phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (50 page)

“What has happened?” I asked.

“You are to come with us without question, or we will remove you by force,” Lars said. There was apology in his eyes, but his mouth was pressed in a grim line.

Glancing at Karl, he shrugged. Picking up my coat, I joined the guards. They surrounded me as they turned toward the door and marched me out of the armory, across half of the palace and into the council chambers.

Eric and the council members were seated in chairs behind a long table. When I looked at Eric, his expression was pained. The other council members, except Lord Adamsen, was staring at me with disgust.

“What has occurred?” I asked.

One of the council members, Lord Jensen, barked at me. “You do not speak without his majesty first addressing you!”

Glancing at Eric, his jaw had tightened. “Willem, where were you last night around the stroke of twelve?”

“Has something happened? Eleanora—”

“Answer the question!” ordered Lord Jensen.

“I was in my bed with my wife,” I retorted to the man.

His disgust transformed into a sneer as he glared at me.

“You were not, perhaps, walking about the palace?” Eric asked, and dread struck me with a powerful force. “We questioned Eleanora and she said that you were not in bed when she awoke, but she could not tell us what the hour was.”

“I had gone to the kitchen for some food, having missed my dinner.” Which was the truth, since I had been on duty to guard Eric until ten. “What is behind these questions, Eric?”

One of the guards behind me struck the back of my head and I stumbled into Lars.

Eric and half of the council rose to their feet.

“That is enough!” Eric shouted.

“You dare to speak his majesty’s name, you unworthy dog,” shouted Lord Jensen.

Eric ordered a chair to be placed for me and Lars assisted me onto it.

Eric demanded that the council be seated, and once Eric had order he spoke again. “Luther was attacked last evening, Willem. He was beaten nearly to his death.”

Wait … Surely he did not suspect me.

Eric sent me a look full of sorrow and my stomach felt as if it had dropped to my feet.

“Bring in the witnesses,” Eric called, and the chamber door was opened. Six men entered the chamber, four of which were Luther’s lackeys. I began to see what had happened before ever they spoke.

Eric asked them to repeat what they had seen happen. They said that they were guarding Luther’s chamber when they heard him shouting from inside. They tried the door but it was locked. When they had finally beaten down the door, it was in time to see me leaving by the open window. They said that I actually smiled at them before disappearing. They ran to the window but I had hopped across to the terrace beside Luther’s and disappeared.

When the two palace guards were called forward, my stomach began to churn. They were friends of mine. Guards that I had chosen to assist me in guarding Elisabeth when she first arrived at the palace.

Eric asked them to repeat their accounts from the previous night. One of them said that he had witnessed me leaving my bedchamber and walking in the direction of the kitchen, but when he went down there to speak to me ten minutes later I was not there, nor was there any sign that I had ever been there. The other guard said that he had seen me entering the palace by way of the library window. When asked what I had been about, I told him to mind his own affairs. He admitted that he thought that not fitting with how friendly I usually was, but he put it down to my being tired.

When Lord Jensen told him to go on, he cast me a look of apology. He said that he was one of the guards who was called to Luther’s chamber. He remained as the doctor arrived, and searched the chamber. What was placed upon the table before Eric caused me to burn with anger.

My father’s knife.

Eric knew that knife as well as I did myself. When he looked at me, I saw the truth. Eric thought me guilty.

“Treason!” shouted Lord Jensen.

“We all know of their history,” called Lord Christensen. “This is not the first time he has attacked the prince.”

“Do not let us forget, my lords,” said Lord Adamsen, “the circumstances that led to that attack.”

At least I had one person who thought me innocent, even if my oldest friend thought me guilty.

“This was an act of treason and must be punishable as such.” Lord Jensen sneered at me. “Death by firing squad at first light.”

“I did not attack the prince!” Focusing upon Eric, I pleaded with him to believe me. He knew me. I would never attack Luther without cause. “You know that I would never. Please, your majesty, consider everything. Who would orchestrate this? Who has always hated me, wanted me out of his way?”

“You vile rat,” Lord Jensen shouted, his face turning red. “While the prince is fighting for his life, you sit here and cast aspersions upon his royal name.” Lord Jensen knelt beside Eric’s chair. “Your majesty, do not let us wait for first light. Let us remove the traitor, the threat, from this life at once.”

The other council members spoke up in favor or against my immediate execution until Eric stood and shouted for order.

“I will not be forced to issue a ruling until I have investigated all of the facts. Lars, escort Willem to his chamber and see that he remains there until I have my ruling decided.”

Lars stood beside my chair and I rose, casting Eric one final pleading glance before leaving the chamber with Lars and three other guards. When we reached my chamber, Lars inspected it and then ordered me inside. He and the other guards went out and shut the door.

My stomach churned with fire. Eric would never sentence me to death. This, all of it, was Luther’s doing, I knew it in my gut.

Would Eric crumble under the pressure of the council? I knew that he had been experiencing issues with some of the council members. Eric said that they were trying to gain more power, using Eric’s age against him. They thought they should be ruling until they deemed Eric suitable to rule the country.

The door to Eleanora’s chamber opened and she peeked into my chamber. Her eyes widened when she saw me and then she was in my arms.

Lifting her against me, I held on tight.

“Eric has to believe in your innocence.”

“He has much pressure upon him from the council. If they find me guilty, there is nothing Eric can do to stop my fate.”

Eleanora cried out and clung to my neck.

“My dear, we must prepare ourselves for the worst. If they should find me guilty—”

“They could not be so foolish,” she said vehemently.

Placing her feet upon the floor and taking her hands in mine, I gazed into her blue eyes. “If they should find me guilty, you cannot remain here. Luther’s first act will be to try to attack you again.”

“You vowed that you would not leave me, Willem Nielsen, and I shall not allow you to break your vow.”

My chest squeezed. Leaning down, I kissed my wife with all of the passion that I possessed.

She remained at my side until my chamber door opened and we both leapt to our feet. Eric came in silently, closing the door behind him.

When he saw Eleanora with me, he cast her a look of intense apology. “There is nothing for it, Willem,” Eric said, and my heart felt as if it stopped. I could not move or speak.

Eric’s lips were moving, but I could hear nothing but the sound of a rushing river in my ears. I was going to be shot at first light.

“Willem!”

Eleanora shaking my arm caused me to focus upon what Eric was saying.

“Take only what you can carry. You have five minutes to gather your things.”

Eleanora nodded and flew into her chamber. Eric stepped toward me and gripped my shoulders.

“Forgive me for this, Willem, but the evidence against you is absolute. My brother has done his best to accuse you.”

“You believe me,” I whispered.

“Of course I believe you. I do know my brother, and, what is more, I know you.”

Upon an impulse, I hugged Eric. He hugged me back for a moment and then stepped away.

At the wall beside the fireplace, Eric motioned me over. “When I am gone, pull down on this sconce. Take the candelabra with you to light your way. If you follow the path to the end, it will lead you out of the palace. You will have to hurry for the moment it is discovered that you have ran you will be pursued.”

There were no words that I could say as emotion burned my throat and eyes. Eleanora appeared again, carrying an armful of clothing which she dumped upon my bed. Pulling a valise out from beneath my bed, she opened it and began loading it with clothing. She brought a hat box into the chamber and stuffed it with her own clothing. She scooped up the wooden animals that my father had carved from the shelf where I had placed them. Once the valise and hat box were closed, she pulled on her cape and bonnet.

Eric held out to me my father’s knife.

Taking it, I thanked him.

“Do not thank me, Willem. I do not deserve it.” With that said, he went out.

Picking up the valise, I pulled down on the sconce. The wall groaned and creaked, causing me to toss a worried glance toward the door. No one burst into the chamber.

Picking up the candelabra from atop the mantle, I stepped into a secret passage. Eleanora followed me inside and then I found a chain that made the secret door close.

Together Eleanora and I followed the path down a flight of stairs and across what felt like the entire palace. When we reached the end, I pushed open the door and we were looking upon the garden. The secret passage led out underneath one of the bridges that connected the palace to the garden.

Eleanora and I hurried across the garden and then into the woods. Every twig snapping behind us, or rustle in bushes had us tensing, expecting a pursuit. The wind rustled the leaves, and shadows danced across the forest floor. Eleanora and I had left the candelabra behind in the garden, choosing to run in the dark. It took longer than I would have liked, but my wife could not move through the forest as swiftly as I could.

We thought we heard shouts at the edge of the forest, causing Eleanora to whimper. A shadow rose up beside us and Eleanora screamed. Twisting until she was behind me, I prepared to attack the shadow, but nothing was there.

Eleanora’s scream alerted our pursuers to our location, for I heard shouts growing closer and then dogs barking. They had brought out the hounds to track us.

We reached the harbor village, but could not leave the forest for the palace guards had reached the village first and were searching the buildings and ships for us.

“What are we to do?” Eleanora whispered as she clutched my arm.

“You are to come with me,” said a voice from behind us.

Eleanora did not scream, for the voice was well known to her. Turning, we watched in awe as Queen Elisabeth lowered her hood from her head. Behind her stood Karl, my friend in the palace guards.

“Quickly,” she whispered, and we were led back into the forest, but not into the deepest parts. We ran along the border that overlooked sea.

When we were a mile away from the village, Elisabeth and Karl led us down a bank and onto the sand beside the sea. It was near to where Eleanora and Luther were to have taken their picnic on the day that he attacked her.

There was a boat waiting for us, and two men to row it.

“These men are from my home, Willem, and they will see you safely aboard one of my family’s ships. That ship will take you wherever you choose,” Elisabeth said.

As she was hugging Eleanora, I thanked Karl.

A conviction had been pressing upon me for the last hour, that I could not take Eleanora with me. I did not know where I was to go, or how I was to provide for myself. How would I ever provide for Eleanora?

“Your majesty, if we were to sail to Sweden, would your family take Eleanora into their home and protect her?”

“Willem,” Eleanora tried to say, but I kept on speaking to the queen.

“Would she find safety there?”

“Not if Luther were to go to them seeking her. They believe him to be as honorable as his brother.”

“Willem, you gave me your vow!”

“I cannot reduce you to poverty, and that is what you will have if you remain with me,” I told Eleanora hotly. “You deserve the sun, the moon, and the stars. Things that I can never give you. You deserve more than me.”

“I would rather live in poverty with you than to reside in a palace alone. I am with you to the end.”

Her resolution touched a guarded place in my heart, and in that moment I knew that I loved her.

“Take this,” Elisabeth said, pressing two velvet purses against my hand.

“How can we ever express our gratitude enough, your majesty? We are your unworthy servants.”

Elisabeth captured my hand in hers. “If you want to be worthy of my belief in you, you will give me your vow this moment, Willem Nielsen. Should ever I or my children come to you for assistance, you will offer them your unwavering support and protection. You will accept them as surely as you would your own. You will do all within your power to aid them in whatever they ask of you. That is what I require.”

There was conviction, pleading, and fear in the queen’s voice. As if she expected something to happen to her. I knew that Eric would never allow anyone to harm her. Everyone in Lutania loved the queen. She and her future were safe here.

But I offered her my vow.

Eleanora surprised me when she told Elisabeth that she should look to a maid named Marta for a new lady in waiting.

When Eleanora and I were upon the ship and Lutania was becoming less and less visible, I placed my arm around my wife’s shoulders and whispered my own farewell, for I did not know if ever I would look upon her beauty again.

CHAPTER 11

May 1804

When Eleanora and I had fled Lutania, we first went to Denmark, but Luther had so many ties there that we decided to continue on to England. With the gold that the queen had gifted us, we were able to purchase a farm in the county of Buckingham.