phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (44 page)

She was dancing with one of Lady Elisabeth’s brothers and enjoying herself immensely. Moving along the wall, keeping my gaze focused upon her, I bumped into a chair. Looking down, I began to apologize.

Meeting the smiling face of Lady Ann, I smiled ruefully.

“Is this seat taken, milady?”

She shook her head so I sat beside her. I knew that she would not be dancing this evening for she had dedicated her life to a holy calling. She once confessed, when we were escorting Eric and Elisabeth upon an outing, that she would join a convent if she had not given her life in service to Lady Elisabeth.

“What has happened to you, Captain Nielsen?”

When I questioned her with a look, she reached up and pulled a leaf from my hair.

“I was set upon by rogues before the wedding. They knocked me unconscious and locked me in a garden shed.”

She looked her incredulity. When she questioned me further, I assured her that I had matters well in hand.

When the music ended, I noticed Luther making his way through the crowd toward Eleanora.

“If I were you, Captain, I would make haste to claim a certain lady’s hand for the next set. A certain brother appears ready to commit a scandal by requesting her to dance for the third time.”

Seeing Luther being halted by one of Elisabeth’s relatives, I rose. Lady Ann rose beside me.

“He has been circling around her as one would expect of a hawk, if you will excuse the expression.”

“I understand perfectly. Though he may be the hawk, I am the hunter.” Bowing before her, I cut through the crowd with ease. Reaching Eleanora, I requested her hand for the next set before Luther could escape from Elisabeth’s sister.

Eleanora looked as if she wanted to deny me, but she could not without having to sit out the next dance. The way that her blue eyes sparkled, I knew that she would prefer to dance with me over sitting out on her pleasure.

As the musicians struck up the first chords she placed her gloved hand in mine.

We danced the minuet, and the moment that Eleanora closed her eyes and danced the steps by memory alone, I knew that there was much to be discovered in her. As if I were an explorer coming upon a treasure of the rarest value and sheen, I watched her dance in awe.

When the first dance ended and the second struck, I did not relinquish my hold upon her hand. I swept her with me as we danced across the floor, toward the terrace doors.

Pausing to open one, she started to pull away, but I drew her with me onto the terrace. Taking her hands in mine, I began the steps to a cotillion, and Eleanora went along with me without word. The sky had darkened and the servants were beginning to light the lanterns along the garden paths. Eleanora did not seem to notice the men who stopped their duty to watch us dance. Her eyes were once again closed as she swayed with the music that was floating through the closed doors into the ballroom.

When the music ended, I bowed low before Eleanora and brought her hand to my lips. “I thank you, my lady, for an unforgettable dance.” As I rose, I gazed into her eyes, lost for a moment in the beauty of not only the evening but in my partner.

She pulled her hand away and moved to stand against the parapet.

“When the clock strikes ten there will be wondrous colors lighting the sky,” I told her as I came up behind her. She began to run her hands over her arms.

Reaching out, I gently touched the curl that was caressing her bare neck. She must have felt me for she twisted around, pulling her hair from between my fingers.

Her name was whispered between us and she sucked in a breath as I leaned toward her.

“There you are, my dearest Eleanore,” Luther said from the ballroom doors.

Stepping to the side, she smiled at Luther even though he had mistaken her name. Saying it as if he had the right.

“Do I interrupt?” The scathing in Luther’s voice had me turning toward him.

“Ah, it is you, henchman. Returned from your pruning, have you?” He released a soft chuckle that had me clenching my hands.

“You do not interrupt, Prince Luther,” Eleanora said, moving to his side. “Did you not promise to escort me into supper? I vow that I am famished.”

Luther offered his arm with a smile, but as they turned toward the ballroom, he cast me a glance full of hate … and warning.

If it was a fight Luther was after, it would take every bit of my restraint to keep from obliging.

CHAPTER 6

With Luther returned, I had taken upon myself a new task. After his actions at the wedding, I knew that Luther was up to something untoward. Eric had asked what Luther could possibly do to arouse my suspicion in all of a few hours. I did not tell him that Luther was always under suspicion. Eric would have said that it was simply due to my dislike of Luther that I suspected him of ill dealings. That may have been true when I was younger, but I had learned during my time in the military to trust my gut, and my gut said that Luther was up to no good.

Eric and his lady had been gone for the first of their two month wedding trip when my suspicions proved true. When the king had requested that I remain behind, Eric was so besotted with his lady that he agreed without complaint. I had sent the most trusted guards in my place, and I had remained behind.

Luther’s daily routine had been the same for the last month. Rise after noon, break his fast in bed, dress for the next two hours, and emerge from his bedchamber around three in the afternoon. Usually the king had a guard posted outside Luther’s door to escort him to the king’s chambers, but there were times when Luther would escape without first seeing his father.

The king and Luther did not get on well, and their encounters tended to end in the king shouting as Luther walked out of the king’s chamber, smirking. It was when he was down the corridor, away from prying eyes that his smirk slipped and was replaced by a look of pure hatred. When he was especially angry he would take a few moments to speak to himself. Usually it was about how his father dared too much in trying to check Luther’s actions. It was on those days that my suspicions about Luther were justified, though I found no happiness in my findings.

The first time that I had a true glimpse of Luther’s anger, he had stormed out of the palace, taken out his father’s favorite hunting hounds, and shot them.

Hours later, after Luther returned home, he had an excuse, saying that the hounds had run away from him and had been shot by one of the farmers. Luther’s lackeys were always there to agree to his story. When the farmer was locked in the stocks overnight, I was the one who fed him and took him water. I knew that my word against Luther’s and his followers would hold no weight, so I continued to follow him. Trying to determine Luther’s course before he took it. There had been two times that I was able to see Luther’s projective and halt his terror. Once had been when Luther chose to take out his anger during a game of cards at the waterside tavern. The man who kept winning was as old as my father and was as innocent as a newly born lamb. He would hurt no one, was friends with nearly everyone. That he liked drink was his one fault. It deprived him of the ability to keep work. He accepted whatever odd jobs the ship captains or merchants would offer. Then the coin would go directly into the tavern keeper’s hand.

Wearing a long cape a low brimmed hat, and keeping my chin to my chest, I watched from the corner of the tavern as Luther grew angrier with each loss that he endured. After the sixth loss, I knew it was time to intervene.

Going into the kitchen, the tavern keeper did not look twice at me as I passed through to a rear door. I found one of the regulars and paid him to run into the tavern and shout that the king was coming. When he did as I said, I grabbed the old man and pulled him with me into the kitchen.

“What be ye about? I was winning!”

“And angering the prince,” I retorted, pulling my purse from my pocket. Emptying a few coins into his palm, I warned him, none too kindly, to refrain from ever playing with the prince again or he would find himself at the bottom of the sea.

The second attempt had been when I caught one of Luther’s lackeys trying to lame the king’s favorite horse. What I did to him, well, he would never be bothering the king again, for when he awoke it would be in another country.

My superior called me into his chamber to issue me some orders that would go into effect when Eric and his lady returned, so I was tardy getting to Luther’s wing of the palace. Deciding to take a quicker route to the prince’s wing, I cut across the wing housing Lady Elisabeth, and it was there that I heard a scream.

It was quickly muffled, but the sound drew me up short. I was at a passage where two halls connected. Stepping forward, I glanced down the passage toward where the ladies in waiting were being housed. Outside one of the doors stood three of Luther’s lackeys. It struck me with sudden clarity what was afoot, and that summoned an unnatural ire within me.

Lady Elisabeth had taken only two of her four ladies in waiting with her on her wedding trip. Eleanora and Jetta. There were two still in the palace, and that chamber where those louts were hovering belonged to the kindest of all the ladies. A soft spoken, devout young woman.

My fists clenched until they hurt as I stomped forward. I was half way down the passage when the three louts straightened from their hunched positions. They had been pressing their ears to the door, and that caused my ire to burn like a celestial star plummeting to earth in a blazing fire.

“I have a message for the prince,” I said as I approached them. “From the king.”

One of them scoffed. “Then trot off and find him. He is not here.”

“If he is not here then you should not be either. It is not allowed for any to be in this wing who are not approved by the king.”

All three of them rose up to their tallest, though even the tallest came up to only my eyes.

There came another scream, and this time I heard a distinct cry for help, and I lost my calm.

“Step aside,” I commanded.

“We do not answer to you,” the leader of the louts retorted.

“Perhaps not … but you shall answer to my fists.” I rammed my fist into the stomach of the nearest lout. As he bent over, I twisted and threw my shoulder against the second, slamming his body into the stone wall. My fist struck his chin and his head bobbed as it struck the stone behind him. The third grabbed me from behind, and I ran us backward, straight into a small table and toppling a candelabra. He released me. I twisted around, grabbed his neck and threw him over my knee. When his back hit the ground, I stepped over him and walked to the door.

Knocking once, I pushed open the door and stomped into the chamber.

At first I did not see Ann, but when I caught sight of Luther, sprawled across the bed with a struggling form beneath him, it took every bit of my restraint to keep from crossing that chamber and killing him.

“Your highness,” I announced in a loud voice. “The king demands your presence at once.”

“The king can wait,” Luther growled over his shoulder.

“Forgive my impertinence, your highness, but he said that it was urgent.”

When Luther slowly rose up onto his knees, I saw Ann’s terrified, red face and had to keep my hands still at my sides. If I clenched them, they would only be released when Luther was bloody upon the floor.

Luther said something to Ann, leaning down against her ear, and she whimpered.

He crawled off her and I kept my eyes upon the wall across from me as he pulled at his trousers.

When he had replaced his coat, he sauntered toward the door, smirking at me as he passed.

Ann had retreated against her headboard, clutching her torn gown and crying. I waited until Luther was in the passage, demanding to know what had happened to his men, before I spoke to Ann.

“Lock this door and do not open it for anyone but me.”

Ann nodded and hurried after me. When I was in the passage, I heard the bolt being slammed.

“What have you done?” Luther demanded.

“They stood in the way of my duties for his majesty.” It was simply said, without emotion, but it had great impact. Luther cursed me in two languages, but he did not try to get in my face. He was not tall enough nor would he dare to strike me when I was in favor with the king. At least not to my face.

The moment that Luther was admitted into the king’s chambers, I turned on my heel and made haste back toward Ann’s chamber. Luther’s lackeys were no longer there, but I did not halt at Ann’s door. A thought occurred to me, so I marched toward Lady Elisabeth’s family’s quarters. When a servant answered the door, I asked for Lady Elisabeth’s eldest sister. She was the only one amongst their party, besides Elisabeth, who could speak both Swedish and Danish.

When she joined me, I told her a little of why I had requested her. I had never before spoken to the lady Johanna. She was ten years Lady Elisabeth’s elder and had a family of her own. Her husband and young son had come with her to Lutania for the wedding.

Lady Johanna insisted to be taken to Ann at once.

Knocking upon Ann’s door, I called out. “Lady Ann, it is Willem. I have with me Lady Johanna.”

From there Lady Johanna took over. I suspected that she was used to taking control of situations.

Ann unbolted the door and peeked out with a dagger in her hand. When she saw Lady Johanna, she dropped the dagger on the floor and began to sob.

“I thank you, guard, but I shall see to things from here,” Lady Johanna said to me and then swept into the chamber and shut the door in my face.

I waited outside the door until Lady Johanna emerged. She paused beside me. “You said that your name is Willem?”

“Yes, milady,” I replied with a respectful bow of my head.

“Very good,” she said before walking away. I knew that she was not saying that to my name, but to my prompt actions to help Ann. I did not know if I was in time, but that was not my concern. What I did take upon myself was the determination to keep Luther away from all of the ladies in waiting. All.