Unexpected Circumstances - the Complete Series

  “You have had more than enough time!” King Edgar yelled. “Is it war you seek, King Branford? Because I would rather end this peacefully and deliver your heir through my daughter, but I am also prepared to take Silverhelm by force.”

  Silence followed, and my eyes darted to my husband as he sat staring blankly at Edgar. Lord William looked between the kings, and I could see his hands shaking as he clasped them together. Phillip seemed about to speak when Branford’s voice stilled him.

  “I will speak with my queen,” Branford said softly, and his voice terrified me.

  “Then go right ahead and—”

  “Alone!” Branford yelled at Edgar. “Do not try my patience any longer!”

  “My army will be at your border by nightfall, King Branford.” Edgar sneered. “Do not take too much time.”

  He turned to go without a glance toward me. Whitney leaned close as she turned, and her shoulder bumped into mine.

  “Once this is over and done”—Whitney smirked as she passed by—“you will be dressing me in my nightgowns before I go to my husband.”

  My stomach lurched.

  She had not taken a half-dozen steps from me when the large doors were once again opened, and a loud voice called out from the other side of the long room.

  “Stop!”

  My heart began to pound again as I looked back over my shoulder and saw Sir Parnell rush through the large doors at the end of the great hall. Behind him was a couple I had only seen a few times before—Sir Rylan and Lady Suzette from Seacrest. I knew Branford had been trying to enlist their support in case war was inevitable.

  Sir Rylan was dragging a woman by her arm.

  “How dare you?” King Edgar stood and shook a finger toward Parnell as he walked in. He took a few steps backwards to move himself into place beside Branford again. “We are in session!”

  Parnell ignored King Edgar as he approached Branford and the throne with the other three figures close behind him. As they came closer, I could see the woman in Sir Rylan’s grasp was Lady Nelle, the woman who had been punished along with her sister, Lady Kimberly, during my first month as Branford’s wife.

  “You must hear what she has to say, King Branford,” Parnell told him as Sir Rylan tossed the woman toward the ground in front of us. Nelle yelped and then covered her mouth with her hand as she stayed on her knees before my husband, staring at the floor in front of her.

  King Edgar stepped between Parnell and Branford, his eyes glaring intently down at Nelle.

  “This is ridicu—”

  “Silence!” Branford bellowed, stifling the neighboring king. “I will hear her words, and you will remain silent while she speaks!”

  Nelle looked from Branford to me and then to King Edgar. I examined the expression on Edgar’s face and could see his veiled threat toward her. She shuddered as she turned back to Branford, grabbing onto her knees.

  “Speak!” Branford commanded her. He took a step forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Speak now, Nelle! What is it you have to say?”

  Edgar took a step forward, but Dunstan shuffled ahead, obstructing his path, standing tall and blocking the king’s view of the woman on the ground at Branford’s feet.

  “Tell him,” Parnell said as he sneered down at her. “Tell him what you know.”

  I could not see his hand but knew it was near the woman’s back. I wondered what he held, grasped in his fingers.

  “King….King Branford…” she stammered. “King Edgar has…plotted against you.”

  Branford looked slowly over his shoulder to the other king and then back to Nelle.

  “How so?”

  I could see the poor woman’s hands shaking as she stared down at the hard wooden floor. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally uttered a word.

  “It is the tea,” Nelle said softly. “Lady Alexandra’s handmaid gives her a witch’s tea to keep her from becoming with child. The concubine is given it as well.”

  And that is when my prayer was answered.

  BOOK SIX: The Apprehension

  With two traitors removed from their midst, Branford and Alexandra rekindle their faith in one another. Branford insists on remaining at Alexandra’s side at all times to protect her as he rallies his allies against King Edgar and the kingdom of Hadebrand.

  Alexandra’s grace and humility touch the hearts of the people of Silverhelm, and the couple is surrounded by the love of their people. When the long-awaited news of an heir on the way reaches the people of the kingdom, all rejoice along with their king and the commoner queen.

  But treachery still lives in the hearts of those who wish to see the destruction of Silverhelm and they would be willing to cause Alexandra harm to achieve their goal. King Edgar still will not relent, but will his role in past events be exposed? Branford is not invincible, and despite his vows to keep his wife safe, Alexandra is still vulnerable. When the unthinkable happens, Branford may not be able to survive the loss.

  Chapter 30—Righteously Execute

  I felt as though my insides had dropped from my body into my feet. My throat closed up on me, and I could not draw a breath. I could see Whitney out of the corner of my eye as she stepped from one foot to the other and twisted her hands together. I looked at Nelle on the floor at Branford’s feet and tried to comprehend what she was saying.

  Handmaid?

  Witch’s tea?

  My head reeled, cycling through all the times Janet had brought my tea to my rooms—every morning, often staying to make sure I drank it. I remembered when Hadley first came to Silverhelm, and how Janet had immediately offered her the same tea she made for me though she had never offered to make it for anyone else.

  I glanced up at Branford as he stood there beside me, his face ashen and his eyes wide as he glared down at the woman near his boots. His mouth opened slightly then closed again as the fingers of his hand twitched—as if trying to grasp something out of the air.

  “What tea?” he uttered quietly.

  Nelle simply stared up at him.

  “I said what tea?” He bellowed as the woman startled. She tried to push herself backwards on the ground, but Parnell held her in place. As he tightened his grip on her shoulder, he angled her body to one side, and I could see he held a sharp blade at her back.

  “Janet makes me tea in the morning,” I said quietly.

  Branford turned his head toward me with a snap.

  “She what?”

  “I…I said…she makes my morning tea,” I whispered. My gaze didn’t leave Nelle’s.

  Branford turned from me back to Nelle and then to Edgar.

  “This has been your doing all along,” Branford stated as he took a slight step toward the other king. “This is why you have pressured my court to have me secure an heir. You knew Alexandra would not bear my child because you made sure she would not.”

  “Do not be absurd,” Edgar said with a wave of his hand.

  “No…not absurd,” Branford said. He shook his head. “Actually, it all makes sense now where it did not before. You have lied to this court, and you have plotted against another royal.”

  “Surely you do not believe the mutterings of this woman,” Edgar said with a sneer. “She is obviously mad.”

  The murmurs of other court members became louder, and the anger in their tones was apparent. Edgar glanced around nervously as he pulled his daughter close to his side. Even I could see the guilt in his eyes.

  “Get out,” Branford said darkly. “Leave here now while you still can.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Branford—”

  The sound of a sword leaving its scabbard echoed around the chambers as first Branford’s sword was raised to King Edgar, and then King Edgar’s guards did the same, only with the intent to shield Edgar from Branford’s blade. The guards behind me stepped around with their own weapons drawn as did Lord Williams and Sir Rylan. Soon, it seemed every man had a sword drawn and pointed toward either Edgar or Branford.


  Branford moved his gaze in a circle from King Edgar to Nelle to me and then back to Edgar again. Branford lowered his sword only a fraction and then snarled through clenched teeth.

  “Get out of my kingdom.”

  Edgar’s guards moved closer together, further shielding their king from the sharp end of Branford’s sword.

  “Now!” Branford shouted. “And do not return!”

  Edgar’s eyes narrowed, and without a word, he took a few steps backwards. Two of his guards stayed in front of him while the other two took positions at his back, ushering Princess Whitney into the protected area. The first of the guards continued to walk backwards with his sword drawn until the group from Hadebrand was outside of the great hall.

  “Parnell, follow them,” Branford said. His gaze moved to Nelle. “Once they have left the castle gates, have Brigham take nine others with him to make sure they pass our borders. Six should stay behind as additional border guards. No one from Hadebrand is to cross. Understood?”

  “Yes, my king,” Parnell replied with a quick bow. He pulled his arm away from Nelle’s back and sheathed the knife he had in his hand. He turned on his heel and quickly followed the retreating Hadebrand royalty. Sir Rylan took a step closer to Nelle and put his hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. Lady Suzette stepped off to one side, carefully watching Branford.

  “Dunstan, fetch Janet.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “Do not say a word to her,” Branford said as Dunstan started toward the back staircase. “Only state Alexandra requires her presence.”

  “Of course, my king.”

  Branford turned to me then, his eyes dark and his expression not one I had seen before. The green in his eyes seemed to have been encompassed by black, and his brows were drawn together in a scowl.

  “She prepared tea for you?”

  “Yes, Branford,” I said, barely able to force my voice above a whisper.

  “Every day?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you said nothing of this?” His tone sharpened. “For how long? Since she arrived?”

  Branford’s voice rose again, and he took a step toward me.

  “You drank tea prepared by her every day for years and told me nothing of it?”

  “Branford, I…” I had no idea what to say to him. I had never mentioned it because it had seemed such a…a feminine thing.

  His eyes further darkened, and the door behind us opened. Dunstan emerged with Janet in tow. My husband spun around on his heel, took two steps toward Janet, and grasped her arm roughly. Janet let out a surprised squeal but was quickly cut off as Branford’s fingers reached up her neck and tightened around her throat. He lifted her in his grasp, and her toes barely touched the floor.

  “You fed my wife poisoned tea!” he screamed, his face mere inches from hers.

  I could see her frightened eyes as they sought me.

  “Not…poison…” she whispered. Her fingers clawed at Branford’s hand but to no avail. “She stands…”

  “You made her tea?” Branford snarled. “Every day?”

  “Y-y-yes!”

  “This tea kept her from having my child?” Branford turned to Nelle on the ground. Janet tried to speak further, but Branford’s grip did not allow enough air. Nelle nodded. “And Edgar knew of this?”

  Nelle’s gaze flickered to the door through which Edgar and Whitney had departed. Her head nodded slightly.

  “Kimberly came up with the idea after we were banished from Silverhelm. When we arrived in Hadebrand, Whitney said it was the perfect plan to fit in with what she wanted…which was Branford, of course. Kimberly and Sir Leland worked with Janet to get her inside Silverhelm Castle, and then after the war started, and it was clear Silverhelm was losing, Edgar heard Whitney talking with Kimberly. He said the lack of an heir would allow him the opportunity to exploit Silverhelm from within. As long as you had no heir, the court of Silverhelm would be in panic and more likely to listen to his demands. Eventually, Whitney would end up on the throne next to you.”

  Branford loosened his fingers from around Janet’s throat and dropped her back to her feet.

  “You knew of all of this,” he stated.

  Janet shook her head.

  “I did not know what it was supposed to do…”

  “Yet you gave it to her anyway!” Branford screeched.

  Without warning, Branford reached out and grasped Janet’s wrist. She gasped, pulling slightly though she had no means of escape. I could see the muscles in his arm as they tensed, and he gripped her tightly as he began walking quickly with purposeful strides down the length of the great hall, dragging Janet behind him.

  “Branford!” I called out as I hurried after him. Sir Rylan hauled Nelle from the ground and pulled her along with him as he followed me. I heard the footsteps of the other nobles as they raced out of the great hall, through the doors, and outside the castle.

  With my skirts gathered up, I still could not catch up to Branford though I continued to call out to him. I could hear Janet’s cries and see her struggle against the grip of his hand as he pulled her through the marketplace. The shoppers and merchants all stopped their transactions to watch as we hurried by, many of them dropping their wares and following the procession as we all followed Branford and Janet through the castle gates and out to the field where Branford trained his army.

  Still many yards ahead of me, Branford stopped near a practice dummy—a burlap bag stuffed with scraps, made vaguely into the shape of a man’s head and torso, and staked into the ground. Archers as well as swordsman used such things for target practice. As Branford’s feet stilled, he hauled Janet up close, and I saw his arm rise high above his head before he brought it down to her face. Janet screamed as she dropped to the ground.

  Branford reached around the target, unwrapped a sturdy section of rope from around the base, and pulled the end of it loose. He reached for Janet’s ankle as she tried to crawl away from him, pulling her back and wrapping one end of the rope around her leg. Again, his arm rose and he beat down on her.

  Before I could reach the edge of the practice field, I felt strong arms around my waist as my forward progression was halted.

  “Release me!” I cried out as Rylan pulled me against his chest. Dunstan was nearby with Lady Nelle’s arm in his grasp.

  “No, good queen,” Rylan said. “You should not be here at all, and come what may—I will not allow you closer. Not now.”

  “Branford!” I yelled out again, and I saw his shoulder’s tense as his gaze flickered to me briefly.

  He did not halt his movements.

  The rope was tied around Janet’s other leg and then around her waist as she was strapped to the dummy. I could hear her cries and pleas as well as the smacking sound of Branford’s hand across her mouth. There was blood on her lips as he wrapped the rope around her again.

  I struggled against Sir Rylan’s grip, and just when I thought I would wriggle from his grasp, there were other hands on me, pulling me slightly backwards. Dunstan moved in front of me, trying to block my view.

  “Let me go!” I cried out again, pushing against the strong arms of the soldiers around me.

  “Please, Queen Alexandra,” Dunstan pleaded.

  Branford’s hands flew rapidly as he wound the rope around Janet’s form, further securing her as she cried for mercy. He yanked roughly at the binds and then turned to walk several feet away to a large stack of firewood, stockpiled for the winter.

  He piled it at her feet.

  “No! Branford, please!” I screamed, but he would not even turn to face me.

  Janet, however, did look toward me.

  “Lady Alexandra!” she cried out. “I did not know—I swear I did not! Please! Please!”

  Branford signaled one of the other guards, and a moment later, the sentinel handed him a brightly burning torch. He moved close to Janet, and I could hear her pleading with him. His chest rose and fell, his eyes narrowed, and he dropped the torch into the dry wood a
t her feet.

  “No!” Janet cried out. “I did not know! I did not know!”

  “Die, you witch!” Branford growled and spat in her face. He took several steps backwards to avoid the flames as they spread around the practice figure, the dry wood, and my handmaid. Though his back was still to me, he was at least close enough I knew he could hear my words.

  “Branford—what if she truly did not know? You cannot—you cannot do this if—”

  He wheeled around suddenly, his bright green eyes blazing with fire and hatred.

  “Did not know? Did not know?” he screamed as he shook his fists. “She was taking direction from my enemy! She knew exactly what she was doing! She used you, used your kindness, and plotted to destroy us, Alexandra!”

  The flames grew brighter as Janet’s screams grew louder. I yelled at Branford to stop what he was doing, but he turned back to me with eyes as bright as the flames behind him. Branford’s body was shaking as he cried out.

  “She took my dignity…she took the shine from your eyes when you knew I was leaving to try to father a child by another. She nearly destroyed me, and I will watch her burn for it!”

  He turned back to the scene in front of him, and Janet’s eyes looked around my husband, searching me out as she fought uselessly against her bonds. I twisted my body in an equally fruitless attempt to disengage myself from the grip of our neighboring knight.

  I could feel something sharp sticking into my side—something from Sir Rylan’s belt, I thought—as I watched the wood catch fire and the flame grow larger around the feet of the girl who had stayed with me many nights when Branford was not there. It was the same girl who brought me breakfast and made me eat even when I did not feel like it. It was the same girl who had tried to win the acceptance of my husband over and over again, always trying harder when he ignored her.

  And the same girl who brought me my morning tea every day without fail.

  “Please, no…” I heard myself whisper. There was no way she could have possibly known what she was doing. Edgar must have threatened her—given her no choice in her actions. I could see her trying to kick out at the burning logs, but Branford knocked them back toward her, snarling words I could not hear. I watched with wide eyes as her head tilted backward, and she let out a long howl. The flames had reached her legs, the flesh blackening as her skirts burned away.