The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

By the time Henry had reached Sir Thomas' room, he was out for blood. The short walk to the enemy's quarters gave Henry plenty of time to think about everything the man had put Elizabeth through, and anger surged through his body. He imagined himself plunging his concealed dagger into the other man's chest, a cold smile forming across his face.

His dagger.

Henry reached into the pocket of his doublet and wrapped his hand around the hilt of the weapon, took a deep breath, then threw open the door without announcing himself. He found Sir Thomas and Lady Katherine in the room together, frantically throwing clothing into sacks. They were in the middle of whispering frantically to each other, but stopped once they heard Henry enter.

Lady Katherine's eyes widened, then she glanced at Sir Thomas, who was staring intently at Henry with an unsettling grin on his face.

"Your Grace," Sir Thomas called out. "We could exchange pleasantries, but I assume that you didn't come here for that now, did you?"

Henry shook his head, his eyes narrowed at the man. He could see Lady Katherine out of the corner of his eye, trying to get Sir Thomas' attention. He wouldn't look anywhere near her.

"I'm afraid to tell you that you won't be returning to the palace. It seems you're still wanted here."

Sir Thomas smirked.

"Is that so?" he asked with amusement. "It seems that you're mistaken, for I've received word from Sir Richard that both he and the king would like to see me immediately, considering I have very important information to share with them." He gave Henry a pointed look. "You'd best get out of my way and go and screw that bitch of yours while you still have the chance, seeing as both of your days are numbered."

Anger surged through Henry again and he felt the urge to pull out his weapon and kill Sir Thomas where he stood, but he crossed his arms and kept his fists tightly clenched in order to keep from doing anything rash. He didn't need to clean up a third body in the same evening.

"You've got no proof of anything," Henry replied.

Sir Thomas glanced at Lady Katherine and grinned at her, which prompted her to smile as well. The two looked at Henry, causing chills to run down his spine.

"We've got plenty," Lady Katherine said.

Sir Thomas nodded. "We've got that prostitute friend of yours in our custody, and once she confesses to everything, we'll have concrete evidence to get you and that bitch executed. We're still searching for Elizabeth's mother, though." Sir Thomas looked confused for a moment. "Technically, she's not her mother, of course, but she's just as guilty as the two of you are."

Mary was missing? Henry was surprised, but at the same time understood completely. Mary was somehow always a step ahead of everyone and was likely to have seen that something wasn't right and taken off. But why had she left Elizabeth to fend for herself?

Henry reached for the dagger as discreetly as he could and let his hand rest on the hilt. His heart hammered in his chest and he gritted his teeth, wishing he could kill the smug imbecile in front of him.

"What makes you so certain that Maud will confess?"

Sir Thomas examined a few of the shirts that laid on the bed in front of him, the grin still on his face. He stalled before he answered, knowing that it would toy with Henry's anger and get him to react, which was exactly what he wanted. After a few moments of silence, Sir Thomas met Henry's gaze again.