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Eleanor opened her mouth to ask him what had taken so long, but was shocked into silence when Frank let loose a roar and hurled the king against the wall. Robert slammed into the plaster with a sickening thud and slid to the floor, where he lay still.
“Oh my god,” Eleanor breathed, trembling.
“Are you all right?” Frank turned to her with wild eyes. For a second, Eleanor shrank from the intensity of his gaze before she realized that it was concern, not anger that burned so brightly there.
“I’m fine, but I was beginning to worry.”
“We had dissension in the ranks, someone who thought we should obey the orders of a madman. He’s been taken into custody, but it distracted our focus. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just—”
“You could have been killed. There’s no excuse for that. I shouldn’t have allowed you to be in danger in the first place.” The look in his eyes was still fierce, wild, but now Eleanor could see something else there as well.
He had been afraid for her—and not only because he had promised to protect her.
“It’s all right, Frank,” she said, taking the hand he offered and letting him pull her to her feet. As soon as they touched, need pulsed through her veins all over again. Even in the wake of being scared for her life, she wasn’t immune to the powerful draw of this man.
“But what are you going to do?” she asked. “If Robert’s dead, won’t that make it—”
“He isn’t dead.”
“He looks dead.” Eleanor glanced over to where the man lay crumpled on the floor. Blood seeped from the place where his dark hair touched the white carpet.
Obviously time to consider a new color floor covering.
“He isn’t; he’ll live to stand trial. Armand, Thomas, take the king into custody.” He motioned to two of the men on the other side of the room. “You can allow the royal physician to attend to him, but don’t leave him unguarded. We’ll need to keep him under supervision until Parliament can decide how to house him until trial.”
The two officers Frank had spoken to crossed the room and scooped Robert unceremoniously up from the floor. The king moaned and shifted as they hoisted him into the air, but his eyes didn’t open and his skin remained a ghostly shade of white. Based on her observation, Robert wasn’t in very good shape, but Frank’s confidence was contagious and Eleanor felt the knot in her chest begin to ease.
“Not on your life. I refuse to go!” The door to the dressing room slammed open, revealing Cindy screaming and struggling in a flustered-looking Nate’s grasp.
“Captain, she’s refusing to be taken into custody.”
“How can she refuse, Officer?” Frank said. “She’s half your size, and I believe you’re armed.”
Nate flushed bright red and reached for the handcuffs on his belt.
“But, Captain Frank, please, it wasn’t even a real gun!” Cindy’s hands threaded together in front of her. “I was just going to use it to scare Eleanor into leaving so I could be here when Robert arrived and confront him. I never intended to hurt her, I don’t deserve to be arrested.”
“The gun was a fake, sir,” Nate supplied, though he held onto both Cindy and the handcuffs.
Frank shrugged. “I only know that the law was broken. Threatening a citizen with a weapon
—”
“But—”
“Even a fake weapon, is a crime,” Frank continued. “Take her into custody. Keep her and the king separated.”
“You can’t do this! I’m the queen!” Cindy sputtered. “I’ll still be the queen, no matter what happens with Robert. You know Parliament won’t impeach me. I’ve done nothing wrong, nothing!”
Frank ignored her while Nate snapped the cuffs on and led her from the room. Considering how long a part of Eleanor had wished to see this very sight, it still made her sad to see Cindy taken away. True, she’d only helped raise her stepdaughter for four years, but Eleanor had never wanted to see a kid who had been in her care taken away in handcuffs.
“Frank, you know she’s probably right,” Eleanor said. “And I don’t want you risking your position for me. I’ll be fine as long as—”
“I’m not doing anything but following the letter of the law,” Frank interrupted before striding after the rest of the guards.
He was nearly to the door before Eleanor realized that he intended to leave without a word of goodbye, or even so much as an “I’ll call you to discuss the way we nearly got busy on your couch later.”
