Chapter 3
“Pitiful, pitiful,� Rene said, shaking his head at the two men standing before him. He pushed his chair back, got up and walked toward them. “You couldn’t even play your parts right. You were supposed to help me break out, not try to get me back in.�
He looked at the first ex Guardsmen, “What did you do with the jailer’s body, Paul? I assume that you killed him.�
“We threw him into the bottom of the river, milord,� Paul answered, “and yes, he is dead.�
“Did you make sure of it? He knows far too much about our plans and us. You know, this is why we had to get rid of him.� Rene looked from Paul to Albert, the second Guardsmen.
“Who would he tell, Rene?� Albert asked his cousin. “And what exactly did we discuss in front of him?�
“Everything,� Paul said. “Do you not realize that the man is a spy? He was working both sides of the coin, Albert. We don’t know how much he’s told the other side.�
“Whatever has happened in the past is now over,� Rene said, smiling.
“But someone will come looking for him,� Rodmilla said, walking forward. She had been standing in the back of the room all this time, listening. “And when they can’t find him, they will trace his body back to us.�
“Which is why we cannot stay here, my love. We have to leave as soon as possible.
“And where would we go?� Rodmilla asked.
Rene looked at her. “England, Spain, the Americas. There are endless possibilities.�
“I want revenge, Rene. I want Danielle and her family to taste a little of what was given to me. And I want to see it, Rene.�
“We might not have to leave at all,� Paul said, “and we might have a powerful bargaining tool at our fingertips.�
He sent Albert outside to fetch whatever prize they had collected. It had taken fifteen minutes, but Albert had returned, this time with another man, his hands tied together behind his back.
Rodmilla watched as Albert led him inside. “Jean?� she asked, touching his face, making sure he was real. “Jean de Ghent? Is that you?�
~~~~~~~~~~
The man broke the surface of the water where he had been thrown and left for dead. He had managed to free himself of his rope bonds. Still weak, he made his way to the shoreline. When he reached the beach, he sprawled on the sand, tired from his ordeal. He had to make his way back to the winter palace and quickly.