Lord of the Shadows by Le Veque Kathryn

Author:Le Veque, Kathryn [Le Veque, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Published: 2012-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

***

Sean had been waiting longer than he would have liked in the confession booth at the Chapel of St. Peter. It was a dark, musty, eerie place to be at any given time of the day. On the other end of the screen, he suddenly heard the door open and softly close. Heavy breathing, as if the person on the other side had just run the entire length of London, filled the small vestibule.

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” Sean began. “It has been a day since my last confession.”

“What is it you wish to confess, my son?”

“Rumors of war abound, Father. It is said that I am to be sent to war on the Marches.”

The breathing slowed, steadied. “When?”

“I am not sure. I have not been directly ordered yet. ‘Tis only a rumor at this point.”

“Why would you go?”

“De Braose is laying siege to Kington. Clifford has asked for help.”

“I see.”

“There is more.”

“What?”

“It is also rumored that part of my directive will be to raze Lansdown Castle.”

There was a long pause. “Why would you be ordered to do this?”

Sean sighed harshly, disgusted with the turn of events, though strangely he did not regret the actions that led up to it. “Because I stopped the king from raping Alys St. James. The king suspects my loyalties now and will ask me to raze Lansdown to prove that my fealty is to him and not to the House of St. James. All plans of the attack on London aside, this is a very real problem in addition to so many others.”

“What will you do?”

“I am not sure. Much depends on the move against London.”

“It is imminent.”

“How soon?”

“Two days at the most. The majority of nobles are clearing out tonight.”

“This is fact?”

“I just left a meeting with Jocelin, Rochester and Coventry. Arundel and Warenne are already gone and gathering with their troops outside the city limits. The rest will move out by dawn.”

Sean’s thoughts immediately moved to Sheridan. “If the king intends on sending me to the Marches, it will take a few days to prepare the army. The siege of London will prevent me from leaving.”

“Then the king must not know the nobles are leaving to join their troops. Their flight will spook him.”

“Agreed.”

“And you must do what you can to make sure the Tower is vulnerable once the siege has begun.”

“I will undoubtedly lead the battle against the allies. ‘Tis a pity that I will be seen as the loser in all of this.”

“The truth will be told when this is all over. Just make sure you live to see it.”

“I’ll live to see it,” Sean assured him. “And I will live to claim my prize.”

The voice on the other side was silent. “Lady Sheridan?”

“Of course.”

The voice grunted, as if in pain. “Sean,” he spoke haltingly. “There is something you should know.”

“I fear to ask.”

“You should. Jocelin intends to marry Lady Sheridan to Guy de Braose before the week is out.”

He wasn’t surprised. He realized that he had almost been expecting it.

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