The Prince of Lies (Night's Masque, #3)(74)

“Percy, such a pleasure to see you,” Princess Juliana cried, holding out a hand in welcome. “Please accept my condolences.”

Northumberland bowed. “Alas I am not here on pleasure, Your Highness, but on my godson’s business. Your son’s business.”

“Henry?” She got to her feet. “What? Is he unwell?”

“Nay, madam, calm yourself. Your son is as well as ever and quite recovered from his fall.”

Juliana sat back down with a sigh. “What other business can he have with his mother?”

“It is not with you, Your Highness, but with Mistress Catlyn. And her son.”

Coby’s stomach clenched in fear. “My lord?”

“Mistress Catlyn, I must ask you to surrender your son into my custody.”

“May I ask why, my lord?” It was as much as she could do to keep her voice from breaking.

“My godson requests his presence as a companion.” The ladies-in-waiting gasped, and the earl smiled thinly. “I need hardly add that this is an unprecedented honour.”

Coby stared at him for a long moment. “Of course, my lord. When…?”

“His Highness is impatient to meet his new playmate. I am instructed to collect him this afternoon, immediately after dinner.”

“So soon…?” That would give hardly any time to alert Mal, which was undoubtedly their intention.

“Would you keep His Highness waiting?”

“N-no, of course not, my lord.”

“Good.” He looked her up and down. “You may accompany him to Hampton Court, to see him settled in his new lodgings. Good day, Lady Catlyn.”

Northumberland bowed again, turned on his heel and left. All was silent for a moment, but as soon as the door closed behind him, the presence chamber erupted into chatter. Coby ignored the questions and congratulations as she got to her feet.

“If you will excuse me, Your Highness, I have much to do.”

She barely waited for the princess’s acknowledgement before fleeing the room half-blinded by tears.



Mal stared at the brief note from his wife. His son, taken into the guardianship of his worst enemy? It was not to be borne, and yet he could see no way around it. Henry might only be five years old, but he was a prince of the realm, third in line to the throne. It could not be the boy’s idea, though, surely? Guiser children were precocious, but not by so much that they could make strategies like an adult. This was more of Olivia’s scheming, he was certain of it. With Percy out of the way she was free to take control of the young prince and bring the entire country under her thumb. Mal shivered. He had taken Venice from her, and now she had taken his son in return.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs outside. Sandy. Mal’s heart sank. How was he going to explain to his brother? He got to his feet, shoving the note into his pocket.

“Sandy–”

“I heard,” his brother said. “I spoke to Susanna as she left.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped.

“I will go to court.” Mal picked up his rapier and began fastening the hanger about his hips. “If I petition Robert–”

“No.”

“No?” He stared at Sandy. “They’ve taken my son. Your amayi.”

“As a hostage against our good behaviour. As long as we make no further move against them, they will not harm him.”

“And we can be certain of that, can we?”

“If they harm him, he becomes useless to them.”

“Sandy, this is Kit we’re talking about. He’s my son, not a pawn in some game.”

“No, he is Kiiren. Our one true ally in the fight against them.” Sandy got to his feet. “He rescued us from Jathekkil. Or had you forgotten?”

“He doesn’t even remember who he is; you saw to that. And he’s still a child.”

“He is tjirzadh, more than a century old. Childhood is but a passing phase for us, sweet but brief.”

Mal shook his head. He is a child. My child. Not of my flesh, perhaps, but of my heart.

“We can get him back,” he said. “Take him far away from here, somewhere they’ll leave us alone.”

“Will they? And in any case, what will you tell Kiiren in ten years’ time, when he is old enough to learn the truth? That we were too craven to fight the guisers, and left England to their mercy? I thought you wanted them gone?”

“I do. But how do we fight them with Kit as their hostage?”

Sandy spread his hands. “We don’t.”

“So you’re just going to let Olivia take him from you? Let them win?”

“No. We wait, and watch. Kiiren wants the renegades defeated as much as anyone, and as the childhood friend of their leader he will be better placed than anyone to work against them from the inside. Let them think they have won; then, when their guard is down, we will use this over-reaching blow against them.”

“It could be years–”

“Yes, yes, it will. But tjirzadheneth plan for the long term, and so must we.”

“I used to think we were so alike,” Mal said. “But you’re not even human any more. You’ve become as cold and heartless as they are.”

“I am one of them. And so are you.”