Chapter Thirty-Seven #2
Niki removed the crumpled paper from his pocket and smoothed it out. “This is the speech that was delivered to her before the wedding. The one you wrote.”
Matilda took the paper, eyes wide, and bent closer to read it.
“The light is very poor in here,” she said.
“Do we really need to—” She didn’t finish speaking, and her shoulders stiffened.
“No,” she said, her hand trembling as she held out the offensive words.
“I did not write this, Niki. I would never write this! I promise you, I would never—”
“Who did you ask to deliver it?” Freddie was speaking to her. His hazel eyes were sharp and watchful, and Matilda glanced from one to the other of them, as if she wasn’t sure what was happening.
“Am I being accused of this?” she demanded shakily. “Is my word not good enough?”
“Who?” Freddie repeated.
“A servant,” Matilda said. “I did not ask her name.”
“It was lucky Antonia decided to examine the speech before she handed it over. If Roberta had read that out to the crowd…”
Matilda swallowed audibly. “I understand what you’re saying, but I did not write it. You know me, Niki, and I would not do this. Someone is out to cause mischief.”
“What does it say?” Freddie was looking from one to the other.
“Should I…?” Matilda looked at Niki, and he nodded.
Quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, she spoke the foul words. Niki’s anger spiked as, once again, he imagined the consequences to Roberta, to himself.
Freddie’s expression turned grim. “This may be more serious than simple mischief,” he said. “Could it be connected to the attempts on your life, sir? Someone wants to see your reign brought to an end and is willing to use Roberta to do it. What would have happened if she had read this speech?”
“Crowds can be volatile, and if they were upset and angry, would they have listened to my explanation? I don’t know. Francis would have used it as an excuse to ask me to have the marriage annulled. I would not have agreed, but the situation would have been…uncomfortable.”
Freddie said the words Niki refused to believe. “Do you think your chamberlain might be the one who switched the speeches?”
“It is a child’s trick,” Niki said, watching Matilda’s face. “A boy’s trick.”
He saw the realization hit her, and her face went white while her lips drew into a tight line. “It wasn’t Tomas,” she blurted out, her voice shaking. “That is what you’re saying, isn’t it? He wouldn’t do such a thing. And why? What possible reason would he have?”
“Then if it wasn’t him, he will tell me when I speak to him.” Niki opened the door, startling one of the maids clearing the debris from the table, and instructed her to find the boy and bring him to his mother.
By now, Matilda was twisting her hands together, and when Freddie tried to cover them in a comforting grip, she jerked away, glaring at him. “You are both wrong,” she said furiously. “He had no reason to do something so malicious. Why would he?”
Niki met Freddie’s eyes and could see that the other man had a fair idea why, as did Niki. It just remained for Tomas to prove them right.
Tomas must not have gone far. He would be wondering what was happening and lingering beyond the room, waiting for his mother so that he could ask her.
He would want to know what had been said about the speech and if Niki knew it had been switched.
A moment later, the maid returned with Tomas in her wake.
The boy’s eyes flickered from face to face as he approached.
He was trying to look innocent, but there was a sulky droop to his mouth.
“You wanted to see me?” he asked. “Mama, is something wrong?”
Matilda reached for his hand and drew him close to her. “Tomas, Niki believes you changed the speech, the one I wrote for Roberta. I know you wouldn’t do that. Tell them you wouldn’t.”
Tomas looked relieved. “Changed it? Was it changed?” He widened his eyes. “But, Mama, you know I don’t understand Holtswigger.”
Matilda turned triumphantly to the two men. “There, you see?” she said. “How could he have written it?”
“He didn’t write it. I did.”
Niki spun around. Ernest was standing against the wall, and he looked pale, and guilty, and rather desperate. “What do you mean? Ernest?” Niki wanted to say he didn’t believe it, but seeing Ernest’s expression, his heart sank. “But why?”
“He asked me to.” Ernest nodded at Tomas.
“He said some of the boys in the castle were teasing him, saying he didn’t really belong here, and he wanted to call them names.
Say bad words to them,” he muttered, dropping his gaze, his cheeks flushed.
“I know plenty of bad words, so I wrote some down for him to learn.”
“If this is true,” Niki said, turning to Tomas, “why were those words in Roberta’s speech?”
“I could say Ernest wrote the speech,” Tomas replied cockily.
“You cursed liar!” Ernest started forward, fists up, but Niki held him back. “And to think I wanted to help you.”
“I could say that,” Tomas shouted back, his voice wavering.
“But I won’t. I wrote the speech because I want to go home.
I thought if I ruined the wedding, Mama would have to leave.
I hate it here. No one likes me. I want to go back to London, and I want things to go back to the way they were. Before he came along.”
He pointed at Freddie, and the hatred in his young face was startling.
Matilda gasped. “But Tomas…What is wrong with Mr. Hart? Why do you hate him? What has he done to you?”
“He is not my father,” Tomas replied, sounding more and more like a child. “When he came, everything changed. I don’t want him in your bed, Mama. It is wrong. You are going to marry him, aren’t you? I know you are. And then he will never leave.”
Niki could see that Matilda didn’t seem to know what to say, and Freddie was hesitant to say anything that might make matters worse.
“Don’t you know what would have happened if Roberta had read those words?
” he said sternly, barely holding back his anger.
“There would have been a riot. The malcontents who want me dead would have used it to spread lies, and who knows what else. My rule might have ended because of your selfish act.”
Tomas curled his lip, but there was a glint of fear in his eyes. “I don’t care.”
“Tomas!” Matilda gasped. “Apologize immediately. Now!”
Tomas shot her a resentful look. “I was leaving anyway, on my own. I hate it here. I hate you, and I hate him!” He pointed at Freddie and, turning, stalked away.
In the ensuing silence, Matilda gave a little sob, and when Freddie went to put his arm around her, she shrugged him off with a cry and hurried after her son. Freddie looked almost broken.
Ernest hung his head and shuffled his feet. “I am sorry, Niki. I never meant any harm. I could see how unhappy Tomas was, and I was trying to cheer him up.”
“I’m sure you were,” Niki said wryly. “Go to bed now. We can discuss this in the morning.”
Ernest nodded with relief and set off after the other two.
Niki rested a hand on Freddie’s shoulder. “It seems it was all a storm in a teacup with no harm meant. Tomas had no thought for anything beyond getting his mother to return to England. Will she let him have his way, do you think? I mean, when it comes to you, Freddie?”
Freddie met his gaze and sighed. “I don’t know. Tomas thinks the world revolves around him, and his mother loves him.”
“Hmm. You know you will have a fight on your hands if you want to win her.”
Freddie managed a wan smile. “Just as well I am good at fighting.”