Chapter Twenty-One #2
Christopher shrugged. “Only a few hours,” he said wryly. Then, he pointed at Peter. “And I shall deal with you later for it. I understand it was you who recruited her. For shame, Peter. Pulling your little sister into a man’s game.”
As Peter tried not to look sheepish, or afraid of fatherly retribution, Kevin spoke up. “Then if you already know of her service, you must know that she is good at what she does,” he said. “Very good. Sherry and Sean believe that Christin can kill FitzRoy and end this situation once and for all.”
Christopher’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “What?” he hissed. “They are putting the burden on her for this?”
Kevin continued quickly. “It is not as it sounds,” he said.
“But the truth is that she can get the closest to FitzRoy where the rest of us cannot. Eliminate the reason for the king’s fixation, and you eliminate the problem.
If FitzRoy is out of the way, then Lady Christin is safe.
So are any other daughters the king wishes to pledge to his bastard son should a de Lohr betrothal fall through. ”
Christopher shut his mouth, mostly because the solution made perfect sense.
Eliminating FitzRoy was something he’d already told David he was going to do, but he believed his only chance to accomplish it would be after the marriage took place.
He never thought he would make it in time to stop the wedding.
Now, Alexander and Sean had come up with a solution.
Whether or not he liked it.
Christin would be the assassin.
He stood there a moment, mulling it over, as Kevin, Peter, and, most of all, David watched him carefully. Christopher could be their biggest ally or their biggest obstacle. If he didn’t like the plan, then they were back to the beginning, so they could only pray he agreed with it.
Letting his daughter do the dirty work she was apparently born to do. She was, after all, a de Lohr.
Finally, he sighed.
“I suppose that it is logical that she should be the one to do it since she will be able to get close to him,” he said.
“I cannot say I like the idea of my daughter carrying out such a brutal task. That is man’s work.
Considering she has been serving The Marshal for two years now, however, I suppose I must try and look at her as one of his agents and less like my daughter. ”
Both Kevin and Peter nodded their heads, with Peter speaking first. “Papa, you’ve not seen her in action,” he said.
“Her hands are steady and her mind is strong. Back at Ramsbury while you and Uncle David were feasting, Christin was attacked by a French spy. She killed the woman without hesitation. She can do the same thing to FitzRoy and this nightmare will be over.”
Christopher sighed heavily, trying to digest what he was being told about petite, pretty Christin. Was it true she was a killer in disguise? If he believed Peter, then she was. What was it that William had said to him? Your children want to be a tribute to the de Lohr name. Let them.
Perhaps it was time to do that.
It wasn’t as if he had a choice.
“Very well,” he finally said, though it was clear he wasn’t completely supportive. “You said you wanted my help. What would you have me do?”
They were all breathing a sigh of relief to varying degrees and Kevin spoke quickly.
“You and your army must engage the king’s soldiers,” he said.
“Sean has about one hundred men with him, men that Gerard had originally planned as the escort. When Sean took Christin, he had no choice but to let those men go along. They must be engaged by you and your army while Sean and the rest of us, disguised as royal knights, take Christin to FitzRoy. Sean says that the royal soldiers must not be witness to any interaction he has with FitzRoy, especially because Christin will kill him. Sean must disavow all knowledge of Christin’s actions to keep himself separated from the incident. ”
Christopher could see the logic. “That is true,” he said. “He essentially brought one hundred witnesses with him.”
“That is what he said.”
“How far is Dereham?”
Both Kevin and Peter looked up the dark road. “Mayhap six or eight miles up the road,” Kevin said. “The king’s men are camped outside of the village.”
Christopher thought on that before looking to David. “If we leave in the morning, we shall not be able to catch up to them fast enough,” he said. “But if we go tonight and catch them by surprise before sunrise…”
“Then we will most certainly keep them busy,” David finished for them.
Christopher nodded. “We must gather the senior sergeants and tell them that we are marching through the night and why,” he said.
“Then we will inform the men. But for now, let them have a hot meal. We can make it to Dereham well before dawn. Kevin, return to Sherry and your brother and tell them that we will be there come sunrise to keep John’s army busy while they head on to Bishop’s Lynn. ”
“Aye, my lord.”
Kevin fled. They watched him go, but Christopher found his attention settling on his son, who was looking after Kevin most wistfully. He could tell that the man wanted to be off on a great adventure, not stuck with his father and uncle. Even if they would be engaging in battle on the morrow.
“Well?” he said to Peter. “What do you want to do? Ride with your sister and Sherry and the rest of them, or face battle with me and your uncle.”
Peter looked at him. “I would face battle with you,” he said. “You need me more than Christin does. She has Sherry and the rest of them. You only have Uncle David.”
David scowled. “What is that supposed to mean, you foolish whelp?”
Peter, who had a bit of a wicked streak in him, put his hand on his uncle’s shoulder. “I saw you back at Norwich,” he said. “When we faced the king and his guard? I saw how weak and pitiful you were, Uncle David. I was afraid I was going to have to save you.”
David knew he was jesting but his pride would not let him walk away from it. He looked at Christopher. “You had the opportunity to drown him when he was young,” he said. “I told you that you should have done it.”
Christopher started to laugh. “There is time yet still.”
“Is there?” David said as if surprised. “Good. I plan to tie him in a sack and throw him in the river.”
“I am too big for a sack,” Peter said.
David shook his head, heading off towards the camping army. “Never underestimate my determination to shove you into a sack. If you don’t fit the first time, I shall figure out a way.”
Peter was grinning, receiving a gentle slap to the head from his father as they followed David towards the army.
Already, the smells of food and bread were in the air, but Christopher wasn’t much thinking on that.
He was thinking of the daughter he was going to have to trust to men he’d known, loved, and served with for years, only somehow it was different now.
It was Christin.
And Alexander.
He was going to have to trust that Alexander would keep her safe.
He could only pray.