phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (38 page)

The pressure increased on my shoulder. “You are blameless. You did exactly what Jack or I or Sam would have done in your situation. You protected your family. We know that. Jack and I did do that after we thought our father was gone.”

Levi, Bess and Jack smiled at each other, and I knew that it was time that I let them say their farewells alone.

Embracing Bess, I never would have thought a year ago that we would be here today, but I believe that our paths were always destined to entwine.

Stepping into the foyer, I pulled the parlor door closed behind me. Staring at Sam’s door, something rose within me. A desire to settle things before I left.

I went out the front door and down the steps toward the side garden. Even when the doors were locked Sam left one of the tall windows unlatched. It was usually open when he was in there, as it was this day. Sam was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, and for a moment I thought about not disturbing him.

“I know that you are there,” he said, drawing me into the room.

“You have always known when I was here. Is that not why you have always kept this window unlatched?”

Sam turned his head in my direction. His gray eyes were dimmed of their natural vibrancy, and had been since Abe died. His dark hair was askew, and he had not shaved since the battle.

Before I went to Philadelphia, before I met Jack again, Sam had asked me a question. Then I did not have an answer for him, but now I did.

“You once asked me why we could never be together.”

Sam’s eyes closed again. “I was young and foolish.”

“You were wise beyond your years, carrying the weight of your family and your friends on your shoulders. The reason we could never be together—”

“Was because you were truly the heir to the throne,” Sam said.

“—was because I have always loved Jack. Since I was fourteen. While you were the brother that I never wanted but always needed.”

Sam flinched, and I went closer, sitting on the edge of his desk and facing him.

“Do not you see, Sam? You were the brother to us all. You were exactly what we needed to hold us together. You were exactly what Abe needed. You were more than his cousin. You were his brother.”

Sam’s head snapped up and a familiar spark lit his eyes like thunderclouds. “It was not enough! I was not enough.”

“You were exactly what he needed. Please do not hate yourself for something that was never your choice. Abraham knew what he was doing when he pushed you out of the way of that shot. He was protecting you, just as you would have done for him.” Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to Sam’s rough cheek.

Leaving the book room, I found Jack waiting for me in the foyer with Bess. She smiled as she released Jack’s hand and walked into the book room.

Taking one last glance around the foyer that I would never see again, I took Jack’s hand and we left the house behind.

It was not goodbye forever. Just for now. Bess had said that she would like to visit Lutania one day. She had told me that when the time came that Levi married Mary Edith she might persuade Sam into taking the journey. Provided that Levi did not do as he threatened and marry her the day that we arrived.

On the journey, I had confessed the truth to Jack, much to his relief. I was not the intended queen as I had claimed. That honor still resided with my sister, the woman who deserved the title. I knew that she would rule with grace, kindness, and a firm hand.

After two months, we finally arrived home.

Our arrival in Lutania was not met with fanfare, revelry, or anyone I knew. We had not written to say when we would arrive because we would arrive before the letter.

The harbor was like a small village with multiple story stone buildings and a cobblestone street. There was an open air market, and flags flapped in the wind. Lutania’s naval fleet were anchored to the right and to the left were many merchant vessels, loading and unloading their wares. It was a pleasant sight.

The moment that we disembarked in the small village, we were surrounded. Guards dressed in the blue and gold of our country surrounded us, swarming out from behind the wooden and brick buildings.

One of the guards spoke to Leo. He replied in Danish that we were friends, expected by her majesty.

Our group was forced to walk between the company of guards to two wagons with barred windows. They split us into the wagons, placing all of the women in one and all of the men into the other. Leo and Jack had been speaking to them in Danish, but thus far the guards did not seem to believe what they were saying. I leaned against the wall of the wagon and watched out of the small barred window as the wagon began to move forward. My excitement was marred only by my trepidation. Everything had changed, and yet nothing had. We were home.

The wagon moved down a well maintained road that ran straight from the harbor into the middle of a woods. When the wagon left the woods behind, we were passing between a massive iron gate protected by two tall columns of stones. There were bronze statues of warriors atop the columns with their spears and shields raised as if they expected an attack. How omniscient were our ancestors that they expected an attack to come? Come it had, forced upon us by one of our own.

The road went between a long green with many gardens, and then I saw the palace.

My breath expelled and then Mary Edith and Melly were crowding in to catch a glimpse of the place that was once home.

The palace was three stories of cream colored stone with turrets, spires, arches, and more windows than I could possibly count upon approach. The wagon tilted as it ascended the palace that was atop a hill. The drive rounded to the front of the palace, passing a large fountain.

Two doors that looked to be two stories in size were pulled open and two lines of guards marched out with a regal looking gentleman walking between them. He was no longer a military man. He was the steward. Always would I recognize him. His son was his image.

One of the guards who had captured us at the harbor approached the steward and they spoke but I could not hear them for the distance that separated us. The steward met my gaze through the window of the wagon and then said something to the head guard before turning and going back inside the palace.

Beside me Arabella said, “Something feels off.”

It did feel off, and what was more, they may not believe our story. It had been nearly nine years.

The wagon door was unlocked and pulled open and we were ordered to climb down. An even larger company of guards surrounded our group as they escorted us into the palace.

Passing through those large doors into the elegant entrance hall had me leaning my head back to see everything. It was so resplendent that it derived me of breath momentarily. Before the memories began.

A crystal chandelier hung overhead of the ornate rug that covered the floor, spreading the length of the room. Tables were at different places holding such things as vases of flowers, candelabras, and books. Inlaid into the white stone walls every few feet were carvings of crests, or sculptures of regal looking people. Tapestries hung from the gallery above, and the ceiling was one large mural. It reminded me of the one that had been painted inside the Levitas throne room in Baltimore. Only this one was all angels on clouds. It was even more spectacular after so much time had passed.

A large staircase took up the majority of the wall straight across the hall from where they forced us to halt. From the top of the wide wooden staircase stood the steward who called down to us in Danish, which I translated for Melly who did not speak the language.

“Their majesties will see you in the throne room.”

There was a great sinking in my stomach. Would they believe us?

We were pushed into two rows where we walked between the guards. They led us to the left where two wooden doors opened.

As Jack and I were the first in the two lines, we saw the throne room first, and I took his hand, for it felt as if we were stepping into history, of which he had never experienced.

The throne room was nothing like the Levitas throne rooms. The room was twice as long as the entrance hall and doubly extravagant. Tapestries lined the walls between tall windows on the left and on the right were paintings of my ancestors. If the steward did not believe our story he need only gaze upon the portraits to see the truth. Rose and I were the images of our grandmother.

What drew my attention firmly were the two women seated on the thrones at the end of the long room.

“Now I see,” Jack whispered.

As we were ushered down the long blue carpet, the guards halted us with many feet between us and the two women who looked remarkably like me and my sister.

“Your royal highnesses, Princess Arabella and Princess Constance, these persons here say that they are known to you,” said the head guard. I heard Levi interpreting their words for Melly.

The one seated upon the left throne looked us over speculatively, stopping for only a brief moment on Jack and Levi, before speaking to the guard.

“Summon Steward Adamsen,” said the one who was supposed to be Arabella.

One of the guards went to do her bidding and they sat in silence while we all waited. I met the eyes of the one who was supposed to be me and could see why, at a distance, people believed her to be me. I had thought they were twin sisters. Their dark hair was of the same shade as ours. Their faces were narrow like ours, and their eyes were blue, but the one regarding me did not have my purple eyes. Hers were a deep blue.

The woman who was supposed to be the future queen was just as regal in appearance as the true Arabella, but upon closer inspection she was lacking some of Arabella’s elegance. She was beautiful, regal, and fit her surroundings, but my sister was also kind and just and her kindness exuded from her.

From the door to the right of the thrones came the steward that I had seen earlier. He walked over to the girls without looking at the rest of us and bowed low before them.

“Steward Adamsen,” called the Arabella pretender, “these persons claim that we know them. I would ask that you look closely at each of them and tell us if they are known to you.”

Steward Adamsen rose and walked toward us with his hand on his hip and his long robe trailing behind him. He was a tall man with a patch of gray hair, but he had a proud nose which assured any who looked upon him that he was a man of consequence.

He moved past me without recognition, and he hovered before Arabella for a moment before he moved on to Jack. He studied Jack’s face for a long moment and his brows lowered. He was seeing something in Jack that confused him. Perhaps a spark of recognition to Jack’s parents and how they had looked before they fled Lutania.

He passed on to the rest of our party until he finally halted at Leo.

“It cannot be,” he murmured as he stared at Leo. “Kendrick?”

“Fader,” answered Leo as he made his way to the man. He bowed low over the steward’s hand and kissed the back.

Leo’s father brought Leo up to stand straight with a finger to his chin. He inspected Leo, and then he grabbed Leo’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. The man began to laugh and say, “My son, my son! He left not much more than a boy and returns to me a man.”

Leo introduced his father, Lord Adamsen, who laughed with my aunt the moment he saw her.

The steward turned to the head guard. “Summon my lord!”

Two of the guards practically ran from the room to do his bidding as the steward trotted up the two steps to kneel beside the fake Arabella’s chair. He whispered something to her frantically. Her gaze fastened on Leo and she began to smile. She said something to the steward and he rose.

“Captain, take your guards back to their posts. These people are no threat to us.”

The captain looked askance. “Sir?”

“Now, Captain,” ordered the steward.

The captain did not look best pleased, but he ordered his guards to follow him. The two rows turned and marched out of the throne room. Once the doors were shut, the two women rose and came toward us.

“My name is Karen and this is my sister Leah. It is our pleasure to serve you, your majesties,” said the one who was acting as if she were Arabella, and then they both knelt before me.

“Daughters!” Aunt Johanna came forward and lowered her hands to her daughters. They took her hands, staring at her as if she were some being from a dream.

One of them said mother and then Aunt Johanna’s arms were around them. They hugged and whispered together until the one the steward had called my lord came into the room. It was my uncle.

He met Aunt Johanna and his daughters, wrapping a fond arm around Karen’s waist while he leaned over and bussed his wife’s cheek.

Aunt Johanna made the introductions to our group, and when she introduced Levi and Jack, my cousins smiled.

“We have heard much praise about those who call themselves the Phantoms,” said Leah. “It is an honor to have you among us.”

My uncle had told them about the Phantoms, and about us. They knew what had transpired over the years, as much as my uncle knew.

Leo was questioning his father about the changes that he had seen upon our drive up to the palace.

“Much has changed, my son. Come. We shall feast and I shall tell you all.”

“Perhaps they would wish for bedchambers and fresh raiment before our feast,” Karen interposed.

Lord Adamsen bowed to her suggestion and soon we were all led to a wing of the palace that held many guest chambers. Maids were assigned to the women, and footmen were assigned to the men.

When Jack pushed to be housed in the same chamber as me, I sent the maid off. She left, trying and failing to conceal her smile.

Jack held me for a long time as I mourned. I did not think it would hit me as it had, but being home, having the battle behind us, caused grief to rush upon me.

“I love you, Jack,” I whispered, holding his lapels. “Thank you for placing your faith and love in me, even though I do not deserve you.”

He kissed me until my toes curled in my boots. Walking me backwards, my legs bumped into the bed and down I went, him hovering over me.