard her draw in her breath noisily.
‘What is it?’ he asked, alerted by that sound to reach for his dagger.
‘Someone has been in here.’
He hurried over to her.
Rosamund laughed. ‘I don’t think you will need the dagger. Most likely it was the maid who put the costumes on the bed.’ She held up a black gown and flourished a black mask. ‘Yours is here, too. Shall we try them on?’ she asked.
‘No. It is late and we will be able to see more clearly how we look in daylight.’ Alex tossed his costume on a chest at the foot of the bed.
Rosamund placed hers beside his and then shot him a tentative glance. He interpreted that look as one of nervousness and thought how she would have delayed getting into bed with him by trying on the costumes. It was going to be a long day tomorrow and they would need to have their wits about them.
‘What would you have me do on the morrow?’ she asked. ‘Would you like me to pay heed to Kennedy’s whereabouts and with whom he talks and eavesdrop on their conversation?’
Immediately alarm bells rang in Alex’s head. ‘No, I would not. You will stay with Lady Elizabeth and keep out of trouble. ‘You heard what she said about not risking your life and that of the baby.’
Rosamund’s face fell. ‘But there is no baby, so you do not need to worry too much about me. What about these Earls of Douglas? If you point them out to me, then perhaps—’
‘No. They are not here.’
‘Is that because King James is not pleased about having a rival for Janet Kennedy’s favours and does not trust them?’
‘I am not in the Scottish king’s confidence,’ rasped Alex, turning his back on her.
Rosamund stared at his back and wondered what she had said wrong. Slowly, she began to undress. ‘Is it that you do not approve of the Douglases? This talk—’
‘Enough, Rosamund!’
‘I don’t understand. I thought you trusted me now you’re allowing me to be involved in gathering information?’
He did not respond, but blew out the candles and marched over to the bed. Disappointed, it was several minutes before she joined him there. He had allowed her the same side as that which she had occupied during their journey to London and he was not facing her. She swallowed a sigh and climbed into bed. She remembered now that he had cut off her godmother when she had been about to say something about the Earls and their bastards, which meant that it was not only herself with whom her husband was annoyed. Hopefully he would be in a better frame of mind on the morrow and she might discover what it was about the Douglases that put him in such a mood.
Alex was furious with himself. Why couldn’t he just accept that his father had not wanted the inconvenience of a baby bastard son after his mother had died? It was not as if he had suffered because his grandparents had provided for all his needs. He should not have behaved so ill mannered either to his wife or Lady Elizabeth. Her words about keeping his wife and baby safe played over and over in his head. He felt a sudden longing for it to be true that Rosamund was carrying his child. He thought about his doubts about her chasteness when Lady Elizabeth had spoken of Rosamund carrying a child. How many times had Rosamund denied the truth of her godmother’s words? Surely there would be no need
for her to do so once she had his ring on her finger if all she had wanted was a father for Fustian’s child?
He turned over, but Rosamund had wrapped herself so tightly in the bedcovers that it was obvious that she did not wish to have aught to do with him that night. He sighed and knew that he would have to wait until tomorrow to sort the whole matter out.
Rosamund was the first to wake. Perhaps it was a cock crowing that disturbed her. Instantly, she was aware that her husband was snuggled up against her back with his arm about her. So he had recovered from his bad mood and she rejoiced in it. She remembered longing for him to hold her like this on the journey to London and relaxed against him. She realised he was wearing his shirt, but it had ridden up so that she could feel his naked thigh pressed against the back of her thigh. It gave her a delicious thrill. She had no idea when the proxy wedding would begin, but was certain her godmother would tell the maid to wake them in plenty of time.
She closed her eyes, but could not get to sleep again, so she deliberated over which gown to wear for the ceremony. Eventually she decided on the dark blue one with the fur-lined blue velvet cloak, fastened with her brother’s silver brooch. She wondered how Harry would feel about her being alive and married to the man who had saved his life. She did not doubt he would be pleased. If only she could see him again, he would be able to answer all the questions that no one else could. She prayed for his safety and then hummed a snatch of the dance music. She had a feeling of warm contentment. Was this akin to happiness and would it last?
‘What are you thinking?’
Her husband’s question startled her into saying, ‘What should I be thinking? How did you know I was awake?’
Alex caressed her calf with his big toe. ‘You were humming. I always think, when someone answers a question with a question that they are avoiding telling the truth.’ His voice was light.
Her brow puckered. ‘You think I’m not being honest with you?’
‘How can I tell if you do not answer my question?’
