Ignoring a warning frown from Walsingham, Maxim boldly stated the facts. “They did indeed, your majesty, but my intentions were to take my former betrothed from her chambers before Reland Huxford could seal the marriage troth with her. As you’re aware, before Edward Stamford came forward to accuse me of murder, his daughter and I were to be married.” Maxim did not enjoy spilling out the truth in this manner. He felt sorely at a disadvantage, for he was likely to incur Elizabeth’s wrath when he had all but salved it, but Nicholas had been his friend for many years, and that one’s safety was paramount in his mind. “I sent my men to seize Arabella, but Mistress Elise Radborne was taken in her stead.” He peered at Elizabeth from beneath his brows to determine the depth of her displeasure as he continued. “Later that same week, I bade Sir Francis to plead my cause for an audience that I could declare my loyalty to you and vie for a chance to prove that I was not the traitor I’d been judged to be.”
Elizabeth threw herself from the chair and stalked toward Maxim with a feral gleam in her eye. “You came to me pleading your innocence when all the while you were guilty of this evil deed of abduction?”
“I thought I was in love with Arabella,” he answered calmly, well acquainted with the woman’s fiery temperament and its far-reaching effect on all who dared cross her. “Knowing I was guiltless of the crimes of which I had been accused, I hoped there would come a day when I’d be restored to your good graces.” He paused in reflection. “I have since considered my actions and determined they were mainly done in malice toward Edward for the lies he told against me.”
“Meaning?” Elizabeth railed, ifinging herself in the chair again.
“Meaning I was mistaken when I considered myself in love with Arabella.”
Elise had no time to experience the joyful relief which his answer brought her, for the Queen was quick to snap back in sharp irritation.
“Foolish man! You are not worthy of my pardon!” Elizabeth tossed up a hand to indicate Elise. “You had this child snatched from her home, and because of that, her name has been sullied . . .”
“Your pardon, your majesty,” Elise dared to interrupt. “If Lord Seymour had not taken me, I might not be alive today.”
The gray-black eyes hardened to a dark flint hue as they settled on the young woman. She would brook no feeble excuse to interfere with her reprimanding of this man. “Explain yourself.”
“I have kin who thought they could force the whereabouts of my father’s treasure from me. I escaped from them after being subjected to their endless questioning and their mean and hideous torture. I’ve since leaned that at least one of them is guilty of murder, and if not for the fact that I was taken by Lord Seymour’s men, I’d most likely have been taken prisoner again by my aunt and held against my will until I breathed my last.”
“One foul deed does not excuse another,” Elizabeth retorted. “Lord Seymour made no effort to return you to your home or to restore your honor.”
“On the contrary, your majesty, he has done just that,” Elise said in a trembling voice, knowing well that she tested the woman’s temper and chanced being thrown into the Tower for the crime of tenacity. “He has given me the honor and shelter of his name and has many times risked his own life to defend mine. I, for one, am most grateful that his servants made a mistake and, more than once, have considered my abduction a divine blessing.”
“Humph! ‘Tis evident, you silly woman, that you are in love with the scoundrel and will say anything in his defense,” Elizabeth ridiculed her and turned her attention to the tall, tawny-haired man just as that one bestowed a tender look upon the girl. Though she witnessed a gentle meeting of gazes, the Queen sat back in the chair in some annoyance at the couple. They had set her to the task of debating the controversy of their actions in her mind, and she was weary of making decisions. If not for fear that Spain would turn upon England after crushing the gallant forces in the Netherlands, she would have left Philip to do the deed! She had procrastinated against taking action until at last her hand had been forced. Now when she was pressed to consider a more simple matter than the presently raging war, she was moved to resentment. Lord Seymour had not deemed it necessary to ask her permission to marry. Yet on the other hand, when she took into account that he had not been within close proximity to bide for her approval, she could be swayed toward leniency. By all that was right, he had to take the maid to wife to make amends for the wrong he had done. Still, he had shown a careless disregard for propriety and was not deserving of her forgiveness.
Dropping her arms on the chair, Elizabeth pointedly asked, “What is this girl to you, Bradbury?”
Somewhat confused by the question, Maxim faced the sovereign queen and stated clearly what Elise had revealed. “She is my wife, your majesty.”
“You married without asking for my consent?” she needled, but was quick to wave away his explanation. “What are your feelings toward her?”
“I love her,” he admitted quietly, well aware of what his confession might mean.
Walsingham rolled his eyes back in his head, fearing he had just heard the death knell sound for the man.
“Love!” Elizabeth scoffed in caustic derision. “What do you know of love? One moment you adore one woman, the next, another? I liked you better when you were unmarried!”
Walsingham hid a smile behind a thin knuckle. ‘Twas well-known that Elizabeth had long indulged herself in the audience of many a gallant and handsome blade in her court, and, though aging, she still had a most appreciative eye for a man of Seymour’s good looks. She was by nature opposed to any courtier who wed.
“If I’ve risked my life many times over in service to you, your majesty, does that not prove the love and honor I give to you?” Maxim took heart as he saw the Queen’s eyes lower in museful reflection. “If I’m willing to give my life to see Elise safe from those who would do her ill, does that not attest to my devotion to her?”
“You have given me good service,” Elizabeth admitted. “And it caused me great pain to think you had betrayed me.” She heaved a long sigh, at last coming to a decision. “I shall repent of my earlier decree, Bradbury. Henceforth, your titles and properties are restored to you and you may go with my blessings.”
Elise gave a glad cry and would have thrown herself in Maxim’s arms, but she saw him hesitate and knew it was not over yet. Her heart trembled at her husband’s daring, for he waited as the Queen breathed a soft sigh and leaned back in the tall chair. Relaxing, the woman closed her eyes a moment and rubbed her temple with her fingertips, then the dark orbs snapped open again and fairly pierced Maxim where he stood.
“Well! What more do you want of me? Have I not given you enough?”
“What of Captain Von Reijn, your majesty?” he softly questioned
The Queen’s eyes blazed as she stared back at him, then gradually they softened, and she gave a soft laugh. “When this is out, my repute for wise decisions shall be left in ragged ruins. Your tenacity has once again brought you your heart’s desire, Bradbury. I shall give your friend pardon and restoration of his ship and cargo. Now leave me. I am weary.”
Chapter 29
ELISE BREATHLESSLY PLEADED caution between gasps of laughter as Maxim pulled her along with him at a fleetfooted pace across the wide, well-groomed lawns of Whitehall. As they reached the river stairs Fitch and Spence rushed to greet their lord and clapped him eagerly on the back, displaying a joy and relief they could hardly contain over his arrival. Once the congratulations and felicitations were exchanged, Maxim extracted himself from their attentions and, sweeping Elise into his arms, hurriedly descended the steps and boarded the barge that awaited them. He stepped forward near the prow and, locking his wife in an exuberant embrace, fell back laughing into a cushioned seat. The soft, feminine giggles he produced by nuzzling his wife’s ear and covering her face with eager kisses sharply raised the brows of the riverman’s youthful assistant, who gawked in astonishment at the handsome couple. The master boatman was accusto
med to a wide range of varied behavior from his wealthy patrons and brusquely urged the lad on about his duties whenever there was a lag. Fitch and Spence settled behind their lord, and after casting off the moorings, the two boatmen bent themselves to broad sweeps amidship until they levered the heavy craft out into the currents. Once the vessel began to swing, the master took himself aft to the tiller sweep while the lad labored to hoist the long single spar bearing the wide triangular sail. Soon the barge was slipping along nicely through the current and reached upriver at a fair pace.
Maxim yielded to an urge which had strongly tested his restraint since his entry into the Queen’s chambers. He did not care that he had an audience of men and a most curious youth who was eager to spy upon them. What mattered was his craving to take his wife in his arms and kiss her at length and with a thoroughness that roused their hungering passion. He restricted himself only to the margin of propriety he deemed adequate when he pulled her across his lap and leaned over her, but it was enough to bulge out the eyes of the youth who watched from behind. It was a very long time before Maxim lifted his head, and then only slightly.
Elise’s head swam from the heady intoxicant of his kiss and as her world reeled crazily under the starlit night, she sighed beneath his hovering mouth. “Your greetings have fair sundered my trembling heart, but oh, for such sunderings I’ve desperately yearned.”
His breath was warm in her mouth as he touched light kisses to her parted lips, drinking in the sweet honeyed dew she offered. “I’ve come alive again,” he breathed. “In your absence I fear I’m stricken deaf and dumb, as one cast with a spell. I thought my heart had stopped.”
“If you could feel mine now, my love, you would know its rushing haste.” Elise caught his hand as it moved to make the inspection and smiled into his shining eyes. “Later, my love,” she promised in a soft whisper, “when there are not so many to see.”
“They cannot see where my hand goes,” he cajoled with a wayward grin.
“Oh, but they’ll hear my sighs.” She smiled and raised a hand to caress his mouth with her fingertips. “I’d not be able to help myself. When you touch me, I become a woman possessed, and my frenzy is not appeased until we come together as one.”
His glowing eyes plumbed the dark translucent depths of midnight blue as he promised in a softly rasped whisper, “I’ll wait until that moment we’re alone, then I’ll tender you a lover’s fete the likes of which you’ve never known.”
“My heart quakes in expectation,” she breathed in warm response.
Shifting his weight, Maxim relaxed back upon the cushions of the seat and snuggled her close upon his chest. With a wicked leer he pulled off her hat and tossed it aside. “Edward can leave Bradbury or stay, whatever you may see fit, madam. I would only claim my old chambers as our own.”
“Edward is dying, Maxim. He’s staying here in London at my father’s house where he can be close to the physicians who are attending him. I think it’s only a matter of time.”
Maxim frowned in bemusement. “But the man was hearty enough when I last saw him. What has happened, my love?”
“I vow the mere act of marrying Cassandra would mean the wasting of any man.” After a moment Elise realized her simple answer failed to enlighten her husband, and she went on to explain in more detail. “Long ago ‘twas rumored among my father’s servants that Cassandra poisoned my mother and then, later, her husband, Bardolf Radborne. As a child I didn’t understand and later when I could, I passed the tales off as merely the delusions of a demented ancient. Now I am convinced the rumors were not fabrications. I’ve also come to think that before she even married Edward, Cassandra intended to poison him and had him sign a marriage settlement giving her the right to inherit everything he owns upon his death. Edward could never read very well and his understanding of the written word was ofttimes lacking. He was always cautious to let Arabella counsel him on the documents he signed, but I doubt she knows about it. ‘Tis hard to believe that Cassandra gained those concessions from Edward while he was cognizant of what he was doing. He must have been well into his cups. Otherwise, he would have insisted that Arabella look over the document.”
“The Queen’s decree of restoration will disarm any attempt of Cassandra’s to collect my properties.”
“Cassandra knows the importance of legal documents only too well,” Elise commented dismally. “My father left no guarantees for me, at least none that could be found, and ever since his disappearance, Cassandra has been trying to obtain his estates for herself and her sons, claiming that he is already dead. Should he be found so, I fear she’d have the upper hand. She’s always had a good nose for wealth and a knowledge of how to get it.”
“I shall ask that a royal warrant be issued for her arrest.”
“The word is out that she has fled the country. Perhaps I should breathe a sigh of relief that she’s gone, but I fear she will return one day and do us hurt.”
“If they try, they’ll be called into account for their actions. And if aught happens to me, my love, you should know that I’ve already given a document to Walsingham, stating you will become my heir, the Marchioness Dowager of Bradbury.”
“I care naught for your possessions,” she avowed emphatically. “All I want is you . . . and our babe.”
“Our babe?” Maxim drew back enough to see her face. “What is this you say?”
Elise met his searching gaze with adoring eyes. “My body does joyfully nourish your seed, my lord. I carry your child”
Maxim pulled her close again and covered them with a light woolen throw to keep away the chill of the night. “I shall endeavor to fulfill your desire, madam, for surely, ‘tis the yearnings of my own heart to live for you and our child. There is yet another head of this Hydra that needs be lopped off, but first I must search it out and restore your father to you.”
A contented silence settled upon them as the barge wended along the river. Night studded the ebon sky with twinkling stars as a thin sliver of lunar brightness tore itself free of the rooftops of the city and climbed into the vast empyrean above. All was indeed right with the world while Elise rested secure in her husband’s arms. She could feel the slowly throbbing beat of his pulse where her brow lay against the side of his throat, and she was lulled into a feeling of bliss she had not experienced since their parting.
Much later, they strolled hand in hand from the river’s edge and entered the manor house of her father. Word was quickly passed that the mistress had arrived home with her new husband, the famed Lord Seymour. Every cranny, crevice, and nook seemed filled with curious eyes and eager faces as the couple crossed the hall. Having heard whispered rumors of the mistress’s capture, they caught their first glimpse of the Marquess. Young maids were set atwitter by the notion that such a daring and handsome gallant would be housed in the manor, but their smiles drooped in disappointment when the word was given that his lordship would be taking his lady to his country estate when the morning came.
Maxim still struggled with feelings of anger and resentment toward Edward as he slowly mounted the stairs with Elise at his side. He braced himself for the moment of their meeting, but upon entering the sleeping man’s chamber and seeing the frail form of what was once his adversary, it came to him that he need not have tried so hard. All the harsh angers faded to be replaced by the pity he had been reluctant to give. Compassion washed over him with a natural ease, releasing him from the bitterness that had bound him up for so many months now. An easy flowing peace untangled the knotted cords of his emotions, allowing him to clearly see how supremely he had been blessed because of the deceit of his enemy. If not for Edward’s accusations, his life would have remained empty of the joy he now knew with Elise.
Astounded by the realization of his good fortune, Maxim laid an arm around Elise’s shoulder and lifted her chin. His eyes glowed into hers as he drank deeply of the love he found shining there. “When all is said and done, my love, I must admit Edward did me a great service,” he mur
mured in easy concession. “I found a treasure far beyond his ken . . . a woman worthy of all my aspirations . . . a fulfillment of my loftiest dreams.”
“Seymour?” The strained whisper came from the bed, and they turned to gaze down at Edward. The invalid tried to raise himself in his much-weakened condition, but the effort proved too much for him. With a sigh of resignation, he collapsed back upon the bed and was much amazed when Maxim lifted him up and braced several pillows behind his back.
“I prayed you’d come . . .” the frail man whispered. Maxim glanced back at Elise, who conveyed her own bewilderment by a small shake of her head. A light frown marked his brow, betraying his own confusion as he posed the question to the invalid. “Why would you pray for my return, Edward?”
“I’ve . . . a pressin’ need ta clear . . . me conscience,” the elder rasped in a weak whisper. “I cast the blame on ye . . . ta hide the evidence of me own doings. ‘Twas meself who was responsible for the agent being killed.”
“Do you ken what you say, Edward?” This deathbed confession was not what Maxim had expected. “How did you kill him?”
“Listen to me!” he gasped. “I did not kill him, but I was responsible for his death. If not for me, he might not’ve been slain.”
“Explain yourself,” Maxim urged. “I would know what happened that night.”
The dulled eyes raised beneath sagging blue lids, and after a pause, Edward gathered his strength for the ordeal. His voice took on a nasal monotone, almost a whine. “I’d taken ta followin’ Ramsey . . . ta see what he was ’bout. I’d head rumors ’bout him hoardin’ his wealth, an’ I wanted ta see for meself just what he was a-doing, but the thought o’ goin’ inta ‘ose nasty Stilliards sent shivers up me spine. So’s I waited ‘ere on the river an’ watched ‘til he come back to his barge . . . usually with a chest.”
A long panic-filled moment passed as Edward tried to take air into his lungs, and he seemed on the verge of expiring. Maxim lifted him up to help him draw a deeper breath and held a glass of water to the colorless lips. Gulping down a draught, Edward nodded his gratitude and sank back weakly to the pillows. With more ease, he continued with his tale. “The Queen’s agent noticed me a-waitin’ ‘ere several times, an’ later when he come ta Bradbury ta speak wit’ ye, he recognized me as the one what he’d spied. He faced me off, he did, an’ accused me o’ bein’ in on the conspiracy ta assassinate the Queen. God knows that weren’t true, but the bloke wouldn’t listen. He grabbed me arm, hard like a tightenin’ rope, an’ snatched me ‘round.”
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