Chapter 37

Stephane was fighting against an inner urge to strangle this dreadful man with his bare hands, for he dared to hurt his wife. He won't allow him to touch Catherine ever again.
But he probably wouldn't even get close enough to this devil before his henchmen would grab him, before they would stab him with a blade between his ribs. Because these men were anything but squeamish.
He kept thinking of Fabrice's motionless and bloodstained body near the door. His companion was very likely dead.

"And what exactly is my supposed role in your little plot?" Stephane asked, trying for a neutral tone.
He wondered what exactly these traitors were up to? What would be their next step?
The man assumed that Charles was staying with them in their chateau. But by the moment he and his men decided to search and take over the castle, their cover would be blown.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something clever to lure out your feeble-minded son-in-law without arousing suspicion. But I warn you, Lord Chancellor, you're better not pulling any tricks."

Esteban who had stepped behind Catherine in the meantime, gripped her neck with one hand to keep her still and then he let his other hand wander provocatively from her lower abdomen up to her breasts. All along looking Stephane straight in the eyes.
And no matter how much Stephane tried to look indifferent, as soon as the other man's hands touched his wife, his blood began to boil.

"Oh, you're in love with this little harlot! What a lucky twist of fate that your lover happened to fall into my hands. Let me offer you a deal, Lord Chancellor. A deal that shouldn't be entirely unappealing for you. You give us Charles. Then you're going to write to your wife, informing her of the unfortunate death of her beloved son. I'm sure she'll hurry back in the blink of an eye. And now comes the part you're going to like: The Medici whore will die the minute she arrives, even before she realizes what's going on. I'll free you from the snares of this witch without you having to get your own hands dirty. You just have to cooperate."
At the end of his speech, he violently pinched Catherine's right nipple, what caused her to cry out in pain.

Her reaction evoked a diabolical smile on the sadist's face.
"Music to my ears," he whispered into her ear, his gaze still fixed on Stephane.
"What makes you think that the Lord Chancellor of France will commit treason for you?" Catherine's question caused Stephane to inwardly groan. Provoking this madman even further was anything but conducive in his eyes and it only unnecessarily endangered her even more. At that moment, he cursed Catherine's ability of wearing her heart on her sleeve, though he adored and appreciated that idiosyncrasy under normal circumstances.

"You, my doll," Esteban whispered all the while brutally kneading her breast. Not to elicit a reaction from Catherine but her supposed lover. "Our Lord Chancellor will not risk us laying a finger on you or my friend fucking you properly, no matter how much he would like to do just that. Am I right, Lord Narcisse?"
"Neither you nor he is going to touch her!", Stephane growled through clenched teeth and begged Catherine with an urgent glance to keep calm for heaven's sake in order not to provoke Esteban any further.

But it actually were his very own words that brought grist to the mills of the traitor, causing him to provocatively grab for his wife's crotch.

"You're not exactly giving me a reason not to. Who knows, maybe I'm also going to fuck her before I cut her to pieces. Do tell, is she a good lay? Certainly better than your frigid wife. At least she's prettier than that Medici whore."
"That's enough. You've got yourself a deal!" Narcisse blurted out since he did not know how else to stop this monster from abusing his wife right before his eyes. And indeed, Esteban let go of Stephane's wife right away after hearing the other man's admission. A wolfish grin graced his face.
"I always knew that you would listen to reason," he smirked.
With a nod he instructed the sturdy man whose lustful eyes were still resting on Catherine to guard her. Then he signaled the Lord Chancellor to follow him.

Stephane gave his wife one last, almost desperate look and prayed silently for her inviolability. He didn't know how he would react, should one of these men harm his beloved wife during his absence.

But how long could they be stalled? Not too long, of that he was sure. And what was going to happen then? He would not and for sure could not turn the King of France in.
And even if Charles would be present, Stephane would never be found guilty of treachery. Because Catherine would never forgive him if he took an active part in sacrificing her son.
He needed a plan, and he needed it as quickly as possible.

"Don't take too long. Who knows how else we're going to pass our time during your absence." Esteban warned him, glaring at the other end of the aisle. Where his wife was standing.
"I'm going to bring you Charles and meanwhile you're not going to touch the woman I love," Stephane growled short-temperedly.
Then he pushed open the door.
The two men who had discreetly remained in the background followed him. Without attracting their attention, the Lord Chancellor let his eyes gaze at the courtyard.
The heavy rain had turned into a light drizzle and a shroud of mist had spread over his estate. He spotted a figure lying on the wet grass on the left hand side of the stables. This could only be either Philippe or Christian. They were probably as dead as Fabrice.

And while the Lord Chancellor was racking his brain to find a way out of his predicament, he heard the thunder of galloping hooves from afar. Alarmed, he spun around and peered into the opaque darkness.
His two guards looked at each other in confusion while more men came running, staring down the mist-covered avenue in tense anticipation.

Then all of a sudden a cavalry unit with foreign coat of arms loomed large in front of them and rushed towards the inner courtyard. Stephane spotted Rafael at the head of the army who steered his stallion towards the invaders.
At the same moment his own remaining guards appeared, elicited by the turmoil outside.

The Lord Chancellor sent a silent prayer heavenwards and ran back to the stables. Surely the arrival of the reinforcement to their aid hadn't escaped Esteban's attention and Stephane didn't even want to imagine the things he would do to Catherine once he realized that he and his men were currently being overrun. There had been something malefic and incalculable in the other man's eyes. Something evil.

Thank you! Thank you soooo much for your reviews, for reading my story and for being so engrossed.
I actually finished this manut-baby two nights ago and it's a strange yet wonderful feeling working on the translation of the last few chapters. So hang on!