phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (45 page)

It was two hours later when the expected confrontation with Luther came. I was seated behind the desk in my small office when the door flew open with a loud bang upon the wall.

“You believe yourself to be so clever, my buck, but you have irritated the wrong mark. I am not my saintly brother, or my persuadable father.”

Rising slowly, I stood facing him, but saying nothing. It was best not to anger Luther more. He was still a prince.

“My father and brother may have been taken in by you, but I never shall. You overstep your bounds, and now it is left to me to see you brought to heel.”

That did draw a response from me. “If your highness deems that wise.”

Luther leaned two fists on my desk, hunched over as if preparing to leap at me. “Are you threatening me?”

“An officer would never presume to threaten one so far above his station, sir.”

Luther’s lip curled. “So much attitude. So little sense.” Luther smirked. “The lady asked me to come to her. It was only after I was there that she tried to retreat. I was showing her that a prince is not to be deceived. A lesson that you would do well to learn. The next time you presume to involve yourself in my affairs shall be the last. I do not care what my brother thinks. He is not here to keep his pup from harm.”

Luther stalked toward the door.

“If I may offer a piece of information, your highness,” I said, drawing Luther’s attention.

“The lady Johanna has taken over watch of the ladies in waiting, should your highness have need of them.”

Luther’s gaze narrowed, and if daggers could be thrown from eyes I would be cut to pieces.

“When I am king, you shall sing a different tune. At the end of a rope.” Luther slammed out of my office.

****

Lady Johanna kept watch over the ladies in waiting until Eric and Elisabeth returned from their wedding trip.

I had spoken only once to Ann, and that had been when she thanked me for coming to her rescue. Nothing else was said, but I kept watch over her from a distance when I was not following Luther.

With the days that passed between Luther’s attack against Ann and his brother’s return, Luther and the king’s relationship became more strained than ever before. Word had reached his majesty of some of Luther’s doings in Denmark before he had returned home for the wedding. One of the king’s guards was a companion of mine and over a mug of ale in the kitchens he told me what had been said. It turned out that Luther had not returned for the wedding at all. He had to flee Denmark after ruining the daughter of a high ranking official.

The king’s words to Luther had spread all across the palace, whispered amongst the servants. The king’s anger, it was said, had never been greater toward his youngest son. Luther had refused to accept responsibility, saying that he had done no wrong. That others were jealous of his position and were trying to entrap him.

When Eric returned home, he told me about his trip, but when he asked what had been happening at the palace, I did not wish to be the one to tell him about his brother’s doings.

In the end it did not matter because by the end of the day Eric had heard.

A week had passed before I heard that Lady Elisabeth’s family was to sail back to Sweden. And that Lady Elisabeth was going to keep two of her four ladies in waiting with her in Lutania. When I discovered that Ann was one of them I knew that I had to speak.

Knocking upon the door to Lady Elisabeth’s chamber, it was opened by Eleanora. Her brows slowly lifted and her mouth formed an o when she realized that it was me.

“Yes? Have you something to say to me?” she asked, as if she thought I had come to see her. We had not spoken since our dance upon the terrace, and the moment when I had leaned in as if to kiss her.

Smiling at her, I asked to speak with Lady Elisabeth.

Eleanora’s blue eyes flashed with anger before she turned upon her heel and stomped into the chamber, leaving the door open for me to follow her.

Lady Elisabeth was seated beside the great stone fireplace with a book upon her lap. She greeted me kindly as I bowed.

“My lady, I shall not take up much of your time. I wanted only to say that I do so hope that you will not find me impertinent, but I have heard that you mean to keep Ann with you.”

Lady Elisabeth’s delicate brows rose. “You have a complaint to issue about my choice?”

“Never that, milady.” I could see that there was no hope for it. I had to be honest with her.

“Forgive me, milady, but I am certain that the lady Ann would request to return home to Sweden.”

Lady Elisabeth took me in from my boots to my hair in a long, curious glance. She was a beautiful woman, and suited Eric admirably. She was a favorite with the people. Everyone knew that she would be a wonderful queen one day. She loved the people of our country even though this was not her home country.

“You presume to know much about Ann.”

I could not refrain from glancing at Eleanora. She was busying herself with arranging flowers in a glass vase, but she was taking in every word. Her stance was rigid, her mouth pulled in an angry line.

“I know only what I am told, milady.”

Lady Elisabeth smiled as if wholly amused. “I shall ask Ann what she wishes. Will that be all, or have you some insight that you would give me about my other ladies. Eleanora for instance.”

Eleanora halted, but she did not look toward us.

“I would never presume to know what Lady Eleanora wishes, your highness.”

Lady Elisabeth looked from me to Eleanora for a long moment before dismissing me.

After bowing, I marched to the door that Eleanora was holding open for me.

When I went into the passage, Eleanora caught my attention by saying, “What gives you the right to presume to know the wishes of one of her highness’s servants?”

Eleanora had followed me into the passage, drawing the door a little way closed behind her. Taking in her appearance, she was dressed in a cream colored gown, and her dark hair was braided and piled atop her head. She was the most glorious creature that I had ever beheld, but I would never allow her to know how my heart kicked in my chest when she was near, or how my gaze sought her out in every room. She would never know that she had turned my usually calm and ordered life into havoc.

“There are things that a man understands that can go unnoticed by a woman,” I replied.

Eleanora bristled. Stepping up to face me, she tried to look threatening, but the top of her head reached my chest. She was as far from threatening as a cat.

“I will have you know, Willem, that there are things that a woman knows that would elude even your inflated brain.”

My smile blossomed fully, for that was the first time she had ever spoken my name. Hearing it upon her lips caused my heart to riot.

“Why are you smiling at me?” she demanded.

“You spoke my name.”

Her black brows shot up their length. “I did no such thing!”

My smile turned smug. “You did. You called me Willem.” Leaning toward her, she retreated until her back bumped into the wall. Placing one hand just above her face, I leaned until our chests were but an inch apart. Hers was rising and falling quickly as she stared up into my eyes. There was suspicion in her gaze as she watched me.

“Please say it again,” I asked softly.

“Never,” she hissed.

Smiling, I leaned my face closer. “Never is a long time … Eleanora.”

“Would it be a lifetime, it would never be enough time,” she said before she shoved me away from her.

She moved into Lady Elisabeth’s chamber and shut the door.

Whistling, I turned and walked down the passage. My whistle was cut short when I came upon Luther’s lackeys.

“Just the lowly soldier for whom we were searching. Prince Eric has sent you a message.”

One of them handed me a paper. When I opened it, it was signed by Eric, but at once I knew that it was not written by Eric’s hand. Reading the note, the writer had granted me leave for the afternoon to go visit my father.

For a moment, I did not move, did not think, and then a storm blew over me. They had done something to my father.

Raising my head, they must have read intent in my eyes, for they each pulled out their swords the slightest bit.

Turning, I walked away from them, out of the palace, and across the garden. I did not halt for three hours, by which time it was dark and I had reached my father’s cottage.

All looked well, for there was light coming from inside. My misgivings released in a long breath as I walked up to my father’s cottage and pushed open the door. I knew how I would find him, seated upon his favorite chair before the fireplace, whittling a piece of wood into one of the animals that he carved for the neighboring children.

Stepping into the cottage, what first captured my attention was that my father’s chair was empty. Glancing around the one room hut, my body stiffened as I saw him.

Exclaiming I knew not what, I ran around the table and dropped down beside him. Rolling him onto his back, I searched him for a wound, but there was none. I began feeling around his chest, searching for the beat of his heart. When I found nothing, I pressed my finger beneath his nose, willing there to be some breath. There was none.

Dropping onto my backside, I stared down at my father, and then the tears began to fall.

CHAPTER 7

As I dug the grave that would forever be the resting place of my father’s body, the farmers from all of the surrounding lands came out to pay their respects. I saw Marta with her family, but I did not speak with her for as soon as I saw her I looked past her and saw Eric.

Word had traveled over the past two days about my father, and Eric did not want me to be alone. He smiled when he told me that, for he looked about him at all of those gathered. My father had developed many friendships over the years that he had served as a tenant farmer.

Eric’s presence was a high honor, and when my father’s body was lowered into the ground, he stood beside me for as long as I stood beside the grave.

When the service was concluded and everyone had departed, Eric told me that I could take some time to myself. That did not suit me, so I said that I would return at once.

“Elisabeth’s family is departing on the morrow. She and I will be seeing them to the harbor, as will the king and queen. There is no need to return at once.”

Eric left shortly after, and I went into my father’s cottage. Sitting upon the low stool, I looked about me, unsure of what I should be feeling. When I searched for what emotions were strongest, I found that I was numb. In that moment I decided that I would rather be numb than to be emotional. Emotions led one into despair, a place that I could not afford to go. I did not want to become like the town drunk, soothing my memories and emotions in the bottom of a tankard. Grief, despair, emotions of most kind did nothing but make one weak.

Emotions were for women and children, not a military man determined to serve his king to the best of his ability.

Standing, I searched the cottage for anything that might be important, but I found nothing, until I was nearly to the door. Sitting upon the table was my father’s knife and seven small animals. Swiping them from the table without much thought, I pocketed the animals and tucked the knife into my belt.

Leaving the cottage behind, I began to walk, without destination or reason. When I ended on the hill that overlooked the sea, I dropped down and leaned my back against a tall tree. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks below the hill, an occasional bell in the distance. Closing my eyes, I could hear everything.

The scurrying of animals in the forest behind me. The call of a bird to its mate. The rustling of the leaves in the trees. Listening for quite some time, I heard a crunch in the forest, and knew that it belonged to no animal. It was too heavy, moved too quickly. It belonged to a human, but not a large one.

There was no need to draw my knife, for I knew who it was approaching before I saw her face.

Marta came into the clearing and plopped down beside me against the tree. Resting my head against the tree bark, I stared at her. She did the same to me.

We sat in silence for many minutes, until at last she moved. Capturing the front of my coat with one hand, her other slid behind my neck and drew my face to hers. She kissed me with more passion than I had yet, in all of my years, encountered. My gut told me to push her away, but I did not heed the warning. Placing my hands on each side of her hips, I lifted her and placed her on my lap. She pulled up the skirt of her dress until she was straddling my lap.

Digging my fingers into her hair, I pulled out the pins until it was free to fall down her back.

She took control of the situation, pushing aside one arm of my coat and tugging up my shirt. As her hands began to move across my chest, and then lowered, I pushed her back with a groan. No matter how much I hated myself in that moment, I was still my father’s son, and he had raised me to respect women.

“No more,” I hissed as I put her aside and pushed myself to my feet.

Staring out across the sea, I inhaled and exhaled long breaths, praying for a cold downpour. None came.

Instead, Marta wrapped her arms around me, slipping her hands beneath my shirt again.

“You want me.”

Closing my eyes against the answering lurch of my body, I stepped away from her. “I do, but not in the way that you deserve.”

When I looked at her, she was scowling.

“I am no fit match for you, Marta. You or any woman.”

That brought a laugh from her. “I am not asking to be your bride, Willem, only that you allow me to soothe away your pain.”

As tempting of a morsel as she was, she would not be soothing anything for me this day.

“What is it you want? A job in the palace? I can secure that for you. If it is me that you are after, your endeavors will prove fruitless. I am not going to shackle myself to any woman. Ever.”