A Different Palace -- Wednesday April 13th

[Charles Whitehurst]

Somerset Palace

Located off the Strand yet still with River frontage is Somerset Palace. Once a Royal Residence it had changed ownership several times and as currently being used by it's Steward Lord Langdon, as his headquarters for the London Law enforcement regiment.  Captain Trentmont is in charge of the day to days.

The Earl of Langdon sat in his office within Somerset Palace overlooking the Thames.  Here he had three roles.  He held the office of Steward of Somerset Palace.  He was the Colonel of his own city militia regiment as part of his title of Lord Lieutenant of London.  While Parliament had asked the regiment to have its barracks outside the city, the palace had been an "informal" gathering place for the soldiers on duty to rest and eat.  His former commander of the Life Guard, Colonel Trentmont had taken over the day to day operations of the regiment, and he too had an office in the palace.  Unlike Trentmont, Langdon still held the position of Major in the King's Life Guard.  This was a role he carried wherever he went.

On this day he pondered many things.  While regretting his failure to capture the garden assassin, he had come up short on ideas to tracjk the killer further.  The plans to confront and arrest Master Lewin had to be deferred.  Since Darlene was having a dinner with others this evening, he was free to escort Sam to the secret room in the palace.  There was less need to be careful since Sam was an officer in the Life Guard, as opposed to escorting Susan Herbert to dark places.

With hands behind his back, he stared upon the river hoping for an inspiration.  Perhaps his soldiers would hear something useful in their rounds.  He say a woman that resembled Davina employing a water taxi.  He wondered how long she had to live, given there last odd encounter.  As for Darlene, he felt like he could not propose to her until he confessed his womanizing ways since she had last known him.  He would rather she know before betrothal, than after.

[Aria]

 About ten minutes later, one of Charles’ soldiers strode into his office, stopping in front of his desk and saluting smartly. “There is a young lady to see you,” he intoned. “She says the matter is urgent but she would not give her name.”

 

[Charles Whitehurst]

"A young lady?"  He thought of Tamsin, but he had warned her of the danger of becoming too involved.  Yet, women were hard to dissuade.  There was the possibility that it could be Susan Herbert, but it would be unseemly of her being seen calling on him.  That left Davina.  She had assured him that she was well when it was obvious that she was not.  Yet, she would have used the back stairs he imagined.

"Show her in," he ordered.  Perhaps it was some new damsel in distress.

[Aria]

The soldier saluted again and left the room. Almost immediately, a small auburn-haired whirlwind rushed into Charles office and threw herself into his arms.  “Please help me, Lord Langdon!” Fiona clung to him tightly, sobbing. Her cheerful green gown was rumpled, and her hair was half up and half down. Her confidence and flirtatious charm had fled in the wake of her distress.

[Charles Whitehurst]

Charles had not been expecting Fiona.  She had mentioned previously about visiting him dressed as a man, but he had dismissed that as nothing more than silly banter.

Perhaps he should have been more cautious that this was a ruse of the young Scot; but, Charles Whitehurst was a man constituted to rescue ladies, fight villains, and promote the Crown.  No damsel in distress could be turned away, absent the most suspicious of circumstances.

He held Fiona tightly.  "Fiona, what is wrong?" he asked urgently.  "Has someone done something to you?"  Langdon was good friends with Fiona's sister Catriona, which was more than enough reason to be attentive.  Fiona's stepbrother, Douglas, was an officer in the Guard, which was twice the reason.  Douglas had been away for months on some sort of endeavor in Scotland as far as Charles knew.

[Aria]

Charles’ embrace was warm and comforting. Fiona shivered in his arms, and perhaps he could feel how cold she was. She had recently been outdoors, but she was Scottish and accustomed to frigid temperatures. This chill came from within rather than without.

 

She lifted her head from where it rested upon his chest and looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide with fright. “Someone is trying to kill me, Charles!” she wailed. “I am sure of it!”

[Charles Whitehurst]

There was a relief of sorts that no one had just accosted Fiona prior to her arrival.  Charles had been ready to mount a horse and hunt down the miscreant.

"Kill you?"  Now his instinct about women exaggerating fears began to surface.  Although there was plenty of murder and mischief in London, he was less convinced that it would reach someone like Fiona.

Releasing her he pointed to a chair.  "Can I get you some wine, or something a bit stronger?  Tell me why you think someone would be seeking to murder such a gentle creature such as yourself."

[Aria]

Fiona didn’t want to let go of him, and it was with great reluctance that she sat down in the chair he pointed to. She folded her hands in her lap, clenching them together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Generally unafraid of anything, she looked severely distraught.

 

“Whiskey, please,” she replied, and then rolled her eyes at his remark. “You know that I’m the kind of person who has enemies, Charles. I’m not proud of some of the things I have done, but now I fear one of them has come back to haunt me. I just don’t know which one it is. If I did, I could point you in the direction of the culprit and I wouldn’t be afraid any more.”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Fiona went from hysterical to measured in short order causing Charles to wonder whether this danger was imagined ... or part of a ploy.  Still, if Fiona needed something, he was apt to assist.  He also needed to give her the benefit of the doubt.

The whiskey bottle was in the back of his deep drawer in his desk, having sat for months untouched,  Charles was not much of a drinker.  Every time he seemed to get drunk he would do something stupid with a lady.  He was drunk when he and Anne Scott slept together.  He was drunk when he was convinced by the Duchess of Savoy that he should marry Jeanne for her wealth.  He was inebriated when he swived Fiona at Brighton.  If he was smart, he would stop drinking alcohol in the company of ladies.

He poured her a drink  of whiskey and handed it to her, the bottle remaining besides the glass.  "Very well, start telling me the things you have done and with whom and then let's work together to determine the most likely suspect."  He had asked without think that her tales were likely to be sordid with sex and Scottish treason, but what better tales to hear with a bottle of whiskey?

[Aria]

Fiona wondered why Charles didn’t pour a glass of whiskey for himself. Did he not like whiskey? She knew he drank because both of them were inebriated that night in Brighton. Her fingers did not brush against his when she accepted the glass.  Was her lack of flirtatiousness a sign of her distress?

 

She knocked back the drink and poured herself another. Charles might notice both the bottle and the glass shook in her hands. “Besides the usual spurned suitors and jealous wives, I have made at least two enemies by doing good. I saw a man stealing and notified the shopkeeper, who had him arrested. I also fired one of my servants for the same reason. I think it might be one of them, unless the family or friends of that criminal I failed to save from execution blames me for his death.”

 

A tear meandered down Fiona’s cheek. “I know now that he was just using me to save himself and I wish I had never gotten involved with him, but I was so naive back then and he convinced me I was in love with him.”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Perhaps he had been expecting something more dramatic.  He could envision dark shapes in the night in her rooms, threatening letters, or perhaps a villain with a knife that Fiona wrested away.  As a result, the risk seemed more ... pedestrian to him.  Perhaps her story suffered from the fact that he had been investigating the possible assassination of York, a ghost wronged centuries ago, a murdered Dutch spy, and a court full of intrigues.

Though it did not seem to be a major crisis to him, Charles was starting to learn about women and that one needed to indulge the fears they felt, regardless of sensible context.  He was fairly certain that she needed assurance.  Her hands trembled, he surmised, from an irrational fear.

Standing again, he moved to take one of her trembling hands in his own.  "I can see you are worried, but let me assure you that I will not let anything happen to you.  First, I will take care of the threat from the two commoners by assigning a trooper to follow you around for a week.  If either are thinking of following you, they will think twice when they see a soldier follow you.  Second, they risk everything in trying something against a member of the aristocracy such as yourself.  They would be hanged without an afterthought.  Seeing a soldier follow you will make clear that no one should plan ill against you.  The fact that your half brother is an officer of the King's Life Guard and your sister is a Countess is reason enough to steer clear of you," he advised calmly.  "I could have a soldier visit each and threaten them that they had best not be seen within a hundred yards of you."

"As for your Scottish lover, it was ages ago and you tried everything to save him, even at the cost of your own dignity.  They have no basis to be plotting your death.  The only one that would be your enemy in this would be Lauderdale, but he would dare not move against you given the King's affection for your sister and your family.  So I would forget that possible slight.  Lauderdale likely has far more threats and scores to settle than an annoyance cause by a young lady trying to defend his would be assassin, solely because he was her beau as opposed to supporting his cause." He offered her a comforting smile and a hand squeeze. "Hopefully Douglas will be back soon too."

"Are you still living with Cat?  Her servants would protect you.  I cannot help but think that maybe something else is bothering you.  Spurned lovers and jealous wives?  Are you flirting with dangerous men?"

 

[Aria]

When Charles took her hand, she looked up at him, with what appeared to be genuine fear in her eyes. Fiona listened as he spoke. His smile and the way he gently squeezed her hand was comforting. She knew he meant well, but …

 

Pulling her hand away, she stood up and began pacing nervously around the office. “A trooper can’t follow me around, nor can you threaten the two thieves.” Her voice was becoming more panicked with each word. “He said he would harm my sisters if I went to the authorities. I had one of my maidservants dress as me and leave in my carriage this morning, then I dressed as a servant and took a hired coach to the strand. After changing cloaks, I took yet another coach here. One of the servants is doing the same thing and should arrive shortly with proof that this awful person is out to get me.”

 

Fiona was shaking more violently now and the speed of her pacing increased. “I’m living in Cat’s house, but none of my sisters accompanied me this season. The servants know what’s going on and are trying to protect me. They take turns patrolling the grounds night and day, but it doesn’t help. His messages and his ‘gifts’ still get through.”

 

She turned on Charles when he suggested that something else was bothering her. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Her voice was becoming more panicked and shrill with each word. “You think I’m making this up! I risked my sisters’ safety to come here and you …” Crossing the space between them, she balled her hands into fists, fully intending to pummel him if he didn’t stop her.

 

(OOC: Up to you whether he stops her or not. Since Charles has good enough reflexes to stop unpredictable criminals, he can stop a teenage girl who isn't trying to hide her intentions if he chooses to.)

[Charles Whitehurst]

"You are quite resourceful." Charles observed as she described her disguise and attempts at deception.  He indulged her pacing, as any gentleman should, waiting for her to finish.

Curiously, Fiona's agitation led to anger against himself.  She sought to strike him, and not with the traditional slap.  Moving quickly, he caught her fist and then attempted to explain.

"I believe you Fiona.  I do.  Our difference is in what I see can be done.  You trust the threat of a blackguard and would live in fear over an utterance that might have been nothing more than an attempt to scare you.  It worked.  I will take it seriously.  I will order the arrest of both persons and any one else you name.  You see, I am the right person to help you.  I need not send the King's Life Guard.  Rather, I'll send a squad of my men to have them rounded up.  It will be they that live in fear, not you," he assured her.  "They are criminals and I can hold them indefinitely, years even.  Douglas can look after your sisters in Scotland, and you have armed servants.  Petty criminals do not have armies of thugs Fiona.  We are their betters, so the courts will always side with us.  Even better, we have an army of well-armed soldiers to have them arrested and they have nothing.  It is they who will become the prey, not you.  I will ruin their lives if you but ask me.  In doing so, I will return yours," he offered.

"I also think it fair to say that there are many persons that would enjoy seeing me dead Fiona.  I have made many enemies in my few years at court, including gangs of criminals.  You take precautions but you cannot allow them to ruin your lives or give in to the fear they hope to engender.  You need to be brave.  I know you are strong Fiona, just like your sister.  Learn to use a knife perhaps, just like Cat.  Keep an armed servant with you when you go into public areas other than the palace.  Or, maybe, I will catch them both and then let them beg you for clemency, or let them rot.  Face force with force," he counseled.  "Now give me a hug and tell me what you want me to do.  All will be well."  He reached to take her into his embrace to calm her anxiety.  Ladies liked such things.

[Aria]

Fiona twisted and squirmed, trying to break Charles’ grip. Her efforts caused pain to shoot through her wrist and she stopped struggling, looking up at him with accusing eyes as he insisted that his plan would solve all her problems. True, the suspects were both thieves and he could lock them up and throw away the key. Nobody would believe a commoner over a noblewoman. She knew the servant’s name and the other man had already been arrested, so he would also be easy to track down. But what if it wasn’t either of them? Then she would make two more enemies who might try to do her in.

 

In fact, considering the evidence that should arrive soon (unless the servant was caught by the culprit and eliminated), she doubted that either of the suspects could have done it. Neither of them …

 

Her train of thought faltered as Charles spoke of his own foes. Making enemies was part of his job description and he had known what he was signing up for. Fiona was willing to bet that none of them had threatened his family. He would be singing a different tune then, she was certain.

 

Instead of letting him embrace her, she pulled away and faced him, cradling her aching wrist with her other hand. “You know nothing, Charles Whitehurst!  My situation is not at all like yours. You have your soldiers to watch your back and you carry weapons all the time. You are a man and skilled at fighting.”

 

She sighed. “I’m just a young lady on my own. I ‘m not sure if Doug is even in Scotland. He may be off on the King’s business again. If he was here, he would have already taken care of the problem and I wouldn’t have had to come to you. I take a knife with me wherever I go, but my stalker has not attacked me in person.  He uses more insidious means to hurt me. And I don’t …”

 

The same soldier who had escorted  Fiona to the office entered again, followed by a man in livery who was carrying a medium=sized bag. Before he could speak, Fiona turned and ran toward the servant. “He has the evidence.  Now you will be able to see what I’m up against. Where can he set it down so that I can show it to you?”

 

[Charles Whitehurst]

Most every lady he had known had wanted to track down villains and confront them.  Charles had spent his time trying to dissuade them.  Ladies had no business getting involved with danger.  Fiona seemed the opposite.  She was fearful of danger.  Maybe it was different when a lady felt her life was at risk.  Yet, Charles thought Fiona feared phantoms more than true villains.  How might he calm her?

"Well, the commoners are removed then."  She all but admitted that.  He wanted to challenge her on any theory that had any fabric of fact.  It was then that the soldier arrived.  Fiona claimed he had evidence.  "Very well," he conceded.  There was no reason to continue to argue until he saw the evidence she referenced.  "Let us have a look."

[Aria]

“You won’t doubt me when you see the proof."

 

Charles did not name a spot where the servant could set the bag down, so Fiona waved him over to the desk. As soon as he released it, she untied the string that held it together and reached inside, bringing out a sheaf of papers. She handed the first one to him. “I no longer think a commoner is behind it because most of them can’t read. I’ve been so distraught I haven’t been able to think straight."

 

The piece of paper had been pasted with words that looked as if they had had been cut from a book. There was no handwriting at all on the page. It contained a simple accounting of what the author had seen while looking into Fiona’s bedroom window from outside the manor.

 

“I thought I had a secret admirer,” she explained, “and I was intrigued by the idea that a gentleman would go to such lengths just to be near me.”

 

Fiona handed him two more. “After the first two, I began to put on a show in front of my window, hoping he would eventually reveal his identity.” A crimson blush stained her cheeks. “I’m ashamed of that now. I left the bawdier notes at home.”

 

She picked another item out of the bag. It was the girth of a saddle. The strap had torn apart close to the middle. “During this time, I went riding in the park and my saddle slipped off. I fell to the ground and my escort saved me from being trampled by my horse’s hooves. I thought that the stable hands had been careless and it was just an accident. The letters continued to come.”

 

The next object was a simple box with a lid. Fiona sat it beside the bag and opened it. It contained nearly a dozen expensive chocolate candies. “A servant found this on the doorstep nearly a week later. Before it got to me, one of the maids took one, probably assuming that I would never notice. And I wouldn’t have if the glass inside had not cut her mouth. Be careful if you touch them,” she warned Charles.

 

“I knew then that somebody wanted to harm me. The letters became more threatening and claimed that I would pay for what I had done and that he wished me to live in fear before he made his final move. If I told anyone, he would harm my sisters. He mentioned them by name as well as our estate in Scotland.”

 

Her voice quivered, as did her hands. “I didn’t know what to do. I was scared to tell anyone what was going on. Then yesterday I got this.”

 

The final item in the bag was a beautifully ornamented silver box. “That’s when I hatched my plan to ask for your help.” Fiona held it out as if it was about to bite her. “I haven’t opened it yet. I’m afraid of what it may contain.”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Each of the letters were read in turn as Charles sought to discern something about the villain.  "I have to agree that this was not likely the work of a peasant or working class man," he admitted as he read along.  These antics would require both education and money.

"Fiona, we will never find the culprit unless you tell me what you think you did to offend someone seriously.  This could also be the work of a woman.  Glass in chocolates is like poison, a woman's weapon.  This person did not want to kill you, or she could have poisoned the chocolates.  No, she wants you to suffer," Charles postulated as a plot was formulating in his mind.  "Did you take a man away from a lady?  The truth now.  Who did you embarrass, insult or steal their love?  This would not be the family of the Scottish lad.  It is someone in London that you offended greatly.  I need you to be honest with me," he urged.  "I am your friend."

He took the silver box carefully in his hand and aimed it away from himself, towards the window.  He placed on his heavier gloves as he moved to open the box from behind.  If nothing untoward occurred he moved around to take a closer look.

[Aria]

“You think a woman is stalking me?” Fiona asked incredulously. “I don’t fancy women, Charles.”

 

She had misunderstood him. He thought that she might have offended a woman in some way. “I’ve insulted a few ladies. I certainly don’t remember who they were and I wouldn’t have done it if they hadn’t insulted me or my family first. Some people still say bad things about Cat because she was the King’s mistress. If you heard them, you would them in their place. too."  She knew that he and her eldest sister were close friends.

 

Her eyes remained on the ornate box as Charles turned it toward the window and then moved to his hands when he donned a heavy pair of gloves. Did he think that something inside was going to explode? She was glad that she had not opened it herself.

 

“I’ve only seen one gentleman this season … a Baronet who is new to court” Fiona usually went for gentlemen of high status and still held out hope of marrying a Duke. The only reason she dated the Baronet was that he looked and acted a lot like Charles. “He said he wasn’t married and I had no reason not to believe him, especially when he proposed marriage. I turned him down, of course. He took it well and we still see each other occasionally. I think he believes he will charm me into marrying him.” Fiona sighed. “He probably just wants my title. That’s what everyone wants.”

 

As Charles lifted the lid, he would hear a hiss. A long adder uncoiled itself and slithered out. Fiona screamed and the snake immediately raised itself into a strike pose, its head turned toward Charles.  It looked ready to lunge at any moment.

[Charles Whitehurst]

"They say poison is the weapon of women," Charles replied as an argument in favor of his supposition that the killer was likely a lady.  "An ordinary insult would not cause a lady to seek your death," he insisted.  "There has to be something more.  Cat's actions are not to blame or they would be trying to kill her instead."  The Earl was trying to deduce the likely culprits logically.

"A man will not kill you for refusing an offer of marriage," he replied to her revelation about the Baronet.  "Who is this Baronet anyway?  I might like to speak with him."  This would be especially true if Fiona was actually murdered.  "Men do not just want your title," Charles challenged.  He was about to say that a Scottish viscount title without much in the way of lands was not that big a prize for a member of the gentry, but that might insult her, so he took a better tactic.  "You are beautiful, charming, alluring and you have a half brother as a Life Guard officer and another officer as an admirer," he flattered with a smile.  Surely that would pull her out of her funk.  He knew she loved that sort of attention.

"Now then, let us see what is in the box."  He has been expecting some poison dust or a poison dart perhaps, at the worst.  That was why he had pointed it away. However, he hoped it was a piece of jewelry from an admirer.  To his surprise, it contained a live reptile!

"Blazing cannons!"  Unarmed, he had little recourse other that step back as slowly as he might so as to get some distance from the snake.  He sought to pick up a cushion from his sofa to use as a shield and to draw his sword.  He needed to kill the snake before it escaped.  If he was successful, he planned to approach tghe snake and get it to strike the cushion so that he could chop the snake's head off.

 

[Aria]

“I will write down his name for you.” Fiona didn’t want Charles to have to remember it now, which might take part of his attention away from the evidence she presented. “He’s staying at the Red Lion, so he should be easy to find.”

 

She didn’t believe him when he said that men weren’t after her title. To her, her title and property were worth far more than they actually were and it never occurred to her that a Scottish peerage was not worth as much as an English one or that nobody would want the responsibilities of running an estate in such a remote place. Scotland was her home and she was quite fond of it. Therefore, other courtiers must be too.

 

Charles’ compliments had the desired effect. Fiona was pleased that he thought she was beautiful, charming, and alluring. A bit of her natural flirtatiousness surfaced from behind her fear. “Oh?” she asked coquettishly. “And who would that Life Guard officer be?”

 

Then he opened the box and an adder slid out of it. She screamed in horror. It looked like it was about to strike! Fiona backed away as well, but stayed close beside him. “Be careful, Charles.” she whispered.

 

Charles was able to pick up the cushion and draw his sword. The snake did, indeed, strike the cushion. It immediately released its hold and attempted to dart away. It was quick but he was quicker, and while he missed its head, he managed to cut it in half. The two halves fell to the floor, wriggling ominously.

 

 Fiona, for once completely speechless, stared at it in shock. Adders were poisonous. The scoundrel who was tormenting her had meant to kill her this time. The world began to darken around her and she swayed toward Charles as she fought to keep herself from fainting.

 

[Charles Whitehurst]

His flattery worked like a charm.  Charles was learning how to manipulate ladies.  Perhaps it was only fair because ladies had been able to manipulate him easily his first three years at court.  He would use flattery and allure to calm her whenever needed in the future.

The snake was dispatched, but he watched the head as it was still able to move about somewhat on the floor.  Quickly, he moved to stomp the head with his boot.  "Not to worry," he uttered with an easy bravado.  Actually, he was a bit fearful of a poisonous snake, but an English gentleman could never show fear to a lady.  It was a great transgression to do so.  As such, he pretended that he enjoyed the sport.  "It is shame it was not bigger so that I could claim it was a dragon," he offered in jest.

Seeing that Fiona was woozy, Charles moved quickly to attempt to snare her into his arms.  "Trooper," he ordered.  "Collect the dead snake and put it into a bag so that I can show it to others.  Black adders are not native to London so we shall easily find who may have purchased one.  See too if there is a note or something else in the box,"  he ordered.

"Fiona, I have a bedroom next to my office.  I can carry you so that you may lie down for a spell," he offered.  It was the same bedroom in which he had dallied with Davina several times.  "You need to recover from your fright."  He looked to see if the trooper and servant would move to do as bid and he was ready to carry Fiona into the plush bedroom adjacent. 

[Aria]

The adder’s jaws snapped at Charles right before he crushed its head beneath his boot. Fiona stared at it in disbelief, unaware that snakes were able to bite for a short time after they were cut in two. He didn’t seem the least bit frightened and even tried to jest with her, which coaxed only a wan smile from her. Her face was as white as a sheet. She could have been killed!

 

She didn’t protest when he took her in his arms. Wrapping her own around his neck, she lay her head against his shoulder. “Yes, I would like to lie down for a bit.” Fiona wasn’t surprised that he kept a bedroom ready in case he had to work late. Criminals tended to commit crimes in the dead of the night, after all.

 

The trooper carefully picked up the two halves of the snake and placed it in the bag that the servant had brought the evidence in. The servant looked into the box. “There is nothing else inside, my lord,” he said.

 

“Of course there’s not.” Fiona’s voice was shaky. “I wasn’t supposed to be alive to see it."

 

The soldier walked out the door with his grisly burden.

 

“What’s that?” The young voice belonged to Joos, one of the street urchins  that Charles had taken in during the winter.

 

“A dead snake,” the man replied.

 

“Oh, them’s good eating! I hope you’re taking it to the kitchen to be cooked for supper.”

 

If Fiona heard that exchange, she chose to ignore it. “You saved my life, Charles,” she whispered, clinging to him tightly. “He ... or she ... is not playing around anymore. If I had opened that box, my sisters would be planning my funeral now."

[Charles Whitehurst]

"No eating the snake and no disposing of it," Charles called to the soldier and others.  "I need it as evidence.  I wonder if someone could preserve it as a specimen," he added.  The snake carcass would rot in a few days.  "I need to know where one can acquire such a deadly snake in London."  He made sure the box remained on his desk as well.  It might provide useful evidence as well.  It would have needed craftsmanship.

When orders were given and understood, he led Fiona to a bedroom down a long hall, far from his office so that she could not overhear what he might say in the office later.  It was a fine bedroom, fit for nobility.

"Any gentleman would have done what I have done," he assured Fiona modestly.  It was what any gentleman would have uttered.  "Think nothing of it," he urged.  "Rather, think long and hard who might have done this to you."

"Shall I have your maid come and assist you under the covers?  You may stay here for a time for it is safe here.  I will see that water and food are brought to you," he offered gallantly.  If her enemy was insane enough to send poisonous snakes to kill her, it might protect Fiona to keep her where his guards could keep watch and protect Fiona's sisters at the same time.  "I suggest you write an urgent note to Cat or I will.  She should know and be on the alert to her own life."

[Aria]

The soldier holding the bag stepped back in the room. “There’s probably a taxidermist somewhere in London. I will look into it, sir.” He saluted with his free hand and then left the office. His footsteps could be heard retreating down the hallway.

 

Fiona’s legs still felt wobbly. She leaned heavily against Charles as they walked down a corridor that seemed like it lasted forever. Following him into the bedroom, she looked around. It was quite luxurious compared to his office. Does he entertain ladies here? A spark of jealousy permeated her fear for a brief moment and then it was gone. She had more important things to worry about than who Charles was sleeping with instead of her. Such as who wanted her dead.

 

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “Do you still think that a woman is terrorizing me?” She needed to know so she could try to figure out if she had angered any ladies to the point they might want to kill her.

 

Fiona looked longingly at the bed. If she wasn’t so scared, she would have asked Charles to undo her lacing, hoping that it would lead to other things. “Yes, please call her. Her name is Iseabail and I left her in the waiting room. I don’t need any food. I have completely lost my appetite.”

 

As to writing her sister: “I think it would be better if you wrote to Cat. She might think that I’m being overdramatic. She will take you seriously.”

 

Turing toward her Charles, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against him. “Can I stay with you tonight, Charles?” There was panic in her voice . “I can’t go home anymore. He’ll try to murder me again once he knows I’m still alive. I will only feel safe if you are with me.”

 

[Charles Whitehurst]

Glad to hear that the snake would be properly preserved, he wondered whether he might add it to the curiosity collection he was accumulating -- the remains of saints, merlin's scrying stone, and now a deadly snake in a glass case perhaps.

Back in the bed chamber, Charles was still in disbelief that Fiona did not know exactly who would try to kill her.  "This person has gone to great expense and effort to kill you," he whispered, trying to reason with her.  "A man would hire a brute to strangle you and throw you in the river.  A woman would try and poison you or ruin you," he uttered in an exercise of deductive reasoning.

"It is possible that you did not offend anyone at all," he speculated.  "You may have learned a secret that you should not have and the killer is trying to silence you.  "Think on it.  Did you overhear some scandal or read something that you should have avoided?"  He hoped this would refresh her memory.  "Still, if that were it, why the expense?  He or she could have thrown you down stairs or drowned you and claimed it was an accident."  He was now doubting his own speculation.

"Or maybe you took something rare that did not belong to you?"  He kept adjusting the assumptions in the hope it would cause a reaction of remembrance.  "An ornate box with a deadly foreign snake tells me that this is a message Fiona.  Someone seems to be telling you that you insulted the wrong person."  He was shaking his head in a lack of real evidence as he held her close.

She surprised him with her request, at least partially.  "I said that you could stay here," he reminded her.  "As for me, I was not planning to sleep at the palace here tonight."  He was thinking of Darlene and that she might call upon his house.  If so, he did not wish to be away.  Yet, his love was a paradox.

"I will summon your maid and I will see if I can free myself of other obligations.  If so, I shall return here tonight and sit sentinel for you.  Only a fool would try and harm you here.  This is the safest place in London for you now."

[Aria]

Wrapped securely in Charles’ arms with her head against his chest. Fiona could feel his voice reverberate as he outlined various scenarios that might provoke somebody to kill her. Those vibrations, as well as the steady beat of his heart, lessened her panic a bit. Her body was still trembling and her mind was in shock. She tried to focus on his words, but found it difficult to think at all. She would have been dead now if she had opened the box at home. Or if not, the snake would be loose in Cat’s house, ready to strike at any time. It was a lot to wrap her head around. She wished now that she had not encouraged the stalker when she thought that he was a secret admirer. Why had she not come to Charles sooner?

 

“I don’t steal.” She sounded offended. “I don’t remember overhearing or reading anything incriminating. And I already told you that I insult people all the time … but only when they deserve it. I need to think abut it. I just can’t right now. And you wouldn’t be able to think either if somebody had just tried to kill you." She hugged him tighter. “I’m scared, Charles.”

 

Fiona wasn’t certain if this palace would offer her much security if he wasn’t with her. She was suspicious of everyone now, even the soldiers under his command. What if one of them had been stalking her? She was attracted to men in uniform and often flirted with them. That, though, was not something she wanted to tell Charles.

 

Pulling away from him, she sat down on the edge of the bed. “I won’t feel safe here without you,” she stated with imploring hazel eyes. “How long can I stay here? I can’t go home until the culprit is caught. Once he discovers that I’m alive, he will try again and until he succeeds.” A tear slipped out of one eye and meandered down her cheek. “Or he will make good on his threat to harm my sisters.”

 

Her eyes widened. “What if he’s already on his way to Scotland? You’ll never find him then.”

 

[Charles Whitehurst]

Charles imagined that he would think more clearly if he was scared, but Fiona indicated the opposite.  It was unfathomable to the mind of a 23 year old soldier that one could not know what event might have triggered a threat of death.  It had to be something major rather than some passing slight.  One could not find a culprit if one could not find a motive.

"Do not worry," he attempted to assure her.  "The culprit will be found, even if he or she has fled."  He could not be sure of that but it was necessary to assure a lady that all would be well.  It is what gentlemen were required to do after all.

"I shall need to go home for a time, but I will plan to return this evening."  He left open the possibility that he might change his mind.  Again, he assumed she was in no danger.  "I will write Cat and explain that I shall have you in protective residence here.  If I am not here, do not leave this palace without two soldiers in escort," he advised.  "I shall return tonight and we can speak further then. In the meantime, get some rest and try and refresh yourself and your memory."  He offered a reassuring smile as he prepared to take his leave. 

[Aria]

There was a world of difference in the ways that Charles and Fiona handled fear. If a carriage was hurtling toward Charles, he would probably jump out of the way and pull anyone else in its path with him. Fiona would just stand there, frozen in horror and unable to move. If he had not suspected it before, he would now know that she was not very good at thinking on her feet. Then again, nobody had ever tried to murder her before and she was understandably terrified. I should never have insisted on coming to London alone. If I had stayed in Scotland with my sisters, neither my own life or theirs would be in danger.

 

Charles was one of the main reasons she had returned. There was unfinished business between them and she was certain that he fancied her but was just in denial. Fiona had hoped to wear down his defenses until he could no longer resist her charms. Instead, she had gotten herself in trouble and had run to him in desperation. She had an enemy who wanted her dead and she had no idea who it was or what she had done to anger him (or her). Why could she not remember?

 

She felt like asking Charles how he was going to find somebody without any clues whatsoever, but maybe he had means at his disposal that she didn’t know about. Solving crimes and arresting the offenders was part of his job. Fiona also wanted to ask him to stay with her, though she knew that he couldn’t put off his duties just to watch over her. At least he planned to return this evening and would hopefully remain with her all night. She didn’t trust his soldiers as much as she trusted him.

 

“I will not leave at all,” she promised him. “For all I know, my enemy is waiting outside for me.”

 

Before he could leave, she stood up and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you for protecting me, Charles. I shall try to figure out who might wish to harm me while you’re gone. Please come back to me soon!”

[Charles Whitehurst]

"Grand," Charles replied to her declaration that she would stay in the room he assigned her.  "I shall hold you to it."

The hug of appreciation was unexpected but welcome.  Few things brought him greater joy than saving ladies and them showing their appreciation for his heroics.  Usually he demanded a kiss or some torment of his admirer, but he resisted the temptation because Fiona was scared.  "You are welcome Fiona.  I will protect you."

"I think a bit of rest will do you wonders.  It might spark your memory.  I will get your maid and I shall return when I can."  With that, he took her hand and gave it a kiss.  With a smile, he was off.  The real question was whether he would need tobe with Darlene this evening.  If so, he might have to send Bradley.

The maid was dispatched and the letter to Catriona written and sealed.  If only Douglas were here.

~finis?

[Charles Whitehurst]

*Early in the morning*

Rather than go home after Sam and he spent time with the ghost, Charles returned to the palace.  He had told Fiona that he would come back to her in the evening, and he did.

He removed his boots so as to walk softly into Fiona's room.  Creaking the door open, Charles attempted to move into a visitor chair and observe her sleeping, planning to sit guard over her for a few hours.