The Bastards
Ch. 7
The next morning Bash woke to the chirping of birds outside the open window near the bed. Maisie laid on her back beside him with her head resting on his shoulder. She was awake, holding her left hand up over her face, examining the gold ring on her finger. A soft smile played on her lips as she slowly tilted her hand back and forth making the ruby sparkle. She jumped when he placed his hand on her arm that rested across her stomach. "How long have you been awake?" she asked, having been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed him wake.
"Long enough to know you weren't just telling me you loved the ring to keep from hurting me." he answered.
"I do love it. It's not just a piece of jewelry meant to mark me as an engaged woman. It's a symbol of your love and a piece of history, your family history, that I am incredibly honored to have been gifted." Bash smiled at her confession.
"I never told you how I knew that my mother approved of you." Bash started and Maisie dropped her hand and turned onto her stomach, looking at him with her chin propped up with her elbow and hand. "When I turned sixteen Mother asked me if I'd met a new woman I'd consider proposing to. I told her no, that I would wait for you and if Mary hadn't returned to wed Francis by your nineteenth birthday, I would go to Scotland and find you." he explained. "So she gave me that ring and told me to give it to you when the time was right. I carved that box," he said with a nod to the little box sitting on the small table nearby, "shined the ring and placed it inside to keep it safe until we met again. I asked my mother why she gave me such a small ring to give to you, instead of one of the many bigger ones that graced her fingers. She said that it was a family heirloom and if you couldn't appreciate it for what it was then you weren't the right girl for me."
Maisie smiled and cupped his cheek in her hand as she scooted up and caught his bottom lip between hers. Bash rolled over, and moved between her legs that instantly wrapped around his hips. The sound of noisy kisses and heavy breaths filled the room as they got lost in one other. After a long moment Maisie managed to put her train of thought back on the tracks. "I could happily stay in this room with you forever." she sighed.
"But you have somewhere you need to be." he guessed as he pulled back and looked into her eyes. She nodded. "Will I be welcomed into your bed again tonight?"
She pretended to think about it before she smiled, "Of course. Yesterday's invitation was an indefinite one."
"Good." he said with a smirk before he pecked a kiss to her lips and slipped from the bed, the sheet getting left behind as he did. A hum left her lips at the sight. "What?" he asked, sounding amused as he picked his trousers out of the pile of discarded clothes.
"I am one lucky woman." she replied as she moved to sit on the foot of the bed. He just smiled at her comment as she watched him get dressed.
When he finished she stood and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while his settled around her waist. "What, may I ask, is taking you away from me so early this morning?"
"The girls and I are going to surprise Kenna with treats for breakfast. She's still recovering and I've heard rumors that your mother's been in your fathers chambers. If I've heard them, so has Kenna." Bash let out a heavy breath. "I pass no judgment on your mother, I assure you."
"So it's only your friend that you judge." he said as he tightened his arms around her.
"I try to always look at things with open minded understanding, but for Kenna to think that after so many years together your father could simply drop your mother and never look back?" She said with a shake of her head and a shrug of her shoulders.
"You think she's acting foolishly?" He asked.
"I think she is acting solely on the whims of her heart and completely forgetting to use the common sense that I know her brain contains." Maisie answered. "And I fear this method of approaching love has led her down a rocky road to heartbreak."
"Well, I can't say I disagree with you." He said, his tone giving Maisie the impression that he didn't exactly think highly of Kenna. "But I do hope the breakfast treats lift your spirits. I'm sure you could all use some fun given the darkness that seems to constantly hang overhead here of late."
"Do you think that I could tell my friends about us?" she asked with a look down at her finger.
"If you can trust them to keep quiet about it, yes." he answered. "I know you're probably itching to share the news with them."
"I am." she replied. "And I'm sure I can trust them to not spread it like wildfire throughout the castle. It won't get to Henry before you can ask for his blessing."
"Okay." he agreed. "I will leave you to it then."
The servant carrying a tray of caramel apple strudel and cups of hot chocolate was let into the infirmary where Kenna still rested. "What's all this?" Kenna asked as she pushed herself up in bed, surprised to see the treats since she had just been served a normal breakfast from another servant.
"A gift from us." Maisie answered as the three other girls walked into the room.
"How are you feeling?" Lola asked as the tray was put on a table near Kenna and the three girls sat down around her, Maisie on the bed beside her and Greer, on the other side of the bed across from her. Lola and Aylee sat in chairs near Kenna's head.
"A bit better, still a little sore." she answered then looked at Aylee who sat near the tray that the first servant had brought to the room. "Would you pass me that cup, please?"
Aylee picked it up and smelled of it. "Mmm, smells nice. What is it?" she asked as she handed it to Kenna.
"Its a brew of lemon and honey." she answered, giving it a smell.
"And a herb." Aylee added.
"Smells floral to me." Kenna agreed. "It's supposed to soothe and heal." Kenna didn't miss the way her friend looked at the drink so curiously. "You can have it if you'd like. It's quite good." Kenna held the cup out to Aylee who took it.
She looked at Greer, "Would you hold this a moment?" she asked so Greer took the cup. Aylee opened a bag that had been over her shoulder and started taking out necklaces. "My family sent me these, as gifts to be worn on the day Mary will be wed." She handed Kenna a necklace of several strings of pearls with a pendant of emeralds.
"You're so modest, sometimes I forget your family owns half of Scotland." Lola said as Aylee handed her a necklace made of gold chains and amethyst.
"Only the lower half." Aylee replied. "They're yours to keep." she told them as she handed Greer a necklace of gold and diamonds.
"Aylee, thank you." Greer told her as she accepted the necklace.
"I thought you might like this one. The blue reminds me of Sebastian's eyes." She handed Maisie a three stranded necklace of pearls with a square aquamarine gemstone in the center.
"You're too kind." Maisie said with a small smile. The necklace was more lavish than her usual tastes, but Aylee was right, the aquamarine stone was very similar to the color of Bash's eyes in the sunlight. And, seeing as the necklace would be worn to a royal wedding her usual jewelry preferences probably wouldn't be sufficient enough for the occasion.
"Do you think the wedding will still happen though?" Greer asked, bringing down Maisie's mood sufficiently.
"Seems to me she's still on the fence about the whole thing. Nostradamus's prediction about Tomás's death has been the only one to come true." Maisie answered.
"I think that's open to interpretation." Greer replied then flinched a little. "Ugh, my head is pounding with stress."
"Of whether there'll be a wedding or what you'll wear?" Lola asked with a smile.
"The only magic I believe in is love." Greer replied with a smile and an eye roll. "She should marry him." She stood and handed Aylee the cup of lemon and honey tea then went to the tray and handed the other girls cups of hot chocolate. She lifted her glass and the girls followed. "To the power of love."
"To the power of love." they all toasted then took sips from their cups.
"Speaking of love." Maisie started, "I have something to share with you all."
"What is it?" Greer asked with a smile on her face.
"Bash asked me to marry him. Yesterday morning, that's why I was late to the meeting in the throne room." she answered.
"Finally." Lola said with a happy smile on her face. "I was starting to worry he had commitment issues or something."
"Why didn't you tell us yesterday?" Greer asked.
"We had decided to keep it a secret until after Mary and Bash were wed. We didn't want the king to find out and think we were trying to take the attention off of Mary and Francis' upcoming wedding." Maisie answered. "And we still don't want Mary or Francis to know, but I had to tell someone, I felt as if I'd burst if I didn't." she admitted with a smile then held out her left hand, showing them the gold rose ring on her finger. "It belonged to Bash's grandmother."
Kenna grabbed her hand and examined the ring. "I thought Diane De Poitier came from money." she said with an overly appraising look.
"Kenna." Greer scolded her.
"I meant no offense." Kenna said with an apologetic look at Maisie.
"We're happy for you," Aylee said as she reached across Kenna and placed her hand on her arm, "Truly." Maisie gave her a small smile and a thank you.
"So when do you plan on getting married?" Lola asked.
"Do you already have a dress?" Greer asked.
"Do you know where it's going to take place?" Kenna asked. "For some reason I can't picture you getting married in a church. You and Bash are too outdoorsy."
Maisie laughed at their excited questions, knowing this is what she'd been missing. "I don't know when we'll marry other than some time after Mary and Francis. I do have a dress, I brought my mother's with me for the inevitable occasion. And I'd always envisioned getting married in a church, but an outdoor wedding does sound lovely." she answered.
After a few minutes of gushing about wedding plans Aylee stood up. "I hate to leave so soon, but I've been meaning to write home and I need to get the letters out before the messenger leaves for the day." she told them and they said they would see her later. Maisie noticed that Aylee coughed a few times as she left the room, but she assumed that the lemon in the tea might have irritated her throat and thought nothing of it.
"Are you nervous about your wedding night?" Kenna asked with a knowing smile.
"Assuming there's still something to be nervous about." Lola spoke up. "I hear he was in your rooms again last night."
"There is still something to be nervous about." Maisie answered. "Though I'm more excited than nervous." she admitted with a smile.
"Does he want children?" Greer asked.
"I-" Maisie started to answer, but she was cut off when a servant rushed into the room.
"Come quick!" she urged. The four girls followed her out of the infirmary and down a couple flights of stairs. "Have you seen Queen Mary this morning?"
Lola answered that she was with Francis in his chambers. When they neared the last flight they all paused at the top at the sight of Aylee laying at the bottom of them, a pool of blood on the floor at her head. One of them, Maisie wasn't sure which, let out a scream before they all rushed to the bottom, joining the few maids and servants that kneeled around her. "We've already sent someone to fetch Nostradamus." Maisie heard one of the maids say, but she didn't look at her, she couldn't take her eyes off of Aylee and the dangerously large pool of blood that only continued to get bigger.
"Aylee, hold on." Maisie said through her tears as she grabbed Aylee's hand. "Hold on, help is coming, okay? Just stay with us." Aylee managed a weak nod.
Mary rushed over to them, Francis paused behind her. "We found her like this." Lola started explaining to Mary. "They came to us looking for you."
"Aylee." Mary sighed as she cupped Aylee's cheeks in her hands.
"He…he said I'd never go home again." Aylee said.
"Aylee…no." Mary whispered.
"Too much blood…shed for you…" Aylee said as she weakly reached up and grabbed Mary's arm. Maisie sobbed as she covered her mouth with her hand that wasn't still holding Aylee's. "You…we-we must…" Aylee choked on a breath and her eyes became distant, "Go home now." the light faded from her eyes before they slipped closed and her whole body went limp. Maisie reached out and grabbed Greer's hand causing her friend to pull her in for a tight hug while they cried on one another's shoulder.
"You were sent from hell." Mary's words pulled Maisie and Greer from their hug and they looked to see that she was talking to Nostradamus. "You're the devil!" Francis tried to grab Mary and comfort her but she pulled her arm from his grasp, looking at him with tears on her face. "No," she sobbed, Aylee's blood that she'd gotten on her hands when she touched her was smeared on her dress, "please no."
After Aylee was taken away by Nostradamus, Mary and her ladies retired to the queen's chambers. By the time they had cleaned Mary's hands and changed her dress they had all stopped crying. Mary started packing a bag. "What are you doing?" Maisie asked, watching her queen rush about gathering this and that.
"I'm leaving." Mary answered.
"What about your duty to Scotland?" Greer asked from where she stood beside the table Mary's bag was on. Kenna sat on the padded bench beside Maisie and Lola stood beside her. "What about the alliance?"
"I'll find a new one. This one has cost us too much already." Mary answered flatly.
"You have to tell Francis why." Greer argued emotionally.
"I can't. The queen is right. He'll just…talk me out of it." Mary argued back, her voice still numb and flat.
"But maybe there's some explanation." Greer, the non believer replied.
"For Nostradamus' gift?" Mary asked, now showing some hint of emotion as she stopped packing and looked at Greer. "For Aylee's death? Maybe…whatever it is, she is still dead. I can't risk it." she turned back to her bag and went back to packing. "I can't risk losing anyone else I love." she fastened the buckle of the bag and looked at her friends. "Come with me."
"We can't." Lola spoke up making the others look at her with frowns. "She stands a better chance of getting away on her own." she told them then looked at Mary. "And you're right. If Francis knows, he will stop you."
A quiet moment passed before Mary put the bag over her shoulder and sniffled. "I'll send for you when I can. We'll go home…to Scotland." She told them then walked out of the room.
Maisie took a deep breath then let it out. "I need to speak with Bash." her friends just gave her understanding nods before she too left the room.
She ran into him on the way to his chambers. He could instantly tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. Just as she saw the same look on his face. "What's happened?" he asked, cupping her cheek in his hand as he pulled her to the side of the hallway where they wouldn't be overheard.
"Aylee's dead." she whispered as tears filled her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I hadn't heard." Bash sighed as he pulled her close. She let herself cry into his chest before it registered that he too looked upset, but hadn't heard about Aylee.
"Wait, if you didn't know about Aylee, why are you upset?" she asked as she pulled back and looked up at him.
He looked around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard before answering. "Catherine has found out about my mothers attempts to have me legitimized behind fathers back."
"What? How?" Maisie asked with a worried frown.
"I don't know, but she made my mother a deal. She'd keep our secret in trade. What for, I don't know. Mother wouldn't elaborate." Bash answered. "With this knowledge in her hands it is too dangerous for me to stay here. Mother has already left."
"What are you saying? That you're leaving?" Maisie asked, her stomach twisting at the thought. He nodded. "And am I invited to flee with you?"
"No. It is too dangerous." he answered, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her. "It is safer if you stay here. At least until Mary and Francis are wed and father has his hands on England. By then the threat of my legitimization won't matter."
"Bash…" she sighed, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Mary's not going to wed Francis. She won't risk his life by marrying him and she's refusing to tell him why. She's leaving, today for fear of Francis talking her into staying." she explained. "She's probably announcing her refusal to Henry and Catherine as we speak."
Bash slipped his hands over his face as an aggravated sigh left his lips. "What a mess this has all turned out to be." he said as he dropped his hands and looked at her. "What are we going to do?"
Maisie thought about it for a minute. "Mary is fleeing on her own with no knowledge of the landscape. I thought about leaving with her to offer my protection, but I didn't want to leave you. Now that you're leaving too-"
"If you leave with me you'll be in danger." Bash insisted, interrupting her.
She grabbed his face in her hands. "I know." she told him with a pointed look. "I was just going to suggest that you escort Mary to Scotland then wait for me there. If I come with you I will just slow you down."
Bash thought about it for a short moment. "Okay." He answered. "I'll escort Mary to Scotland."
"Your Grace, may I be of service?" one of the stable hands asked Mary as she walked into the stables.
"I'm just going riding, I'm fine." Mary answered.
"I'll alert the guards." The stable hand replied.
"That won't be necessary." Maisie spoke up, alerting Mary to her and Bash's presence as they walked over. "Bash will be with us. We'll be safe, thank you." she told the stable hand so he gave them a nod and walked away.
"Maisie, what's going on?" Mary asked her quietly. "I thought you said you couldn't come with me."
"I can't, but Bash can." Maisie answered.
"Maisie, I can't-" Mary started.
"He has to leave, it's not a choice." Maisie interrupted then looked up at Bash, "His reasons for doing so are his and his alone to share if he so chooses." she looked back at Mary. "I just thought that, since you both have to leave, you could combine efforts, so to speak."
Mary looked from Maisie to Bash. "You're not going to try and stop me?"
"No, I understand your reasons for leaving." he answered.
Mary looked back and forth between the two of them with a hard face. "Very well then."
After getting their horses saddled the three of them walked out to the nearest road leaving the castle. While Mary mounted her horse, Bash turned to Maisie, taking both of her hands in his. "We'll send word, as soon as we're in Scotland and Mary is safe." he told her and she gave him a nod, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. He lifted his hand and rested his fingers on the sides of her neck, his thumbs on her jaw pushing her face up to look at him. "I love you, and I will think of you every moment we are apart." He caught her top lip between his in a sad, lingering kiss. When it broke they pressed their foreheads together.
"I love you too." her voice broke before she nuzzled his nose with hers then pulled back and jerked her chin to his horse. "Go, the sooner you leave the sooner we can be together once more." she told him as she gave his chest a gentle push.
As Bash was mounting his horse she heard Francis yell behind her and she turned to see him running over, "Mary, Stop!" Maisie turned back to see Bash give her one last look before his horse burst into a gallop. "Mary, please, wait! Mary!" When Francis got even with Maisie he stopped running and fell to his knees.
After they had watched Bash and Mary disappear Maisie walked over to Francis and held her hand out to help him stand. Instead of taking it he stood and turned his angry blue eyes to the man standing off to the side that had followed him out. "Detain her, hold her for questioning."
"What?" Maisie asked right before the man grabbed her hands and held them behind her back. "Francis, you can't be serious." she argued seeing the numb look in his eyes.
"It's your grace." he replied coldly as he walked away and the man started guiding her to the castle by her hands.
She was sitting at a table in a dungeon room, unrestrained, but under guard, when King Henry walked in. "Why did Mary call off the engagement?" he asked as he took a seat at the opposite side of the table.
"I don't know." Maisie answered.
"Why did Bash leave with her?" Henry asked.
"She was insisting on leaving today. I was worried about her safety so I asked Bash to escort her back to Scotland." Maisie answered.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Henry asked.
"Have you not met her?" Maisie asked. "Once she has made up her mind there is no stopping her."
"You are aware that your queen has committed treason, correct?" Henry asked. She gave him a nod. "And by helping her escape to Scotland Bash too is guilty of treason."
Maisie sighed and rubbed at her temples, holding back tears. "I didn't stop to think about that. I only thought about the well being of my friend and queen." she answered honestly.
"He could die, for the safety of your friend, your queen." he pointed out, making Maisie flinch and a tear fall. "But I will insure his safety if you tell the truth. Why did Mary leave?"
"All I know is that you were pressuring her to claim a throne she doesn't want, Francis promised her that he wouldn't pressure her to claim England, but anyone who knows Francis knows that when push comes to shove he will do what he believes is best for France. She couldn't risk the wellbeing of Scotland on the whims of her heart." she answered, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy him.
Henry was quiet for a moment, staring at her in thought. "You remained behind. Am I to assume that Bash is coming back for you?"
She knew that if she told him the truth, that the plan was for them to meet in Scotland, that he would keep her in France to insure that Bash would come back for her. "You are free to assume whatever you wish." she answered.
He gave her a smirk then stood and jerked his head for her to leave the room. As she walked past him he grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked at him, fear in her eyes, as he grabbed her left hand and examined the ring. "When did this new development occur?"
"Two mornings ago." she answered. "Before you announced that Francis and Mary would be wed. We were waiting for a better time to ask for your blessing." she answered.
"Interesting." Henry replied as he dropped her hand. "Too bad, had he asked sooner he would have gotten it." her eyes watered at his words as a pain shot through her chest.
That night, after the sun had sunk behind the horizon, the crickets chirped and the fireflies danced merrily outside her window, Maisie laid awake staring at the empty pillow on the other side of her bed, thinking over the events of the past few days. Just three nights ago she was perfectly fine sleeping alone, just as she had been doing all her life. Now she felt Bash's absence like a heavy weight on her chest, a chill on her body where it was once snuggled into his.
While she claimed to be Catholic for all intents and purposes, she had an open mind and didn't usually say a night time prayer. Tonight, however, she did. With eyes squeezed tight she prayed that Bash and Mary would make it back to Scotland safely and that when the time came Henry would let her leave the French court.
A few days later Maisie was sitting alone in her chambers, writing a letter to Keelan when a knock sounded at her door. Bernadette, her ladies maid, stood on the other side. "There's a visitor waiting for you in the main hall."
"Who?" Maisie asked as she grabbed a long sleeved wrap and shrugged it on, securing it with a diamond brooch.
"They didn't give a name." Bernadette answered. "I got the feeling they wanted to surprise you." Curious as to who would be visiting her she followed Bernadette down to the main entrance. "That's him." she said with a point to a man who's back was turned to them.
However, it was a very familiar back and when he turned she couldn't believe her eyes. "Keelan!" She rushed to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. He picked her up and spun her around, both of them laughing. When he set her down she pulled back and grabbed his face in her hands, looking into his shamrock green eyes. His dirty blond hair was shorter than the last time she'd seen him and he'd let his stubble grow out into a short beard. Freckles lightly peppered his thin nose and high cheekbones. "I was starting to forget what you looked like." She said, taking her hands off his face.
"Same." He answered as he grabbed her chin in his hand and looked at the healing scratches on cheek. "What happened here? Do I need to have a word with this Sebastian fellow?"
"It's a long story and no. Bash would never harm me." She answered. "You could have written and warned me you'd be visiting, you know I'm not one for surprises."
His face fell. "I apologize, there wasn't time." he answered, making her give him a curious frown. "I bring news and I'm afraid it's not good." His words caused her heart to sink into the pit of her stomach. "Is there somewhere a little more private we can speak?"
She nodded and grabbed his hand leading him out to the gardens. They sat on the bench in the center of them. "What is it?"
"May, your uncle was in an accident." He informed her, making her eyes grow wide with worry. "His horse threw him, when he landed he hit his head on a rock." Her hand flew to her lips as her stomach began to ache. "He didn't make it." Her face twisted as tears slipped down her cheeks. He scooted over and pulled her into his side and she wrapped her arms around his thin waist. He waited until her sobbs died down before he continued. "It gets worse."
"How could it possibly get worse?" She asked as she let him go and wiped her cheeks with her hands.
Keelan pulled a hanky out of the inner pocket of his coat and handed it to her. "Your brothers are probably arriving as we speak. They've found proof that your uncle was your true father. And your aunt has confirmed it."
Her eyes slipped closed as more tears fell. "Oh no…"
"Did you know? Is it true?" Keelan asked.
She opened her eyes and looked into his, framed by slightly bushy brows. "Yes."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked.
"The fewer people who know a secret the more likely it is to stay a secret." She answered.
"Maisie," Greer said as she rushed over to her, "come, quickly."
"What is it?" Maisie asked as she wiped her face.
"Your brothers are in your Chambers." She answered, panting from running.
Maisie pushed herself from the bench and ran. As they neared her chambers she heard their deep voices flowing from the room. When she walked in she saw Jack, her younger brother, taking her jewelry off her dressing table, packing it into a trunk. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked.
"Taking back everything you've purchased with our money." Liam, the older brother, answered as he took a dress out of her wardrobe.
"You've been stripped of your title and everything that comes with it." Jack added as he continued packing her jewelry.
"Hopefully these…awful, French working girl worthy dresses will fetch a fair enough price to at least get half our coin back." Liam said with a disgusted look at the strapless gown in his hand. "No doubt your aim with such revealing clothing was to rope in a rich titled suitor, seeing as you knew you would eventually lose the one you've unrightfully held since birth."
Keelan walked in and placed his hand on her lower back. "No." Maisie said when Liam pulled a white lace dress out of the wardrobe. "Please don't take Mother's wedding dress."
"'Tis the dress of a whore." He scoffed as he turned to the fireplace and threw it into the flames.
"No!" She cried and tried to run to pull it from the flames, but Jack grabbed her from behind with his arms around her, her arms pinned to her sides, forcing her to watch as the beautiful beaded lace ignited and burned.
"Take your hands off her!" Keelan grabbed Jack's arms, pulled them off of Maisie freeing her from him, punching him as soon as Maisie was out of the vicinity. She scrambled to the fireplace and pulled what was left of the dress from the flames. Using a blanket to snuff it out. Seeing that it was beyond saving, a furious fire sparked to life in her and she stood. She turned to Liam, a scream of pure rage ripping through her like a bolt of lightning as she closed in on him, lifted her fist and slammed it into his temple, knocking him out cold.
"Holy…" Keelan said with wide eyes.
"My tolerance for bullies has dropped immensely since leaving Scotland." Maisie said with a look at Jack, breathing hard from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Jack was pinching his bleeding nose closed. "Touch me again and see what happens."
"Why are you doing this?" Keelan asked Jack. "She's your sister."
"She's nothing but a spoiled bastard finally getting her due." Jack replied.
"What is the meaning of this?" Henry said as he stepped into the room. Jack, seeing the crown on Henry's head, scrambled to his feet and squared his shoulders. "Who are you and what are you doing in Lady Maisie's chambers?" he demanded.
"They are her brothers, Your Grace." Keelan answered before Maisie could.
"And what of you?" Henry asked as he walked over to square up with Keelan where he still stood at Maisie's side.
"He's my friend." she whispered, her eyes on her passed out brother before she made herself look at Henry. "They've come to strip me of my title and possessions, as they have recently learned we do not share the same father." Maisie answered, fighting hard to remain strong and hold her chin up.
"'Twasn't a recent discovery." Jack spoke up. "We've known all along. Now that Uncle Finn has passed on, we finally have full control of what rightfully belongs to us. So we're taking it back and dropping you on your bastard ass."
"Guards." Henry said and two castle guards came into the room, waiting for the king's command. "Take these two intruders to the dungeons. Hold them until further notice." One guard went to Jack and cuffed his hands behind his back while the other one picked up Liam and tossed him over his shoulder. As soon as the guards left with her brothers, Maisie placed one hand on her stomach and the other on the small table in the center of the room, bracing herself as she deflated and tried to catch her breath. Keelan rubbed her back comfortingly. Henry walked over and she made herself stand up straight. "Are you truly a bastard?" he asked quietly and she nodded. He sighed as his eyes dropped in thought. "I can't do anything about your title as you are not a French subject, but I can at least save your belongings. I'll purchase them from your brothers before I ban them from court and have them escorted back to Scotland." he told her, making her give him a confused frown.
"Why would you do that?" she asked.
"Because you're my son's fiancée and the only one allowed to bully my family…is me." He replied before he walked away.
"You're engaged?" Keelan asked as Greer, Lola and Kenna walked into the room, feeling free to do so now that Henry was gone.
"Yes, I was writing to tell you when I was told I had a visitor." Maisie answered.
"So it's true?" Lola asked as they joined her and Keelan at the small round table in the first room of her chambers. "You're a bastard?"
Maisie just squeezed her eyes closed and nodded. "That's why you've always hated the word." Kenna said in realization.
"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Greer asked, sounding sad.
"How was I supposed to tell you all that I didn't deserve the title I held? That the man I called uncle was in truth my biological father?" she asked with tears on her cheeks. "How many times did Aylee unintentionally poke at you for not being titled?" she asked Greer whose eyes turned understanding. "It was easier to just let everyone believe the lie." she said as her eyes fell.
"Does Bash know?" Kenna asked.
"Yes." Maisie answered as her eyes drifted over to the burned dress on the floor. "He's the only person I've ever told." she walked over and picked the white dress up from the floor, charred pieces of lace falling from it.
"Is that your mothers dress?" Lola asked as Maisie laid it on the table.
"She gave it to me to wear when I married Bash." Maisie answered.
"Perhaps we can have it mended." Keelan spoke up.
"I doubt it." Maisie replied, tears falling onto the white satin of the skirt. "Unless there's a seamstress that walks on water."
"Where is Sebastian?" Keelan answered looking toward the door. "Shouldn't he be here, defending you? And why was it that King Henry came to your defense before Queen Mary?"
Maisie, feeling like she was about to pass out, started for the door. "I need air." Keelan started to follow her but she turned back. "No, stay, let them fill you in." she told him with her hands held out at him. "I just…I need a moment."
An hour later Keelan found her in front of the stables, brushing Hemera. "Thought I might find you here." he said as he walked over. "Is this the infamous Hemera?" she just hummed at him. "She is a flawless beauty." He said as he petted the horse's golden neck. "Much like her owner." He added with a small smile at Maisie in an attempt to lift her spirits.
She just scoffed. "I am far from flawless."
Keelan sighed. "Look, I know things seem bleak right now, but I'm sure once Mary and Sebastian send word that they have made it home that you'll start feeling better. And," he started cheerily, "since the two of you will be living in Scotland I've decided what I'm going to give you as a wedding present." When she didn't say anything back and just kept brushing Hemera he continued. "Lands."
"What?" Maisie asked in a sigh as she stopped brushing the horse.
"Right now my family's lands are divided between my father and his two brothers. As you know I have no cousins so when my uncles pass away their lands will become mine. I'll have more than I care to handle." he explained. "You'll be doing me a favor by taking some of it off of my hands. Besides Mary, the queen, is your best friend and Bastard or not you're still her lady. I'm sure she could reinstate your title if she so wished."
"You're insane." she told him flatly as she rolled her eyes.
"I prefer to be called optimistic, thank you very much." Keelan argued.
"Your optimism aims too far into the future." she argued.
"Says the woman who spent nine years of her life thinking about the future…the life of her dreams with the man of her dreams." he pointed out. "Don't give up now."
Maisie heaved out a sigh as she tossed the brush onto the wooden barrel that sat beside the hitching post, walked around it and looked up at Keelan with tears in her eyes. "I've missed you…"
"I've missed you too, May." he replied then opened his arms. "Come here." she stepped into them and wrapped hers around his thin waist as he wrapped his around her shoulders, rocking her back and forth like a small child.
-A week and a half later-
When a knock sounded from the door of her chambers, Maisie slipped out of her bed and pulled on a robe as she went to the door.
Keelan was on the other side. "There's news." he said in a rush and Maisie perked up. "Queen Mary and Sebastian were caught by the king's guards. Mary is speaking to the king and queen. Sebastian has been locked up in the dungeons."
Her face fell at the news. "That's not what I was hoping to hear."
"I know." Keelan answered. "Get dressed." he told her as he grabbed her hand and placed some coins in it. "Bribe your way in to see your love."
Maisie let out a sigh as she closed her fist around the coins and pressed them to her chest. "Thank you."
"What happened? Are you alright?" Maisie asked through the barred window of his cell.
"I'm unharmed." Bash replied.
"Why didn't you make it to Scotland?" Maisie asked.
"The castle guards kept cutting us off, diverting us this way and that." Bash answered. "Last night they captured us." Bash sighed. "Are you alright?" Her eyes fell. "What happened?" he asked, worried.
"Keelan's here. He brought bad news with him." Bash frowned and shook his head. "My unc-...my father passed away." she answered. "My brothers found proof of my true parentage and came here to personally strip me of my title." tears welled in her eyes, but she pushed them back. "You're engaged to a penniless bastard."
"That changes nothing. You know that." he replied.
"It changes more than you think." she sighed as she dropped her eyes to her hands, fiddling with a coin she'd managed to save. "I was only able to buy my way in here to see you because Keelan gave me the coin to do so. And I only have clothes on my back because your father purchased my possessions from my brothers before shipping them back to Scotland."
"Excuse me, miss." a guard said, getting her attention. "Greer of Kinross is asking for you, she said it's urgent."
Maisie sighed and looked back at Bash. "I'll be back as soon as I can." she told him before the guard motioned for her to leave and she had no choice but to do so. When she got to the top of the stairs that led down to the holding cells she was met by Greer. "What's so urgent?" she asked and Greer gave her a sad look.
"Henry threatened to kill Bash if Mary didn't wed Francis." Greer informed her.
"What?" Maisie asked, getting sick to her stomach.
"Mary's mother wants her to claim the throne of England just as much as Henry does. She has to wed the next king of France and that king can't be Francis." Greer was explaining slowly and cautiously.
"Greer, get to the point I beg of you." Maisie asked, knowing there was something she was tip toeing around.
"Mary wants Henry to legitimize Bash and make him the next king of France so she can marry him instead of Francis." Greer finished explaining. "It was the only way she could save Francis and Bash and do as was bid by her mother."
"She what?" she asked, feeling as if her heart had jumped up into her throat. Greer just blinked at her with tears in her eyes. "I…" she placed her hand on her stomach, not knowing how to process this. "I need to speak to Bash." Greer gave her a nod and left as Maisie headed back to the dungeons only to be stopped by the guard who held out his hand. She placed her last coin in his hand and he just looked at her. "That's all I have left on me, but if you let me in there I swear I will make it worth the trouble. Please, let me back in to speak to him." the guard stepped aside and let her in.
As soon as Bash saw her through the barred window of the cell he knew something was wrong. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Did you tell Mary of your mothers plans to have you legitimized?" she asked, keeping her eyes downcast.
"Yes, why?" Bash answered.
"Because your father threatened to kill you if Mary didn't wed Francis." she started, making Bash's face grow hard. "So to save both of you and give both Henry and her mother England, she's proposed that your father have you legitimized. She wants to marry you." she told him, with tears in her eyes.
Bash sighed and placed his forearm on the door, resting his head on it. "I should have never told her of Mother's plans."
Maisie let a few moments of thought pass before she asked, "Did you…give her any reason to think you would go along with this?"
"No." Bash answered without a second thought. "My heart lies with you and if you think tha-"
"That's not what I meant. I know you're devoted to me." She cut him off. "But would you marry her…to intercept the fate Nostradamus has predicted…to save Francis?"
"I…" he said with a flutter of his saddened blue eyes. Maisie felt his hesitation, the fact that he was considering it, like a sharp knife in her heart that stole her breath and made tears sting the backs of her eyes. "I love you, I do, but-"
"But Francis is your brother and you love him as well." She cut him off and took a step back.
"I need time to think." He told her quietly.
"I understand." She whispered for fear of her voice cracking then turned and walked away. The more space she put between her and Bash, the more her pain turned to anger. By the time she made it out of the dungeons a piping hot hatred boiled within her. She saw red and only had a vague inkling of what she was doing as she made her way to Mary's chambers. A guard stepped in her way and she swiftly thrust her hand up catching the guard under the nose with the heel of her palm. The man paused and clutched his bloody nose in his hand.
The doors to Queen Mary's chambers were thrown open as Maisie stepped in and looked around. She spotted Mary who turned from the widow, a look of sorrow in the young queen's eyes. "Is it true? You plan to wed Bash?" Maisie demanded.
"Yes." Mary answered sadly. Her answer, the sad but determined look in Mary's eyes, caused Maisie's blood to boil as she stalked across the room and backhanded her queen across the cheek so hard Mary fell to the floor. Mary's guard came in and grabbed Maisie by the arm, but Mary held her hand out, stopping him from dragging her away. "Leave us." Mary told him so he gave her a nod and left. "It was the only way I could save Francis." Mary said as she blinked back tears of pain then moved her bottom jaw around and rubbed her cheek.
"Bash is mine!" Maisie yelled. "You have a love of your own. You have Francis who wants to be with you. All you have to do is let yourself have him. All you have to do is say the word and he, unlike me, will forgive you. If you proceed with this plan of yours, if you marry my fiancé, I will never forgive you."
"I can't marry Francis." Mary said with a shake of her head.
"So you still aim to marry my love?" Maisie asked.
"It is the only way." Mary answered, her voice cracked as tears streaked her face.
"I guess you don't care if he has no desire to marry you. Between you and Henry the pressure will be inescapable. He will be forced to wed a woman he doesn't love while his true love is forced to stand by and watch." Maisie said numbly.
"I'm sorry." Mary's voice cracked.
"No you're not. If you truly were you would stop this foolishness here and now. Bash was mine, Mary. My love, my fiance, my future husband. He was mine, and you've taken him from me." As soon as the words left her lips Nostradamus's words echoed through her head. "Nostradamus was right." She whispered in realization as she looked up at Mary. "He warned me that Bash would be taken from me. That I would strike the person who took him from me. I assumed he meant the person who caused Bash's death. But it was you…you're the thief." Once again tears streaked her eyes as she looked at the woman she once considered a friend.
"For the record, I didn't know you were engaged." Mary said quietly.
"As if it would have mattered." Maisie scoffed. "You know I love him and still you did what you had to to get what you want. You're a queen, it is your duty to do what's best for Scotland, for your people…your subjects, not what's good for Mary."
"I am doing what's best for my country." Mary argued.
"Yeah…keep telling yourself that." Maisie replied with a cold glare of her own. "While you do I'll be nearby making your life a living hell."
"Is that a threat?" Mary asked, her eyes turning cold.
"No, it's a promise." Maisie answered, then turned and walked away.
She was on her way back to her chambers when she ran into Catherine. "I've been looking for you."
"Well, you found me." Maisie said, not stopping until Catherine touched her arm and she stopped.
Catherine saw then how red her eyes were, how tearstained her cheeks looked. "Oh, my dear, you don't honestly think Mary is going to get away with this, do you?"
Maisie dropped her eyes. "I'm praying, with every fiber of my being, that she does not."
"Good." Catherine replied. "Then we're on the same team." Maisie lifted her eyes to meet Catherine's. "You're a smart girl, I'm sure I don't have to tell you what will become of me and my children should Henry annul our marriage and put Diane on the throne."
"There'll be a target on your son's backs and the one on yours will grow larger." Maisie replied.
"Nothing good will come of this…for anyone." Catherine told her with a pointed look.
"I can't say I disagree with you." Maisie said with a nod. "So what is your solution?"
"You and Sebastian are already engaged, correct?" Catherine asked and Maisie nodded. "Then I say it's about time you and Bash are wed."
"Strange." Henry's voice came from around the corner they were standing near causing Maisie to look at him over Catherine's shoulder while Catherine to turn toward him. "I was just thinking the same thing." He told them with a smirk as he placed his hands on his hips. "What say you?"
"I say you might want to take my groom's head off the chopping block and let him out of the dungeons." Maisie answered, making Henry chuckle.
"Let's move this chat somewhere more private, shall we?" Henry asked as he put an arm around the women's shoulders.