Lakota Princess (36 page)

Anna nodded. “Very well, M’lady.”

Estrela watched the door close and then stared at the entryway for a moment.

And Black Bear, too, stood and stared.

Odd.

He was just about to emerge from the shadows when the maiden, Anna, returned. “M’lady?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“M’lady, the physician says he must see you tonight. He is attending to everyone this evening. There has been some stomach upset and he has been asked to relieve it.”

Estrela stared at her maid. She paused, then said, “Anna, tell him that I have no such upset and that I—”

The physician suddenly burst into the room.

He limped.

“Forgive the intrusion, M’lady,” the white-haired gentleman said. “I have so many people to attend to and I…”

Estrela didn’t respond and so the physician didn’t finish.

But Black Bear watched from the shadows, he listened. He stared at the man’s boots.

He started to step forward, but pulled back when he heard the noise dimly in the background; a sound, somewhere outside the window, a bird, cawing, then silence; sound again, silence, then the flapping of wings.

A raven.

Black Bear nodded. He hadn’t needed the raven to know the danger. Black Bear would have recognized the man immediately from his boots, from his walk.

But Black Bear was not prepared to fight. He silently cursed himself. He had grown lazy in the English environment. He had come here tonight with nothing, no weapons, an oversight he had never made before.

Damn!

With one last look into the room, watching the willowy figure of the physician bending over Waste Ho, Black Bear saw the man place something onto the table next to the bed. An earthenware bottle. The same one from his dream.

Black Bear knew what he had to do. Hurriedly, while the physician strode away to a far wall, there to wash his hands, Black Bear stepped out of the shadows and into the room. Estrela looked the other way, allowing Black Bear to creep to the table and, taking the object there, he stole silently away to retrieve a weapon—any weapon.

Quickly.

Estrela had recognized the doctor when he strode into the room. He had attended her once before, just after the parade earlier in the year when she had suffered the minor gunshot wound.

She smiled at the older gentleman now, saying to him, “Ah, I remember you.”

The doctor returned her grin, but there was something about the gesture that made Estrela nervous. Something about it wasn’t right; something about this man wasn’t right.

Perhaps he was nervous.

“My maid tells me,” Estrela said, “that there has been a rash of stomach aches since the meal tonight. How kind of the King to send you along, but you must be tired yourself.” Estrela grinned at the gentleman. “If you would kindly leave me the medicine, I will take it and you can then attend to your other patients. I’m truly sorry you have to be up at this hour ministering to others instead of indulging yourself in sleep.” She sat back against the pillows. “Did you enjoy the party tonight?”

The doctor looked at her before he replied, “Well enough.”

Again, that grin. It set Estrela to shivering.

“The medicine will help you to sleep,” he stated. “Have you a cup?”

“Surely,” Estrela returned. “In the corner of my room.” She pointed it out to him.

“Pray, excuse me a moment.”

Estrela nodded and watched the doctor. He fetched the cup and returned to the bed.

“I trust that you will forgive the inconvenience tonight, M’lady,” the physician said, reaching for the earthenware bottle.

An odd look came over the man’s face.

“Did you see the bottle?” he asked, his eyes flashing with panic before turning his attention to the nightstand.

“Pray, I—”

“What have you done with it?”

“What?”

“The bottle.”

Estrela gave the man an incredulous look. “I daresay, my good man,” she said, “I have done nothing with the bottle. But I believe our conversation is at an end.” She waved her hand. “You may go.”

The physician stood up beside the bed. “No.” It was all he murmured.

“I beg your pardon?”

The doctor drew himself up, standing straight, until he loomed over Estrela. A look of resignation crossed his face before he sighed and said, “No, I will not leave. I did not want to do it this way. I sought to save you anguish. But I see I cannot. I will not allow you to escape me this time.”

Estrela turned wide eyes to him. “What do you mean?”

“Poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes,” he said. “I had hoped to spare you the anguish of knowing you will die. But the poison is gone. What you did with it, I do not know, however—”

“You!” Estrela looked wildly around her. Where was Black Bear? He no longer stood in the shadows. Where had he gone? She turned back to the doctor and gulped. “You! You are the one who—”

“Yes, my dear.” The doctor extracted a pistol from his bag, placing the cold metal at her temple.

Estrela stared up at him, oddly calm. “Why?” It was all she asked.

The man sighed. “Why?” he repeated. “Why?” He shook his head. “Because, my dear, I am the only one who can save all of England from a disastrous decision. Does no one else see what must be done? Is it always to rest on my shoulders, this burden of responsibility? It is nothing personal, you understand, Your Highness,” he said. “It is only that you must not rule England. You with your Belgian influence. Such would be a disaster for my own country. Now, don’t worry, my dear. It will be painless. It will be over in a matter of—”

Estrela screamed.

It startled the doctor.

He fell toward the bed, throwing a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She screamed again and bit his hand, his bellow echoing her own.

He was struggling off balance and Estrela took advantage, heaving her arms upward over her head, pushing the pistol away from her, grabbing for his arm so that he pointed the gun elsewhere. She screamed again.

And the doctor reacted. The pistol fired.

But the weapon blasted harmlessly into the air. It had only the one bullet.

Cursing, the doctor threw the weapon away. He lunged at Estrela.

Estrela screamed and rolled in a somersault over the bed, but he caught a slender foot and using it as leverage, he pulled her back onto the bed.

“Damned nuisance!” he cried. “Look at the trouble you’ve caused me. But no more.”

She beat at him, pummeling him with her hands, her arms, a pillow.

“Augh!” he grabbed the pillow away from her. He crushed it down over her face. But it lasted no more than a second.

“Hiya!” A war cry split the air.

The doctor froze, the pillow falling from his hands.

Black Bear, leaping across the room, knocked the doctor to the floor, jumping onto him at the same time.

The two men rolled over and over. Black Bear, the winner, remained on top.

Black Bear pulled his knife, the only weapon he’d been able to find, but the doctor had one also and he slashed out at the Indian.

Nothing. Black Bear merely dodged. Another stab. Another. But it was useless. The doctor was no match for the Indian. Black Bear easily knocked the knife out of the doctor’s hands, but he didn’t slash at the doctor or even make a stab. Instead he pressed his knife at the doctor’s neck, just drawing blood.

“Now,” Black Bear said, his teeth bared. “If you wish to see another day, you tell me why you try to kill Waste Ho, Estrela.”

The physician tried to laugh, but the effect was lost. He only choked.

Black Bear sent the knife deeper into the man’s neck. “Do you think I will hesitate?”

“You stupid Indian. You damned Indian. Don’t you know that by harming me, you harm all of England?”

Black Bear smiled, and taking hold of the man’s hair, he banged the doctor’s head against the hardwood floor.

“You misunderstand. You think that I care.” Black Bear howled, then, raising his knife—

“She should be Queen,” was the rush of words.

Black Bear only laughed, banging the man’s head again. “Why have you tried to kill her?”

The man didn’t answer.

Another bang, and this time Black Bear pulled at the hair.

The doctor screamed. “If she were Queen she might unite England and Belgium against my own country.”

Black Bear’s grip loosened, but he said, “More.”

Silence.

Black Bear gripped the hair.

“She is the daughter of King Leopold of Belgium and Princess Charlotte, King George IV’s only daughter. The Princess Charlotte bore twins. I destroyed the records of her birth. Had she grown up here, she would now be Queen.”

“No!”

The exclamation didn’t come from Black Bear, nor Estrela, nor the doctor. Looking up, the doctor howled.

Estrela glanced behind her and gasped.

There stood the King. There stood his Queen, Adelaide. There stood the Duke of Colchester.

“Let the man up.” It was the King who spoke.

“Hiya!” Black Bear protested, but then acquiesced, though not before he banged the doctor’s head against the floor again. Springing to his feet, he pulled the doctor up at the same time and held the man by the hair.

The King paced forward, giving Black Bear the opportunity to check on Estrela.

“Are you hurt?” Black Bear asked her under his breath.

“No,” she said quietly, “but where were you?”

“I had no weapons. I left to get some, but before I left, I saw that he had bottle. The bottle from my vision. I knew what was in bottle. I took it to get the Duke and the King and to get weapons. I wanted them to be here to witness what the assassin had to say.” Black Bear shook the doctor, while the King paced right up to the accused.

“So,” the King said, “this is quite another thing. The royal physician betrays me.”

“Not you, my King,” the physician stated, earning himself another shake from Black Bear.

“Let the man go,” the King ordered and Black Bear, after hesitating a moment, relaxed his grip.

“What do you say, my good man?”

“I do not betray you,” the royal physician said. “Only that”—he pointed to Estrela—“that girl who should have been dead long ago. Look at her. Should she rule England? Should she take your place?” The doctor spit on the clean Chinese rug. “No, I say. No, so would anyone say. What I do, I do for England.”

The King hesitated. He glanced at Estrela, he glanced at Black Bear, then back to the physician. At last he said, “Well, this is quite another thing, indeed. Oh, she does resemble my niece, Charlotte, so well. Why, even the good Duke here could see it.” The King smiled at the Duke. “Why, my good man, I do believe all of England is indebted to you.”

No one was sure at first just who the good King meant until—

The physician gasped. “Your Majesty!”

“No,” the old King said. “She belongs to the Royal Family, she does. Here, Popin,” he said to Estrela. “Give an old man your paw, now. That’s a good girl.”

The King fell to his knees and, kissing Estrela’s hand, said simply, “My Queen.”

The doctor howled.

Estrela gasped, and Black Bear let go of the Doctor completely.

In truth, Black Bear didn’t see it, hadn’t anticipated it, didn’t notice that he still held his knife, blade outward in his hand. Had he known, he still might have wielded the weapon against the fiendish man, but he didn’t have the chance.

The doctor saw the blade and with one last shriek, the man plunged himself into the knife.

Estrela screamed.

The physician dropped to the floor.

And all present, including the King, knelt over the man.

The physician sighed up at them, then he laughed. He stared at Estrela. “Ah, what trouble you are,” he said to her. “I should have killed you when you were just a babe, then I would have avoided this now. But I couldn’t do it then. No,” he said, “I had to wait until you were fully grown and back in the country with Indians to protect you. Ah, such is my luck.”

He coughed and Estrela stared at him in disbelief.

He laughed, the sound of it a mockery. “You win. I am beat. I, who stole you at birth from your mother’s side. I, who have kept you unknown even to your own father. I, the man who has kept England and Belgium apart. But it is over now.”

He glanced over to the King. “What a fool you are. Just like your father. Losing your colonies. If you had only taken my advice. It has been a war,” he said, glancing once more to Estrela. “What matter that I kill others? Don’t soldiers kill in war? Why can’t I? Was my destiny, it was. I had to attend to anyone who stood in my way, even the Earl’s old household staff. For it is only I who knows the best path for this country.” He smirked.

But too quickly the physician seemed to realize he was truly dying and for a moment, his eyes mirrored his fear. And as he looked down to his wound, he scoffed. “I would have thought I could have chosen a more painless death.”

He drew a deep breath, then looking to Estrela, he said, “Do you not know me?”

Estrela nodded.

The man closed his eyes and sneered. “You once commented I looked familiar, and so I should to you. Lord Wilburne, Court Physician and Doctor to His Majesty the King and Queen. It has been nothing personal, m’dear. Only the necessity to keep you from the throne. Couldn’t have you ruling England; couldn’t afford the risk to my country in these unsettling times. The Earl of Langsford was my best friend, but…such a naive man. Loved your…mother, he did. Charlotte. He was…he…I used to tell you bedtime stories, child. The old Earl never knew…was…I…who forced him to…flee…was…I who…I…who…”

Estrela glanced up to Black Bear.

“Sir Constance Wilburne…would be ruler of all England…” the physician murmured. “Sir Connie…”

Estrela gasped. “Sir Connie.” She drew away. And her voice barely a whisper, she said, “I have looked for you, Sir. I have tried to find you. Did you truly not know it, Sir? Did you not know that the Earl married me to you?”

“No!”

But Estrela nodded. “Sir Connie, you could have had it all.”

“No!”

It was the last thing he said, the last thing he would ever say.

And Estrela, lifting her face to stare at Black Bear, whispered, “At long last I have found him. And,” she said, her throat constricting, “I have found him dead.”