Notorious (21 page)

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Captain Lionel Colby entered. “Lady Brianna, what the devil are you doing here?”

She captured Wolf's hand to give her strength. “Captain Colby, we are betrothed. Have you any idea what it is like to be so close, yet forever kept apart?”

Colby stared at Mortimer.

“It is a secret betrothal. I hope we can rely on your discretion, Captain,” Wolf said calmly.

“I'll turn a blind eye to an occasional visit.”

“I am indebted to you, Captain.”

“Indeed you are. Say your good nights—I'll wait outside.”

Brianna was stunned. “He's willing to keep quiet and let me visit you again?”

Wolf touched her cheek. “Little innocent. Females come to the barracks every night to visit the guards, and our confinement doesn't preclude the service of a wench or two. Now that John de Bohun is an earl, he has to fight them off.”

Brianna blushed furiously. “Colby will allow me to visit because he thinks I'm servicing you!”

“You're the one who said we are betrothed,” he said solemnly.

She thumped him on the chest. “You bugger!”

“It will give us a perfect cover, and I think you would rather appear brazen than go through that dreaded tunnel again. Brianna, I do know what it cost you to come tonight.”

You know too much about me…You can read my every thought.
“Good night. I see no reason to sully my reputation by coming again.”

 

Isabelle was consumed by thoughts of Roger, and the following Friday she and Brianna returned to the Tower. It was extremely difficult for the queen to hide her impatience while she entertained Sir Stephen at dinner, but she called upon the skills of artifice she had developed dealing with Edward and the despised Hugh Despencer. A sweet smile masked thoughts and emotions that would shock the devil himself.

Brianna too played her part well, filling and refilling the constable's wine goblet so that by the time Segrave left, he was legless. Two hours later she opened the door and admitted Roger Mortimer into the Great Hall. Then she turned the key in the lock and sat down in a comfortable chair, fully prepared to guard the lovers' privacy into the small hours of the morning.

Isabelle stood awaiting him in her bedchamber. The moment she saw him, she ran into his arms. “Roger, I'm so sorry about your Uncle Chirk.”

“He was like a father to me. Escape was out of the question while he was alive—I had to stay and care for him. Now that he is gone, we can make plans for our future.”

“Our future?” Isabelle asked breathlessly.

“Plans for us to be together, my lovely. A future without you would be unendurable.” Roger spoke with complete sincerity. She was the most exquisite female he had ever made love to and she worshipped him. That she was also the queen made their union perfect.

His first kiss told him that she was ravenous, and he was wise enough to make love to her and satisfy her most urgent cravings before he discussed plans that would enable him to escape.

As she lay replete in his arms, he kissed and caressed her, showering her with whispered love words that made her feel cherished. His persuasive mouth and knowing hands molded her body and her will to his.

“The Bishop of Hereford deplores the misgovernment of Edward and the Despencers. Because of his years at the papal Curia he is a friend of the pope and of the King of France. He has written to your brother, asking him to give me safe haven.”

“France? Of course! I too will write to my brother,” she said eagerly. “Charles will receive you with great honor and offer you a place at his court.”

“If I go to Paris, will you promise to join me there?”

“Yes, Roger, I swear I will find a way. But how will you escape this stronghold? It has never been done.”

“Alspaye has access to a plan of the Tower. He has drawn me a copy. The Lanthorn Tower is next to this one. My cell butts up against the royal kitchen. A few removed stones would be all the space I'd need to squeeze through. The chimney of the kitchen's great fireplace leads to the roof. With a rope ladder I can scale down the outer bailey wall to the wharf.”

Isabelle's heart began to pound with excitement that there was a possibility it could actually happen. She knew Mortimer had supreme confidence in his own ability and was reckless enough to risk all to attain his freedom. These were the very qualities that made her love him so much.

“I know
how
. The only question that remains is
when
.”

“But what about all the guards and the night watch who make the rounds?” She trembled, realizing if he were caught trying to escape, he would be executed.

His arms tightened possessively to ease her fear. “The first day of August is my birthday. I thought of having a small celebration and drugging the wine, but my bereavement makes that seem inappropriate.”

“August first is the feast day of Saint Peter ad Vincula, the patron saint of the Tower garrison. There is always a celebration that night. It won't seem at all inappropriate.”

“Then August first is a definite possibility. I shall think long and hard on it.” His lips brushed against her ear. “Speaking of long and hard, do you see the profound effect you have on me, my beauty? Let's not waste any more precious time talking. This night was made for love.”

 

Brianna was awake and watchful when Roger Mortimer left the queen's apartment and traversed the Great Hall. She stood to unlock the door and Roger stopped to speak with her.

“Thank you for your loyalty to Isabelle and to me, Brianna. I have a request, but will understand if you cannot help me.”

“What do you need, Lord Mortimer?”

“My son Wolf has an uncanny intuition. I would like his thoughts about a certain date. August first is a fateful day for me when either good or bad things can happen. I need to know if that date will be propitious this year.”

Your gray eyes are identical to your son's. They compel me to do your bidding.
“I will ask him and bring you his answer.”

“You have a generous heart, Brianna de Beauchamp.”

“Y
our father seeks your advice.” Brianna blurted out the words so that Wolf Mortimer would know it was his father's needs that prompted her visit, not her own. She was filled with chagrin that she'd had to return so quickly after telling him she would not be back. Her cheeks still held the blush put there by Captain Colby's knowing wink when he allowed her into the building and boldly watched as she climbed the stairs to the second floor.

“Won't you sit down? You look ready to flee.”

She took the seat he offered. Isabelle had shared Mortimer's daring escape plan with her, but she did not relay it to Wolf. “He wants to know if August first will be a propitious day.”

“That is Father's birthday…a fateful day indeed.”
He's planning to escape that day and wants to know if he'll succeed
. Wolf paced to the window and stared out into the night. When it came, his vision was amazingly detailed. He saw his father and another man on the roof tiles of the Tower. He saw them scale down an outer wall to the wharf where men in a rowboat were waiting. The scene faded and he saw Rickard de Beauchamp with a small party of men and horses waiting on the Surrey shore of the Thames. When he saw the sails of a merchant ship, he realized his father would escape to France.

Wolf turned from the window and saw Brianna's face was pale with apprehension.
She truly cares about the fate of the Mortimers.
“August first will indeed be a propitious day.” He closed the distance between them. “Your brother Rickard will provide the outside help. He will need swift horses.”

“Rickard can get horses from Flamstead.”

“Can you get a message to him?”

“I can give the message to Simon Deveril—Rickard keeps in touch with him.”

“They will need a ship. The Mortimers have always done business with Ralph de Botton, a London merchant with cargo ships. Tell them the port of Southampton will be far safer than London.”

“August is only a month away.” Anxiety made her breathless.

“When you are entrapped, a month seems like a lifetime.” He saw her lovely dark eyes cloud with compassion and knew some of it was for him. He didn't want her consumed with worry and decided a taunt was the quickest way to dispel her dread.

“Have you called off your betrothal to de Warenne yet?”

She sprang up from the chair, her dark eyes now blazing with fury. “Why would I do such an outrageous thing?”

Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and took possession of her lips. The kiss was so powerful, she clung to him and opened her mouth for his ravishing. When he released her, she staggered on unsteady legs.

“
That
is why.”

Brianna turned and fled.

When she was back in the safety of her own chamber, she cursed Wolf Mortimer for taking advantage of her vulnerability, but Brianna, deep down, blamed herself for allowing the intimacy. Honest to a fault, she admitted that she had enjoyed the kiss. As she thought about it, she realized that a kiss meant little to Wolf Mortimer. He had likely done it to distract her from her fear. If so, it had certainly worked.

 

The next morning she sought out Simon in the stables. “I need to get a message to Rickard. Is it possible?”

Deveril lowered his voice. “Your brother is at Flamstead. I was about to saddle up and ride there.”

“I'm coming,” Brianna decided impulsively. “Saddle Venus for me and I'll join you shortly.”

She hurried to the queen's apartment and found Isabelle with her children and their nursemaids. “I am on my way to Flamstead with Simon Deveril. There is an urgent matter of business concerning the horses.” She threw Isabelle a speaking look that told her it was in connection with the secret that consumed them. “I will try to be back tonight, Your Grace.”

 

“Don't scold me for coming, Rickard. I have an important message for you.”

He lifted her from the saddle. “I won't scold you, Brianna. You are a grown woman and quite capable of making your own decisions. You must be thirsty after your long ride. Come inside and make yourselves comfortable.”

Brianna sipped her wine, while Rickard poured Simon some ale. “It's such a relief to be able to speak openly. I know you are in charge of the escape plan.”

Rickard nodded. “I have six men, all close loyal friends of Roger.”

“You will need swift horses, which Flamstead can easily supply. Take whatever you need.” Brianna blushed. “I'm sorry, Rickard. You are Warwick's heir, you don't need my permission.”

“Flamstead will be yours someday.”

“Wolf Mortimer says you will need a ship. There is a London merchant called Ralph de Botton who will supply you with one, and Wolf warns that Southampton will be a safer port than London. Do you have enough money? The Mortimers have nothing.”

“Warwick gold is financing this venture. Father is generous. Do you have any notion how Roger will manage to escape the Tower?”

“Yes, let me draw a rough sketch for you.” Brianna took a sheet of paper from the desk and, with a piece of charcoal, drew two towers. “The queen's private apartment is in this tower. This is the Great Hall and this is the connecting Royal Kitchen. Roger is in the Lanthorn Tower and his cell butts up against the kitchen. He has tools to remove enough stones to crawl through. The huge kitchen chimney leads up to the roof. He will scale down the outer wall of Saint Thomas's Tower to the wharf.”

Rickard's finger traced the escape route. “We'll be waiting here with horses, on the Surrey shore. When is it to happen?”

Brianna hesitated. Roger clearly had a specific date in mind and Wolf had confirmed that date would be perfect. “On the night of August first,” she said confidently.

Rickard grinned. “That's his birthday—he is sure to succeed. With only a month to finalize the plan, we've no time to waste. When I have secured the merchant ship, I will get word to Simon.”

After lunch, Brianna spent a delightful hour in Flamstead's verdant pastures among the horses she loved. She talked to the mares, and praised the new colts they had dropped, never doubting for a moment that they understood every word she said. It brought her a measure of calm serenity.

That night, after she had returned to Windsor, she reread Lincoln Robert's latest letter. He was asking her to set a firm date when she would visit Farnham in Surrey.

Though Brianna longed to see the castle that would be their home once she and Lincoln were married, she knew she could not possibly leave Windsor during the crucial month of July. The plans for Mortimer's escape must be finalized and all loose ends tied up. Nothing could be left to chance, if it were to succeed.

The queen also was depending on her to accompany her to the Tower for her last secret trysts. Isabelle had given her heart to Roger Mortimer, and their parting would be poignantly bittersweet.

Brianna dipped her quill and wrote to her betrothed.

Brianna lifted her quill and felt guilty for putting him off. She firmly pushed away the remorse and wrote two more pages, asking questions about the crops he'd planted and the herd of cattle he'd bought. Then she avowed her love and signed the missive.

 

The following day, Isabelle and Brianna visited the Tower and the queen followed the same routine of entertaining Constable Segrave at dinner. She brought up the subject of the Tower garrison's celebration of its patron saint. “It is an annual tradition and a reward to the guards for the vigilant job they do. I hope you will not frown on allowing them wine on such a special occasion, Sir Stephen.”

When Roger Mortimer arrived just before midnight, Brianna locked the door and this time accompanied the Border Lord to the queen's apartment. Brianna saw the look of adoration on Isabelle's face and knew Roger was the sun and the moon to her.
Their time together is so short and so precious.

“Lord Mortimer, I was able to visit Wolf and ask him about the date you gave me. While I was there, I believe he had a vision that August first would be most propitious. He told me you would need a ship that could be supplied by a merchant named Botton, and warned that Southampton would be a safer port than London.”

“Wolf is one step ahead of me, as always. That's the advantage of having second sight, though sometimes he thinks it a curse.”

“I passed the information on to my brother Rickard. He will arrange for the ship and will have swift horses waiting on the Surrey shore. I felt confident enough to tell him the plan was set for the night of August first.”

He gallantly kissed her fingers. “I will be forever indebted to the de Beauchamps.”

“My lord, do you intend to swim across the Thames?”

Isabelle gasped, terrified at the thought.

“I would not hesitate, if that were the only way. Alspaye has arranged for a rowboat to meet us at the wharf. The lieutenant is coming with me. 'Tis the only way to save him from hanging.”

“We couldn't have met without the lieutenant's help. I am most grateful to him. I spoke with Segrave about the celebration of the garrison's patron saint to ensure he would allow the guards to imbibe wine that night.”

“I have a good supply of the decoction of poppy your physician left me for Chirk. The sleeping draught works like a charm—the guards won't know what hit them.”

Brianna stood and bade the lovers good night, and then she went to the Great Hall to sit vigil.

 

One week before the celebration of Saint Peter ad Vincula, Brianna met Gerard in the Royal Wardrobe and gave him thirty bottles of wine. Alspaye dosed each one with syrup of poppy and carefully fit the corks back into the bottles.

That night, Roger held Isabelle in his arms for hours, quieting her fears and erasing all doubts that everything would go according to plan. “
Ma belle
, you must not come again. I want you nowhere near the Tower for a week before my escape. When they rouse from their drugged sleep and find the bird has flown, all hell will break loose. You must remain at Windsor and be above suspicion. Swear it to me on your life, Isabelle.”

She cried that this must be their last time together and Roger kissed away her tears. “I will find a way to join you in Paris,” she vowed fervently. “I love you with all my heart!”

 

“Marie, I am so happy you have returned to Windsor. This must mean that Pembroke has recovered from his illness.” Isabelle gave her cousin a warm kiss of greeting, happy for any diversion that would make the last week of July go by more quickly.

“My husband is far from well, yet the king insisted Pembroke accompany him and Despencer to Pontefract. Since Lancaster's death, soldiers have been deserting the army in droves. Apparently there is a rumor of miracles taking place at Thomas of Lancaster's tomb and people are flocking there, calling him
Saint Thomas the Martyr
. King Edward is livid. He has issued a proclamation forbidding pilgrimages and has ordered Pembroke set a guard at the tomb.”

Brianna and Isabelle exchanged a look of pure relief that King Edward and Hugh Despencer would be far away up north when the first day of August arrived.

“Your Grace, I have brought you a letter from your brother Charles. When I received it this morning, I decided to come to Windsor immediately.”

“Marie, that was so thoughtful of you. I will let you in on a secret. The King of France is planning to marry again. My brother's bride-to-be is Jeanne of Evreux.”

Isabelle retired early, anxious to read her brother's letter. As Brianna hung the queen's gown in her wardrobe, she listened avidly to the things Charles had written.

“He will receive Lord Mortimer with all honor.” Isabelle looked up from her letter. “The King of France detests Hugh Despencer's tyranny and his influence on Edward. Charles says he has written to Edward summoning him to do homage for Gascony and Ponthieu, and if he delays one more time, my brother will send in his army and occupy Gascony!”

“The Despencers will never allow Edward to go to France and leave them in England. Without the king's protection, their enemies would destroy them,” Brianna declared.

“Edward fears war with France. I will offer to go and make peace! It will take months, but perhaps by Christmas I will be able to join Roger in Paris. If the plan works out and I am allowed to go to France, will you come with me, Brianna?”

“I'm afraid I cannot, Isabelle. My year as lady in waiting will be over. I am to be married at Christmas.”

“Of course you are. How lucky you are to be able to wed the man you love.” Isabelle sighed.