June 20th, 1615

So far, so good. Though he had little reason to trust his royal keeper, Henry had acceded to the plans laid down, instrumental in keeping his sister calm as it was all explained to her in detail. Seeing Stephan and Henry side by side had helped, certainly, but Maksim had been obliged to take his young cousin back to the court with him that evening, leaving Stephan to trust in his brothers and try not to frighten the little girl he had been left with. As time moved inexorably on toward the festival, the sense of expectation was palpable in the air. All their pieces were now in place; they awaited only the confirmation of the assassin's hiding place for them to strike.

Elspeth, of course, was utterly oblivious to all this. Her only concern was for her brother, and the attack that may or may not claim his life on the next day was enough to consume her thoughts. But she, at least, was used to spending long hours indoors, working on a small something in the light from the candles as she waited for news from the court. Such patience, however, could not be ascribed to the man waiting with her, who had left his pregnant wife in the safe keeping of his mother and could not take a direct hand in anything that was about to happen.

Stephan had tried to be patient, but unlike Elspeth, patience was not one of his best qualities. He was born and bred to be a man of action, and sitting and waiting sequestered away from the main event, as it were, went against his nature. It galled him to no end that he could do nothing but sit and wait and trust to his brother's plan, but he thought the woman waiting with him had reason to feel even more anxious than he did. He knew his wife and child were in good hands; he could not say the same for her brother.

While she sat and sewed, he paced the floor and when he was tired of doing that, he tried to read, but found himself so agitated he couldn't concentrate on a single word. "Do you play chess?" he asked out of the blue as he made his way toward a small table in a corner where a chess board and pieces awaited them, practically begging to be made use of.

She jumped, her eyes suddenly wide as she found herself directly addressed by the Crown Prince. "Uh ..." Swallowing, she set her sewing down and rose to her feet to curtsy - a habit he had not yet been able to break her off, despite almost two days in her close company. "I have seen it played, your highness," she offered shyly, not quite brave enough to meet his eye. "I-I know the rules. But ....but I have never played it, myself."

"Well, then, it is time we rectify that," he said, smiling warmly and gesturing toward the seat across from him, resisting the urge to get up and pull it out for her, too. "Really, Elspeth ....Your blood is no less royal than mine. You need not curtsy every time I address you."

"As you say, your highness," she nodded, not really agreeing with him but not feeling it was her place to argue. It was going to take time for her to realize just what being her father's daughter meant. Hesitantly, she moved to take the seat he offered her, glancing at the chessboard curiously. "My brother made one of these," she volunteered in a shy tone. "For the Duke of Merek ..." Her voice trailed off as she realized who that had been at the time. "For our father. It was one of Henry's masterpieces."

"Did your brother never teach you to play?" he asked further as he reached across the table to set the pieces in place. He considered himself an adequate chess player, but he invariably lost to Maksim every time they played.

She shook her head. "It was not part of my education," she admitted quietly, watching as he set the pieces out. She was a rare thing; a commoner who had been educated, thanks to the monies her mother had been given for her upbringing. "Henry knows, but he has not had much chance to practice."

"That may soon change, as well," Stephan remarked. That was, if all went according to Maksim's plan, anyway. "I am sorry for all this, cousin," the Crown Prince apologized, graciously, a sober expression on his face. "I assure you if I had known any of this was going to happen, I would have ensured your safety and your family's safety long ago."

A shadow fell over her pretty face as she glanced away, hoping he did not know everything that had befallen them. "My mother was a good woman, sir," she told him with quiet strength. "She died protecting me, and it is a price I wish she had not paid. She did her best for us, and her reward was to die bloody, at the hands of men who did not care for her honor nor mine. But it is no one's fault that it came about - none bear the blame but those who began it. No one could have predicted that we would be used in such a way."

He frowned once he had the pieces in place, looking over her with a sympathetic, even sad, expression on his face. He'd been lucky not to have lost anyone close to him yet, and he hoped to keep it that way, but he could not say the same for her. "I am sorry about your mother," he told her gently. "I understand my uncle's reasons for keeping you and you brother a secret, but if he had chosen differently, things might have been different."

"Perhaps, your highness." Elspeth nodded, her gaze flickering toward him briefly. "Only the Goddess knows." She looked down at the pieces in front of her, one fingertip touching the smooth lines of her queen. "What will happen to us, if my father does not acknowledge us?"

He had set up the board so that she had the white pieces, and he the black. It was her right to make the first move, but he said nothing of it just yet. "He will. My father will give him no choice in the matter. If he refuses, my father will acknowledge you for him and he will not want that." He gestured toward the board. "Your move."

Setting her eyes to the board properly, Elspeth knew she was going to lose the game before they even began, but was glad that she could at least help her royal cousin to pass the time until they were both summoned to court. Reaching out, she took up one of her pawns, sliding it forward two spaces. That, at least, she knew how to do. "And when he acknowledges us?" she asked a little nervously. "What happens then" Will we be sent away?"

"No, my lady," Stephan replied gently, wondering if his brother had put them together on purpose so that he would come to care about at least one of the cousins they had never known. Maksim knew his brother well enough to know that, once Stephan decided she was family, he would do everything in his power to protect her. "I cannot promise what fate awaits you, but I can promise that no harm will come to you or your brother, simply because of your bloodline." Instead of a pawn, he reached for the queen's knight, making his first move an offensive one.

Cautious and uncertain of the game, Elspeth's move echoed his, a mirror on the other side of the board. "My brother is a good man," she offered, hoping to assure the Crown Prince of their innocence. "He would never have agreed to anything they demanded of him, if they had not held my life over his head. Of them all, the only man he wishes to punish himself is Lord Maverly, and that is all he will ask of you, I swear it."

"Lord Maverly," Stephan echoed, lifting his gaze from the board to the young woman seated across from him. Maksim had told him enough for Stephan to guess at what Maverly had done, and for a moment, he shared Henry's rage - a crime of violence perpetrated on one of royal blood was punishable by death, even if Maverly hadn't known who she was at the time. "I cannot promise you he will have his vengeance, but I can promise you Maverly will pay for his crimes."

For perhaps the first time, Elspeth raised her eyes and met his gaze without flinching or drawing away. Those were Stephan's eyes, his father's eyes, his uncle's eyes; the eyes only his blood bore. Despite the fire of her hair and the hardness of their background, there was no denying that Henry and Elspeth shared Hasperan blood. "Thank you, your highness," she said simply. She hesitated just a moment before adding, "I will never marry, will I" All the world will know what he did, and no man willingly wants a woman who is spoiled."

He found his heart aching for her, though the soft smile on his face did not betray his feelings. "Never is a very long time, lady. I would not say never. Men's memories are short, and you are ....Shall we say, easy to look upon?" His smile deepened, a small hint of mirth mixed with compassion in those warm blue eyes of his. "My wife - Princess Marianne - is with child. There is a possibility she is expecting twins. She will need all the help we can muster. Would you be interested in such a position' You would be one of her ladies, one of her inner circle. I warn you it can be quite dull at Peronell in the winter months, but it is also quiet and peaceful and safe, and you would be most welcome, for as long as you so wish."

The offer was more than she could ever have hoped for. Elspeth expected to be put away somewhere, to live alone and quietly, forgotten by the court and the family for her despoiling. "I ....I should like that very much," she heard herself say. "My manners are rougher than your princess is used to, but I would be loyal to her, and to you, always."

"Oh, I think you will find my Marianne quite amenable. In fact, I predict you and she will become fast friends," he said as he moved a pawn forward to make way for more powerful pieces. "As for your brother, he, too, will have several choices available to him, but I can assure you that neither of you will be sent away, hidden, ignored, or forgotten. There has been enough of that already."

"We will make some awful mistakes while we learn how to be a part of your court, your highness," she warned, studying the board in front of her with surprising intensity. Her move was with a bishop, most of her pawns already captured or elsewhere on the board.

"We learn from our mistakes, my lady," he replied, moving his bishop forward to capture her rook. "Even those of royal blood make mistakes, plenty of them. It is part of being human. What is important is that we learn from our mistakes, or we are doomed to repeat them again and again."

"I do not think you have made so many mistakes, your highness," she countered, growing bolder as they talked and played. "You were raised to this, born to it. You have position that you have earned, a wife, and a child soon to be born. It seems that you have not made many mistakes at all."

"I have made my fair share of mistakes, believe me. Let me ask you this ....Do you believe my uncle was mistaken to conceive you and your brother" Was he mistaken not to acknowledge you?" he asked, partly curious as to her thoughts on the matter, but he also had a point he was trying to make. He studied the board as he spoke, able to focus on both the game and the conversation at once, both helping to relax his frayed nerves.

"I don't know," Elspeth said honestly, for she had never been taught to be anything less than honest. "I lived a good life until these recent months past. A simple, honest life. I did not know my father paid for it; I did not even know who he was. I've always known I was a bastard, but no one held it against me. If he had acknowledged us, we would have grown up here, away from our mother, who was low-born for all her good qualities. In neither choice would we have had both our parents. I do not know what his mistake was."

To Stephan's credit, he did not judge the woman based on her looks or what she was wearing. Whoever she was, she knew Maksim somehow or knew of him, and had come to speak with him about something. This encounter was likely to prove interesting, amusing or both. "Good day, miss. What is your name and what can we do for you?"

Hands on her hips, the woman settled comfortably onto one hip. The open sensuality she exuded was enough to make Elspeth blush. "With respect, milord, them as knows me calls me Lil," she nodded to Stephan. "The prince is good to me and my madam, and there's news he ought to know. I was told milady 'ere was good to be told, but I don't know you, milord. I don't know as you can be trusted."

Stephan arched a brow, realizing she had no idea who he was. Well, of course, she didn't. She'd never seen him before, except perhaps from a distance, and simply telling her who he was proved nothing. "All you need know is that Maksim trusts me. Would I be staying in his home if he did not?" Stephan asked, hoping she'd see his point without him having to prove it.

Lil eyed him warily, but nodded. "Aye, that's the right of it," she agreed. "Should get word to 'im, then, milord, that there's murder planned. A captain come to the house today, had his pleasure, and men speaks when they've had their play. He says as how there'll be a new king before dawn, and another one before the next mornin' comes. Don't rightly know as how the prince is to be killed, but poison's on the lips of them as spoke of it for the king. Said there's medicine the king takes before his bed, and how his physic has slipped hemlock in it." She looked genuinely horrified by what she was saying. "Please, milord, you must send word to the prince. Tell 'im as it was Lil what says so, I am no liar, by my soul!"

"His physic" Hemlock?" Stephan echoed, looking shocked and appalled, his face turning pale. He jumped to his feet, wasting not a moment before calling for Maksim's housekeeper. "Emilia!" he called, as he moved to the door to fetch her, leaving the two women behind him.

Apparently pleased with the sudden rush of action, Lil edged to one side, eying Elspeth. "You're a quiet one, aren't you?" she commented, but any reply was lost as the housekeeper came quickly to the door at Stephan's call.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Fetch me a guard's uniform, please, and be quick about it." He didn't bother to tell her why, unless she wanted to ask, but turned back to the two women in the room. "Thank you for your help, Lil. I'll make sure the prince gets the message." He looked to Elspeth. "Fetch your cloak, lady. We are going to the castle." Again, he made no explanation, but only told them what needed to be done. There was no time now for explanations, and no time to send word to Maksim, if he wanted to save his father's life.

"Of course, sir." Emilia slipped away quickly to do as she was told. She was employed by Maksim because of her discretion; there was every chance that the captain might miss his second uniform when he came to dress again, but he would never know why.

Elspeth rose quickly to her feet as Stephan spoke to her, hurrying to fetch her cloak from her own bedchamber without asking why, leaving the prince with the whore who had brought the news.

"You're a fine lord, ain'tcha?" Lil commented in approval. "You come to Mother Moll's and Lil will see you right. But save the king first, milord."

If she only knew how fine, but Stephan could not take the chance to tell her - not yet, anyhow. "It's a brave thing you've done, Lil. It will not go unrewarded," he told her, though he let her believe it was Maksim who'd give her that reward. "Now, you must return whence you came, else anyone becomes suspicious. I will make sure the prince knows what you've done for him and the king."

"Aye, sir, I will," she nodded to him confidently. "We'll keep them as spoke of it in their cups until the guards come for 'em. The prince knows where to look." She curtsied once again, and left the room, almost colliding with Emilia.

The housekeeper laid a bundle of cloth and armor down on the table, bobbing to Stephan. "With your leave, my lord, I've got the stable lad saddling two horses."

"Good, thank you, Emilia," he said. "I'll just be a moment." He took up the bundle of cloth and armor and started toward his own room to change, annoyed at the secrecy and the need for a disguise, but Henry was masquerading as him, and he could not risk being recognized before the guilty parties were arrested.

For her own turn, Emilia left once again to see to Lil, their informant, and make sure she got back to her own place unmolested. Elspeth was not long in reappearing, her deep-hooded cloak about her shoulders and stout boots on her feet. She did not pretend to understand quite what was happening here, but she would not stand by and allow the king's life to be endangered.

Stephan, too, reappeared presently in the guise of a royal guard with the rank of captain, his head covered by a helmet, Maksim's coat of arms emblazoned on his surcoat, a sword slung against one hip. "Ready?" he asked, holding out a gloved hand to her. "We must hurry."

She nodded, placing her gloved hand in his as they moved to leave the room and find their way down to the courtyard where, as Emilia had said, the grooms were waiting with two horses. "Will they let me in?" she asked quietly, concerned that she was nothing but an inconvenience. The night was already dark outside, and there was some sound of the hue and cry going up as the three princes' guards went about their duty, gathering to arrest lords and accomplices alike.

"We'll tell them Maksim sent for you. I doubt anyone will question that. I already tire of this masquerade, but it is almost over," he told her, recognizing the sound of arrests being made and hoping they could use the confusion to their advantage. Without another word, he helped her up onto her horse, assuming without asking that she knew how to ride, before claiming his own horse and kicking him into a gallop to lead the way toward the castle of the High King.

Luckily for them both, Elspeth had been taught to ride, or that headlong gallop through the streets to the vast gates of the castle would have been a dangerous thing indeed. The gate guard halted their approach, but allowed them through when he confirmed the arms on Stephan's armor and the news that Prince Maksim had sent for his mistress. Dismounting easily and leaving the horses to the grooms, Elspeth hurried along at Stephan's side, not knowing her way. Even here, in the close quartered avenues of the royal court, she could hear the muted sound of men's raised voices as the swift strike was made.

"Stay close," Stephan warned her quietly. "Arrests are being made and desperate men will stop at nothing to save their own skins." He could not risk taking hold of her hand here, where they might be seen and found out, but hoped she would heed his word and stay close behind him as he led the way through the royal court to the rooms set aside for the royal family, where Maksim and Henry were staying, as well as the rest of the family.

Soldiers moved past them as they left the public offices of the court palace and entered the royal apartments, the guards set there recognising their Crown Prince without needing to ask who went there. Into the labyrinth of corridors, Elspeth followed Stephan, trusting in his knowledge of the place not to lose them. A stroke of luck was theirs, however; turning a corner, they came upon Felipe in conference with the captain of his own guard. The youngest prince nodded and dismissed the man, turning to see who had come upon them. One look was enough to confirm that this was his brother. "What's happened?"

Stephan had been debating whether to take Elspeth with him to the royal chambers or leave her with Marianne or one of his brothers when the decision was made for him. "Felipe!" Stephan exclaimed in a hushed voice, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, even this close to the royal chambers. "Has the physician been to see Father yet?" he asked hastily, his expression one of worry and fear.

Felipe blinked in surprise, nodding to Elspeth before looking to his brother. "He only retired, I think, twenty minutes ago," he told Stephan. "Even if he was in a hurry to get to bed, he won't have finished changing and praying yet. Why?"

"Summon a few guards you trust to accompany me to his bedchamber, then take Elspeth to join Marianne in my chambers. Don't let anyone in, no matter what happens, until I arrive. There's another plot afoot - one to assassinate the king. I'll explain later. We don't have much time," Stephan told his brother as quickly as he could. Explanations could wait until later; what was needed now was action. "Lady," he said, turning to Elspeth beside him. "This is my brother Felipe. He will make sure you are safe."

"What?" Felipe didn't need to be told more - he turned abruptly and called to the captain he had just dismissed, stepping smartly away to give those orders out in a crisp tone. As the captain hurried to gather a few of his own men, Felipe returned to his brother. "We took the assassin, but there are signs that there may be a second man somewhere else in the city," he told his brother in a terse tone, belatedly looking to their young cousin. "Forgive me, lady. I will see you safely to the princess and protect you both until I am told otherwise." As Elspeth nodded, the sound of footsteps heralded the arrival of Felipe's captain and four of his own guards. "Go with the Crown Prince and obey him in all things."

"Perhaps we can persuade him to talk," Stephan said. He didn't really like the idea of torture, but sometimes the ends justified the means, and war was not meant to be pleasant. "We will see to it the perpetrators are apprehended," he assured his brother, before turning to his brother's cadre of guards. "Come with me," he ordered, wasting no more time with small talk. He trusted his brother to keep the women safe while he tended to yet another traitor.

"Perhaps." Felipe nodded, laying a hand against Elspeth's back as he drew her away toward the stairs that lead up and to Stephan's accustomed quarters, where Marianne would probably already be asleep.

Felipe's guards fell in with Stephan, aware that something unusual was going on. They had been placed in the castle for the protection of the royal family by Felipe himself; they had not expected to be handed into the Crown Prince's authority.

"To the Queen's Chambers and make haste!" he told the guards before starting off at a brisk pace in the opposite direction of his brother toward the stairs that would take them to the second level of the castle and the royal chambers. He trusted Felipe to choose his guards carefully and did not stop to worry whether he had chosen wisely or not as he led them through the castle to stop the plot to kill his father, the king.

He sighed, rising to his feet. "I must speak with my council, those few not arrested this night, at least. Ridolfi will be racked, I have no doubt, but his confession will sign the warrant for Huntley's death at least. Huntley then will give up his fellows, I am sure."

Stephan frowned, not particularly happy with his father's orders, though he understand the necessity of it. He did not like using Elspeth's brother as bait in a trap for a second assassin, but nothing could be done for it now. All they could do was be vigilant and guard the boy as best they could. "Yes, Your Highness," Stephan replied as cordially as possible, though this was his father and not just the king.

Philippe touched his shoulder. "You have saved my life this night, my son," he said gravely, "and your brother saved your own. It will not be forgotten." Patting Stephan's shoulder, he nodded once again and made his way from the room, shouting for his chamber boy to come and help him into a robe as he headed for his own receiving room and the lords who were assembling there.

Still sat quietly on the bed, Catherine offered her eldest son a wry smile. "Do you often come into a lady's bedchamber armed and in armor?" she asked him rather sweetly.

Stephan nodded in acknowledgment, a strained smile on his face. He didn't care much about being credited with saving his father's life or any of the rest of it. Maksim was the real hero here, and all that mattered to Stephan was that his family was safe. "It was the only way I could get into the castle without arousing suspicion," he explained, shoulders relaxing a little now that he was left alone with his mother. He could not stay and speak with her long - he had his orders from his father, and those orders could not wait.

Her smile deepened. "Go," she told him, understanding better than most how much he wanted to do his duty and see to his wife. "I am well protected, and so is your father. And I will have my own physician look to your wife tomorrow. We cannot trust what Ridolfi has said, and t'was he who said no other should see to her. Wakefield will see to her now, and he I trust, for he owes all to your father and has no family that may be used against him."

"I am only glad I was in time," Stephan told her, leaning over to touch a kiss to her brow. She might be the Queen, but she was also his mother, and she held a special place in his heart. "Thank you, Mother. This will all be over tomorrow. I promise you."

She smiled once again, patting his hand. "I have lived through many attempts on your father's life," she reminded him affectionately. "He is lucky in his sons. Now go, before you frighten my ladies once again."

"Your ladies are easily frightened," he replied, his smile a little wider and far warmer for her. "I will see you tomorrow," he told her, anxious to see his wife and cousin and make sure they were safe. He turned to make his way back out of her chambers, choosing to go through his father's bedchamber so as not to disturb her ladies a second time.

Once he was in the hall outside, he addressed the guards once again, issuing orders to double it, and finding a page, he sent a message to Maksim and his uncle relaying his father's message before heading for his own chambers to rejoin his brother and the women he'd been charged to keep safe.

Entering his own chambers proved to be something of a trial. Not only had Felipe armed Luis, Stephan's own valet, with a sword the boy still wasn't comfortable with, but he had also allowed Lady Bryant to arm herself with a three-legged stool, and all three of them stood ready to defend the ladies in their care as the door opened. It was only luck and poor aim that saved Stephan from being hit with the stool - for all her temperate appearance, Lady Bryant was fierce when it came to protecting her young charge.

Luckily, Stephen sidestepped the ill-aimed stool, which crashed harmlessly against the wall beside him as he entered the chamber. "It's me!" he called, hoping that if they at least didn't recognize his face in the dim light, they would recognize his voice. "Would you kill your own brother?" he asked, the question aimed mostly at Felipe, though it was Lady Bryant who'd thrown the stool.

"Better an ill-timed injury to you than allow a miscreant to enter here," was Felipe's annoyingly practical answer. The youngest prince put up his sword, however, nodding to the valet to do the same, and Lady Bryant fell over herself to apologise for her mistake. She was cut off, however, by the sound of Marianne's voice from the inner chamber.

"Stephan?"

He waved Lady Bryant's apology away as unnecessary, looking just a little annoyed with the entire situation, until he heard Marianne calling his name and he followed her voice to the inner chamber. "It's me, love," he assured her, though he was dressed like one of Maksim's guards.

The door to the bedchamber opened, and no doubt both princes were a little annoyed to see the princess and her royal rounded belly come out first, her hand wrapped tightly in the hand of their frightened cousin. Despite her own fright, however, Marianne was in control of what little she had command over. "The king?" she asked her husband. "Is it done with?"

Stephan was relieved to see the princess seemed to have befriended his cousin, just as he had predicted she would, and though he was concerned for Elspeth's safety, it was Marianne he was relieved to see. He went to her, touching a kiss to her cheek as he reached for her hand. "Nearly," he replied, flicking a glance at Elspeth, unsure if he should mention the possibility of another assassin in her presence. "The king is well. His assailant is under arrest," he told her, purposely leaving out the more distressing details.

Relieved, Marianne smiled as Stephan kissed her cheek and took her hand. "Then you are staying here tonight," she told him firmly, gently drawing Elspeth forward by the hand. "Felipe, will you take Elspeth to Maksim's rooms and stay with her and her brother until you are sure they are well protected for the night?"

With a florid bow, Felipe grinned, offering his arm to Elspeth. "As my royal sister commands," he teased warmly, gently covering Elspeth's hand with his own. "Come along, coz. Introduce me to your brother."

"Felipe," Stephan called, stopping his brother before he left with Elspeth on his arm. "Tell Maksim what happened and tell him that this is not over yet. Our plans for tomorrow have not changed. I wish I could say differently," he said, more for Elspeth's sake than anyone else's.

Elspeth's pale face creased with a frightened grimace, knowing exactly what Stephan meant by that, but she did not speak, too awed to be in the presence of two princes and a princess to dare say a word.

Felipe nodded to his brother. "I will," he agreed. "And I will personally see to the Crown Prince's security tomorrow." Gently, he lead Elspeth from the room, murmuring reassurance to her as Stephan's valet and Marianne's lady followed them.

Marianne looked up at her husband in concern. "What went wrong?" she asked softly. "I was not to see you again until tomorrow."

"I trust that you will," Stephan replied, before his brother led the small group away, leaving him alone at last with his wife. "I do not wish to worry you," he started, turning to face her and taking both her hands in his, his expression grim and worried. "I received word that the king's life was in danger this very night, and I could not trust such news to a messenger," he explained.

"My dearest heart, I would rather know all than worry over simply some," she told him softly, squeezing his hands. "Come to bed. If there truly is to be excitement tomorrow, you need your rest. And I do not sleep well without you."

He did not bother to argue with her, knowing she was right, and they would both sleep better knowing the other was safe beside them than if they were apart. "This plot worries me, Mari," he admitted with a weary sigh as he led her back toward their bedchamber. "Felipe believes there may be another assassin, and if he is right, my cousin could be in danger." The truth was that he was already in danger, and Stephan didn't want the young man to die because of him.

With one hand rubbing over the high crest of her belly as she walked with him, Mari rested her cheek against his arm as he spoke. "Better that it be him in danger than you," she said quietly, quick to forestall his objections. "I have nothing against him, and if it were possible, I would seek to keep him from harm, too. But this is the only chance we shall ever have of taking all those involved in a single plot in one strike, and we cannot afford to lose that chance. Goddess forbid that he should be harmed, but he is not the heir to the throne, love."

Stephan frowned, as reluctant to see any harm come to his young cousin as she was, but he knew his father and brothers would hear nothing of changing their plans. Still, it seemed almost cowardly to hide with the women while an assassin roamed freely around the capital intending to kill an innocent man. "Let us hope that Felipe's guards are vigilant and that we can catch the traitors before any harm comes to him."

Easing down onto the bed, Marianne looked up at him, her expression thoughtful. "Will you stay here tomorrow, or do you plan to be in some fresh disguise to see what will happen?" she asked him softly, understanding his desire to be at the center of things, even if she did not agree with it. "I think, no matter what you decide, I will plead some illness tomorrow. None of you need to worry over so many of us in one place. But, if you will not be here, I should like to ask for Elspeth to join me. We can worry together."

"I'm sure Father would prefer I remain here, but I cannot. I will be in disguise, and I promise you I will take every precaution," he assured her, as he unfastened his sword belt and set it and the sword safely aside. It was likely he'd wear the same or a similar disguise in the morning; with his head and face covered, it should be easy to hide his identity. Of course, the same could likely be said for the assassin, who could also be masquerading as someone he was not. "I am glad you will not be there tomorrow. There is no need to put you or Elspeth in danger unnecessarily."

"Oh, I think he is enjoying it for more reasons than that," Stephan replied, but here alone with his wife after days apart, he didn't want to waste anymore time talking about plots, court gossip, or his family. Instead, he rolled onto his side so that he could lean close and give his lovely wife a proper kiss, touching his forehead to hers with a soft sigh. "I've missed you."

She nestled close, smiling at his soft confession. Her fingers gently draw over his cheek as she felt her balance returning with his presence by her side. "As I have missed you, my darling," she murmured tenderly. "I do not know how I cope with my confinement without you."

"It will all be over tomorrow, my love. All will come clear, and you will not need to hide yourself away any longer." At least, he hoped so, but he didn't want to talk of that anymore tonight. Time was too precious and enough of it had been wasted already. "Now, let me see if I can tell if we are to be blessed with two children or one," he said with a smile, as his hand found the swell of her belly again, this time in earnest.

She giggled, resting back against the pillows as her husband went about the business of discovering just how many children were in her womb. It didn't matter what they did, or how silly it became ....he was here, and he was safe. That was all that truly mattered to her. Let tomorrow bring its dangers; she was sure he would come through unharmed. The same could not be said for those would do him harm.

((The plot thickens! Phew. That was a long one! Stay tuned for the next part of the story coming soon! As always, kudos to my partner in crime, without whom none of this would be possible. :)))