A Dishonorable Knight(144)

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"Lady Catherine."

"Your Majesty," Catherine said with a deep curtsey. This was it, she thought. He was now going to tell her that she would become a countess as soon as her wedding trousseau could be prepared. She had been nothing but honeyed sweetness to Earl Brackley and she had no doubt he was well taken with her. She had even thought of a way to convince her new husband to allow her to remain at court for a while so she could lord her exalted position over the other ladies who had thought her a ninny since she first came to court, nine months before. Smoothing her face into a pleasant expression that could instantly pinken with surprised pleasure at the news the king was sure to impart, she looked up into Richard's narrowed gaze. What she heard made her mouth drop open in an unbecoming gape.

"Lady Catherine, how is it that you came to help Gareth ap Morgan escape from Our prison this day? Do you not know that you have committed an act of most heinous treason?"

"What? Gareth who? Your Majesty, I--"

Richard slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair. "Do not toy with Us, lady. We are well enraged at your betrayal as it is. Where is Gareth ap Morgan? Has he left for France to meet up with the dog Tudor or is he headed for Wales?"

Though her legs were quaking with the effort to remain standing, Catherine cleared her throat and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly beg your forgiveness, for I do not know of what you speak. Who has escaped? What have I done?"

"That is what We would like to know." Richard's voice was hoarse with anger.

Sir Jasper stepped forward and without the king's permission, addressed Catherine. "Good Lady, were you in the lower chambers anytime today?"

"Heaven forbid, no! It's horribly nasty down there. Why on earth should I go there?"

"Would you mind telling us where you spent the day?"

"I was with His Majesty's entourage as he hunted! Remember Your Majesty? I rode with the Earl of Brackley? I was wearing a blue gown."

Sir Jasper turned to Richard for confirmation. Grudgingly, the king answered, "I do not remember seeing you with Us, but I did authorize your presence with Us."

Turning back to the nervous Catherine, Sir Jasper asked, "And what did you do upon returning to the castle?"

"I went upstairs to bathe and dress for the evening meal. Margaret was in the room, you can ask her."

"That won't be necessary." Pulling the broken necklace from his pocket, Sir Jasper asked Catherine, "Is this yours, my lady? A guard found it and thought he had seen it round your neck."

Catherine recognized the expensive piece as Elena's and was tempted to claim it since Elena would never be back for it. Her lingering fear over being barked at by the king stopped her. "No, Sir Knight. That necklace belongs to Ele--Lady Elena."

King Richard stood so abruptly and forcefully that his chair tipped backwards, crashing loudly against the stone floor. "Of course it does," he bellowed. "Why have you wasted Our time, Jasper? By now that conniving bitch could be anywhere. She's probably met up with Morgan by now and they are on their way to tell Tudor all they can about my troops!"

Catherine's eyes were wide with fear and surprise at seeing Richard nearly mad with rage. Bowing quickly, she backed out of the room as fast as she could. Once outside the room, she leaned against the cold damp wall and tried to stop her trembling. For an instant in there, she had thought to visit the executioner at dawn. Now that she was safely out of Richard's sight, she realized that his rage was directed at Elena and she smiled. Straightening from the wall, she began humming a tuneless song as she walked upstairs. Perhaps it does help to tell the truth, she thought.





Chapter 32




Elena was going to drop out of the saddle if she rode one more league. Was it but a few hours ago that she had thought she'd never be able to sleep? She now felt as though she could fall asleep in the narrow culvert that ran next to the moonlit road. "How much longer to the inn?" she asked wearily.

The two soldiers who had ignored her thus far looked at each other and then returned their attention to the road. The ever-polite guard--did he have a slight accent? Elena was too tired to decide--urged his horse up next to hers and said, "We should arrive any moment, Lady. Do you think you can last a few more minutes?"

There was a definite lilt to the man's speech, Elena decided. Not bothering to answer his question (after all, she had to go on whether she thought she could hold out or not), she posed one of her own. "Are you Welsh? Your accent reminds me of my recent visit there."