Page 96 of Almost a Bride
“The letter is from Rodney Shaw’s superiors in the Spanish army, ordering him to kill a British spy.”
Spencer’s mouth dropped open only a fraction before he remembered to shut it. Roselyn had had the pouch all along! But he could hardly be angry with her, or blame her for not trusting him. For the first time in weeks, he allowed hope to blossom in his heart.
Rodney Shaw stood frozen before all the court, his pale face suddenly dotted with perspiration.
“Your Majesty, ’tis a forgery!” Shaw cried, looking about him for support. “Would I have come straight to Sir Walsingham if I were a traitor? I tell you, I found Thornton standing over the corpse of the last British agent!”
The only people paying him any attention were the courtiers, who now began to back away from him.
Roselyn stepped closer to the queen. “The letter is in Spanish, Your Majesty. Lady Thornton would be happy to translate it for you.”
Queen Elizabeth eyed her over the letter. “Think you that we are untutored, Lady Roselyn? We read many languages.”
Roselyn bowed her head and curtsied again. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Spencer saw a snarl cross Shaw’s face, and he wished desperately that Rose were not so near him.
Then Shaw drew his sword.
Chapter 29
The privy chamber rang with shrill screams as the courtiers stumbled back from Shaw’s wildly waving sword. Before the soldiers could even react, Alex grabbed one of their swords and tossed it to Spencer, who rushed to put himself between Roselyn and Shaw.
Queen Elizabeth rose to her feet. “By Christ’s wounds—”
But Spencer heard nothing else as his sword crossed with Shaw’s and he felt the consuming power of redemption and victory so near at hand.
“Give it up, Shaw,” he ground out as they circled each other. “No one can save you.”
“A nasty limp you have there, Thornton. Let me put you out of your misery.”
In a flurry, Shaw launched wild blows that Spencer parried. More than once, he barely missed being skewered before he cut Shaw’s sword arm. When Shaw tried to turn and run, men blocked his escape, and he was forced to face Spencer, who held his sword at the ready.
In a low voice, Spencer said, “No longer are there men to hold me in place. That was the only way you could defeat me.”
With a cry of rage, Shaw brought his sword down toward Spencer’s head. Their blades met and slid together, and they glared at each other across them.
“You gambled with your loyalty and lost,” Spencer said. “Give up.”
“I’d rather you kill me!”
“Coward.” He knocked the sword from Shaw’s hand and stepped back as the soldiers surrounded the traitor.
Spencer turned slowly around to see the proud smile on his mother’s face, and the tears on Roselyn’s. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to tell her of his love and beg her to allow him to remain at her side forever.
But there was still the queen to deal with, and granting permission to marry was something she insisted on. And he still had so many questions.
“Your Majesty,” Spencer said, “if you needed to see proof of my loyalty, why was no effort made to question me these past days? I lived practically in comfort.”
The queen regally seated herself. “Lord Thornton, we were merely keeping you safe.”
“Safe?”
“Sir Rodney had been under suspicion because of the behavior of his mother, who had recently begun to live well beyond her family’s means—and made sure all knew it.”
Shaw gaped up at the queen. “But…Mother insisted…she made me…she wanted…”
“In the end, it was your choice, Sir Rodney,” the queen said coldly. “We were forced to protect Lord Thornton from your desperate acts, and Lady Thornton obliged us by guarding Lady Roselyn well. The final proof was that letter. Well done, Lady Roselyn.”
