Through The Leaded Glass (33 page)

“
I’d rather die than live with
him.” She tried to wrench from his hold.

Frederick merely laughed. And pointed his
blade at her throat. “That’s an option.”

“
Kate, you must do as he says. For
your sake. Mine. William. Emma.”

Kate bit her lip and it broke Alex’s heart to
see a tear escape.

He’d kill Frederick for that tear, but he’d
prolong the torture for everything else he’d done.

“
There, Frederick. She’s willing to
help you. Ride off to the king and spin your tale.”

“
Do you think you’re smarter than
me, Alex? That I believe her sudden submission on her word alone?
That she’ll denounce you in front of Henry? I’m not so easily
fooled. I have the means to secure her obedience and I shall use
it.”

“
She has given her word, what more
do you want?” Alex fisted his hands. Where the
hell
was
Gregorio?

“
Ah, yes. That damn Shelton oath.
But she’s not yet a Shelton. Then again, I am, and the oath means
nothing to me, so your point is moot. Besides, William will make
her do what I wish. Have you forgotten how biddable a woman becomes
when a child is involved? Kate will certainly turn against you for
William’s life.”

Kate grabbed his arm. “Why you miserable
son-of—”

Frederick smacked her jaw with the blade.
“Quiet. This headstrong manner of yours is tiresome. We’ll correct
that once William is mine.”

“
You won’t have the chance,
Frederick. William is safely guarded within
my
keep.”
Look at
me
, Kate
. If she’d only be quiet, allow him
to keep Frederick’s attention. But no, that wasn’t the Kate he knew
and loved.

“
As with everything else I have
planned, that, too, won’t be a problem, Alex. You have the most
damnable ability to instill loyalty, so I’ll simply demand William
for your life. What’s the life of one small child compared to that
of their precious earl? When I have him, Kate and I will ride to
Henry. If she doesn’t convince the king, she and William will
die.”

“
Then you’ll have failed.” Kate
said.

Alex admired her spirit, but would she please
stop talking?

“
Will I, Kate? Alex will have lost
his precious son and the chance at Isobel’s land—which, I must
say—”he looked at Alex—”was well done of you, by the way. I
couldn’t have planned it better myself. But then you stupidly threw
it away for this one—who you’ll no longer have either. How many
women do you think, Alex, would consider marrying you and giving
you heirs if each one ends up dead? Wexham’s having a tough time of
it these days, isn’t he?”

“
Frederick—”

“
You grow tiresome, Alex. Call out
to your men to bring William to me and let’s be done with
this.”

“
This is between you and me. I
haven’t brought any men with me.” It certainly felt that way. Where
was Gregorio? Nick? Tris?

“
Then you’re even more foolish than
I thought. Ah, well, no matter. I’ve proven I can get to William
without you, if you recall.”

“
I won’t sacrifice my
son.”

“
But you will sacrifice Kate?
Interesting. And you say
my son
as if he’s some divine
being. He’s a child, Alex. A remarkably easy thing to create. Last
count I believe I’ve created twenty-two.” He flicked the blade
against Kate’s throat again, toying with her, with him, as a cat
does with a mouse.

“
And that, Frederick, is why you
never understood the treasure you have in those children.” Alex
couldn’t keep the loathing from his voice. “My people would never
risk William for me because they know I wouldn’t want them to. The
love of a parent is a mighty thing, Frederick. To protect our
offspring we would do anything. Only someone as twisted as you
could never understand such a bond, which was why no one mourned
your passing. You are, and always have been, selfish and heartless,
with no thought for anyone but yourself.”

“
You talk most highly when I hold
Kate at my mercy.”

“
Release her, Frederick. This has
nothing to do with Kate. We’ll settle it ourselves.”

“
It’s a nice thought. Very poetic.
But I fail to see the need.” Frederick dragged Kate toward the next
corridor, the sword never wavering from her throat. “I have what I
need.”

Frederick was backing through the doorway. The
next chamber, if Alex remembered correctly, had numerous exits.
Gregorio would never find them. Time was running out. He had to get
her away now. “Kate, do you remember the ending to the story you
told the ladies?”

Kate’s eyes widened. Then a glimmer of a smile
appeared. She nodded. “The potion?”

“
Yes.” Thank God she was smart. And
brave. Magnificent. “I want you—”

“
Enough!” Frederick cut in. Not
that it mattered. His message had been passed and, more
importantly, received. “I don’t care what you need. No more of
love. No silly fare-thee-wells. Give me William and she’ll live.
You, however, won’t. There’s no choice, Alex. At last,
I
have what you want.”

“
You think you’ve beaten me? That
you’re in control? No, Frederick. You’re the one who lost.” To
Kate, he ordered, “Now!”

Chapter
Thirty-One

Kate slumped in Frederick’s arms, as Romeo had
done when he drank the potion.

Alex grabbed the knife from his boot and leapt
forward as Frederick instinctively aimed the sword at his attacker,
as Alex had known he would.

Kate fell, her long skirt tripping Frederick
when he lunged.

Alex feinted left. Frederick recovered quickly
and attacked with a vengeance. He’d always been an excellent
swordsman, but his injured arm put him at a
disadvantage.

Alex advanced then retreated, dodging the
swinging blade, looking for the right moment.

Kate edge toward the opening between the two
chambers. Frederick lunged after her. Alex parried the blow, but
his short knife was no match for the sword—
his
sword. He
feinted left again, drawing Frederick away from Kate, giving her
every possible chance to escape.

But Frederick, though mad, was not stupid. He
ran after her and slammed his sword on the stone in front of her.
“Going somewhere, Kate?”

“
You are a vile and evil man.”
There she went with her ill-placed bravery again.

“
A vile and evil earl, you mean.”
Frederick slid the blade beneath her nose.

Alex took a step toward his brother, lifting
the knife as he did so. One well placed aim…

“
Honestly, Alex, you’re entirely
predictable and bothersome.” Frederick yanked Kate in front of him.
“I should have just killed you when you were a child. I thought
sending you to Brittany, to marry some little mouse and have a slew
of brats would keep you from me. Away from Shelton. But you
couldn’t even do that right, could you?” Frederick flipped back the
matted hair slipping over his good eye. “No, you had to befriend
Henry, one of the best swordsmen on the continent.” He spat. “I
should have sent you to a monastery instead. There you’d have had
no chance of begetting William, my ruination.”

Alex didn’t take his eyes off the sword at
Kate’s throat. He knew how sharp that blade was, what it was
capable of. Hell, he’d made certain it was always sharp the moment
things had begun disappearing at Shelton.

“
Frederick, I fail to see how my
son could be your ruination. You were perfectly capable of
begetting your own, as you have proved on deplorably many
occasions.”

Frederick lost his smile. “That stupid bitch I
married refused to come willingly to my bed so I had to force her.
But she couldn’t conceive, the wretch. It was good of her to
finally ease my suffering. At least she knew when she wasn’t
wanted. But you? You never figured it out, did you, Alex? For
certain, you wouldn’t have come running to Shelton when I went off
to fight. As if you were doing me some great service…”

Alex paid but little attention to Frederick’s
ramblings for he’d seen Gregorio’s shadow flicker on the
wall.

“
So what now, Frederick?” he asked,
advancing. Kate was crucial to his brother’s plan; he doubted
Frederick would kill her. Not that he wanted to risk that
possibility, but he needed to get Kate within touching distance of
that window.

“
Get back, Alex. I’ll kill
her.”

“
No, you won’t, Frederick. You need
her. Don’t
you
just love the irony? All of your plans hinge
on the agreement of a woman. You, who has nothing but disdain and
contempt for women are now dependent on one.” He took two steps
forward, gratified to see the mask of conviction slip from his
brother’s face.

And that Frederick took two steps
back.

“
I am not dependent on her. It will
simply make my claim that much easier. I can do it without her.”
Another step back.

“
Then do it. Let her go and fight
this battle on your own.”

“
Don’t think I don’t know what
you’re trying to do, Alex.” The sneering, snide Frederick was back.
“But it’ll never work. Too many plans are in motion. You’ve already
got a summons to see the king, courtesy of Farley. It all worked
out too perfectly.”

Gregorio slipped the window into the chamber
behind Frederick. If Kate reached out her left hand…

“
Kate, that surprise I promised you
today? It’s here.” He flicked his head toward it.

It took Frederick a lot longer to make sense
of his words than it did Kate. She lunged to her left, but checked
her swing before she touched the window.

That one second of indecision did her in.
Frederick saw it and yanked her away.

“
Dammit, Kate!” Alex breathed. “Why
didn’t you take it?”

“
Yes, Kate, why didn’t you? Though
I must say it is a trifle unwieldy to hit me with.”

She ignored Frederick. “Alex, what if it
worked?”

“
That’s the point,
Kate.”

“
But I’ll never see you
again.”

Her words ripped a hole in his heart. “I know.
But it’s too dangerous here. You have to go, Kate. I love you too
much to risk your life.”

“
Oh, Kate! Oh, Alex!” Frederick
imitated. “You two make me ill. Now, shut up, or I might do more
damage to her soft, soft skin than you did.” The bastard’s twisted
fingers fluttered along her throat and dragged her back into the
chamber.

Gregorio was too far away to help and
Frederick’s arm never wavered. There was only one way to save
her.

Alex grabbed the window and tossed it to her.
“Goodbye, Kate. I love you.”

She caught it.

Then the air twisted around her, leaving only
her whispered, “I love you, too, Alex,” behind.

Chapter
Thirty-Two

The swirling started again, just like before.
The air became heavy and Alex’s face shimmered in front of her as
the air coiled and color flashed in front of her, and the world
went silent.

Then, suddenly, sounds came rushing back.
Including that of shattering glass.

“
Oh, it’s broken.”

A fairy stood next to her—the sales clerk from
the gift shop where she’d found the window.

The window that was now broken at her
feet.

Broken. That about summed it up.

The pain was too intense; Kate couldn’t speak.
She just waved to the sales clerk and stumbled out of the
shop.

Faire goers laughed around her. Dragon masters
displayed their baby dragons in plastic cages in front of the shop,
and a band of minstrels played their instruments before the Queen’s
procession.

It was all too familiar. All too hideously
normal
.

Kate stood there for a minute, taking in the
sights and sounds. Songs from The Globe Theater had the audience
laughing. A wench chased one a patron into a costume shop, his
jeans-and-sweatshirt-clad girlfriend laughingly playing along. A
jester in green—not purple—juggled plastic swords as he walked past
her.

And her costume was in perfect condition. Not
a gash nor a drop of blood to be found.

Kate pulled back her sleeve. Nothing. But
she’d felt it, felt the blade cutting into her, felt the warm
stickiness of blood flowing down her arm.

It couldn’t have been a dream. It
couldn’t.

She raised her hand. The ring—

…
was dented and dull and covered in
grime.

She
couldn’t
have imagined
it.

A woman dressed as a pirate skirted around her
to enter the shop. Kate grabbed her arm. “What day is
it?”

The woman looked at her as if she was
crazy.

“
Please, I know how it sounds, but
what’s the date?”

“
September fourteenth.”

“
And the year?”

The woman smiled. “Why ‘tis the year of our
lord, fifteen hundred sixty-three, m’lady.”