Chapter 18

Thomas sneaked out of bed in the morning to let Catherine sleep in. The newlyweds had discovered the joys of marriage and had spent much of the night learning the things each other liked. Frost was more than happy to join the princess in getting some extra shut-eye. The direwolf had been put in charge of guarding the door from the outside. With her now in the room, Thomas didn’t have to call for a guard.

Cullen found him in the hall outside their room.

“I received a message from King Edward. We’ve been recalled to the capital.”

“Did it say why?” Thomas asked.

“No. But it’s an order and not a request. We need to leave quickly,” Cullen said.

“All right. You let Catherine and the mercenaries know. I’ll tell my father,” Thomas said.

Thomas chuckled when Cullen knocked on Catherine’s door and was greeted by a low, rumbling, warning growl. Frost had never nipped Cullen, so Thomas hurried to his father’s private rooms. He found Warlord Lorcan talking to Duke Charles.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but King Edward has sent a message recalling Cullen and me,” Thomas said to his father.

“Have you eaten?” Duke Charles asked.

It took Thomas a moment to realize that his father wanted a word with him before he left. He had faith that Cullen and Leif would get everything organized for the trip back, so he went to the side table where there was bread and cheese. Thomas made himself a plate and joined the two men.

“Before you go, I would ask that you leave Jemma and Boris in my care. Henry was unable to recognize Boris as his son for obvious reasons, but after losing my sons, I’ve realized that was a mistake.

“I’ve had a word with Jemma’s family, and they would also like to make amends with their daughter,” Duke Charles shared.

Thomas was shocked.

“What does Duchess Ann think about this?” he blurted out without thinking.

“I admit I haven’t told her, but I’ll handle it,” Duke Charles promised.

“You’ll need to make it clear that Boris is no threat to Walter’s potential inheritance,” Thomas pressed.

Duke Charles got a pinched expression.

“I should have stopped all her talk about disinheriting you. In my defense, I was still mourning the loss of Henry and Philip and mostly ignored her ravings,” Duke Charles explained.

While Thomas appreciated his father’s words, he had no doubt about how Duchess Ann felt about the line of succession. He still suspected that she was behind his brothers’ deaths, though he couldn’t yet prove it.

“I’m somewhat relieved to hear you say that. Thank you, Father,” Thomas said. “If that will be all, I should get going.”

“One more thing. You’ll be taking Warlord Lorcan with you to meet King Edward,” Duke Charles said.

“As you wish, my lord,” Thomas said, recognizing that he wouldn’t get anywhere arguing.

Besides, he felt that if the Wildlings were to become true allies, they would need to meet with the King.

Thomas had set a hard pace back to the capital. He’d been happy to discover that the Wildlings could ride horses; he’d only seen them use their ponies as pack animals. Though they did know how to ride, it was clearly not their usual transportation mode because they’d all been walking funny by the time they’d reached Inglewood.

When they got close to the castle, Cullen raced ahead to find out what had prompted the urgent call for their return.

When Thomas and his group rode into the castle yard, they were met by Torun, Shepherd, and Alek. Both Torun and Shepherd looked haggard and wouldn’t meet his eye.

“King Edward ordered us to bring you directly to him,” Alek said.

“We have guests,” Thomas said, indicating the Wildlings.

“I’ll see to them,” Catherine offered.

Thomas gratefully accepted her offer as a boy took Fury’s reins. He followed Alek to the King with the two King’s Guards following. He found Cullen and the King with blank expressions. Thomas had seen them do this before when they didn’t want to tip their hand for some reason.

“We’ve arrested Prince Fabian along with two Royal Guardsmen,” King Edward shared.

“Simon and Gage,” Torun grudgingly supplied.

Thomas glanced at Torun and Shepherd and could see that both men were deeply troubled to have had at least two traitors so close to the King. Personally, he’d never liked either of them. Gage, in particular, had been a bully from day one.

“Cullen has had the prince under surveillance since he arrived,” Alek shared. “We received word that the prince was having a meeting with his top people. King Edward had me take the Royal Rangers and arrest everyone present for questioning.”

“Along with the Royal Guard members, we captured two mercenary leaders. Both have offered money for their release, along with a promise from them and their men to leave our lands and never return,” Torun said.

“You’re not seriously considering that, are you?” Thomas asked.

“The implication is they still have men in or around Inglewood,” Cullen warned.

From the look King Edward gave Cullen, Thomas could see that the King wasn’t as concerned as Cullen about the possibility of mercenaries in their midst.

“After the attempt on my life and killing my wife?!” King Edward asked incredulously after a brief pause. “I think not. I want them all hunted down and to receive the justice they deserve.”

“Sorry, my King,” Thomas said.

The door to the room swung open, startling everyone. Thomas’s hand reached for Fang, but he didn’t draw the dagger when he saw it was his father.

“Duchess Ann and Walter left sometime during the night before you received your message to return to the castle. I want to know what is going on,” Duke Charles said.

King Edward ejected everyone except for Thomas and Cullen to talk to the duke.

“What happened?” King Edward asked once the door closed.

“Victor, my marshal, was told of her absence when one of the staff went to her rooms this morning. From what he could gather, she received a message during the night. I have a feeling that it’s related to the message you sent my son.

“The guards at the gate said that she left with three men, all of whom were in my personal guard, and a girl who worked in the castle doing a variety of tasks,” Duke Charles described.

“She was probably a spy,” Cullen offered.

“What did the duchess tell the gate guards?” King Edward asked.

“She simply ordered them to open it,” Duke Charles said.

“What happened next?” Thomas asked.

“Victor sent out men to look for them. He even sent Roger with a group to check the trail you used to travel to the capital,” Duke Charles said to Thomas. “I told them to come here if they track her down. She is not taking a potential heir out of the kingdom to be raised.”

“I thought Thomas was made your heir?” King Edward asked the duke.

Thomas’s father glanced at him, and Thomas knew his father was aware of what had happened between him and the princess. Thomas had no doubt that the staff in the duke’s castle had figured it out and shared the information with his father.

“He is, but I would like Walter to be here in any case. Who knows what will happen in the future? Whatever may come, I have a feeling that you will want Thomas to be in the middle of it,” Duke Charles said to appease the King.

Thomas would have to thank his father for covering for him and Catherine.

King Edward brought Duke Charles up to date on Prince Fabian’s arrest and, almost as notable, the arrest of two Royal Guardsmen.

Thomas had assumed that he and Cullen would take the lead in questioning the prisoners. Instead, King Edward put Duke Charles in charge. The King explained that the guardsmen’s involvement could mean treason that originated at their holdings in the south.

Messengers were sent to both the southern province of Pekin and the eastern province of Henning, requesting that their dukes come to the capital. King Edward wanted all three dukes to be present if the kingdom was going to war.

After they’d planned how they would proceed with the Virden issue, King Edward sent for the Wildlings.

Warlord Lorcan brought his daughter Maeve. Princess Catherine joined them and came to Thomas and gave him a quick hug and kiss, which caused Maeve to smile. King Edward’s face was unreadable. Duke Charles introduced everyone.

“Over the last winter, Lorcan’s people stayed in the northern outposts. We provided them with carpenters to build their own halls. Their older clansmen and some of the mothers with very young children will move in and live there year-round. Lorcan has asked that we teach them to farm and raise animals for these new halls,” Duke Charles explained to King Edward.

“It has been generations since we’ve seen the king of the south and wanted to meet you face-to-face to renew our alliance,” Warlord Lorcan added.

“You are quite right. It has been much too long. If there is to be trust, it should be gained by meeting in person. I thank you for traveling to see me,” King Edward said formally.

“Once we have established ourselves in the halls, I would like to invite you to come north for a visit,” Warlord Lorcan offered.

“That will have to wait. We face a threat from the south that must be dealt with first,” King Edward shared.

“I’ve heard rumors. I have some men with me that I would be willing to put under your command for the duration of your problems if that would help,” Lorcan said.

Thomas could see that King Edward wasn’t sure of the value of what those he probably considered barbarians would add, so he jumped in.

“I would gladly accept the Wildlings. They are tremendous trackers, hunters, and deadly with their slings. I would even welcome Maeve because of her healing abilities.”

“I would be grateful if Thomas was in command of my men,” Warlord Lorcan agreed.

“That is a very generous offer that I will gladly accept,” King Edward said. “Why don’t the two of us talk in private? Duke Charles, Cullen, and Thomas have a task to complete. I trust that Princess Catherine and Maeve can find something to keep them occupied.”