Page 216 of Historical Hotties
But he also knew something else.
That Henry was trying to keep him loyal to the Crown. Thor had been a point of contention between the king and Gage, each one demanding his service, each one being possessive of his time and skill. Thor was fairly certain that this was a ploy by Henry to make serving him much sweeter than returning to Northumberland and serving his father. This wasn’t some altruistic offer with no strings attached, simply because Henry liked him.
This was an offer that came at a price.
Thor understood that plainly.
“I would be a fool not to consider it, your grace,” he finally said. “But why don’t you tell me what your expectations are of me should I accept?”
Henry chuckled softly. “You are very suspicious, Thor.”
“I think I have reason to be.”
Henry continued to chuckle. “My expectations are that you will remain loyal to me until the day you draw your last breath,” he said. “But since you will outlive me, you will remain loyal to my son. He will need you. Mayhap that is truly why I am offering you this, Thor—Edward will need you when he becomes king. I will go to my grave knowing my son is well supported.”
“Even if I returned to Ashington, I would still support you and Edward, your grace,” Thor said. “You do not need to bribe me for my loyalty.”
Henry shrugged. “It is not a bribe, but a reward,” he said. “A reward for your loyalty past, present, and future. It is something you have earned, Thor. It is yours and I want you to embrace it.”
Thor thought on that a moment because the way Henry said it gave him an inclination of what the man really meant. He’d been around Henry too long not to know that a command was wrapped up in words that might convey otherwise. Henry was pretending that he had a choice.
But he didn’t.
Damn…
“What you mean to tell me is that I cannot refuse,” he said quietly.
Henry simply gave him a look that suggested he could draw his own conclusions, and that shook Thor’s composure a little more. He’d walked into an ambush and hadn’t realized it until this very moment. That power struggle between the king and his father was being brought to a conclusion and Thor would be the one to pay the price. An attractive marriage, that was true. But to a woman he didn’t know and had never met. A great heiress with ancient bloodlines.Caledonia de Wylde. Thor rolled that name around in his head, thinking he might have heard it before, but he couldn’t be sure. The lady wasn’t close to the king, that was for certain, and that raised the question—if she was such a great heiress, whywasn’tshe close to the king?
Why hadn’t he had dealings with her before?
Thor snorted softly as he stood up from the bench.
“So the marriage is mine whether or not I want it,” he said. “Asking me if I would consider it was an empty question because you did not mean it. Not in the least.”
Henry shrugged. “It is for your own good, lad,” he said. “You may not think so now, but in time you will. In time, you will thank me.”
Thor put up a hand as if to stop the man from talking, which was a shocking gesture coming from the king’s Lord Protector, a man who was ever-obedient and even subservient to his king. But Thor’s irritation was no longer restrained and it was directed at Henry.
“If this woman is such a great heiress, why have I not met her?” he said. “I’ve never even heard you mention her name in the two years I have been by your side. Where has she been hiding?”
Henry rubbed his hands together, clearing his throat softly as if uncomfortable about what he was going to say. “The lady has been abducted,” he said, avoiding answering the gist of Thor’s questions. “I have it on good authority that she is being kept at Gomorrah. You know the place, Thor—we all know the place. It is hell on earth and she is being kept there. You must rescue her.”
Gomorrah.
That was a name that was only whispered in society, a place so legendary that even discussing it might damage one’s reputation. Gomorrah was an exclusive guild where every fantasy a man, or woman, had could come true, founded long ago by a Hessian lord who married an English noblewoman, Lady Camberwell. The enterprising Hessian used his wife’s money to buy property from the church to start his notorious guild. Built on gambling and excess, it was a true den of iniquity.
Situated beneath the old St. Dunstan’s Church, a Saxon church that burned down every time the Catholic Church tried to rebuild it, they were more than happy to sell the cursed property to the Hessian. In fact, St. Dunstan’s was built atop the ruins of an ancient Roman temple, and some said the Romans themselves had cursed the land. Whatever the case, the House of Camberwell made a fortune from it, paying a portion to the Catholic Church every year from the profits. In turn, the church absolved Camberwell of the sin of owning Gomorrah.
A convenient arrangement.
But the mere mention of the name had Thor frowning in disbelief. “Gomorrah?” he repeated in shock. “Whohas abducted her?”
Henry shrugged as if upset by the situation. “I do not know,” he said imploringly. “No one knows. But she is there and she needs saving. Will you save her, Thor?”
Thor’s frown grew. “Surely she has family for this kind of thing.”
Henry shook his head. “She has no family,” he said. “Were you not listening to me? There are no males left in her family. She is the last of her line. Someone has taken her to Gomorrah and she is being kept there, surely against her will. This is one of the wealthiest women in all of England, Thor. Since she has no one to help her, that must fall on me. I cannot allow another to marry her and control the Tamworth and Stafford fortunes. I want you to take a few of your trusted men, break into Gomorrah, and extract her. Return her to me. Do you understand?”
