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“He is a prisoner of war and deserves only your censure for a poorly run campaign. He does not deserve your respect, or your support. He cares little for loyalty, and his men know it. That is why so many of them come to me.” Maud turned.

“You are the noble families of England. Know that this decision belongs to you. You will decide who is right. A man who attempts to steal his way to the English throne, or the rightful ruler, with a legal and divine right. My right.” Her voice rang out.

The nobles murmured and talked amongst themselves.

Empress Maud said, “I trust you will make the right decision. That is why I invite you all to my coronation tomorrow, where you may witness firsthand the makings of history.”

Queen Matilda opened her mouth to speak.

Maud added, “And I will be hosting a feast tonight, the likes of which you’ll never have seen. It will be one to defy all who say we are not a great nation.” She smirked at Queen Matilda. “I would invite you, dear Matilda, but I fear you will have no appetite.”

Queen Matilda bowed her head. “I have said what I needed to say.” Her eyes flicked to Bronwyn for a second, then she lifted her head and with her shoulders straight, she walked down the long open walkway through the crowds, past the hundreds of people there, and out of the great hall.

The empress rubbed her hands together and said quietly, “Excellent.”

Hours after the empress’s declaration, Theobold shifted in place.

It was like a chill had crept down his spine, and he wanted to hunch his shoulders together and lower his head like a snapping turtle.

He almost wished he wore armor, but that was silly.

Especially as it was June—and hot. But inside the palace walls and the room that Empress Maud had commandeered as her throne room, it was hotter.

She sat on the makeshift throne, resting her hands on the wide, wooden armrests.

Her hair was long and braided, and her veil and gold circlet on her head looked pretty, but her expression was anything but.

Her smile did not meet her eyes, and her gaze was dangerous.

It sent a chill through him, more so than the coldest wind.

This would not end well, he just knew it.

He felt for Bronwyn. It wasn’t her fault she’d fallen into the empress’s court, and she did not deserve to be paraded about and used in such a way.

From Matilda’s reaction to seeing Bronwyn and her rolls, it was clear they knew each other.

He wondered what Stephen’s wife had said to her.

Whatever it was, she’d handled herself well and walked with poise.

She was a promising young woman, if a bit headstrong at times.

At that moment, a small delegation of noblemen, representing the noble families, had come to beg an audience with her in private, away from the prying eyes of the hundreds gathered at the assembly earlier.

He stood along the other knights and guards, ready to defend her if necessary. But these well-dressed noblemen were fat and like sheep, down to their sleepy eyes and self-assured grins. They did not realize they were in the presence of a she-wolf, and she was hungry.

The head of their delegation, Lord Wains, was a middle-aged man in his early forties.

He was heavy-set and round about the middle, and he wore clothes of rich material that strained against his bulk.

There was a simple coin purse at his waist but no blade, such was his trust in the men around him.

His round face bore a smile, and he addressed the empress.

“You see, dear lady, that simply cannot happen. Taxing England’s noblest families to feed your army would not merely rob us out of our house and homes, it would make us poor.

We would no longer be able to look after our own families, or the serfs who serve us.

Would you have us starve to pay for your war? ”

The empress leaned forward in her seat, but before she could speak, he tsked and shook his head.

“Of course not. You wouldn’t be so unkind or heartless toward the good men of this country. Perhaps it is different in France, but here in England, we do not rob the rich to pay for foreign wars.”

“This war is on English soil,” Sir Robert pointed out.

That earned him a hard look. “Yes, I am well aware. But the fact of the matter is, Sir Robert, your great lady asks too much. We can and will pay some, of course. But we cannot risk starving ourselves and have nothing left for winter. We cannot give what we don’t have. You understand.”

Theobold became keenly aware that the empress was trembling.

Her fingers gripped the wide, wooden armrests like claws, digging into ornate, carved designs.

The way her fingers curled and she leaned forward ever so slightly, her chin jutting out, he recognized the signs. She wasn’t just angry. She was furious.

The nobleman, blissfully unaware of this, was saying, “You simply cannot act so… unwomanly. It does no credit to you, your husband the duke, or his cause, to see you demanding things. You cannot just demand people pay for you to go to war. It is not done. There are proper ways to go about these things. But I wouldn’t expect a woman to understand. ”

Theobold exchanged an anxious glance with his master, who said, “Thank you, Lord Wains. You may tell the delegation that the empress will consider your words most carefully.”

The empress rose from her seat and hissed, “You, Sir Robert, do not speak for me.”

“Begging your pardon, Empress, I—” he started, but he fell silent at her murderous expression.

“You, Lord Wains, listen here. I am your empress, and tomorrow, I shall be crowned queen. I fight this war, not because I want to, but because it is my divine right, as bestowed upon me by God, and rightfully due to me from my late father, your king. My cousin is no more than an interloper and his scheming wife seeks to pull the wool over your eyes, but, my good man, we are at war, make no mistake about that.”

The nobleman stared as if struck. He took a step back at her ferocity, blushed at his action, and stepped forward again, reddening more.

“Dislike me or not,” she said, “hate me or not, but our army must survive if we are to free England from the clutches of my cousin, and by God’s good grace, you will pay.”

“My good lady, you don’t—” he started, but she got in his face.

“You seem to be mistaken about your role in this matter. I am not asking . This is not something you can deliberate over . I am telling you, you noble families will pay whatever amount I ask. I do not ask. I demand it.”

The man’s mouth dropped open.

Her eyes blazed, and she was never more furious, or glorious, in that moment, Theobold thought.

“You will pay. That is all. I shall see you tomorrow at my coronation. Good day.” She turned her back on him, returned up to the dais to retake her seat on the throne, and waved her hand imperiously.

“Well…” The man grunted and cleared his throat. “I… um.”

The guards led him away.

Once they were alone in the room, without noblemen present, Sir Robert asked, “Was that wise, Empress?”

She snapped at him. “Do not question me. You would not question my husband, so why are you questioning my commands?”

“You are mistaken, Empress. If a leader of mine was in danger of making an ill judgment, I would question him too.”

“I am not one of your fighters, Sir Robert. I am your empress. And tomorrow, I will be queen. Do not plague me with your questions. You’re worse than Elea—” She stopped.

Her face clouded at the mention of her dead friend, and her eyes snapped to Theobold. “You.”

He stiffened. She knew his name. But not acknowledging him signaled something far worse.

She did not seem to bother with names at times like this.

It was like she stopped caring about honorifics during times of stress.

But honorifics were different from names.

He wondered if he mattered to her, would she use his name?

“Yes, Empress.” He stepped forward.

“I don’t need to tell you how important tomorrow is. It is my coronation. I want no trouble, no mistakes. Make sure my crown is safe and not tampered with. If anything goes awry, I am blaming you.” Empress Maud’s voice was hard; her eyes were crystal clear. Her stare was for him alone.

A lesser man might have been distracted by her cold beauty and dismiss her concerns, like Lord Wains had. They would be fools to do so.

Theobold nodded. “Yes, Empress.”

“Do not fail me, Theobold.”

He swallowed and stepped back into place, in line with the other guards. He noticed Sir Ranulf grin but made no mention of it. The man was ignorant, rude, and self-serving.

Theobold waited for the empress’s audience to conclude, then he exchanged a look with his master, who motioned for him to approach.

Sir Robert said quietly, “Go check on the crown. Don’t let it out of your sight.

Even if you have to sleep with the bloody thing, nothing can disturb the coronation. Too much is riding on this.”

Theobold nodded, accepted a set of iron keys from Sir Miles, and quit the room. He heard footfalls behind him and turned. “What are you doing?”

Rupert said, “I’m coming with you.”

“Why?”

“You know as well as I do, the empress’s success hinges on tomorrow’s coronation going well. Like she said, no mistakes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust that something won’t go wrong.”

“What do you think you can do?” Theobold appraised him.

“I can help. Two heads are better than one. Besides, I don’t trust everyone in that room. Aren’t the men there also those who were present when the empress’s friend died?”

“Yes.”

“Then they all know what she wants, and what she’s charged you to do. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to try to sabotage you, then sit back and let you take the blame.”

Theobold rested his hand on his sword pommel at his hip. “You have a calculating mind.”

Rupert shrugged. “Now, are you going to get Bronwyn, or am I?”

Theobold raised an eyebrow. He clenched his teeth.

“She’s at the heart of this and she can think these things through better than I can. How do you know you won’t be attacked tonight and the crown stolen?”

“I’m one of the empress’s trusted men. No one would dare.”

“You’ve got a high opinion of yourself.” Rupert snorted.

“It’s not an opinion when it’s the truth,” Theobold said.

Rupert rolled his eyes and cuffed Theobold on the shoulder.

Theobold swatted his hand away and gave him a punch back, and they laughed, teasing one another as they walked to the room where the empress had her crowns and circlets locked away.

Most of her crowns and circlets were back at the castle in Gloucester, but for the circlet she wore currently, and the crown with which she was to be made queen.

But as they entered the room, they stopped. “What is it?” Rupert asked.

“This door should have been locked.”

They entered cautiously, looking around.

“Where are the guards?” Rupert asked.

“We don’t post any guards for a locked room.”

“Who has the keys?”

“Sir Miles. But he gave them to me once she ordered me to look after it.” He fumbled the keys in his hands, unlocked the door and tripped, dropping the keys on the floor.

“Look at that,” Rupert said.

As the two entered the room, the large box that held the crown was empty.

“It’s gone. Again,” Theobold said dismally.

A noise, a footstep. A rustle of cloth. Almost like the whisper of skirts against the floor.

“Who’s there?” Rupert asked, looking.

“Huh?” Theobold turned and heard a feminine titter. A hint of skirts swished past the opening. “Wait.” He rushed forward as the door slammed shut. Keys turned in the lock.

Rupert ran at the door, banging on it. He called for help.

Theobold ran a hand through his hair and cursed. “No one’s coming. We’re locked in.”