Swept Away (21 page)

“Be quiet! You must tell no one of this! When the citizens of Heidelberg see that we have eliminated the Catholic emissary from Rome and along with him any chance that their precious Church of the Holy Spirit will
ever
be returned to the papists, we will be poised to claim all the territory between the Nekker and the Rhine. They will cheer us in the streets as their champions.”

“God's teeth, Father, do you really think you can be
king
?” Axel said, still grinning. “Is that what this is about? That is a dangerous game.”

“Which is why you must tell no one until it is done,” Krüger said. “Not your men, not your whores. And it is why it must be you and no one else.”

So entranced was she in what she was hearing and so focused on trying to hear the low tones of the old man that Ella did not notice the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. When she finally realized that someone was coming, she whirled away from the door. The end of the hallway was too far to cross before whomever was coming was upon her. Without thinking beyond the fact that she needed to hide, she stepped through the door to the immediate left of Krüger's office.

The room appeared to be a vacant bedroom. Ella, still clutching her basket of scones, stood behind the door and watched as Dojo, the head house butler, strode by and banged on the double doors of Krüger's office.

“Is the kitchen making unscheduled deliveries now?”

Ella dropped her basket at the sound of the voice and turned to stare at the sight of a man kneeling by the bed. She grabbed the doorknob when she heard shouts erupt from the room next door. She looked at Christof as he slowly stood from the bed and dusted off the knees of his corduroy trousers.

“Don't be afraid,” he said. “I won't hurt you.”

Whether he would or wouldn't wasn't the issue at the moment, Ella realized. Things were happening next door and she very much needed to be off center stage when events fully erupted. Obviously, Dojo had brought the news to Axel of the attack on his men. She looked around the room in desperation for a hiding place.

“There's always the closet, little mouse,” Christof said with a chuckle. “I, myself, have often used it to avoid certain members of my family.”

Without thinking whether she could trust him—and realizing she had no choice one way or the other, Ella grabbed her basket and ran to the closet. Without a word or a glance, she slipped in and pulled the door, leaving a crack to look through.

Within seconds, Christof's bedroom door swung open and banged against the wall. Axel filled the doorway. Again, Ella found herself shocked by how handsome he was. His eyes were a cerulean blue that would have been dazzling if they weren't so cold. He was dressed elegantly, but his sword, long and deadly, hung at his waist destroying any illusion of fussiness. The man was a killer, Ella reminded herself.

“He has killed three of my best men!” Axel shouted. “And Father knew! I tell you, he is soft in the head. He admitted that he
knew
the convent harbored the evil spirit who killed the axe man and he did nothing! And now my men are dead!”

Ella couldn't understand everything Axel said. He was ranting. But she got enough of it. The attack had been thwarted by the convent.

He knew about Rowan. And he knew where he was.

“That's impossible, Brother,” Christof said. “Calm yourself. No evil spirit killed the axe man.
Father
had him killed.”

“Shut up, you bastard! Shut up!” Axel pulled out his knife and waved it in the air. “I will kill everyone at that convent. I will burn the head witch and throw her fellow witches onto the pyre like kindling!”

Ella fought a terrible urge to burst from the closet and run to the convent and warn them that an attack was imminent. She knew she was sweating and her hands were shaking just watching his display of unrestrained fury.

“Axel, be sensible!” Christof said. Ella could see him hold out a hand to his older brother. “Even you can't justify killing a convent full of nuns. No matter what your past sins are, this is a chance for you to come into the light. Come into the full light of understanding and love that is our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whatever else Christof had intended to tell his brother was lost in a terrible gurgle as Axel screamed incoherently and launched himself at his brother, plunging his knife into him. Stunned, Ella pulled away from the opening in the closet door. She could hear Christof's cries and the sound of Axel stomping out of the room. As she listened, Christof's breathing was labored and then he was silent. She burst from the closet, leaving her basket behind, and dashed down the hall.

She ran until she heard the sound of many feet pounding up the stairs. In a panic, she again turned to the nearest open door and stood in the shadows trying to catch her breath. She reasoned that as soon as the hall filled with people she would be able to escape unnoticed. She was about to leave the room when she heard the voice of Dojo heading her way. He was screaming.

“Someone get help!” he shrieked. “Herr Axel has slain his brother! Get help!”

Ella heard the pounding footsteps of several people running along the hallway. She couldn't tell by the sound alone if there were enough people to camouflage her escape.

Shit!
She backed into the room—
Axel's
room—and looked around in desperation. There was absolutely no place to hide. Not a closet, not a trunk. Not even drapes. The desk was really just a huge table and open underneath. If she attempted to crouch behind it, she would be seen easily by anyone entering the room.

She had only one mad idea that might work—although it could still get her killed—and she got the idea at the very moment she heard the doorknob turning behind her.

R
owan watched
the head butler march down the hall, swinging open every door and looking into every room with his small cadre of castle guards down the hallway. The hall was full of people, most of them useless now that there didn't seem to be anybody with authority in the castle to tell them what to do. There was just enough turmoil going on because of the attack on the brother that Rowan had easily managed to join the throng of servants, visiting noblemen and landowners clogging the narrow hall to get a peek at the dead man. He was dressed as a priest but because of his six foot three frame, the hem of his frock fell only to mid calf. In all the panic, however, no one had given him a single questioning glance.

He watched the butler stop in front of a pair of heavy double doors at the end of the hall. Rowan touched his Glock under his robe. If Ella was behind those doors, he knew he couldn't save her by shooting the place up before he was overpowered, but neither could he let them just take her without a fight. He stood silently and watched the butler jerk open the doors. He prayed she wasn't there, prayed she hadn't been so stupid or foolhardy to hide in one of the bedrooms.

Rowan tensed and put his finger on the trigger of the pistol as the butler stood in the opening of the doors.

“What are you doing here,
Fraulein
?” the butler said with obvious surprise.

“Herr Axel?” Ella's voice answered.

Shit!
Rowan thought.
He pushed roughly past two servant boys who were trying to see inside.

By God, they would all go down fighting if they even laid a finger on her!

Rowan moved to the open doorway. The guards standing there lowered their weapons and were looking inside.

Ella was sitting demurely in the center of the large bed.

Completely naked.

“You will wait a long time for Herr Axel, I'm afraid,
Fraulein
,” Dojo said, snickering, and staring at Ella's full breasts on display for everyone to see. He turned and dismissed the guards. “Keep checking the other rooms,” he ordered. “I will see to the
Fraulein
.”

Oh, hell no,
Rowan thought, as he barged into the room. He heard Ella gasp and pull the
duvet
up to her chin.
Nice
, he thought.
For me, she covers up
.

“What is the meaning of this?” Dojo said to Rowan. “Get out at once!”

“Okay, now I'm gonna shoot your skinny ass in about ten seconds,” Rowan said as Ella hopped off the bed and ran between them.

“
Nein! Nein
!” she said. She turned to Dojo, and said
, “Mein Bruder ist ein Dummkopf.”

Dojo looked at her and then at Rowan. “He speaks a foreign tongue,” Dojo said.

“No, he speaks gibberish,” Ella said. “He is mentally impaired.”

Dojo did a slow up and down of Ella's naked body as she stood before him. He watched as Rowan reached out and took her by the arm.

“Take him and leave at once,” Dojo said to Ella, his voice heavy with resignation. “Herr Axel is in exile. You would do well never to return. Tell his other whores.”

Ella turned to collect the clothes she had sloughed off seconds before he opened the door.

“Immediately!” he shouted, and Ella ran from the room without her clothes, dragging Rowan behind her.

Twenty minutes later, outside the castle walls, she walked quickly toward the convent wearing Rowan's robe. Rowan, dressed in his peasant shirt and pants, walked one step behind her. They walked silently since they knew that speaking English could get them instantly killed by anyone who happened to overhear, but also because Ella knew that Rowan was absolutely fuming.

As soon as they got into the convent kitchen, she turned on him: “I had it handled, Rowan. You need to work on your control issues.”

“And you need to work on how fast you're able to get naked.”

“I thought you liked that particular skill set of mine.”

“I can't believe you're trying to be funny,” he said, daggers in his eyes. “You know how close you came to being raped today? If I hadn't been there? And don't tell me you would've talked him out of it.”

“It would've been bad,” Ella admitted, settling on a kitchen stool and massaging her sore bare feet. “But it would've been better than being hanged in the courtyard.”

Greta came into the room and made the sign of the cross.

“God is blessing us beyond my power to understand why,” she said. “But I fear our protection is at an end.” She turned to Ella. “Did you hear about the men your husband killed today saving our novices?”

“I did. It was the whole reason I was able to sneak in and get the intel we need.”

“You found out something?” Rowan said with surprise. “Something useful?”

“For starters…” Ella turned to Greta. “Axel killed Christof today. I saw it. And then he ran like hell. I guess there's still some kind of law in Heidelberg he fears?”

“Christof is dead?” Greta gasped.

“Yes, and that's bad,” Ella said, “but it's bought us time. And that's good. They know about you, Rowan.” She turned to him. “Axel may yet risk coming here for vengeance.”

“First things first,” Rowan said. He sat down next to her.

“You mean my intel?” Ella said.

“I was going to say, beat your ass, but I guess we could hear what you found out first.” He scooped her off the bench onto his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Sorry,” she murmured into his neck. “I just thought it would be better my way.”

“How many times am I gonna hear
that
throughout our marriage?” he said in a low voice, but he kissed her neck. She felt his arms tighten around her. They sat quietly, holding each other.

“Sorry, Greta,” Ella said, pulling away first.

“No, please,” Greta said. “I understand completely. It has been a tense day for us all.”

“The girls?” Rowan asked.

“Alice's hands are cut deep but nothing that won't heal,” Greta said. “Ceci is fine.”

“And emotionally?”

“You
saved
them, Marshal,” Greta said. “They both know, if not for you, they would be at the castle now or dead.”

“What happened?” Ella asked.

“A bunch of Axel's goons tried to take the girls when we were heading to the goat pasture.”

“You were carrying your
gun
?”

“What's the point of having it if I'm not gonna carry it?”

“Good point, I guess.”

Greta twisted the hemp rope around her waist and bit her lip as she looked at the two. “Christof dead and Axel gone?” she said softly. “I cannot believe that is possible.”

“Believe it, Greta,” Ella said, reaching out to touch her friend's hand. “I think your problems just got handled and we didn't have to do a thing.”

“I cannot believe it,” Greta repeated.

L
ater that night
, Ella and Rowan sat in bed talking in hushed tones. They had barely made it to the bed before they were ripping each other's clothes off, such was their urgency to connect and forgive, to love and get release after their day of risk and terror. Rowan was rougher with her than he had ever been before. His caresses seemed more possessive. Ella understood. He had been afraid, too.

Later, as they lay entwined on the rough pallet of their bed, she kissed his hands and placed them on her breasts.

“I'm sorry, Rowan,” she said.

“I'm telling you, Ella. I have faced down mobsters with AK-47s that didn't scare me as much as seeing you buck naked in that asshole's room.”

“I know. I shouldn't have gone off and let you think I was on for the midnight bonfire.”

“Damn right you shouldn't have.” He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her. “And I need you to promise me right now, Ella, that you won't ever do something that stupid again. Promise me that you'll never go your own way because you think convincing me is just too much trouble.”

“I promise.”

“I mean it, Ella.”

“I mean it, too, Rowan.”

“Shit,” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

He gave her a sly look. “Come ‘ere and I'll
show
you a few sweet things, too.” He grabbed for her and she squealed when they both tumbled from the bed to the floor.

“Shhhhh!” she said, trying not to giggle. “We're in a
convent
, for heaven's sake! Show some decorum.”

“You sure showed plenty of that today and more.”

“You need to hear what I found out today.”

“Yeah, I'm in a big ass hurry, myself,” he said, reaching for her.

She grinned, then leaned over and kissed him. They looked into each other eyes for a moment. “I love you, Rowan,” she said.

“We haven't done this part yet?”

“No, we have not.”

He kissed her. “I love you, too, beautiful. I thought that went without saying.”

“I don't want it to go without saying.”

“I love you, Ella.”

They kissed. And Ella sank onto the bedclothes they'd dragged down to the floor.

“It's almost over,” she said. “Just a few loose ends and the hard part's done. We are coming down the straightaway.”

“Yeah,” he drawled, propping himself up on an elbow again and leaning over her to pull her hair away from her face. “I just hope the finish line ain't booby trapped.” He leaned down and began a kiss that would not be stopped any time soon by conversation.

A
xel held
the carving knife to the woman's throat and pressed. He waited until the blood appeared at the tip of his knife before lifting the blade from her skin. He looked at her husband, surprising himself that he had not heard the man's anguished cries before now, so focused had he been on his task.

“Well?” he asked. “Does your allegiance to the Mother Superior transcend your care for your wife's life?”

The woman quivered and wept. She squeezed her eyes shut against the strong likelihood that she was about to meet her creator. Axel's hand never wavered.

“She asked me to help the boy get a position at the castle,” the man said, his eyes full of terror. “If…if he could do the job, and I saw that he likely could. That is all,
mein Herr
, I swear it!”

“Where did this boy come from? There are no boys living at the convent.”

“She told me he was a relative. A nephew from the country. An addlepate. I beg you,
mein Herr
.”

Axel hesitated. He hated not to finish what he started. But the wench was fetching. He withdrew his knife and before he looked up to see the relief die on the husband's face, he shoved her into the arms of his aide, a brutish man with no nose.

“Bring her,” Axel said. “She will be pierced tonight in more ways than one.”

Laughing at his own wit, he swung up onto his horse and turned its head away from the keening, pleading man he left in the courtyard of the pub.

The balance had been restored to Axel's life an hour ago when his father's messenger had arrived at Axel's favorite Heidelberg whorehouse to say that his brother lived and his father needed him to return to the castle. He tried to remember
why
he had felt the need to flee in the first place. Clearly even the attempted murder of a brother was an inconsequential crime for a man of Axel's station.

So, the hag had planted her spy in his house, had she?
Axel thought of the crescent moon he had carved on the head nun's arm and how she never even flinched. He smiled at the memory. It pleased him to see a woman fight back. They so rarely did.

“
O
kay
, Ella, so what did you find out?”

“I uncovered a plot that will put both Axel and his Pop behind bars or worse.”

“Before you tell me the details, what kind of evidence do we have to back it up?”

Ella was silent.

“You weren't thinking of testifying about what you heard, I trust?”

“You're funny.”

“So you heard them plotting to murder someone important?”

“Very important.”

“But you have no proof. How do we use the information?”

“Well, maybe when the guy shows up dead…”

“I meant
without
allowing them to go through with their dastardly plan, Ella.”

“Look, Rowan. I don't know how we prove it or announce it to the world since that would involve us being burned at the stake hand in hand.”

“As romantic as that sounds…” He grinned and leaned over and kissed her on the nose. “Okay, fill me in on what you found out and maybe the solution will present itself.”

D
ojo
, the butler and head steward, intercepted Axel as he galloped into the stone courtyard of the castle. His lordship had instructed Dojo to send Axel to him as soon as he arrived. Dojo knew his orders did not allow for Axel to eat or unbuckle his sword. He grabbed the bridle of Axel's horse and held it steady while Axel dismounted.

“Your father demands to see you immediately,” Dojo said. “He says you are to gather all the castle forces to attack the convent tonight. It is known that the man who killed your men resides there.”

Axel pulled off his gloves and tucked them into his saddle before turning to Dojo. “Does my father wish me to kill them all?” Axel asked casually.

“Yes, lord,” Dojo said. “Everyone. He would, however, suggest the gardener be taken alive if possible so that he may burn later. For the citizens.”

“Thank you, Dojo. Oh, by the by, I am told a wench was found in my bed chambers today?”

Dojo hesitated, his eyes flickered briefly to the man, still mounted, who accompanied Axel. The man—one of the guards from the castle—grinned a toothless evil grin.