Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 124: Silent Assassin

31 July, 1359. Magdaline Castle, Islia

William felt on edge - he was struggling to get a moment alone with his uncle. The two kings had been virtually inseparable since King Kenneth had arrived at the Islian court a week ago. They spent much of their time ensconced in private discussions within either King Edward’s presence chamber, library or map store.

William had sent several messages requesting a private audience with his uncle but had yet to receive formal confirmation of when the king was free to see him. This was out of the ordinary.

His anxious mind started weighing up various possibilities. Was King Edward avoiding him? Had the betrothal with Camilla already been broken off as Kenneth wanted, and they were just waiting until the last moment to tell William?

Who knew what poison the Moraigthian beast had poured into King Edward’s ear?

As far as William could tell, the wedding was still scheduled for the seventeenth day of August. The royal tailors had measured him and were in the process of stitching his wedding outfit. The upcoming celebrations were the talk of the court and Queen Celia herself spoke about it nonstop, as excited as if she were the young bride.

On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Inwardly, William felt like he was being consumed by worry and suspicion. He knew Camilla was just as anxious but without knowing exactly what the two kings had discussed and decided, there was nothing they could do but wait.

The shadows under Camilla’s eyes became darker and darker and William grew tense with worry over her health. He knew she had been tormented by nightmares for months and that her uncle’s presence at court had made things worse.

So far, she’d managed to avoid Kenneth. During the day, she made sure all their interactions took place surrounded by various other people. At night, both Meg and Katerine were sharing her bed and it gave William some comfort thinking of the three young women huddled together behind locked doors. That way, if King Kenneth were able to bribe a servant for a copy of the keys to Camilla’s rooms, at least one of her Islian ladies could raise the alarm...

Sometimes William wondered if he was running a little mad with thoughts of bribed servants and copied keys. What kind of a king would do those things?

Then again, he asked himself bitterly, what king of king seeks to violate his brother’s child?

- - -

That night, William lay sprawled half dressed on his bed, staring up at the overhead canopy. His eyes felt hot from exhaustion but sleep eluded him.

Dinner had been its usual boisterous affair, the two kings eating and drinking merrily side by side. A drunk Kenneth had bellowed for his niece to lead out the court ladies to the dance floor and she’d silently complied. Kenneth had watched her nonstop with predatory eyes, not even bothering to hide his expression.

Does no one else see a problem with this, William had felt like shouting to everyone? Why are we letting this sinful, adulterous lecher among us and pretending like it’s nothing?

The faintest of sounds suddenly caught William’s attention as he lay in the dark. He strained to hear anything else in the silence. Heart in his throat, he watched the door to his bedchamber swing open ever so slowly.

The next moment, he bolted silently from the bed and crossed the room on bare feet. He swiftly pulled whoever was on the other side of the door, into his room and tightened his forearm across their throat, noticing the intruder was smaller than him. The scent of peaches and roses made him weak with relief the moment it hit his nose.

"Lord have mercy, Camilla!" William’s voice was between a growl and a whisper as he dropped his arm from her neck and spun her around to face him. "I nearly strangled you for an assassin!"

"Sorry." she whispered back. "Maybe this was a bad idea." He could only vaguely see the outline of her face in the dark.

"How did you even get in here?" William could still feel his heart racing.

"I paid off Casimir for his silence." Camilla whispered, mentioning William’s head page.

So Casimir knows now, William made a mental note. "What about your ladies-in-waiting?"

"Meg and Katerine know I’m here, yes. They won’t tell a soul. They’re the ones that encouraged me to come. Probably because they know that once I’m no longer thrashing on the bed, they might actually be able to get some sleep."

"Your nightmares are troubling you again?"

He saw her nod. "I felt...alone, I guess. Even with my two friends next to me." Camilla’s voice shook slightly. "I didn’t mean to disturb you though. I should leave."

William clicked his tongue in annoyance, then chuckled. "Stay. You’ve already taken ten years off my life and nearly caused me to strangle you to death. You can’t just leave after all that." Arm outstretched, he reached around until his hand came in contact with an oil lamp. He carefully crossed the room and reached for the only candle in one of the wall sconces that remained lit, using it to light the lamp.

William took Camilla by the hand and indicated she should sit on the bed, then placed the lamp on a nearby table.

He sprawled back on the bed, watching as she gingerly sat next to him. She was wearing a long white silk robe over a nightgown and her hair spilling down over her shoulders.

Any other time, he’d be pulling off her clothes and tucking her under his body. However, he knew she’d sought him out for comfort, not desire.

"Lie next to me, little princess. I’m struggling to find sleep as well so I’ll enjoy your company."

She hesitated a little but then stretched out alongside him, facing him in the pale glow cast by the lamp. He stared at her in silence for a moment, her ethereal beauty stealing his breath away. He twirled a strand of her hair around his fingers.

"Her Majesty visited me today, to lend me a bracelet to wear on our wedding day for luck. That has to be a good sign, doesn’t it? If the queen believes the wedding is happening as planned?" Camilla finally whispered.

William exhaled slowly. "I guess. But I need to speak to my uncle and understand what he’s thinking. Kenneth told me he has an offer of land that will persuade my uncle to end our betrothal. I need to know what that is."

Camilla’s arms slid around his waist and she pressed her face into his shoulder, something he noticed she often did when feeling overwhelmed. He pulled her hard against him and buried his face in her hair.

"My uncle has already pledged half a million ducats for my dowry. Moraigth isn’t a wealthy country. What more does King Edward want?"

"Your dowry goes to me though, not my uncle." William murmured. "Kenneth must have offered something more, something that directly benefits my uncle’s coffers." The sweet, feminine scent of her hair and skin was making him a little drowsy.

"Well, unless my uncle has offered up the entire Duchy of Arlington on a platter, I can’t think of anything else." Camilla said bitterly. "And I can’t imagine him ever doing that. If he wouldn’t let me inherit my father’s title and hold it as his vassal, then he’s not just going to offer it directly to the King of Islia."

"Arlington." William whispered to himself. "It must be part of it. It’s by far the most prosperous part of Moraigth."

"It’s prosperous now because of the many years of work my father poured into that land. My king will never relinquish it."

William slowly nodded, deep in thought. "I’ll keep pursuing my uncle until he grants me an audience. I need to know what agreements the two kings have made before we do anything further. And I’ll have to hope the affection my uncle holds for me, will allow him to keep his word to us and let us marry."

William’s chest pounded when he remembered what Kenneth had said about his uncle being a man of business above all else. Gold, land, sons. Those had been Kenneth’s exact words.

William shifted in discomfort, the words on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to ask but at the same time feared the answers he might receive. He knew that if he wanted to hold his own when arguing his case with his uncle though, he needed to be armed with every possible piece of knowledge.

So he would ask, even though he knew Camilla wouldn’t like his line of questioning.

"If I’m to argue with my uncle and win, I need to know as much as possible so I can counter every argument. You understand that, don’t you?"

He felt her nod.

"So tell me, then. What happened between your uncle and your mother before she died?"

He felt Camilla stiffen in his arms.