She gave him a serene smile.“I want to see everything put back the way it should be.And we both know that after tonight’s dinner, there will be rumors about you.”
“I hardly care about the gossiping tongues of women who don’t have anything better to do.”
She flinched slightly.“Well.Be that as it may, I think you will have an interest in this matter.”
He waited for her to go on.She walked around the edge of the salon, behaving with a familiarity that seemed out of place.“This isn’t the first time I’ve been in the palace, you know.”
He didn’t respond.She traced her hand over a porcelain figure of a shepherdess.“I was a long-time companion of König Sweyn.His mistress, you might say.”
Horror washed over him when he stared at her.
“No, I am not your mother,” she said, voicing his fears.“But I think you know the man who is my son.”
“Karl,” he said slowly.
“Yes, Karl.”Lady Brentford walked towards the door, stopping before it.“The king and I were lovers, even after he married Astri.When the queen became pregnant, she denied him her bed.It was easy enough to coax him back into mine.But it was short-lived.Soon enough, he went back to her and sent me away.”
“Did he know about Karl?”
“I tried to tell him, but the queen refused to let me into the Schloss.So, I decided that if I could not take my rightful place on the throne, then my son would.”
Michael sensed a ruthlessness, a woman who would stop at nothing to get her desires.He edged his way towards the door, to prevent her from leaving.
“It took a great deal of planning to switch two children,” he said.“I presume it was you who hired the men?”
A grim smile crossed her mouth.“Yes.I had to marry the viscount for his money and influence, a year after Karl was born.Lord Brentford never knew anything about my son.I paid a woman to keep him in the village, far away from us.And my husband was so occupied with his beloved little girl, born from his first wife, he didn’t care whether or not I gave him a child.”
“You waited years,” Michael said.“I was three when you made the switch.”
She nodded.“I had to wait until Brentford was traveling abroad, before I could come back to Lohenberg with Karl.It took time to choose the right men who could hide among the palace guards.And of course, every detail had to be right.Even the scar upon Karl’s leg.I carved the wound myself when he was two,” she said, with a note of pride.
Knowing that she’d hurt her own child made Michael even more tense.“You want him to become the king.”
“If he is king, then my blood will be part of the royal line, just as it always should have been.”
Michael chose his next words carefully, for he knew it was too late for Karl to claim the throne.Not after the queen had formally acknowledged him tonight.“What do you want from me?”
Her icy smile grew thin.“I want your life, in exchange for Lady Hannah’s.”She opened the door, her eyes narrowed.“Karl will not lose what I’ve worked so hard to gain.”
Hannah’s throat was raw, and her eyes were burning.She didn’t know what had happened, but one minute, she was preparing for the banquet, and the next, she was opening her eyes inside a darkened coach.
A man sat across from her, a revolver in his hand.“So, you’re awake, are you?Good.”
“Where are you taking me?”
He smirked.“Away from the Schloss.Once Lieutenant Thorpe learns you’ve been taken, he’ll come after you.I imagine he won’t want anything to happen to a pretty one like you.”He tipped the revolver toward her.
Hannah’s heart clamored, realizing that they meant to lure Michael to her and then kill him.She closed her mouth, not wanting to provoke her attacker by asking more questions.She wondered if he’d been sent by Fürst Karl.
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the side of the coach.Once again, she’d been taken captive by a man against her wishes.Only, with Belgrave, she’d relied upon Michael to save her.This time, she had to save herself.
Remain calm, she urged herself.Think of your options.
Her hands weren’t bound, but jumping from a moving coach was dangerous.If she fell badly, she could break her neck.But then again, once she reached their destination, her escape options would be worse.They’d probably tie her up.And if Michael did come to rescue her after they’d killed him, no doubt they would take her life as well.
She stared down at her violet gown.The skirts were going to be a problem, hindering her escape.But perhaps if she removed the petticoats, the gown wouldn’t billow out so much.
“How much farther are we traveling?”she asked her guard.
