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“And you said nothing of this?” His tone sharpened. “For how long? Since she arrived?”
Branford’s voice rose again, and he took a step toward me.
“You drank tea prepared by her every day for years and told me nothing of it?”
“Branford, I…” I had no idea what to say to him. I had never mentioned it because it had seemed such a…a feminine thing.
His eyes further darkened, and the door behind us opened. Dunstan emerged with Janet in tow. My husband spun around on his heel, took two steps toward Janet, and grasped her arm roughly. Janet let out a surprised squeal but was quickly cut off as Branford’s fingers reached up her neck and tightened around her throat. He lifted her in his grasp, and her toes barely touched the floo
r.
“You fed my wife poisoned tea!” he screamed, his face mere inches from hers.
I could see her frightened eyes as they sought me.
“Not…poison…” she whispered. Her fingers clawed at Branford’s hand but to no avail. “She stands…”
“You made her tea?” Branford snarled. “Every day?”
“Y-y-yes!”
“This tea kept her from having my child?” Branford turned to Nelle on the ground. Janet tried to speak further, but Branford’s grip did not allow enough air. Nelle nodded. “And Edgar knew of this?”
Nelle’s gaze flickered to the door through which Edgar and Whitney had departed. Her head nodded slightly.
“Kimberly came up with the idea after we were banished from Silverhelm. When we arrived in Hadebrand, Whitney said it was the perfect plan to fit in with what she wanted…which was Branford, of course. Kimberly and Sir Leland worked with Janet to get her inside Silverhelm Castle, and then after the war started, and it was clear Silverhelm was losing, Edgar heard Whitney talking with Kimberly. He said the lack of an heir would allow him the opportunity to exploit Silverhelm from within. As long as you had no heir, the court of Silverhelm would be in panic and more likely to listen to his demands. Eventually, Whitney would end up on the throne next to you.”
Branford loosened his fingers from around Janet’s throat and dropped her back to her feet.
“You knew of all of this,” he stated.
Janet shook her head.
“I did not know what it was supposed to do…”
“Yet you gave it to her anyway!” Branford screeched.
Without warning, Branford reached out and grasped Janet’s wrist. She gasped, pulling slightly though she had no means of escape. I could see the muscles in his arm as they tensed, and he gripped her tightly as he began walking quickly with purposeful strides down the length of the great hall, dragging Janet behind him.
“Branford!” I called out as I hurried after him. Sir Rylan hauled Nelle from the ground and pulled her along with him as he followed me. I heard the footsteps of the other nobles as they raced out of the great hall, through the doors, and outside the castle.
With my skirts gathered up, I still could not catch up to Branford though I continued to call out to him. I could hear Janet’s cries and see her struggle against the grip of his hand as he pulled her through the marketplace. The shoppers and merchants all stopped their transactions to watch as we hurried by, many of them dropping their wares and following the procession as we all followed Branford and Janet through the castle gates and out to the field where Branford trained his army.
Still many yards ahead of me, Branford stopped near a practice dummy—a burlap bag stuffed with scraps, made vaguely into the shape of a man’s head and torso, and staked into the ground. Archers as well as swordsman used such things for target practice. As Branford’s feet stilled, he hauled Janet up close, and I saw his arm rise high above his head before he brought it down to her face. Janet screamed as she dropped to the ground.
Branford reached around the target, unwrapped a sturdy section of rope from around the base, and pulled the end of it loose. He reached for Janet’s ankle as she tried to crawl away from him, pulling her back and wrapping one end of the rope around her leg. Again, his arm rose and he beat down on her.
Before I could reach the edge of the practice field, I felt strong arms around my waist as my forward progression was halted.
“Release me!” I cried out as Rylan pulled me against his chest. Dunstan was nearby with Lady Nelle’s arm in his grasp.
“No, good queen,” Rylan said. “You should not be here at all, and come what may—I will not allow you closer. Not now.”
“Branford!” I yelled out again, and I saw his shoulder’s tense as his gaze flickered to me briefly.
He did not halt his movements.
The rope was tied around Janet’s other leg and then around her waist as she was strapped to the dummy. I could hear her cries and pleas as well as the smacking sound of Branford’s hand across her mouth. There was blood on her lips as he wrapped the rope around her again.
