“Lord Rufus will not risk his family and name. He is still here at court; I am sure of it.”
“But Bianca said he was the one.”
“And he was. But he is merely the messenger. He gave my children to someone, knowing what that would do to me. He expects me to retaliate. He expects me to risk the lives of my men as I order them to search for my sons, leaving Northumbria unguarded, which is when he, and whoever he is working with, will strike. They will overthrow me as Northumbria will be vulnerable.
“I do not know who it is because Lord Louis, there are many who want my throne. We must find them.”
“And we will.”
I strip off my offensive garment as Lord Louis turns his back, but my modesty is the least of my concerns. Once I am dressed, I wipe the blood from my face and hands, which are shaking uncontrollably. I need to focus, for this is not how a queen would act.
“Escort me back to the grand hall.”
“Emeline.” Lord Louis addresses me this way only when circumstances are grave and he wishes me to listen. So I know he understands the dire situation we find ourselves in.
“Please.”
Lord Louis finally concedes. “Was Lord Gunter’s arrival a coincidence? Or a distraction?”
Truth be told, it can be either.
Were he and Lord Rufus working together, and when I laughed in the face of the proposal of marriage, they took my children as collateral, knowing I would do anything to get them back? Even accepting Prince Ludwig’s proposal.
We exit the room, and I instantly fall into my role as queen. When we pass the chapel, I grip Lord Louis’s wrist. “Send your most trusted men in there. See if they can uncover who he was.”
He doesn’t ask questions and merely nods.
“I served you, my Queen. You were fucked…in every possible way…you Viking whore.”
I was nothing but a fool not to pay closer attention to him. His armor bore no crests. He could be anyone’s man. The term he used, however, reveals that he knows more than he should.
I have not divulged my past, and after a while, most forgot or perished. Only a remaining few remembered I once saved a Viking who was to be put to death, and the things I did to save him. And that I betrayed my fellow men to save the Northmen.
I knew this time would come. I just thought Skarth would be with me when it did.
We enter the great hall, and as expected, I see Lord Rufus sitting at my table, sipping my wine. A woman is sitting in his lap, whispering something into his ear. His fat belly wobbles as he laughs, and I vow to cut the tongue from his mouth before feeding it to him.
We make eye contact, and I see that he is most surprised I am here. This merely confirms his guilt. But he soon recovers with a smile.
It takes every shred of strength I have not to cut the head from his shoulders for all to see.
“Lord Gunter remains,” Lord Louis says softly. “It is not him?”
“He could have sent his men. I do not know. The man who does know sits at my table happily as he believes he has won, which is why we cannot kill him…yet. He is the only one who knows where my sons are. I suspect he has been in contact with the monks who care for my brother’s children. No doubt he wishes them to take the throne so he can control them, unlike how he can with me.”
Lord Louis nods. “I fear you may be right.”
“Send men to the monastery. Check on the children.”
“If they are well, my Queen?”
I know what Lord Louis asks. The easiest way to eliminate a threat is to kill it. But I cannot condemn my two nephews to death. They are nothing but children.
“Even in death, my brother still haunts me. When will this end, Louis?”
“It will end when you end his bloodline.”
“I cannot do that, for then I would be no better than my brother.”
