Author's Note: Okay, this is not only late, but barely proofread, so please bear with me. My godson was here while I was writing this and he's about as much of a handful as Jane. :)
Chapter 29: Jane Works the Angles
The afternoon passed quietly, with Teresa working diligently and Jane alternately napping and pondering their current situation. Red John sent word he was dining in town, so at least they wouldn't have to put up with him at dinner, and Jane studied his valet very closely as he brought the message. His name was Faulk, and he had the reserved, haughty air of an aristocrat himself. Was he in the duke's confidence? It was hard to imagine such a man gleefully cutting someone open, but appearances could be deceiving.
When Faulk had left, Jane sat up. "Grace."
"Yes?" She looked up from the document she was reading.
"Can you eat in the servants' hall tonight?"
"Sure, I guess. You want me to check him out?"
He smiled at her quick grasp of his request. "I want to know if he's in the duke's confidence. Could you chat with him, see if you can get him to brag a little?"
"You mean flirt with him in front of my fiancé?" Grace frowned.
"I can arrange for Rigsby to be busy. I'll send him with a gift basket for Cho full of goodies he won't be able to resist sharing."
Teresa's lips quirked into a smile as Grace shook her head ruefully. "Okay. But only a little flirting. He's not my type at all."
"A little should be all it takes. You might mention I'm looking for a valet, see if he's willing to consider leaving." If he wasn't involved, he should jump at the chance to move to the royal household.
"Okay."
"Don't lead him on too much, though. He might be dangerous."
"Got it." Grace went back to her reading, unconcerned. She probably had enough friends among the servants that even without Rigsby and Cho, she wasn't worried about backup. Good.
"I think we should sleep in the nursery tonight," Jane said.
"No." Teresa paused in her writing, looking at him. "If he comes after us, I don't want Annie anywhere close. Madeleine will sleep there while Vega stands watch. We'll go somewhere else."
"You have a place in mind?"
"Yes. It might not be as comfortable, but it's not somewhere he'd look." Teresa went back to her work.
Jane decided to let her surprise him. He was guessing they'd end up either in the servants' quarters or in one of the closed areas of the castle. He wasn't planning to get much sleep tonight, so as long as she was safe, he didn't care where they bedded down for the night.
After a moment, Teresa put her pen down. "You really think Midnight recognized Annie?"
"Yes."
"So you believe she's Tommy's."
"I'm about ninety-five percent sure," Jane said.
Lisbon looked down, then off to one side, steeling herself. "Do you think she's the rightful queen?"
"Do you want her to be?"
She bit her lip. "Maybe. I wasn't brought up to be queen. I could make sure she gets the best education and knows how things work. She could be so much better than I am."
Grace said, "You're a great queen. A great leader. We don't need another one. We want to work for you."
Jane had no doubt she was speaking for a majority of the servants. Teresa shook her head, though. "It's not about that, Grace. It's about what's right. If she's Tommy's legitimate heir, then I have no right to the throne."
"Nonsense," Jane said. "Tommy made no effort to ensure Annie would be recognized as his heir. And even if she is, every royal family tree in Europe has a questionable branch or two. Catherine the Great was a minor German princess, but she was one of Russia's better rulers. Certainly better than her son, whom most would argue was his father's rightful heir. Genetics are a terrible predictor of leadership ability. It's nearly the twentieth century, Teresa. Nobody believes in the divine right of kings anymore."
"Kings do," Teresa replied.
"Meh. Most of them won't last more than a decade or two more," Jane predicted. "You want to do the right thing for Lisvonia. That means modernizing, bringing up the literacy rate, moving away from an agrarian economy and diversifying. You can do that as the queen. It's much harder as regent, which is a caretaker role."
"But if I'm only the regent, we could be free. My children would be free of this...this burden. They could be anything they want to be."
"True," Jane agreed. "You get to raise the next ruler of this kingdom either way, Teresa. You only need to decide what you want."
"That's not guaranteed," she pointed out. "I've assigned Annie's guardianship to Cho, but I'd like it very much if you stayed in her life if I'm not able to raise her."
Jane had no intention of outliving Teresa, but he supposed that if he somehow did, he'd want to keep an eye on Annie and help her become the ruler her aunt would want. "I'd like that too. She's a smart kid. Lots of potential. I could teach her to pick pockets and be my accomplice."
Teresa rolled her eyes. "Because larceny is such a useful skill for a ruler."
"You'd be surprised," Jane grinned. "If you want her to grow up honest, you'd better stick around."
"I intend to," Teresa assured him.
"While I have your attention," Jane said, "I'd like to speak with Haibach. Does anyone know where he went?"
"I don't know," Teresa replied, looking up at him. "You should ask around the stables. Maybe Wylie knows."
"Good idea," Jane said, lying back down. If Haibach had been in on Tommy's death, he'd probably tried to get out of reach for fear of being eliminated.
"He was questioned extensively after Tommy died," Teresa said. "What do you hope to find out?"
"Midnight knew Annie, but Rigsby and Cho didn't. Tommy must have taken Haibach when he visited her. He might have witnessed the wedding if there was one."
Teresa put her pen down again. "I should have thought of that."
"Plus, I might be able to get more out of him than the other interrogators."
"I don't know. Cho is a pretty good one," Teresa said.
"Yes, he is." Jane decided not to bring up hypnosis as his advantage. "You know, I think I'll go for a stroll."
"Grace, send for Wylie," Teresa instructed. To Jane, she said, "Don't be alone while he's here. Promise me."
"I won't if you won't," Jane replied as Grace left the room.
"As if Grace would let me," Teresa said with a rueful smile.
mmm
Jane went down to the kitchens to arrange the gift basket for Rigsby to take to Cho, making sure to provide Wylie with a snack as he made himself a sandwich, to the astonishment of the kitchen maids. Then he set off on a tour of the castle, making sure to stop by his closet for his cane first.
Annie was delighted to see him, and they had a great time playing horsey with Wylie as the horse. When it was time for her snack, Jane kissed her cheek and proceeded out of the family wing and into the hallway of guest rooms where he guessed the duke had been quartered.
"Uh, it's that one," Wylie said, pointing to the set of double doors midway down the hall.
Jane was proud that Wylie had anticipated his play, though to be fair, it wasn't as if they were hosting a lot of guests. "Thanks."
Wylie hung back reluctantly as they approached the largest guest suite, so Jane tossed a reassuring grin over his shoulder. "Don't dawdle," he admonished. "He won't be there. Just his valet. Maybe not even him."
"Then why go in?" Wylie asked as Jane knocked.
"It's a territorial thing," Jane replied, turning back to the doors as one opened. "Ah. Mr. Faulk. Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to make sure his grace is perfectly comfortable."
"He's made no complaint," Faulk replied. "He is not here at the moment, but I'll tell him you called."
"Good of you," Jane said cheerfully as he pushed past the startled valet. "I see you've unpacked. Efficient. Looks like his grace is all settled in for a nice long stay." He wandered the rooms, touching the personal possessions Faulk obviously didn't want him near. The decor in this suite was finer and less frayed than the rest of the castle; apparently Teresa's father or, more likely, his staff had tried to keep up appearances for their most important guests.
Faulk followed him, barely a step behind, and Jane could feel the man restraining an impulse to bat his hands away from the duke's things. Amusing as that was, it wasn't why he was here.
The duke had invaded Jane's private space, the bedroom he shared with Teresa. The act had been meant to throw Jane off his game, and it had succeeded. But only for a little while. If Red John wanted to play territorial games, Jane would show him he wasn't intimidated.
"So, Faulk, where are you from? England, I think? The north, originally."
Faulk frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Oh, you've done well losing your accent, but there's just a faint hint of home in your vowels." Jane grinned. "What's your first name?"
"Randall, sir."
"Randall Faulk. From...Hull, or somewhere near?"
"May I ask why you want to know?" Faulk asked, maintaining his dignity.
"Oh, no reason. Just nosy. You know, this room is really much nicer than the royal suite. I may have to swap some things out. After the duke leaves, of course. Wylie, come look at this lamp. Exquisite, isn't it?"
Wylie came forward to look, confused. "Uh, yeah. Sure."
"See the way the lampshade drapes?" Jane was talking nonsense, but neither Wylie nor Faulk would call him on it, he knew. "This is an antique. A valuable one. Feel that craftsmanship." He reached for Wylie's hand and guided it to the lamp, then let go of it clumsily so that Wylie's hand knocked the lamp over. It tumbled to the floor, breaking and soaking the carpet with oil.
Wylie jumped back, dismayed. "I'm so sorry!"
Faulk sprang forward to rescue the duke's slippers, resting beside the bed. Jane took the opportunity to tuck his monogrammed handkerchief under the bedcover, on the duke's pillow. That ought to give him pause, particularly since it was Frederick's monogram.
"Oh dear. What a mess," Jane exclaimed sadly. "We'd better go. We'll send a maid up to scrub the carpet and refill the lamp right away."
As they hurried out, he reflected how nice it was to be a prince and not have to apologize for trivial things necessary to his goal.
"So what are you going to do? Poison him?"
"No. He'll be on the lookout for that. I'll need a more original plan." It might do for a feint, though. Maybe he'd send a bottle of brandy up to the duke's rooms tonight.
"Like what?"
"Still working on it." But he knew it involved him, Red John, and a blade. "Are you eating in the servants' hall tonight?"
"Yeah, unless you need me somewhere else."
"No, that's perfect. I've given Grace an assignment. Just keep an eye on things, will you?"
"Sure. Nobody would hurt Lady Grace, though. Everybody likes her. Especially that footman the duke brought."
Jane searched his memory palace. "O'Loughlin? How many more staff did he bring?"
"Just his driver."
Enough to have a guard with him at all times, Jane noted. "Still. I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye out."
"Always," Wylie assured him.
mmm
Dinner was a quiet affair, with Minelli and Madeleine their only company. Everyone was tense at the thought of sleeping under the same roof as Red John, and Minelli pointedly included a plea for the queen's good health in his blessing of the food. After the ladies withdrew, Minelli poured himself a generous glass of port, but Jane decided to keep a clear head.
"Whatever you're going to do tonight," Minelli said, "don't get caught."
"I'll do my best."
"Murder is a sin." Minelli swirled the liquid in his glass.
"Yes, it is. He murdered my wife and child. An eye for an eye, right? I only wish I could kill him twice." Jane paused. "Even if I was worried about an immortal soul, I don't think your God would judge me too harshly for ridding the world of a man who cut open an innocent child and tortured countless women."
"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord," Minelli quoted. "But He would surely forgive a man who killed to save the life of a devout queen whose people need her."
"Comforting," Jane said.
"It will be for her, at least. You may not worry about your immortal soul, but I assure you she does."
Jane was touched at the thought that Teresa prayed for him. Though he didn't believe there was any value in her prayers other than the comfort she found in them, he treasured the evidence that she cared. "I'll try not to worry her more than necessary."
"Good."
Jane decided to check in on Annie before turning in. He stood up. "Good night, Father. Sleep tight."
"God bless you and keep you, my son," Minelli replied solemnly. Then he raised his glass. "And may He steady your aim."
"Amen," Jane grinned as he left. Rigsby was waiting in the hall to escort him.
The ladies weren't in the drawing room, so he surmised they'd gone up to see Annie. He hurried to join them, Rigsby at his heels until they spotted Grace leaving. The couple watched Jane safely in but didn't follow.
Teresa was sitting in a rocking chair with Annie on her lap, reading a large book in a soft, loving voice that tugged at Jane's heart. Madeleine was standing by the door watching as Miriam folded laundry nearby.
Jane went to stand beside Madeleine and listen. Teresa was reading an old fairy tale about a young princess trying to undo an evil spell, and it was obviously a story she knew well.
Madeleine said softly, "She'll make such a good mother. She has so much love to give and so few to give it to."
"Yes," Jane agreed. It was one of the things that drew him to her. She had an abundance of love, and he had a deep need for it.
"Don't hurt her."
"I have no intention of hurting her."
"Good. Because if you do, you'll have to deal with me."
"You'll have to take a number," Jane said with a wry smile.
They were silent as Teresa finished the story, and Jane went over to pick Annie up and carry her to her bed, giving the sleepy girl a kiss on the forehead and stepping back for Teresa to do the same. Then they whispered goodnight to Madeleine and tiptoed out of the room.
Grace was waiting in the hall to escort them, apparently having sent Rigsby to bed. "So," Jane asked, "where are we going?"
"You'll see," Teresa replied with a faint smile.
"I took the essentials already," Grace said, "but I'm afraid it's going to be like camping indoors. Well, with a bed."
"I'm intrigued," Jane said. So it was to be one of the closed off sections of the castle. He'd noticed an old round tower with stonework badly in need of repair, presumably one of the older buildings within the castle walls. He just hoped wherever they were headed was structurally sound. "I like an adventure."
"Then you'll probably be disappointed," Teresa replied.
"I doubt it." He intended to savor the time he had left with her, whether it was the lifetime he hoped for or a single night. "How was dinner, Grace?"
She made a face. "Okay I guess. Faulk is a jerk. Thinks he's a big shot. He'd do whatever was necessary to get ahead. But if he knows about the killings, he didn't give any hint." After a pause, she continued, "Everybody was talking about what happened at the jail. Nobody's surprised the count got away, but Lennon's death is the subject of a lot of debate. Since he was trying to set this place on fire, nobody's sorry, but everybody likes a good mystery, I guess."
Teresa grumbled, "I'd rather have some answers."
Sure enough, Teresa led them to the old tower. Jane was gratified he'd guessed right, and when they were safely inside he decided to share some of his thoughts. "It doesn't make any sense to send two people. The poisoner could have easily set the count free. I think the duke is responsible for only one of the two incidents."
Teresa said, "You think Volker arranged his own escape?"
"Maybe. Though I bet that would only happen with the duke's approval. So it would still be inefficient to send a second person. I think poisoning Lennon was the unapproved activity."
"You do? Why?" Teresa frowned. "John has a long history of tying up loose ends."
"Yes. But I doubt Lennon was much of a threat. We had him cold for the arson attempt; that meant he'd be charged with attempted regicide and executed. It's known you don't allow your officials to torture prisoners or suspects, so he didn't have to worry about that. Why one more suspicious death to make people whisper? Why not just let the justice system grind to its inevitable conclusion?"
Grace asked, "Who else would want to kill him? Especially if he was basically going to die anyway, as you said?"
"That is the question," Jane said. He paused at the base of the stairs and looked up, grimacing. It seemed there were a lot of them, and as Grace held up her lantern, he noted the wooden floor above had gaps. "How old is this place?"
"It's the oldest part of the castle, originally a watchtower," Teresa said. "When my ancestors decided to form a kingdom a couple hundred years ago, they enlarged it. But there hasn't been any money for maintenance for a long time. My grandfather closed it off. Tommy showed it to me. He used it to hide when he didn't want to do some royal duty my father had assigned him. Or, I suppose, for drinking and other things my father wouldn't approve of. He and Rigsby reinforced the floor at the top and carried a bed up there."
"Ah," Jane said. There was a joke to be made about carrying on her brother's tradition of love affairs in the tower, but voicing it might well make her decide not to. "Comforting."
Grace led the way up the stairs, Teresa following. Jane came last, grateful the steps winding up the outer wall were stone and therefore safe. When they reached the top, he gingerly tested the wooden floor before each step.
"Oh, come on," Teresa said, sounding both exasperated and amused. "If it'll hold both of us, it'll hold you."
Jane's next step produced an alarming creak. "I weigh more than you, my dear."
"You don't weigh more than Tommy did, and he was fine up here."
That was good to know, since Jane had some trepidation about adding the weight of two people to a bed if the floor wasn't sound. It wasn't a small bed, nearly filling the small round room. Jane's back twinged in sympathy for Rigsby. "There's no dressing room."
"No," Grace said, "but I brought a screen up." She picked it up and unfolded it. "And a nice warm nightgown since there's no fire."
Jane cautiously stretched out on the bed, squirming around to get comfortable and then folding his hands behind his head. It was a little softer than he liked, but it would do. He wouldn't be spending the night on it, after all.
Closing his eyes, he mapped out the route in his head from here to Red John's rooms. His sword cane was in the royal suite, not being appropriate for dinner, but he could stop by and get it. Or, since there would probably be a guard for appearance's sake, maybe not. But it wouldn't be difficult to find a weapon in this place. Maybe it would be best if Red John wasn't killed with a weapon traceable to him, anyway. His vengeance was personal; he had no need to advertise that he'd done it, and very good reasons not to.
His biggest obstacle, of course, was Red John's awareness that Jane wanted him dead. Maybe he should wait until early morning, give him time to sit up all night and then decide that Jane wasn't coming?
Would the duke even be in his rooms? Or would he come to kill them tonight? Surely it would look too suspicious if they died while he was under the same roof. Introducing Annie as a potential heir meant he was no longer assured of the throne in the event of Teresa's death. Another regent could be found to replace him if he were arrested or even deemed untrustworthy. Bertram would likely jump at the chance. Cho and the others would be very clear on whom they held responsible for their queen's death, after all.
Lost in his thoughts, Jane was startled into opening his eyes when the bed dipped beside him. Teresa was frowning at him, enveloped in her voluminous nightgown with her hair in a neat braid. Behind her, he caught a glimpse of red hair as Grace and the lantern vanished through the door in the floor, closing it behind her.
"Did you change your mind?" he asked without thinking. Teresa was beautiful in the shaft of moonlight falling across her, giving her pale skin a luminous glow.
"No. Did you?"
"No."
Teresa shivered a little in the chilly air and lifted the covers to slip beneath them. "Grace will sleep by the door on the inside. It's the only way in or out except the windows, and they're all too narrow for an adult except the ones up here. Plus they're all shuttered so no one will know we're here."
Jane realized the unshuttered window that gave them light was the one that looked over the castle wall toward the gorge. "So we're safe."
"Yes."
"But you're afraid Grace will overhear us."
Teresa lay on her side facing him, one hand emerging from the blankets to cover his heart. "I can be quiet if you can."
Jane rolled over to kiss her, then scrambled under the blankets. "A secret affair, hm? Naughty."
She huffed in his ear as she unbuttoned his shirt. "I don't think it's much of a secret since you've told everyone." Then she nipped his earlobe in teasing reproof.
Jane accepted her anger, which was justified, after all. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you," he whispered, slipping his hands under her nightgown and letting his fingers paint apologies on her smooth skin.
"Just don't do it again." Her scold was ruined by a little gasp at the end as he found a sensitive spot.
"I'll try," he promised, sealing it with a kiss.
mmm
Afterward, she held onto him tightly, and he realized she knew he planned to make a move tonight. He held her and tried to soothe her with wordless kisses and caresses, but she didn't relax, as if afraid to fall asleep.
"It will be all right," he whispered.
"You don't know that. You can't know that." She pushed her face against his neck, and he felt her lips tremble.
"No. But I believe it."
"Let me come with you."
Her voice was so quiet that he thought he might have imagined it. "Go to sleep, Teresa."
"No. Because if I do, you might be gone when I wake up. Forever." She pulled away, lifting herself on one elbow. "I want to come with you."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're the queen."
"Then I won't be anymore. I'll give it to Annie."
"Because you're not a murderer."
"Neither are you."
The unspoken "yet" hung in the air between them for a moment. He sighed. "I have to do this alone. For my family."
"He killed mine too. I have as much right as you do. Let's do it together."
"No. Red John is mine." He made his voice sharp and saw it cut her, but she didn't back down.
"My claim is older than yours." The desperation in her voice wasn't about vengeance, though. It was because she was frightened of losing him, either to death or to exile.
"You're the queen," he said, his voice softened by affection. "You stand for the rule of law. You'd never misuse your power for personal gain."
"Haven't I already, by putting you in my husband's place?"
Jane responded to the guilt in her tone. "You did that to prevent a war and keep Red John from usurping your throne. That's not personal gain."
She shook her head. "It was selfish."
"It was the right thing to do."
"Regardless, I think some men, men like Red John, they don't deserve a trial. They don't deserve a jury. They deserve what they have coming to them."
She was trying a little too hard to convince him, Jane thought. "Really?"
"Really." Teresa lay down again and slid her arm around him. "I'm going with you."
"I don't want you involved."
"I go with you. This is non-negotiable, Jane."
"I agree one hundred percent," Jane replied. He wasn't going to negotiate about this. He had to do it on his own.
"So what's your plan?"
"We'll wait until just before daybreak. Then I'll send a note from Volker asking him to meet outside the back gate."
"That could work," Teresa said thoughtfully.
He needed to distract her before she figured out his real intentions. "That's hours away, though. What shall we do to pass the time?" He raised a hand to play with her fingers. She was still working off a tremendous sleep deficit; if he wore her out, he'd be able to slip away without waking her.
She gave a quiet chuckle. "Oh, I have an idea about that."
"Oh? What's your plan?"
She rolled on top of him and proceeded to kiss him breathless. As he responded, Jane felt a twinge of guilt at deceiving her. But it was for her own good. He knew he was right not to involve her.
But that didn't stop him from feeling like an ass an hour later when he slipped out of her arms, kissed her cheek, and whispered, "You have no idea what you've meant to me. What you mean to me."
Then he dressed quickly in the dark and felt his way down the stairs.
