Page 49

A hand touched Bronwyn’s arm. She startled, jumping in her sleep, when a hand covered her mouth. Her eyes flew open.

Lady Morwenna held a finger to her lips and whispered, “Come with me.”

Bronwyn swallowed. Lady Morwenna had found her whilst she’d been sleeping.

Was she wise in going with her, away from other people?

She hesitated, then thought to herself, I want to learn more .

What if like Lady Susanna, Lady Morwenna had more information to share about the night Lady Eleanor was killed?

She could not picture the woman being so brazen as to attack her, even if she’d been up to no good.

Bronwyn rose silently, pulling on her dress over her head and slipping on her shoes. She tiptoed out of the room, past the sleeping forms of the other maids and kitchen girls.

Once outside the chamber, she shut the door and whispered, “What is it? Why did you wake me?”

“Time is growing short, and I need someone I trust won’t throw me to the wolves. Can I trust you?”

Bronwyn blinked. “Lady Morwenna, what are you talking about?”

Lady Morwenna pushed back a strand of dark hair from her face. “You don’t understand. Today is the coronation.”

“I know. We’ve been cooking till late last night to prepare for the feast afterward.”

“There won’t be a feast, unless it’s for a funeral. They’re going to kill the empress. Today.”

“What? Who? How?”

“The crown, you silly. They’ve poisoned it again. Don’t you know anything? I thought you were smart. Isn’t that why the empress and Lady Alice like you?” Lady Morwenna rolled her eyes.

Bronwyn was too tired and curious to be annoyed at the slight. She also noticed that Lady Morwenna didn’t say who was involved in this supposed new poisoning. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Lady Morwenna put her hands on her hips and sighed, then motioned for her to follow.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere quieter. I don’t want anyone to hear what I have to say.”

Curiosity ate at her. Bronwyn nodded slowly and followed her down the corridor and down the main staircases, to the very depths of the castle, where the air was cold and damp and a dank smell chilled her.

“This way. I need to talk with you in private,” Lady Morwenna said.

“What is this place?”

“The jail. I thought we would be safe here.” Lady Morwenna led her into one of the cells.

Unease crept at the base of her spine. “Lady Morwenna, I don’t think—”

“The crown is missing.”

Bronwyn’s mouth dropped open.

“I wanted to tell you, but I never got the chance. You ruined their plan earlier, back at the camp outside of Lincoln. The night of the battle, they plotted to hide the crown, but then when it wasn’t found amidst Lady Alice’s things, that messed up all their plans to discredit the empress.”

“You took it that night, didn’t you? I could smell your rose perfume in the tent when I found Lady Eleanor. You were there.”

Lady Morwenna gave a stiff nod.

“What were you doing there?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you were part of a plot to steal it. You weren’t working alone. Your partner had already killed the one guard there. Lady Eleanor caught you taking the crown and demanded to know what you were doing, and when you tussled, your partner strangled her with a garrote.”

Lady Morwenna looked sick. “I… I did, for a time, regret it went that far. I went to Theobold, you know. He told me he was only romancing you to get close to you, upon order of the empress. She doesn’t trust you.

” She laughed bitterly. “She doesn’t trust anyone.

Even me, when I’ve obeyed her every want and need.

And what do I get? Nothing. To sit in her presence and play music and read French.

I don’t even like French.” She gritted her teeth.

“When I found you dangling from the castle parapet, that was a warning, wasn’t it? You’d gone to Theobold for help, to escape, and he’d turned you down. The man you were working with found out about it and gave you a warning.”

Lady Morwenna paled. “You think you’re so smart. You don’t know anything. If you’re so smart, who do you think did it? Who killed Lady Eleanor?”

“I think your partner was Sir Bors. That night in the tent, after he killed Lady Eleanor—with your help—he heard people coming and had you hit him so he looked injured, then told you to flee. But your perfume stayed.”

Lady Morwenna smoothed down her dress once, twice. She kept at the motion so it was almost frantic.

Bronwyn continued. “Sir Bors had been a turncoat before, and with Stephen on the losing side, he’d be open to promises of riches and wealth.

I think he hired some mercenaries to stage an attack on the camp and create chaos, as a distraction for your true purpose, to steal the crown.

Like you wanted to discredit Lady Alice by hiding the crown in her things, he thought to do the same by hiding the garrote in Sir Robert’s clothing for the journey to Bristol.

No doubt he accused the man of having it, but like your own search back at camp, this would have turned up nothing.

What I wonder about is Sir Edward’s death, and that of your servant, Mabel.

Lady Eleanor had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but why kill them? ”

“Mabel was unfortunate. Lady Alice told Sir Bors my maid had taken it, and then when he cornered her down by the river, she fell in. Mabel practically drowned herself, from the way he tells it. But then, she had seen him and knew who he was, so she could’ve reported us both.

He had to get rid of her. It was easy.” Her voice was flat.

“And Sir Edward?”

“An accident. I took a spare sewing needle, coated it in the monkshood, and affixed it to the inside of the crown with tree sap. Couldn’t wear gloves, as it was so delicate. And it was supposed to kill the empress, not Sir Edward. Today will be different.”

“Why? You’re one of her ladies-in-waiting.” Bronwyn’s hands shook. She’d worried she’d been taking a risk, going off with Lady Morwenna. She began to feel nauseous.

“I have my reasons.” Lady Morwenna looked behind Bronwyn. “Heard enough?”

A grunt was her only warning. Bronwyn whirled around and a fist punched her in the head. She fell to the ground and felt the loop of a hard, waxed line come around her neck. She stuck her right hand against her neck as the loop pulled, choking her instantly.

“Think you’re smart, eh, girl? Not too smart to see me coming.” Sir Bors’s breath, stinking of cheap beer and onions, was in her nostrils as he pulled the garrote tight.

She coughed, gasped, and bucked, her legs thumping against the floor as she tried to fight back, but all she saw was Lady Morwenna’s piteous expression as she said, “I’m sorry. You’re too smart for your own good. It had to be done.”

Then everything went black.

Someone was slapping Bronwyn’s cheeks. A weight pressed against her chest, and lips blew air into her mouth.

Sensation fluttered in her brain, skittering like mad fireflies in a summer night.

Her head and neck hurt, and her mind was dark.

Her eyes fluttered and when the weight pressed against her chest again, she moved a hand.

“Oh, thank God.”

Her eyes opened and she gasped and coughed, flailing at her neck. She grabbed at the looped coil, but it was gone.

“It’s gone, it’s gone, Bronwyn. Breathe.” Lady Alice knelt in front of her.

Bronwyn coughed, gasping, and felt at her neck. Her throat felt raw. She swallowed painfully and croaked, “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you on the way. We’ve got to go, before he wakes up.” Lady Alice looked to her side.

Bronwyn saw Sir Bors lying beside her, a tiny bit of blood darkening his blond hair as it dripped on the floor.

“Come on.”

Bronwyn took Lady Alice’s proffered hand and got up.

Bronwyn glared at the man and coughed. Her throat hurt. She swallowed and after a few tries, croaked, “He tried to kill me.”

“He would have too, if I hadn’t hit him with this.” Lady Alice picked up a chair leg. “Let’s go.”

Bronwyn followed Lady Alice from the cell. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. There’re a lot of nobles here, so we ladies-in-waiting have had to share a room.

Lady Morwenna got up early and was acting strange, so I waited and then followed her.

When I spotted her leading you here, I knew something was wrong, but I stayed back to see what she had planned.

I knew you’d draw the truth out of her.”

They looked down at the unconscious form of Sir Bors.

“What do we do with him?” Lady Alice wondered.

“Lock him in. We’ll tell the guards and the empress and they can try him later for his crimes.”

“Good idea. Once a turncoat, always a turncoat.”

They closed the cell door behind them, making sure it was closed.

“Lady Morwenna fled, if you’re wondering,” Lady Alice said. “I don’t know where she’s gone.”

“Never mind her,” Bronwyn croaked. “We need to stop the coronation. She said they would try again to use the crown to poison the empress.”

“So, you’re on our side, now? Loyal to the empress?” Lady Alice asked.

Bronwyn shrugged. “Let’s stop the coronation first.”

The young women ran up the steps. It was past dawn, and the servants were already up and the kitchen was busy.

Servants, pages, and maids went past, all with orders, as noblemen, guards, and knights walked by with purpose. Bronwyn tried to get one’s attention but was ignored.

“What can we do?” Lady Alice wondered. “Everyone’s so busy, they’ll just ignore us. Should we find Rupert or Theobold?”

“There’s no time,” Bronwyn said. “Lady Morwenna stole monkhood from the healer’s workshop. They plan to use it to poison the crown again. They might’ve already done it. We have to go to the coronation and stop it there. See if we can spot the crown before it’s used, before it’s too late.”