A Queen's Spy, - [best books under 200 pages .txt] 📗

getting close to her skin.

“Perhaps, but under the circumstances, I think I have the upper hand, don’t you agree? Now tell me what you’ve done or believe me…”

“Back off Richard. Now!” Jack leapt over the fence.

“Very well.” Richard did step back from Catherine, but not before he’d forced the sword’s point though the final layers of fabric and deep into her shoulder. Catherine screamed and dropped to her knees.

“You bastard!” Jack stepped towards his brother, his intention clear.

“Do you think so? I have had enough of swordplay for one day. I believe that the lady is in need of some assistance, “Richard said and cast the sword he held into the mud at Jack’s feet.

Jack hesitated, then dropped to his knees in front of Catherine and pulled her unwilling hand from the blooded shoulder.

“Let me see, please?” Jack asked, his voice quiet and level.

Dan watched Jack, with Catherine in his arms, return to the house then went to find Richard. “What the hell did you do?” Dan grabbed Richard’s arm.

“I don’t know,” Richard pulled from Dan’s grasp.

“Shall I tell you now, or shall I let you work it out for yourself when your clouded brain clears?” Dan growled. “That was a hard lesson, a graver one than many of the men here have suffered at your hands.”

“I have good reason.”

“Maybe, and if so, share it with Jack before he puts a well-deserved knife in your ribs,” Dan growled. “I might even hold you while he does it.”

“All right, go and fetch him then,” Richard snapped.

 

 

†

 

 

 

Dan had duly brought a reluctant and still angry Jack to where Richard waited in the empty hall. Richard’s calm reasoning had begun to dampen Jack’s murderous rage.

“Ask her? Ask her who pursued her down the streets of London. It wasn’t Wyatt’s rebels, no; it was Robert’s men. Alan set her to plead at the gates and have them opened, and they were. Fortunately, Dan didn’t throw them as wide as Alan had planned, so they had to mount an attack on the walls. And you, dear brother, helped the angel who nearly killed you escape neatly from the back of the house.”

Jack shook his head, but his brother continued. “Ask her, or ask yourself; it’s all there. She doesn’t like me, and with reason. She thinks I put her household to the sword. Alan knew, and she made a willing participant in his scheme. I am not sure yet how Robert found out where she was; that’s the only piece of the puzzle I have yet to fit into place. Most inventive of my brother to use Wyatt as a cover for his own plans though, don’t you think?”

Jack’s face was pale. “Alan!”

“Yes Alan. That you were in there then didn’t matter to her at all,” Richard cruelly pointed out. “And now you know why the lady wished so much to be at Burton. She hoped to find me, and as you know I have been elsewhere, neither in London nor at Burton. She was waiting for me to come here.”

Jack rubbed calloused palms across his face and paced across the hall. This was all fitting too well together. Alan!

A dark looked crossed Richard’s face. “What’s happened that I don’t know about?”

Jack didn’t answer.

Richard’s voice adopted a sterner edge. “Jack, what’s happened?”

Jack turned back to face his brother. “If you didn’t keep everything to yourself all the time then none of this would have happened. Alan’s gone, I caught him trying to beat the daylights out of Catherine, he escaped. I tried to track him down but he got away from me.”

“Well that fits. He wouldn’t want her telling you about what had actually happened in London. If he saw that she had a liking for you, then it was a risk he couldn’t take,” Richard mused. “He would need to get rid of her.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jack said, his words lacking conviction.

“Yes, you do, or you wouldn’t still be here, would you?” Richard said, the harsh edge gone from his voice.

“But…you think she still means it?” Jack stammered.

“I’m sorry Jack. Judging by the fact that she lost her temper when I threatened you, I don’t think she wants you dead, if that helps,” Richard replied.

“She believes she has every reason to want you dead, and Richard, you have never done anything to change her mind. Today will not have helped any. How can I persuade her now that she was wrong?” Jack sounded tired, his voice strained.

“Jack,” Richard, moving forwards, caught his brother’s arm. “Won’t you even allow me, for once, my temper? It is something you revel in yourself often enough.”

“What family loyalties did you refer to by the way?” Jack sounded confused as he pulled roughly away from Richard’s hold.

“The lady almost succeeded in killing you, it is not a state of affairs I found myself happy about,” Richard spoke through clenched teeth; his temper had not left him.

There was a silence between them for a moment, then Richard murmured, “Such facts as the ones you had learnt need time. Have I given you enough?”

“I don’t know. Richard…” Jack buried his head back in his hands. “What you did today…”

Richard sighed painfully. “For you, for what might not be, for what I have not done, I will try, heaven knows why.”

Richard moved towards the dais and dropped heavily into one of the chairs.

“I will go and see how the lass is, and I’ll soon know the truth of your words,” Jack said and left his brother alone. After only a few minutes with the tearful girl he knew the truth of Richard’s words.

It was an hour before Jack returned. Richard was still seated alone at the dais when Jack stepped up and lowered himself into a chair next to him, pulling from his pocket a deck of cards.

“Why do you try me so?” Jack asked quietly, his hands riffling the cards.

“Do I?” Richard raising his head looked at Jack, his hand held a half empty cup, and the gaze that held Jack’s was less than perfectly focussed.

He’s drunk, thought Jack, an unusual state for Richard. Perhaps the tables may turn tonight.

“Yes, you bloody do!” Jack placed the deck of cards face down. “Cut.”

“What are the stakes?” Richard’s words bore an edge of inebriation as he lowered his eyes to the deck.

“If you get the highest card you can beat the living daylights out of me for this; however, if I draw the highest card then I get to take my retribution. You should have told me,” Jack’s voice was weary now rather than angry.

“If I had, you would have denied her the opportunity to change her mind, and I think she may have.” Richard’s hand hovered over the deck. “Is she alright?”

“What do you think? No, I think we can say she has not taken it too well,” Jack said, watching his bother’s hand about to cut the worn deck.

“A little dramatic, I agree. Sorry, I was drunk,” Richard ventured, then laughing. “Come on, she wasn’t exactly bleeding to death. It was only a scratch.”

“Were you?” Jack hadn’t realised.

“Very. Allow me some weakness. I fancied meeting neither you nor the lady sober,” Richard smiled, but with little humour. “So, to the cards, if I get the highest card…” Richard cut and held up an eight of clubs.

“A fair hand brother,” Jack cut the remaining deck and held up a queen of diamonds.

“I am undone. Would you like to extract your penance now? I am deep in my cups so it probably won’t hurt so much, or shall we wait?” Richard slurred resignedly.

“I probably should, but not tonight. Richard, promise me instead that you will tell me in the future. I cannot make the right decisions if I don’t know all the facts,” the anger had gone from Jack’s voice.

“A fair comment, alright.” Richard conceded. “Anything else?”

“No more tricks with Catherine,” Jack said, “that was fairly cruel.”

“Ah, the Chevalier protects the lady to the last,” Richard said grinning a little lopsidedly.

“Careful,” Jack warned.

“Sorry, yes, I will improve my behaviour,” Richard replied quickly, his hands raised in gesture of conciliation.

“What would that be then?” said Jack asked darkly. “From the wholly unacceptable to merely slightly unacceptable?”

“Something like that,” Richard grinned.

Jack could, for some reason, not stop himself and smiled back. “You really don’t care what anyone thinks of you?”

“Not really,” Richard accepted, then his brow furrowed and he asked, “Why, by the way, did you make the unhappy lady’s state worse by saddling her with the brand of being my sister? Was that to teach me another lesson as well by any chance?”

“Ah no. I just thought that it would keep straying hands off her. Both from fear of yourself and a worry that she might share some of your more unwelcome characteristics,” Jack said, unable to resist a malicious smile.

“I’ll not ask what those are,” Richard said, raising a hand to still Jack’s words.

“Probably best not to,” agreed Jack.

“You want to know about Robert as well, am I right?” Richard reached for the pitcher and refilled his cup.

This was unexpected, and Jack’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s a most unhappy state; you find yourself between nothing,” Richard slurred opening one empty hand, “and nothing.” The other joined it. “It’s no different for me. The Lady Elizabeth has moved from legitimate to illegitimate at the stroke of a pen; the same is true of you, and there is little that can be done. Have you thought what you would do?”

Jack shook his head.

“There is only one way you can go. Legally establish yourself as heir, sue through the courts of chancery.” Richard dropped back in the chair and regarded his brother with an unsteady gaze. “You could not win. Your family is backed by too much wealth. Such a claim would fail and fail maybe after many years. Do you wish to wait your life out on such meagre hopes?”

“There must be something. Surely you can’t expect me to…”

Richard cut him off. “No, I cannot expect you to let it fall from your mind. Robert will track me, of that I am sure and,” a delighted smile wandered onto his face, “it is an encounter I most surely will enjoy. There can be only two outcomes.”

Jack looked up at that. “Go on.”

“Either I shall be overcome, in which case these problems will be your own, or… or my father’s favourite bastard will die at my feet,” Richard said evenly. “So, as you can see, Jack, the chances of me becoming heir slightly outweigh your slender hopes, and on that, and on me, you will have to trust.”

“What are you saying?” Jack delivered each word carefully.

“I am saying, if I succeed, for a reckoning will come, that I can defer to you,” Richard spoke quietly, his eyes never leaving his brother’s.

“You mean if Robert dies you would give me all that you inherit!” Jack’s voice was incredulous, and loud.

“Shhhh! Do not share my intended generosity with the rest of the hall, or else I shall have them all placing suits at my door and I have only a limited stock of potential inheritance,” Richard said quickly. “As I