The King, The Duke, and The Lady

Chapter 16

The woman and man made their way across the empty and silent courtyard. She was dressed in the worn cape the man had given her to wear, and as instructed she wore soft boots that made no sound. It was impossible to recognize either the woman or the man as they entered through the iron gates that opened as if they were expected. The guard and the man led the woman up the stairs to one of the prisoner rooms and opened the door, awaking the prisoner.

The guard entered first and kicked the prisoner into a standing position. The man motioned the guard out of the room and once the large wooden door was closed the woman dropped the hood of her cape. The man gasped as he realized that the Duchess of Suffolk stood before him and the man with her was Sir Francis.

Brianna stood and looked coldly at the man standing before her. Within just the day he was incarcerated his clothing and being had deteriorated a great deal. She thought in passing that the Tower was indeed and awful, evil place.

"Lord Nottingham," she said coldly as she sat at the table, indicating that he should join her. "I am told that you are the more reasonable of you and the Duke, so I am here to try to reason with you." Actually, she had been told by Sir Francis that he was the most frightened of the two and was more likely to give up the plot. The Duke continued to think his rank would protect him.

"And why should I do that? You are one of my accusers."

"That is true. And I also have the power to have your sentence at best commuted and at worst your death would be quick and less painful than if you don't cooperate. They," she looked at Sir Francis, "will begin to torture you tomorrow. There will be no mercy from the king, and I will not plead for mercy on your behalf. But," she paused for effect, " if you can tell me of the plot and who else was involved, then perhaps there may be something I can do."

The Earl of Nottingham sat in front of the Duchess of Suffolk, neither of them breaking eye contact or even blinking. The Duchess was deadly serious and the Earl knew the situation for was desperate indeed.

The Earl looked over at Sir Francis, and back at the Duchess. "You will ask for mercy on my behalf to dispense with torture?"

"I will speak with the King," the Duchess agreed without actually agreeing to anything.

The Earl looked hard at the woman again and decided to take his chances. He began to spill the entire story, leaving nothing out. He told who began the plot (the Duke of Nottingham), who the persons involved were, and how it was to be carried out. No matter what the information, Brianna never moved. Her coldness only grew colder. By the time he was done, the Earl was crying and threw himself at her feet pleading for her mercy and for her intercession with the king.

She pulled her feet away and walked to the door where Francis waited to open the heavy door. She turned back and faced the Earl for the last time. "May God have mercy on your soul, mercy that you were not prepared to give my children." And with that, she turned and left the room. Her hood up, Francis and the guard guided her out of the Tower.

After they left the Tower, Brianna whispered to Sir Francis, "I want to hear their screams as they are tortured tomorrow." Her voice was as cold as he had ever heard it.

He looked at her briefly and then looked straight ahead. "No your Grace, you don't."

She was surprised as his calm disagreement. Few ever dared do that, but she looked into his eyes where he stared back at her. "Perhaps you are right, Sir Francis. Thank you for all you have done tonight. Will you take this to the King, or will I need to?"

"You will be left out of this completely. You did not really mean to intercede on his behalf did you?"

"Of course not. I have never broken my word before, but in this case…it will not weigh heavy on my heart I should think."

"Good. I am glad to hear of it. The King and the Duke would have my head if they knew I had allowed you to talk me into this crazy idea. I will share what we learned tonight, either before or after we torture them. It will not go easily for them."

The two had arrived at the door to her apartments. "Thank you Sir Francis."

He dipped his head and made a slight bow and she turned and entered the safety of her apartments. Her most trusted lady in waiting was awake and ready for her return. A bath was already prepared and the lady took all the clothing, including the boots and took them to be burned. Brianna slid into the lavender scented bath while she thought about what she had learned. She was confident that Francis would solve the problem and she could let go of that. But her fear for the children was still palpable. This time they had stumbled upon the plot. What would happen next time?

She dried herself off and climbed into the bed she shared with Charles. She turned on her side to look at his face. He was no longer the young free spirited man that he once was. Time and pressure had worn on him. But his body and face were still beautiful. She let her fingernails glide down his face along his strong jaw, his stubbled neck and through his curly chest hair. She could tell when he woke up when his breath changed and he sighed.

"You smell like lavender my love. Did you decide on a midnight bath?" His eyes were still closed and his voice drowsy. He knew that she had not just 'decided' on a midnight bath. Something else was going on.

"I want you Charles. Now. Make it like it was our first time."

His eyes widened now and he turned to her. "What is wrong, Bri?"

"I am afraid Charles. I need to feel you. I need to feel the safety of your arms. I need to know that we are safe, that our children are safe."

Charles Brandon, the infallible, the closest confidant of the king, the most beautiful man at court, was at a loss as he felt his beloved wife's tears fall on his shoulder. He leaned forward and kissed her fresh mouth, feeling her naked body under his, taking his time, loving her as if it was their first time. She climaxed over and over again, as he intended, making sure her mind was washed clean of all that was unclean at Court. And as she curled her body against his, he felt her sigh. There were no more tears. Once again he had slayed the monsters and she could sleep again.

The next morning, Charles was still asleep with Brianna, both of them naked and both very much asleep. Their ladies and men let them sleep until the Duke was required someplace for some Court thing. He parted from Brianna quietly but was glad to see she was in much better spirits.

The "trial" of the seven traitors lasted a week. It was a week of hell for Brianna. She wanted to leave Court but the King would not grant her permission for the children to leave and she would not leave without them. So she stayed, quietly doing needlework in her apartments, watching the children play, and taking them outside under guard where there had been none before.

The day of the executions she stood in the King's bedroom Privy room listening to the bells chime as each man was put to death. About half-way through the ordeal, without turning from the window where she was staring into the gardens, she said into the silent room, "Your Majesty, perhaps it is time for a progress. The ground has thawed and the trees and flowers are in bloom. A progress and a hunt or two perhaps?"

The Duke and the King both looked up at Brianna in surprise, and immediately smiled at the idea. "Yes, yes, that is exactly what we need. Would the children come with us do you think? I should like to take my son hunting." The boy-like charm that seemed to have disappeared with age came into the King's eyes again.

"Of course, we should ride to Richmond first and spend time there. You could both teach the boys to hunt. They are already proficient horsemen so I am told. We could move most of the household there for some time." She paused and then turned to the two men. "And I should like very much for us to go to Cheverly for at least a week. Just us, no one else." She looked at the two men meaningfully and the meaning was not lost on either of them.

Both men approached her. "Just us?" The King asked.

"I think it has been far too long since we have had our freedom don't you? Skulking around the castle is not conducive to the freedom we would have at Cheverly. We must be quiet and the two of you caught in the same bed would truly get someone killed. Although I do enjoy being squeezed in between the two of you. Somehow I think that would make it alright if we were caught. Unless, of course, the Duke has a problem with going back to the beginning?"

"I think a special progress to Cheverly would be perfect." Both men reached to touch Brianna carefully. They knew the last several weeks had left her fragile, but as they touched her she moved into their touch, wanting it, pushing against it. The king bowed his head close enough to touch her ear first and then kiss his way down her long neckline. The Duke sucked on her earlobe and then continued down her neck as well. As they reached her breasts, their hands ran across the tapestry cloth that barely covered her well endowed breasts. Her eyes were closed but her mouth was open in a slight 'O' shape. Her hands covered theirs lifting her breasts even higher using their hands, causing the material to slip aside and her nipples to be exposed. The Duke was the first to reach into her tight bodice and scoop the rest of her breast out and caress it, rolling the nipple between his fingers. The King followed suit, his mouth reaching downward to take her nipple into his mouth, biting lightly as he did so. They heard a slight moan come from Brianna's lips and continued their ministrations. Eventually they both pulled away as their own arousals were becoming quite painful. Brianna's face was flushed and her nipples stood hard after their mouths had abandoned them.

The King eyed them both, "Yes, I believe it has been much too long. We shall start to plan it immediately." With another suckle on her breast he helped guide it back into her bodice while she teased him by running her hand up his hardened cock that could be felt under his cod piece. She sighed reluctantly and turned away from them both.

TBC

Would love to read your reviews!