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“W ord of Daventry’s death spread like fire last eve,” Hugh said angrily. “I thought we were to keep this quiet, de Wolfe. Well? What happened?”

Magnus had been listening to the ravings of a furious man for the past ten minutes, ever since he entered Despenser’s lavish suite of chambers in the royal apartments at Westminster.

Word had it that Despenser simply moved himself in without being invited, and Edward didn’t stop him, so now he occupied rooms facing the Thames.

The city center of London was to the northeast, easily seen from his chambers, and that included the waterfront where The Pox was located.

However, everything was too far away for Despenser or anyone from Westminster to actually see anything in detail, so Magnus knew that Delaina was safe.

For the time being, anyway. Despenser seemed angrier that word of Daventry’s death had reached the ears of the guests than the fact the Daventry’s Jewel hadn’t been brought to him.

Magnus hoped it would stay that way.

“The man died in a garderobe that others were using,” he said steadily.

“We had to remove his body, and it was seen. We put it on a wagon that followed Daventry’s distinctive carriage from Westminster.

I cannot gouge the eyes out of every man who saw him, my lord.

It was inevitable that rumors came about. ”

Hugh sighed sharply. He knew that. But he was still angry about it. “The king evidently liked Daventry,” he said. “He was upset the entire night about it. And what about the son?”

“What about him?”

That enraged Hugh all over again. “Did you speak with him?” he demanded. “Have you seen him at all?”

Magnus’ brow furrowed. “Why would I?” he said. “I do not know him, and I do not want to. The Daventry escort left Westminster, and that was the last I saw of it.”

Hugh wasn’t satisfied. “What about the Jewel?” he said. “I told you to bring me the Ruby. Where is she?”

Magnus shrugged. “I cannot tell you,” he said, which wasn’t really a lie. He couldn’t and wouldn’t. “She left with the escort, although I did send one of my men after the escort to ensure it returned safely to Haydon Square. The Ruby was seen going into the house, but that is all I know.”

Hugh was quickly growing irate with Magnus’ answers. “I told you to bring her to me,” he said. “Go to Haydon Square and retrieve her this morning. That is a command.”

Magnus lifted an eyebrow at him. This was where the conversation went from businesslike to personal, as it did so often when it came to Hugh.

“I am the lord commander,” he said, lowering his voice.

“I do not take commands from you. My commands come directly from the king, so if the king wants me to fetch her, then I shall. But you do not command me, Despenser. I have told you that before. You have your own men to order about, so send them to Haydon Square and make your demands. But I will tell you that Daventry has an heir, so the Ruby would belong to the heir. You will have to take this up with him. Or did you not think of that?”

Hugh turned red in the face. He didn’t like it when those under the king’s command didn’t fall at his feet or rush to do his bidding.

Magnus de Wolfe was one of them. The man was powerful, so powerful that he knew Hugh didn’t have superiority over him.

He was one of the rare few who did, and Hugh had to take it.

But he hated every minute of it.

“If the king gives you an order, you will obey it,” he snarled. “I will make sure Edward knows you have been disagreeable to his minister.”

“And I will make sure the king knows you have been trying to usurp his power.”

“How dare you say such things!”

“How dare you do such things,” Magnus returned evenly.

When he saw that Hugh was gearing up for what would surely be a nasty retort, he lowered his voice further.

“Do not tangle with me, Despenser, for you shall lose. I command more men than you could ever hope to. One word from me and the House of de Wolfe will turn against Edward, and he will lose the north. And I shall make sure Edward knows it is all your fault, so know your place. Polite requests from you will be honored to the best of my ability. Commands will be ignored. Is this in any way unclear?”

Hugh was so angry that he was twitching, but he didn’t immediately reply. He knew that everything Magnus said was true. He was one of the only men unwilling to bend to Hugh’s will, so it was a standoff at the moment.

But that didn’t dampen Hugh’s resolve.

“It does not matter,” he said after a moment, trying desperately to regain the upper hand in the conversation. “I have my own men, as you have said. I will find her and I will not stop until I do.”

Magnus believed him implicitly. “I would suggest you speak with Daventry’s heir,” he said. “The man is in need of money, so I’ve heard, so mayhap he will sell her to you for the right price.”

Hugh shrugged, a little too casually. “Mayhap,” he said. “If he does not, then I shall take her. In fact, I will tell Edward about her, and then he can issue an order to you to go and claim her. If an order from the king is what you need, then I shall have it.”

“Make sure it comes from his own lips.”

“You can be certain that I will.”

“Is that all?”

Hugh looked him up and down, his gaze licking the man from top to bottom, as if sizing up what was becoming a very large blockage in his quest for power.

“For now,” he said. “You may go, de Wolfe.”

Without another word, Magnus did. But he knew this wasn’t going to be the last he heard from Hugh Despenser on the subject of Lord Daventry’s Jewel.

The stakes were raised.