Seducing Anne (25 page)

“But it is. I love you, and if I allow you to get pregnant with my baby and you let him believe it’s his, then you’ll
be
his. But it won’t end well for you. He’ll kill you. You’re the first of his wives to be executed. You reign at his side for three years, and that bastard”—he groaned with a thick hatred—“he’s betrothed to Jane Seymour a day after your execution, then marries her ten days later.”

“No, no. It cannot be.” Her chest ached and throbbed at his hideous words.

“It’s true. All of it. He can’t control you, things crumble and not only your death occurs, but your brother George is accused of incest with you, and he’s murdered after being found guilty of treason. There are a few others as well. Believe me.”

His hands and his voice shook.

“How can you do this to me?” Her voice broke.

Right as he moved up her body to presumably give her a kiss, her sister, Mary, burst into the room.

She immediately screeched, “You have defiled our future queen!”

Chapter 12

Guy released her arms from the bindings while Mary fled out of the room.

“I will handle her. You stay here. Get dressed, and wait for me in the other room. Take a seat on one of Jane’s padded chairs. Do not leave. Do you understand?” Guy’s eyes were a black thunderstorm, ready to consume all matter in its path.

“You will not hurt her?”

“Anne,” he said, his voice a terse warning. “Do I harm anyone?”

She swallowed and ignored how her neck was perspiring while her heart was clenching.

He gave her a kiss and left.

Her fingers shook like mad as she took one of Jane’s dresses and put it on. Everything she did seemed too overwhelming a task to complete.

She hated smelling like that wretched Jane. Why had she allowed Guy to cut her own clothes to shreds? And why had she enjoyed every moment of watching his knife turn her dress to scraps?

Where was he now? Was he yelling at Mary? He never yelled—not even when Harry’s spittle was flying in his face.

This man was an enigma—his control and power unrivaled by any man she had ever known, and yet he did not use it to press his advantage or to place others under his heel.

Why would he behave in such a manner? All the court was about gaining leverage and moving ahead.

Anne waited on a cushioned seat, sighing and fidgeting.

It seemed a restless eternity before he would return.

Every nerve in her body told her to get up and go back to her apartments.

Certainly, Jane would be gone and possibly be heading back here to her own chambers by now?

The door made a creaking noise, and she bolted to her feet.

“Anne,” Guy said, entering the room. “Come with me.”

She was speechless. There were so many questions, but what should she ask? He was not volunteering any information.

“Now—we have to leave, sweetheart.”

“L-leave court?” She choked on the beginnings of a breath.

Without answering her, he grabbed her hand and led her out into the corridor.

Nicholas Carew, her cousin, was leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for her.

“Nick—take care of her. I’ll be there tomorrow to collect her,” Guy said and handed her over to Carew.

“But where am I to go?” she bleated.

“To my manor,” Carew answered, and then he escorted her through the corridors and out of the palace.

Once they were outside and mounting their horses, she asked, “Why am I being removed? And why is Guy not with me?”

This odd pain lodged in her ribs and would not cease.
I am not with Guy. I am not his.

Carew grunted, but offered nothing more.

“Is he going to be . . . Will he live through the night?” Her words were stilted with choking emotions. “Please . . . I must know.” Tears gathered in her eyes.

“He will survive. That is what he has been trained to do,” Carew answered with a bland tone.

“Are you certain?”

He nodded and cantered off on his horse.

She followed.

They rode for the next hour in silence, and though she was exhausted and her bones ached as if they had been trampled on by her destrier, she was wide awake since her mind would not slow its incessant chatter.

Carew helped her inside his home, offered her a drink of ale and then he seated himself, staring at her as if some unseen conversation would happen between them.

“I cannot know your thoughts unless you share them with me,” she said, gripping her knees as she sat on the other end of his sofa.

“How much do you know?”

She blurted all the madness Guy had shared with her in under a few minutes’ time.

“There is more,” Carew said, sighing and dropping his head.

He gripped the back of his neck.

“It is vexing to the soul? You sound as if it is horrendous news.” Her voice shook so hard, she wrapped one hand around her throat to steady her trembling cords.

“That choker he gave you”—he motioned toward the jewel around her neck—“is nothing more than a symbol. It will not work for what he wishes.”

Tears splashed onto her skirt. “Why?”

Carew turned so she was seeing the back of his neck. “Agents have two chips in their neck with one on either side. When time travel is activated, they polarize each end. Each chip is triggered to recognize key words. This division is what throws the body into chaos and what slings the agent through time. Without one of his chips, he is trapped here. They must have given him false information to make him believe he only needed just the one.”

She cupped her face, crying so hard her head throbbed.

“Anne,” he called out. “I can help you. Calm yourself.”

“Yes, yes, I am . . . s-sorry.” She wiped her eyes dry.

“What are you prepared to do for this man? Are you caught up in a game, or do you honestly wish to be with him?” His eyes flicked over her face and then went down to her wringing hands in her lap. “Your distress is uncharacteristic. Do I misunderstand your feelings?”

“Yes, you do. I am not restless because of Harry and conflicting romantic notions with him. If I did not see the king again, I would be all too happy. I see now what that man is about, and it is not to my benefit to stay with him.” She clasped her hands together to silence them.

“That is not a reason to be with Moore,” he intoned, his eyes cutting into her.

“No, you are correct.” She sighed and licked her lips. “It is when I bow to Guy that I feel a queen—befit for a man with a royal soul. He makes me feel like I am a goddess, and I can do nothing but worship that man. He wants to know me—all of me, and every bit without any advantage to himself. If Guy wanted to gain favor with the king, he would encourage me to boast to His Majesty about his fine character. He has never once asked me to plead his case before the king. In fact”—she kicked her left leg out, needing to move something—“he does the opposite. He intercedes for my benefit and to his detriment. That is a man I can follow through this life and into the next. And if my eternity is spent in Hell because I forsook the crown, then so be it. I shall smile as I char in the flames with my beloved at my side.”

A smile spread to his cheeks. “Then you must listen carefully. I barely comprehend how this works myself, but it seems I have more knowledge than Guy does.”

She nodded and squeezed her hands tight.

“I will give you my two chips. I am a point agent, and thusly do not travel in time. I am here in a fixed time to help other agents become acclimated to their surroundings. I train them, give them the means to get started on their journey, I report back, but I do not leave this place. The only reason they put chips in me was so if the need ever arose to remove me, they would be able to.”

Her breath came out in a hissing whisper. How could this be? “How long?”

“I have been an agent since I was twelve years of age.” His smile faded. “I have known since that time what part I was to play in your destiny. I will most likely lose my life by assisting to you to escape, which is one of the reasons I am willing to give you my chips, and Guy can have his back. He can make you earrings instead of using the necklace. You will have to wear them constantly.”

She held up a hand. “Yes, I know that part. But how can this all be possible?”

“I do not know. The future is a slippery mistress that will only be bedded when it is on her terms.”

She grinned. He knew this would resonate with her since she was the mistress that would not be bedded by a persistent king.

“You will have to decide what to do with your daughter, Elizabeth, when you have her, since I take it you do not mean to bed the king and pretend it is his issue?”

“He will not have offspring by me.” It felt like a bag of rocks was dropped through her body. She had never said such a bold thing with such absolute conviction in regard to her intentions with Harry. This was freeing.

This was inspiring. Her spirit was taking flight—heading toward Guy and his time period.

“Oh, and, Anne?”

“Yes.” She kept smiling now even though this all sounded fraught with peril.

“If you choose to wear them in your earrings, rather than in your body, it means you only travel once. You cannot be removed again since when you arrive to your destination you are naked and nothing on your person that is not a part of you will travel along.”

She gulped. “I will take that under advisement.”

“Rest now, cousin. We can make preparations tomorrow.”

* * *

Anne awoke to warm arms wrapped around her waist, a breath striking her neck and a long, lean, hard body snuggled up against her backside.

“Guy?” she whispered.

The light of day was peeking its head into the chamber, but only just.

“Guy? Is that you?” She rolled her eyes up into her head. What a silly question. Who else would it be?

“Mmm . . . Lavender, will you ever let me sleep? You kept stroking my cock last night.” A rumbling chuckle rippled his belly and tickled at her back.

“I did no such thing,” she said, chuckling, too.

“You did. It was legendary the way you stroked my cock.” He wrapped his leg around hers. “I am crippled over your lack of memory on this momentous occasion.”

“Will you please have a somber moment and tell me what transpired last night?”

“Not a whole lot.” He groaned and his odd accent was back. “Mary agreed to keep quiet if I gave her all your assets when we left.”

“What?” She tried to sit up, but he held her down. “Why would you do that?”

“Because she needs it. She’ll wind up destitute in a few years if she doesn’t have it. She winds up marrying a nobody—some farmer. And in that life—the one you were supposed to have based on history books—you disowned her and banished her from court because of it.”

“I did?” Her belly roiled over this thought. “I could never do that to my own sister.”

“No, you’re right. This Anne I know right here would never, but court life changes you.
Henry
changes you, and not for the better, even if you did manage to do some pretty incredible things in spite of his rotting influence.”

“Harry is under tremendous social pressures,” she said, and then she realized she was defending him, and it sounded like she might have an affection for him.

“See? You are such a sweet woman you can’t even fathom thinking ill of someone.” He kissed her neck.

“Did Carew tell you about the chips?”

“He did.” He breathed in her ear. “Are you in agreement? Will you take his?”

“Yes, sir. I will.”

“Will you leave this place with me?”

“You know the answer—yes, I go wherever you are. Even if it is a world I do not belong in.”

He kissed her neck repeatedly. “I love to hear that, sweetheart. It’s going to be difficult for you to adjust, but I’ll help you. We have to get the chips in place, and then you have to lie—say the key words that activate the chips.”

“What are those words?”

He lowered his hands and stroked her womb. “That you are pregnant.”

“But what—”

“Shh . . . We will have to improvise to find a reason they would need to activate Nick’s chips, too.”

She nodded, tucked her chin to her chest and sighed. “You make it sound simple and easy.”

“It won’t be.”

“How will I ever speak like you with your odd accent and strange words?”

“You will, lavender.” He planted another kiss on her neck. “You’re smart—you’re quick. And I’m a very good tutor.”

“But what if I am already with child from you? What would time travel do to our babe?”

“I don’t know, and though it worries me, we don’t have a choice. So it’s better we leave as soon as we can in the hopes you aren’t pregnant yet.” He made a worried humming sound.

She felt that worried hum deep down in her bones.