The Princess Spy (6 page)

Colin’s head was spinning, partly from sitting up too abruptly a few moments before, and partly from his maddening inability to convey to Lady Margaretha the danger they were all in. He couldn’t expect her to understand. She was a sheltered, wealthy duke’s daughter. What could she know of intrigues and murders and people who were not as they seemed? But the fact that she was the only person who could communicate with him, and he with her, made her the most valuable person in the world to him.

And, he had to admit, he liked looking at her, even if her aimless chatter did give him a headache.

She began his first German lesson, in which she taught him to say, “My name is Gawain.
Mein Name ist Gawain.
I speak a little of your language
. Ich spreche ein bisschen von Ihrer Sprache.
”

She also told him all about her family and asked him about his. He was obliged to tell her he had a mother and father and several younger siblings, that he was the oldest child, and that he had left home abruptly a few months before, leaving word where he was going but not speaking to his family about his quest, since they would have forbidden him to go.

Frau Lena came into the room. When the healer saw Margaretha sitting close to his bed, her forehead creased. She spoke softly — chidingly, if he understood her tone — probably about spending so much time at his bedside. The healer clearly thought him merely a lost beggar with a few eggs short of a dozen, but Lady Margaretha must have talked Frau Lena into letting her stay and teach him German. He hardly understood a word they were saying in that strange, guttural language of theirs, but he read a lot in their facial expressions and tone.

Lady Margaretha turned back to him with a smile. “Now what else shall I teach you? Thank you is
danke
.”

Frau Lena left through the doorway in the back of the room, which led to what looked like a storage area.

Colin said, “Lady Margaretha, won’t you take me to see your father?”

“I don’t believe you are well enough yet, and I don’t want you to become frantic. It is not good for you. You want to get your strength back, don’t you?”

“Will you take me to see him tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.” She bit her lip and her brows came together, forming a wrinkle above her nose. “I would have to ask Frau Lena.”

“Oh, no you wouldn’t. You and I could sneak away when she was not watching us. It could easily be done.”

“I wouldn’t want to anger Frau Lena. She knows what is best for you.”

“If you will not take me to see him, then I shall go by myself.” Would she give in to him? She seemed a sweet, compliant sort of girl.

But she only smiled and shook her head. “You would not be allowed to get anywhere near him. We have many guards, and a stranger like you would be noticed and escorted out of the castle.”

He looked down at his hideous green clothes. She had a point.

“Besides, my father knows very little English. You would have a difficult time communicating with him without me.”

Had he really thought she was lovely? Sweet and compliant? That smug, knowing smile was making his headache worse. If only she wasn’t right.

“If you will promise me that you will do everything Frau Lena says, I will try to get you a private audience with my father in a few days.”

Perhaps that was the best he could hope for. “Very well, I promise — if you will promise to get me something to wear other than these hideous green clothes.”

She smiled sweetly again. “I agree. You need proper clothing. I am sorry Frau Lena couldn’t find anything better. One of my brothers should have something. You are closest to my brother Gabe’s size, though you are thinner. I may be able to find some clothes he left here when he married Sophie and went to Hohendorf.”

She didn’t have to remind him how thin he had become. He’d never been brawny, but he looked out-and-out puny since nearly getting beaten to death and left to die at the edge of nowhere. But he must be polite to her, as she was his only friend. Softly, he said, “If you can find me some clothes that don’t make me look ridiculous, I would be obliged to you.”

“I shall. And when I bring them to you, you must say, “
Danke für die Kleidung.”

“What does that mean?”

“Thank you for the clothes.”

“
Danke für . . .
what was it?”

She repeated the phrase, and he said it after her.

Frau Lena came back, bringing him a bowl of soup and a small loaf of bread. “
Danke
,” he told her, which made the fair, red-haired healer smile and say, “
Sehr gut.
”

“That means, ‘very good.’ ” Margaretha reached out as though to take his bowl of soup.

“
Nein
!” He already knew how to say no. “Why are you taking my soup?”

“I only wanted to help you.”

“To feed me? No, thank you. I’m not that helpless.” He held the bowl in his lap and picked up the spoon. Putting the first spoonful of soup in his mouth, he glanced up at her to make sure she wasn’t off ended by his rebuff. He was not exactly behaving properly toward the daughter of a duke, but in his defense, she wasn’t behaving like any daughter of any duke he knew.

She was smiling the way one might smile at a small child. Irritating.

The soup was good, and he ate and listened to her talk about her family. They sounded like a jolly group, the many brothers and sisters, and she obviously loved her mother and father. He tried to think how he might get her to mention that fiend, if indeed he was in Hagenheim.

Between bites, he interrupted her to ask, “What do you do every day?” He was just finishing the soup — he didn’t want to waste a drop — and started on his bread.

“Oh, I like to ride my horse, Blüte, which is ‘Bloom’ in English. She is a sweet, gentle mare, but I would dearly love to ride my father’s new stallion. My father says no, that the horse is too wild for me, but I know he likes me. I always bring him a carrot or an apple, and he lets me pet him and never bites me. He bit my brother so hard he drew blood. But he likes me, so I’m sure there is no danger.

“I also like to read and study languages. I like music too — we are a musical family. My father plays the lute and we all sing. Although some of my brothers sing badly. And for the last year, my father has been trying to find me a suitable husband.” She paused long enough to let out a sigh. “Until now, I haven’t liked any of my suitors. But I must marry, so that my younger sisters can get their chance to make a good match.”

That she had not married yet was surprising. Her beauty should have attracted an abundance of eligible suitors, and she was the oldest daughter of one of the most powerful dukes in the German regions. Although the fact that she prattled on so often might have driven off a few.

“But my current suitor seems very kind. He brings me gifts, and I could learn to like that. Also, he talks so much that I am learning to listen and not speak so much myself.” She sighed again. “My father says he would be a suitable husband, as he is an English earl, and he stands to inherit a second earldom not far away, a region adjoining Hagenheim.”

Colin began to feel ill, and it wasn’t from overfilling his stomach.

“My father says if I marry Lord Claybrook, I will be able to stay near — ”

“Claybrook.” Colin ground his teeth. “Marry Claybrook.” He sat straight up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. His empty soup bowl and spoon clattered to the floor.

Lady Margaretha jumped up from her stool and backed away.

All he could see was red, like a film of blood over his eyes. That devil was here! He was here wooing Lady Margaretha. And she was considering marrying him! She had no idea what a cruel, heartless murderer he was, what danger she was in!

He stood up and his head seemed to drift right off his shoulders. His vision started to go dark. He grabbed for the wall but missed and fell back onto the bed.

“Frau Lena!” Margaretha came toward him and helped pull his feet onto the bed.

He could barely see her for the darkness coming over him.

“Curse this weakness!” he muttered. He put his hands on his head, trying to make it stop spinning. If he were fully recovered, he’d go find Claybrook and fight it out with him once and for all. And probably get himself killed. For if he knew Claybrook, the man would have plenty of men around him to protect his worthless skin.

But at least Colin knew Claybrook was here. And as soon as he was able, he would bring his enemy to justice. He couldn’t let him get away a second time. And he couldn’t let him hurt Margaretha or her family. If only he wasn’t so weak.

Chapter
6

Margaretha called for Frau Lena, and she
came hurrying down the stairs.

“What is it?”

“He became extremely agitated, jumped up, and nearly fainted.”

Frau Lena approached the bed where Gawain lay mumbling and moaning, his hands on his head. Frau Lena felt his cheek. “He doesn’t seem to have a fever any longer. What was he so agitated about?” She bent down and picked up the bowl and spoon from the floor.

Margaretha thought back to what he had said. “I was telling him about my new suitor, and when I said his name” — Margaretha mouthed the words “Lord Claybrook” so as not to send the young stranger into another frenzy — “he became extremely agitated and kept repeating it. His face turned red and he was clearly disturbed. What could have caused him to behave in such a way?”

Frau Lena looked thoughtful, touching her finger to her chin. “Did he say anything else? Did he say only the name,” and Frau Lena whispered, “Lord Claybrook?”

The stranger moaned again and Margaretha placed her finger to her lips. “He did say one other thing. He said, ‘Curse this weakness.’ What do you think it means?”

Frau Lena shook her head slowly. “I can only think of one thing: He must be in love with you, and the mere thought of another suitor sends him into hysterics. He must regret he is too weak to challenge your suitor.”

“Oh no.” Margaretha sighed. “I wish it were not so, but I’m afraid that is the only explanation for such a wild reaction. He was calm before I began talking of my new suitor.” Margaretha clicked her tongue against her teeth. “His mind seemed to be improving. He ate his soup and bread and seemed perfectly sane when he asked me to get him some clothes that didn’t make him look ridiculous.”

At the moment, he was lying perfectly still on the sick bed. One would never know he was insanely jealous of Margaretha’s suitor.

“Perhaps you should go, so as not to disturb him again.” Frau Lena patted Margaretha’s arm.

“Let me just say good-bye to him and see if he remembers the words I taught him.”

“Very well. I shall be upstairs if you need me.” Frau Lena gave him one last long look and left.

Margaretha righted her stool and sat down next to him. “Gawain? Are you feeling well?”

“Who? What?”

Already he had forgotten. “Remember? You didn’t want to tell me your name, so we agreed I would call you Gawain.”

He frowned. His hands still covered his eyes.

When he didn’t say anything, she asked, “Do you remember our German lesson? What will you say if I find you some clothes?”

“Danke für die Kleidung.”

“That is very good.”

“Das ist sehr gut.”

“Excellent!” She hadn’t taught him that sentence, although he must have put the words together from other sentences she taught him. Was he only pretending not to know German?

Gawain was half sitting, propped up on one elbow. He’d moved so fast, she hadn’t even noticed. He grabbed her arm.

“Listen to me,” he said, returning to English. “You must not mention me to Lord Claybrook. Promise you won’t say a word. If he knows I’m here, all will be lost.”

What was he talking about? Should she call for Frau Lena? “Hush now, Gawain. All will be well. You are distressed at the moment, but — ”

“You must promise me.” He tightened his grip as his eyes bore into hers. “Your life could be in danger, especially if he thinks you know about me.”

“Lord Claybrook? He would never harm me. You only need to rest — ”

“No, it is you who do not understand.” Gawain pulled her closer, and she almost lost her balance and fell off the stool. “The man is evil. He has killed before, and he will do it again.”

The gleam in his eyes frightened her, as well as the fact that she couldn’t pull loose from his grip on her arm. “Frau Lena!”

He leaned even closer and spoke in a hoarse whisper. “You must listen. Please, Lady Margaretha. All our lives depend upon it.”

He was clearly delirious again. His words and the intensity in his eyes were frightening, but he obviously believed what he was saying.

“Are you sure it is the same Lord Claybrook? That he killed someone?” What if he
was
right? Could Lord Claybrook be a killer? It seemed impossible, but now that she thought about it . . . there was a coldness in his eyes sometimes. And when he talked about hunting, there was a bloodthirstiness in his voice. Shouldn’t she at least consider it a possibility?

“Yes, I am sure! Lady Margaretha, you must not trust him.”

Frau Lena came hurrying into the room again. Her eyes went wide with horror.