The Dark of Knight

by Johns, Elizabeth

  “What is it, Philip?”

  He walked over to the window and looked out at the view over the valley and vineyards, his hands shoved into his pockets.

  “I think we have given Maria the perfect opportunity for revenge. A hundred English soldiers gathered in a ballroom.”

  Felix and Owens stood there watching, a little stunned. But, by God, he was correct. “We can hardly cancel at this point. More than half the guests are here.”

  “True, and nothing may happen. It is only a feeling,” Everleigh said.

  They all eyed each other. Spies did not ignore presentiments.

  “What do you propose we do?” Owens asked.

  Felix answered. “Alert all of the men and servants. Designate guards… but whatever you do, do not tell Catalina.”

  *

  The autumn night was divine; not too cold, not too warm. The ballroom was charmingly decorated like a starry night and smelled like a Spanish garden. Jasmine wafted through the room, which would soon be pleasantly full yet should not be overly crowded. Stringed instruments would soon strum romantically in the background.

  Cook had outdone herself even beyond Catalina’s expectations.

  Even Catalina’s hair had cooperated with alarming ease. She was wearing her favorite violet silk gown, fashioned in the English style, which she thought Felix might appreciate. She knew she looked well.

  It would be perfect if she did not have that nagging, eerie feeling again.

  As hostess, she arrived downstairs early in order to survey the preparations were complete, as she had always done. Often, she and her father would make a late entrance, as was fashionable when they were at other events, but she preferred to know everything was running smoothly beforehand.

  “Dare I compliment you?” her favorite deep voice whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

  She turned about to face him and almost gasped aloud. God had certainly been in fine form the day he created this man. He was in formal regimental regalia, like the very first time she had seen him. Catalina did not believe in coincidences, and thanked God that he had seen fit to choose her for this man.

  “I will say you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and the ballroom is enchanting. In a word, perfect.”

  “That will do, my lord.” She smiled up into his eyes.

  “Will you walk with me for a moment?” he asked, extending his arm.

  “Only for a moment. The guests will be arriving soon,” she said, taking his arm and wishing the guests would not be arriving soon.

  He walked her through the doors from the ballroom out onto the terrace, where it seemed their most wonderful moments had occurred. Before she knew what he was about, he dropped to one knee before her and held out a single rose.

  “I told you here a sennight ago that I wanted this time to court you and allow you chance to change your mind. This week has only convinced me more thoroughly that you are the woman for me. Catalina, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Oh! Si, si, si!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and fastened her lips to his. Felix stood up and, lifting her off her feet, twirled her around before setting her down.

  “Why now?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Still a little dizzy from the kiss, she looked up at him.

  “Is it not the perfect time to announce a betrothal?”

  “Yet what would you have done if I had said no?” she teased.

  “Then I would have been desolate.”

  Playfully, she hit him on the arm. “I think we should tell Papa first,” she said as they walked back into the ballroom, then through the house to his study.

  Catalina felt as though she were floating on air. Her father seemed delighted and unsurprised, as did Wellington, who was with him.

  “Does this mean I shall be losing you to Henry?” he asked Felix.

  Felix looked down at her and she gave a swift nod.

  “Oh, well, I suppose I only have myself to blame.” He extended his hand to Felix. “You are a lucky devil.” He bowed over Catalina’s hand. “I imagine you are to be considered fortunate as well. He is one of my best men.”

  “I know,” she answered coyly. They all laughed comfortably before repairing, after a few moments, to the entrance to form a line to greet the other guests.

  Catalina opened the dancing with her father, who was a bit sullen and almost tearful.

  “At least we will be living mostly in Spain, Papa,” she told him, guessing at the cause of his melancholy.

  “I know, mi querida, but it is more than that. I will be giving you to him. You will no longer be mine.”

  “Oh, Papa, I will always be yours.” Her throat thickened with unshed tears.

  “I do believe he is the right man for you. It is not easy for me to say that, but seeing you together this week has made me realize the truth of it.”

  “Thank you, Papa.”

  The dance ended and while the servants handed out glasses of champagne, her father quieted the assembled.

  “Good evening, I thank you all for joining us to celebrate the removal of France and Pepe Botella from our borders!” Loud cheers followed this proclamation. “I would also like to announce, with great pleasure, the joining of my daughter, Catalina, to Major Lord Felix Knight. It is a wonderful night for celebration, and I hope you will enjoy our Spanish hospitality. It has been an honor to serve along with all of you.” Another wild cheer greeted this toast and they drank to Spain and England and the upcoming marriage.

  “May I have this dance?” Felix bowed before her.

  She held out her hand. “I should be delighted, sir,” she said formally, but with an impish smile.

  He twirled her into a waltz, and for a time, nothing else existed but the two of them. She closed her eyes and savored the moment of being in her beloved’s arms. Then the strange feeling intruded and the hairs on the back of Catalina’s neck stood on end. She opened her eyes and began to look around her.

  “What is it?” Felix asked in concern.

  “I do not know. I expect I am worrying about nothing, since Father told me Maria was released to return to her family.”

  “But?” he probed gently.

  “I have that sensation that she is here, watching.” She continued to look over Felix’s shoulder as they danced. “Is it my imagination or are there men guarding the doors?”

  A flicker of guilt crossed his face.

  “Do you know something?” she demanded.

  “No,” he answered emphatically. “We are just being careful. Knowing Maria was set free, and there being such a large gathering of English soldiers in one room… we thought it wise to be prudent.”

  “Yet you did not think to tell me?” Her accent always grew stronger when she was upset. She was barely containing her fury.

  “I did not want you to worry. You had enough on your mind.”

  They made an entire circle of the ballroom floor before she spoke again, having succeeded in calming herself.

  “I cannot imagine what Maria could do to us here. She always seemed rather slow. Perhaps it was an act.”

  “She did not become angry with you until you began to consort with me?”

  “That is correct.” She tried to think back. “Perhaps I mistook her sadness for sluggishness. She always had eyes for Dion, and if she spoke, it was often of him.”

  The music drew to a close, and Catalina felt sad and wary at the same time, having been reminded of Maria. She did not want to think of her or Dion on a night that was meant for celebration and happiness, yet they had intruded.

  “Promise me you will not go anywhere alone,” Felix ordered. She looked into his eyes, so filled with concern, and gave a slight nod of agreement. As he led her from the dance floor, she did not want to take another partner.

  “Walk with me on the terrace for a moment, please?” she asked.

  He looked at her in an assessing fashion, but agreed.

  She stopped to tak
e a deep breath, willing the sensation of unease to go away, but it only heightened.

  “Something is going to happen, I can feel it,” she said softly.

  “Every door is being watched.”

  “Yes, but remember Maria lived here with me. If she wishes to enter, she will find a way. I am certain some of the servants are sympathetic.”

  “What do you think she could do?” he asked earnestly, not in a patronizing way.

  “I do not think she knows how to shoot or throw knives. I was trained before she became my maid, but I do not know. We never discussed it.”

  “If she means to harm only you or Colonel Hill, then I suspect she will attempt to catch you alone.”

  Catalina began to look around, the hairs on her neck standing at attention as though something ominous was happening. “Perhaps… but if we are well guarded…” She sniffed the air. “Felix, do you smell smoke?”

  They looked at each other with alarm and began to run.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Of course, it would be fire, Felix thought to himself as he and Catalina ran to try to find the source of the smoke.

  He should have thought the maid would try something like that. Maria could well be desperate if she felt as though she had lost everything.

  Truly, he could not blame Mendoza for being lenient. The girl had suffered enormously and now had not only lost her sister, she had also lost her love. When someone was desperate, they had nothing to lose, and if they were bent on revenge, then they were deadly. Maria would not care if she died.

  Felix tried to assess the situation quickly. Thankfully, the house was made of stone, but it did not mean everything inside could not go up in flames.

  “Quickly, alert everyone in the ballroom to leave the house,” he said to Catalina, “and inform the servants. I will look for the fire.” It did not appear that the smoke was coming from the house, so he continued on around the perimeter. Everleigh and Owens came running after him, with a few other men.

  “Smoke,” Everleigh said at once.

  “I cannot tell where it is coming from. Split up and we will go in both directions. Catalina went to get everyone out of the house,” Felix explained.

  “I will check the kitchens,” Owens said, hurrying away in that direction.

  “Where is it coming from?” Felix shouted, becoming frustrated.

  Everleigh stopped him with his arm. “Look,” he said, pointing down the hill.

  Felix cursed as he realized what was happening. There were a hundred or more ropes which, already alight and blazing brightly against the night sky, were climbing up the hill towards the house.

  “Fuses,” Everleigh said.

  There were so many that it would be nigh impossible to put them out. As one, they sped towards the buildings, yelling for help. The men had been on alert and at once came running. Everleigh bellowed short orders of explanation to superiors and inferiors alike and they all ran towards the fuses. Grooms and stable boys flocked from the buildings, all alerted by the commotion. Some of them immediately went for water, but even that from the stables would arrive too late.

  “Clear the ballroom!” Everleigh and Owens shouted, even though people were leaving. With the thousands of candles inside, the room would go off like one of Prinny’s firework displays.

  As the officers and gentlemen worked to stop the fuses before they reached the house, Felix and Everleigh began searching for what must be gunpowder or explosives.

  “I do not want to imagine how she has come by any of this,” Felix muttered as they looked everywhere, from the cellars, undercrofts, to the wood and food stores.

  “She followed the drum with her mistress for years. She must have learned the quartermaster’s habits or seduced him,” Everleigh conjectured.

  “She certainly duped Catalina into thinking she was slow-witted.”

  “This,” Everleigh said, spreading his hand out towards the rows of fire approaching the house, “is anything but slow. To set multiple fuses is a masterly stroke. One of them is bound to take.” Then they hurried up the steps to the terrace, flattening themselves against the hand-rails as a flood of guests scurried to safety, many of them in a panic. Wails and sobs of frightened women mingled with the shouts and commands of the military men.

  Felix and Everleigh sped into the ballroom and frantically began to search behind pillars, chairs and screens. Felix had not seen Catalina, and he prayed desperately that she was out of harm’s way. Maria must be somewhere nearby, watching. Several minutes later, satisfied that the ballroom did not hold the explosives, they went back outside.

  “Help me with this door!” Everleigh shouted. The heavy wooden barrier was situated under the steps to the terrace. Did it lead beneath the ballroom?

  “Of course, it is locked,” Everleigh grumbled as he thrust his shoulder against the door. The thick oak did not move an inch. “Stand back!” he ordered, and taking out his pistol, he shot the lock off with unerring skill.

  They pried the door back, but it was obvious that no one had opened the door in years, by the creaking and amount of debris dislodged.

  Everleigh took a taper and climbed down the steps and muttered a curse. “Nothing here,” he called out.

  The smell of smoke grew stronger and Felix’s sense of urgency grew. He ran back up to the terrace to see if the men were making any progress. It appeared as though some of the fuses had been put out, but almost before his eyes, they seemed to be multiplying.

  There were no large wagons or storage rooms to hold a large amount of explosives. With the assistance of several gentlemen, every door was opened and every potted plant was looked inside. There was nothing.

  “Time is running out. What do we do?” Felix asked his friend. He could see some of the fuses climbing over the ridge of the hill towards the house.

  “Perhaps it is simply a diversion?” Everleigh asked out loud.

  “Catalina!” Felix exclaimed. Spinning around, he ran back into the house to search for her, Everleigh right behind him.

  “Stop and think, man! If you were a maid bent on revenge, where would you take her?” Everleigh demanded.

  Felix shook his head. “I cannot think. Her bedroom? Catalina’s bedroom?”

  They ran through the house and up the staircase, but Catalina’s bedchamber and the adjoining dressing room, with the maid’s cot, were both empty.

  “What do we do now? She could be anywhere!”

  “Perhaps I was wrong and she is outside. It is hard to think like a mad woman,” Everleigh said calmly.

  “Wait! There is a balcony to my sitting room. It overlooks the terrace.” Felix directed Everleigh to follow him. As he entered his room, he heard voices. He held up his hand to stop Everleigh, who nodded his head. He could hear the voices as well.

  When Felix reached the doors, the scene before him was his worst nightmare. Not only did Maria have Catalina bound and gagged, but also Colonel Hill. He had no idea how she had managed such a feat on her own, nor how she had lured them away whilst both were in full knowledge of Maria’s possible presence.

  It was almost déjà vu with Dion’s attack, except Catalina had not been at the center of Dion’s ire that day.

  “These people are without honor!” Maria shouted hysterically to the crowd from the balcony to the terrified guests, saying much the same as Dion had that day at Vitoria.

  “This man raped and murdered my sister! And she,” Maria waved a torch toward Catalina, “murdered my love.”

  Felix could hear some gasps from the crowd.

  “I seek justice for Leonora! And for all of those who died for the bloodlust of the Ingles!”

  Felix exchanged glances with Everleigh, who gave a brisk nod of understanding. Maria was an easy target as long as she faced the crowd. However, she was waving a flaming torch in her hand… if there were explosives near at hand, one wrong move and they could all go up in flames. He had to release Catalina and Hill before they captured Maria.

  The maid was
waving her arm wildly and Felix kept a worried glance on the torch as he crawled silently through the shadows to Catalina and began to saw through her bindings with his knife. The maid had done a devilishly good job of tying the knots and it sounded as loud as a swarm of bees to his ears, along with the nervous thrumming of his blood. Once she was freed, he released a slow breath and motioned for her to sit still. He began on Hill’s ropes, whereupon Maria turned their direction. He froze and prayed he was hidden well enough in the darkness behind the other two.

  The bindings gave way with a bit of a lurch and Maria must have sensed the movement. Her head snapped their way. Maria’s gaze was blank as if there was no soul left inside. In that moment, Felix knew she intended to kill them all.

  “What is this?” she spat. “Has your lover come to see you die?” She stared at them without emotion and, with deliberation, moved her torch towards a fuse in her other hand and lit it. The fuse sparked into life.

  “Now!” Felix shouted. Everleigh threw his knife at Maria from where he stood, waiting, in the shadows by the door.

  Felix did not wait to see what happened. He picked Catalina up and ran with her through the door, hoping Hill could manage on his own.

  A loud cacophony of explosions began to go off, one after the other, behind them, but Felix did not stop running. He did not stop to think that they would be faster running separately. He held her as tightly as he could and kept going until they reached the front door, went through it and outside onto the steps.

  Hill and Everleigh stumbled out after them and then they all began to run towards the back of the house, where a stunned crowd of guests and servants stood watching the ballroom burning.

  Catalina found her father and he threw his arms around her. “Forgive me, querida. Forgive me.

  This is all my fault.”

  “You could not have known, Papa. I would not have guessed she could be capable of this.”

  Mendoza held one arm open to Felix and hugged them both as though his life depended on it.

  “When I think I could have lost you both.”

  “We are here. It is over now.”