Chapter Sixteen #2
Alex smiled sweetly at Badger the instant before she let her cloak fall away and revealed her crossbow aimed just below his waist. “Don’t move.”
Rory winced. “Or at least yer bollocks.”
“Tell the rest of yer men to come out,” Alex said.
Eyes wide, Badger’s hand moved to cup her target. “’Tis just Rabbit and me,” he squeaked.
“Me name is Silver Hawk,” the other man snapped.
“Shut up,” Badger howled. “She’s goin’ to shoot an arrow into me coin purse.”
Alex pressed the bow closer.
Badger squealed. “Come out, lads. Come on out.”
Two more men, just as raggedy, tramped out of the woods. Alex shifted the crossbow away from Badger and pointed it at the newcomers. “All of ye, go stand over there,” she said, pointing to one side of the road. They all lined up, protectively cupping their favored appendage.
“Now drop yer hose.”
At her command, all five men pushed their hose down until the fabric gathered at their ankles. Then they stood straight, their eyes wide with fear.
She smiled. “Now, we will bid ye goodbye.”
“I did warn ye,” Rory said to Badger. Then he reached into his satchel and took out a handful of coin, which he threw at their feet. “If ye try this again, ye might lose more than yer dignity. Take that coin and find some honest work. Ye’re the worst thieves I’ve ever seen.”
RAMSAY’S BLOND HAIR shone gold in the soft candlelight. Alex watched as he ran a smooth wet stone over the blade of a sword, eying the thin edge. “Good evening Rory, Alex,” he said without looking up at their approach.
Alex smiled and bent at the waist, pressing a kiss to Ramsay’s cheek. “’Tis a pleasure, as always.”
“How are ye, Ramsay?” Rory asked.
He rested the sword on his knee and looked up then. “I’m enjoying a beautiful summer’s eve,” Ramsay replied. Then he jerked his head toward the door. “David’s been waiting on ye.”
Alex smiled at Rory. “We were briefly detained.” Then she looked around. “Has it been quiet?”
“Aye. The village sleeps. Go on ahead. Ye know I’ll keep watch.”
“As always, ye have our thanks,” Rory said.
Alex dipped her head to the handsome blacksmith, then she turned and led the way inside. She rounded the woodpile and lifted the boards away. “After ye,” she said to Rory.
He smiled. “Nay, lass. Ye go ahead.”
“Suit yerself,” she replied, before she dropped down through the hole. Hunched over, she crossed to the blue curtain and swept it aside.
“Hello, again,” she said.
A flash of surprise widened David’s eyes when he saw her.
She smiled. “Ye weren’t expecting me.”
“Nay, but I shouldn’t be surprised to see ye.”
Rory came down the stairs and crossed to where David sat and clasped his hand in greeting. “I figured ye wouldn’t object to the aid of another agent.”
“Ye figured right. We could use all the help we can on this mission.”
Alex searched the room for another agent. “There’s only David,” she said to Rory. “Who will bring the weapons the rest of the way?”
“Ramsay will do it,” Rory assured her.
Alex thought of the giant blacksmith and decided there was no one better to entrust with a wagon full of swords.
“Join me,” David said, motioning to the empty chairs.
Alex sat down while Rory crossed to the keg and poured two tankards of ale, setting one in front of her.
“Thank ye,” she said quietly. Then she turned her attention to David.
He sat up, looking like he was going to speak, but then he leaned back in his chair and took a long quaff of ale.
Slamming down his empty cup, he said, “We’re going to rob King Edward. ”
Rory chuckled into his ale. “Grand cracker, David. So, really what is our mission?”
David did not reply. He looked at Rory. Then he shifted his gaze and looked at Alex with the same challenging expression.
Confused, Alex broke the silence. “Does he have a contingent of men moving some coin?”
David stood, poured himself another ale, then turned back to her. “Actually, we’re going to break into the King’s palace in London.”
Alex looked at Rory sidelong. He shook his head, assuring her that David was not in earnest, but she wasn’t so sure. “Ye must be jesting.”
David’s humorless facade remained unaltered. “Rory can tell ye that I am not known to jest.”
Rory narrowed his gaze on his friend. “Do ye mean to tell me that we’re going to walk straight past King Edward and his court and all of his men and help ourselves to his treasury?”
David shook his head and sat back, a smile playing at his lips. He clearly enjoyed holding them in suspense. “The king, his household, and his treasury have moved to York. They are positioning themselves on the Scottish border. The truce is coming to an end.”
Rory shrugged. “The king may not be in residence, but someone is. It hasn’t been left empty.”
“Ye’re right. The palace of Westminster is far from empty. ‘Tis full to the brim with philanderers and drunks.”
“I do not understand,” Alex said.
“Apparently, some things are beyond even Edward’s control,” David began.
“Ye see, he could not appoint a proper keeper. The job passed into the hands of its hereditary keeper, a man by the name of John Francis Bigge who also holds the keepership of Fleet prison through his wife, Joan. At first John took little interest in his newfound responsibility. In fact, he installed a deputy named Martin Wilkins in his stead while he and his wife maintained their residence in the city. But in the absence of real authority, Martin quickly turned the king’s palace into a den for sport. ”
“What kind of sport?” Alex asked.
“The salacious kind. And do ye ken what John did when he discovered Martin’s debauchery?”
“He reprimanded him?” Alex offered.
David shook his head. “He packed his trunks, bid farewell to his wife, and joined Martin and all his scandalous companions in the palace.” David leaned forward, a hungry glint in his eyes. “’Tis overrun with unsavory souls whose appetites for drink, women, and song are insatiable.”
“What of the guard?” Rory asked.
“They, too, have joined the revelry, along with several monks from the neighboring abbey.”
Rory sat back, allowing David’s news sink in. “So, the keeper is careless and seeks not to guard the King’s palace but to exploit it for what it’s worth.” He turned and smiled at Alex. “That changes everything.”
Alex spoke up then. “But ye just said that Edward took his treasury with him to York. What is there left to steal?”
“Little remains of worth in the palace itself, but the king has treasure hidden away in the adjoining abbey.”
Rory looked at David skeptically. “Surely the monks guard this treasure.”
“As I said, many of the monks have proven to be incapable of resisting the temptations offered at court. In fact, the monks’ disregard for their vows is how we came by this news. Word reached the abbot. He had no recourse but to send a man into the heart of the palace to be his eyes and ears.”
Rory narrowed his eyes on David. “Ye’re relying on only one man’s account? Are ye certain this man is reliable?”
David looked at Rory with surprise. “Have ye ever known one of Scotland’s agents to be unreliable?”
Rory shook his head. “Nay, but we’ve also never attempted anything so risky.”
David sat back, an easy smile on his face. “Then rest assured. The man the abbot entrusted to spy on the workings of the king’s palace is none other than yer older brother, Alec.”
Rory threw his head back and whooped. “So, Alec is behind all this?”
David nodded. “The heist is his idea.”
A slow smile crossed Rory’s lips. Alec’s involvement fueled his confidence. “Is he still in London?”
“Nay, he’s made his excuses to his reveling companions and is awaiting us at the Harborage.”
“What’s the Harborage?” Alex asked.
Rory smiled at her. “Ye’ve not heard of the Harborage?”
“Nay.”
“It would seem the abbot has been truly remiss,” Rory said, reaching across to take her hand. “The Harborage is...well...ye’ll see.”