Fic: Outlaws and Thieves (2/4)

[angelqueen04]

Relevant information can be found in Part I.



The argument with Daniel had shaken her, but Elizabeth did her best to compose herself as they walked briskly toward the main hall. Had she been less preoccupied, she would have stopped short and stared at the room when she entered. It was the width of the whole manor, with open arches overlooking the river on both sides. It would have made for an excellent ballroom, but for now it had to suffice as a courtroom.

She walked the length of the marble harlequin floor and took her seat in the room's only chair. She did not have to wait long before the royal guards brought in the Countess of Kinsey.

Kinsey's first wife had died some years earlier. His remarriage had been to a much younger woman of a noble family from his own holdings in Atalan. This second bride, named Georgiana, was an elusive creature few had seen in years. After the marriage she had attended court in Atlantis, but it had been some time since she had stirred from Kinsey's province, which gave him more leave to do as he pleased in her absence.

The massive doors opened. Elizabeth, knowing Kinsey's love for extravagance, expected an equally lavish display from his wife. However, no such spectacle was to be seen. A short, thin woman entered the hall, wearing a simple cloak over a dark traveling gown. Nor was she alone, as Daniel had stipulated. Her hand clasped that of a little girl, no more than five or six years old.

Belatedly, Elizabeth remembered that there had been an announcement some years back that Kinsey's new wife had given birth to a daughter and named her Elizabeth. In her honor, Kinsey had said with perfect gentility and utter insincerity. She recalled scoffing inwardly and dismissing the matter from her mind.

The pair walked toward the queen at a stately pace, clearly intent on observing the niceties and dignities of their station, no matter how uncertain their situation was. When they arrived at the foot of the dais, the countess knelt down, her thick skirts settling around her bent legs. Lady Georgiana tugged gently on the little girl, who jerked and then dropped to the floor in a vain attempt to mimic her mother's graceful movement. If the situation were not so serious, Elizabeth might have smiled.

"Your Majesty," Georgiana began. Her voice was high pitched, possibly an outward sign of what had to be great nervousness. "I humbly thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I am unworthy of your generosity."

Elizabeth nodded but said nothing. She was not about to smooth the way for this conversation.

The lady drew in a deep breath and rose, the child following her. "A few days ago, I received word that my lord husband had abandoned Atlantis under the pretense that I was ill and he wished to see to my health. At that time, my health was under no hardship," Georgiana stated. "He arrived at our home a day or two later, but left the next morning. Not far behind him was a contingent from the capital. They arrived with the declaration that my husband was a traitor and that his lands were forfeit to the crown."

"Indeed, this is so," Daniel said, his voice and expression stern. "It has been proven that the Earl of Kinsey was involved in more than one attempt on her Majesty's life, including the plot that ended the life of her husband, Simon Wallis."

Georgiana was clearly shaken by the lack of sympathy in Daniel's voice, but she steadied herself. She looked at Elizabeth beseechingly. "Your Majesty, I give you my word, I had no part or knowledge of Lord Robert's treasonous dealings." She paused for a moment, glancing down at her daughter, who seemed to have little idea of what was happening and was content to look around at her surroundings. "Nor did my child," she added, her voice softer.

"Can you speak for your stepson?" Daniel demanded. Kinsey's son and heir was, like his father, still unaccounted for. "Is he innocent of any wrongdoing? Or has he too taken part in this hideous subversion of which you claim to know nothing?"

Georgiana seemed to wilt under every severe word, and must have taken the queen's silence as a bad sign. Elizabeth could see the flare of desperation in her eyes. "My lady," she said, her voice rising, "I beg you, please believe me! I would gladly offer you any proof or assistance I could, but when my husband returned, he burned every paper he had kept."

"And you made no move to stop him?" Daniel asked pointedly.

"I-" she began but shrugged helplessly. "I had no idea of what was then happening, my lord. My husband was not in the habit of keeping me apprised of his business."

Daniel appeared unmoved. "Can you explain how it is that you came to be here? Soldiers of the army were with the men who arrived at Lord Robert's estate. How were you able to leave the place at all?"

Off to the side, Marcus shifted slightly, and Elizabeth suspected this question was of particular interest to him as well.

The lady looked slightly abashed. "I was able to persuade them, my lord, that my daughter and I presented no threat to anyone." Georgiana avoided Daniel's eyes but met Elizabeth's questioning look. She thought she understood. The tendency of some men to dismiss all women as unimportant was sometimes the most valuable tool in a woman's arsenal.

"And your guards?" Daniel retorted.

The tiniest hint of annoyance flickered across Georgiana's face, though she masked it quickly. "Are tasked with protecting myself and my daughter, my lord."

Elizabeth stared down at the woman, thinking carefully. This could just be a dramatic show of terror and remorse, intended to keep at least part of the family of Kinsey in the good graces of the crown.

Daniel had raised an eyebrow, the only indication of his curiosity. She could see he too felt this would take more time to decide. After a moment, she nodded. "Lady Georgiana, we will consider your situation. You and your daughter will remain here until we have decided what we will do with you." Marcus and the royal guard closed about the woman immediately, their presence not entirely comforting.

The lady looked torn between relief and fear. "Thank you, Majesty," Georgiana said tremulously, curtsying deeply. "Words cannot express my gratitude."

The guards escorted Georgiana and the child away. Once they were out of the room, Elizabeth ordered in a low tone, "If she so much as looks out her window, I wish to hear of it."

"Yes, Majesty," Marcus replied.

"What do you intend to do, Elizabeth?" Daniel asked. There was a slight challenge in his voice and her temper flickered to life once again.

"Just what I told her," she replied. "I will consider her situation. At the very least, the child is innocent of any wrongdoing and deserves mercy. But the woman has been kept within Kinsey's lands and away from Atlantis for years. If the lady was a part of her husband's conspiracy, then she likely would have been in the capital far more than she has been."

"She is Kinsey's wife," he shot back. "How could she not know?"

He had a point, but Elizabeth rose and turned to face him fully. "Not all women have had the good fortune to marry someone on equal footing, cousin," she informed him coolly.

With that, she left the room.

After spending the day exploring and calculating carefully, when evening fell Vala found herself in a corridor that was momentarily unoccupied. If she had studied people's movements enough, this was where the queen, her ladies, her physician, her captain of the guard, and the duke all kept their chambers. The lack of guards suggested no one was currently within.

She had not really intended to spend any time in the manor stealing things, but the temptation was too strong. No one would suspect that the thief plaguing the province was going to hide in the manor, which was why she had gone there in the first place. Would it not follow that she could pilfer a few things unnoticed?

Choosing the third door on the right, Vala glanced around one final time before slipping inside. She was in luck. She had chosen a door that opened directly into a bedchamber.

A quick study of the room led Vala to the dressing table tucked in the corner. She smiled upon inspecting it further. The room was obviously host to a lady of some wealth. The brush upon the table was an artfully-decorated instrument, made of ivory from the faraway southern lands. There was also a pair of pearl-studded combs laying on the lace-covered surface, as well as a closed jewelry box.

Vala had always had the deepest appreciation for fine craftsmanship. She ran her fingers along the lovely carved lid of the jewelry box before lifting it. Inside were several pretty, certainly expensive, ornamental pieces: a beautiful gold chain with an emerald pendant, several pairs of earrings ranging from pearls to diamonds, a few bracelets, and even a cameo bearing the profile of a distinguished-looking woman.

If she had not been trying to stay silent, Vala might have squealed with glee. These all would fetch excellent prices once she was far enough away. She certainly wasn't foolish like some thieves she had known who would steal from someone and go just down the street to sell. She wouldn't sell any of her prizes until she was well out of Langford province, possibly Atalan altogether.

In the fading light she lifted several of the pieces from the jewelry box and examined them, mindful that only a few items could go missing without drawing attention. She settled on the earrings and a delicate chain containing a rare sapphire and slipped them into a small black bag. Then she made sure to replace everything else, though her fingers lingered over the hair combs for a moment.

The sound of laughter from the corridor cut through the silence. It was time to disappear. She looked around, searching for a way out.

The door was flung open, revealing a well-dressed young lady with red hair on the arm of a handsome, dark-haired gentleman. All three froze for several moments, the two staring at her and Vala staring right back.

"What are-" the man started to speak, but Vala cut him off by bolting for the nearest door. She had to get out. The game was over, and she probably only had seconds before the guards arrived.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Another grabbed her hair and pulled her away from the door. Vala gasped at the sudden pain and struggled to get away from her assailant. Her foot connected with a leg but the fingers only twisted tightly against her scalp, causing her to cry out. She managed to turn to see that it was the lady who had leapt at her, preventing her escape.

"You," she gasped, "are not my maid. That much I know."

Vala opened her mouth to reply but the lady's companion appeared in her line of vision, and he was not alone. Behind him were two burly men in the black uniforms of the royal guard.

They rushed forward and grasped Vala's arms, allowing the lady to step back. As she did so, she snatched the bag from Vala's hands. The gentleman appeared rather alarmed. "Laura," he said, his voice scolding, "that was most reckless-"

Laura poured her own jewels from the bag into her palm. "It kept her from robbing us blind, didn't it?" she asked pointedly.

"What should we do with her, Doctor Beckett, milady?" one of the guards cut in before the couple could escalate the argument.

The lady sighed. "Keep her here. I'll inform Lord Daniel. I don't think this place even has a dungeon."

The arrival of Lady Georgiana combined with the surprising capture of the thieving maid in her own rooms had kept Laura from sleeping well. She was up earlier than normal the next morning. She entered the sitting room of Elizabeth and Kate's shared chambers to find Elizabeth awake and dressed, seated at the secretary by the window and bent over a pile of missives. Through the open door behind the queen, Laura glimpsed a lumpy shape still buried under the bed linens.

"Majesty," Laura called. "Will you take breakfast here?"

Elizabeth looked up at her and smiled briefly. "Yes, Laura, have the food brought up." She glanced over at Kate. "She should wake soon and will no doubt be hungry."

"I will notify the servants," Laura replied, closing the door as softly as she had opened it.

She had not made it far down the corridor when she came upon Daniel, who was coming from the opposite direction. The older man's expression made Laura stop. "Good morning, my lord," she said, curtseying.

The duke jerked, almost as though he had not noticed her until she spoke, but he bowed his head slightly. "Good morning," Daniel replied. He stared at her a moment, and then inquired, "Laura, has the queen given you any specific tasks today?"

Laura wondered at the distant tone he used when speaking of Elizabeth, but knew better than to ask about it. "She asked me to have the servants bring breakfast to her rooms, but other than that, no, her Majesty has not given me any other orders."

"Good," he said, clearly relieved. "With her permission, then, I wish you to assist me in questioning the woman caught in your chambers last night."

"My lord?" she asked, surprised.

Daniel rubbed his face wearily. "Neither Catherine nor Ernest can recall seeing her before. There was a fire in the village last night and Ernest and the guards are still occupied with that, as well as ensuring no other robberies took place in the night. I find myself somewhat shorthanded, and since you were so instrumental in catching her, you should have the spoils of war in this case."

Laura barely stopped herself from grinning at the thought. "I would be honored to aid you, my lord," she said.

"Good," he replied. "Finish with the breakfast, and I shall go speak with the queen." He then bowed and hurried off the way Laura had come.

She continued on down the corridors, intent on getting to the kitchens and returning to Elizabeth's rooms quickly. She felt exhilarated. Finally, she could be of actual use to someone again.

When Daniel asked Elizabeth for permission to have Laura assist him in interrogating the thief, she agreed to it quickly. He rather thought she had done so to get him out of her presence as fast as possible, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. He did not need to fixate on his argument with Elizabeth right now.

Having nowhere else to put the thief, Daniel had jury-rigged a bedroom into a prison cell of sorts. Everything which could have been used to aid in an escape was removed, right down to the bed linens, and the window had been boarded shut from the outside. If this woman was indeed the infamous thief, Daniel would not let her slip through his fingers.

Vala Mal Doran was seated at a small table in the middle of the room, still wearing the tightly-fitted uniform of a maid of the household. Daniel had only seen her in passing the night before, for word of the fire had arrived almost at the same instant as the report that Laura had caught the thief. The woman's arms were crossed over her chest as she slouched in her chair. Daniel was surprised, however, by the delicacy of her features. Her hair was bound in a thick braid, but wisps had fallen down to frame her rather beautiful face. With very little effort he suspected she could pass for a lady in any royal court.

For some reason, that unsettled him.

But what bothered him more was the way Vala's expression and bearing changed when they entered. Her sullenness vanished and she sat up, looking Daniel over with a frank appreciation that was almost indecent. He hadn't felt so embarrassed by a woman's gaze since his wedding night, and the fact that he was fully clothed made it worse somehow. There was no way this was going to end well.

"Hello," she said breezily, as though she were a duchess receiving guests in her private sitting room. "Vala Mal Doran. Might I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"

Daniel pulled his thoughts to the reason for his visit. "I am Lord Daniel Jackson, Duke of Langford and cousin to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth," he said, injecting as much authority as possible into his voice. "I believe you have met Lady Laura Beckett."

Vala's eye cooled slightly as she looked at Laura. "I take it the guards have realized their mistake in apprehending me, and you have come to apologize for the inconvenience?" she said.

Daniel had to admire her gall, if only for a moment. "You were caught with stolen goods in hand, Mistress Mal Doran," he said. "By the woman from who you were stealing, in her own bedchamber, in full view of three other witnesses. And no one can seem to recall hiring you to be here in the first place."

Vala only shrugged, with a slight but maddening smile.

Daniel glanced at Laura, who took it as her cue to speak. "How long have you been in the country, madam?" she asked, her tone conveying a flicker of amusement.

"Oh, about a month," Vala replied. "Long enough to know of the other thefts in the duke's province."

Daniel just managed to contain his surprise at that proclamation. Was she claiming that her attempted crime was unrelated to the string of robberies that had started before his own arrival in Langford?

Apparently his thoughts were transparent, for Vala pinned him with a knowing look. "Surely, my lord," she said, "you did not think a woman capable of these crimes occurring up and down the countryside?" She batted her eyes at him in the most patently false show of innocence he had ever witnessed.

Daniel folded his arms across his chest. "All I know, madam," he replied crossly, "is that there is a thief in my province, and I have a thief before me."

"And I suppose there is no chance in your mind that I was taking advantage of the cover of another?"

"I thought you were not stealing," Daniel retorted.

She waved a hand dismissively. "As though you were ever going to believe that."

He opened his mouth to reply, but a knock on the door interrupted him. Peter Grodin was on the other side. With a bow, the queen's secretary handed him a letter. His name was written on one side of it, in Jack's quick scrawl.

Quickly, Daniel beckoned one of the guards to stand inside the room. "Laura," he said, "I must step out for a moment. Can you entertain our... guest?"

She smiled. "Certainly," she said cheerfully.

Vala looked almost wary.

Daniel left the room and hurried to the nearest private space, willing with every step that Jack's letter would not compound the mess he already had on his hands.

Barely had the door closed before Vala leaned over the table and whispered, "Is he still a widower?"

Laura blinked a few times. "Yes."

Vala smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and Laura suddenly found it difficult to keep a straight face. "What brought you to Langford?" she asked, attempting to sober herself and continue Daniel's line of questioning.

Vala gestured to a chair and Laura, wanting to humor her, sat down. "I make my living as I can, Lady Laura," she replied. "I will be honest with you: sometimes it comes by thieving. I had understood that the duke is rarely at home, and when the lord of the manor is not at home, matters like mine tend to be less thoroughly prosecuted."

"Poor timing on your part," Laura replied casually.

"Yes, who would have thought Lord Daniel would choose this week to return?" Vala asked plaintively.

"It has been planned for months," Laura informed her. "Given that it is the first visit the queen has ever made to her mother's birthplace, it has been the talk of the province ever since the spring." Vala shifted slightly and Laura watched her closely. "Strange that after a month in the area you had not heard of this."

Vala's jaw snapped shut and there was a momentary pause. Laura decided to try and press her advantage. "But I can tell by your speech that you are not Atalanian."

"Indeed I am not," Vala said. To Laura's dismay, the woman relaxed. "Nor Caldoran, though I could wish I were. I understand your queen has a soft spot for them."

Laura glared at that.

Vala glanced at Laura's hands. "How long have you been married?"

"Three months," Laura replied.

"You seem rather young."

"I'm eighteen," she said, slightly defensively. She did not mention that she had not yet turned eighteen when she married, nor that many people had generously warned that she was too young to marry Carson.

There was an awkward silence. Vala passed the time by examining her fingernails. Finally Laura had to say something. "So where is home for you?" she asked.

"No place in particular."

"But you must have come from somewhere."

"That is a naïve assumption."

"Am I to assume, then," Laura asked, "that you sprang up out of thin air?"

"Of course not," Vala replied. "Even if I had sprung up out of thin air, as you say, I still would have been somewhere when it happened."

Laura looked down, trying to stifle a laugh. If nothing else, Vala was somewhat amusing, even when she didn't make much sense. The door opened again then, and Daniel returned. He glanced at the two women sitting easily together and suddenly he had the look of a man who'd just had a horrible realization. Laura did not entirely blame him. Had the circumstances been different, she could see herself liking Vala Mal Doran very much indeed.

As afternoon passed into evening, Elizabeth sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Peter gave her a sympathetic look, and Elizabeth smiled ruefully. "Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you, Peter," she said.

"I am glad to be of service to you, Majesty," Peter said, with his usual modesty. "I believe we are through with the foreign reports."

Elizabeth nodded. "A good deal of the domestic issues may be left to deal with later," she replied, reaching down to pet Sedge, who was sitting by her feet. "I fear I am going to have to return to Atlantis before the week is out."

"You do not intend to abandon the rest of your plans for the tour, do you?" Peter asked.

"I hope not," Elizabeth answered, standing to stretch her back. "But I must deal with what is left of Kinsey's faction myself. I cannot leave everything to Lord George. Unfortunately this means I must cut short my time in Langford, but there will be other trips."

Peter nodded, though he looked a little disappointed. "What about the rest of the excursion?"

"Kate and I have spoken." She walked to the window, Sedge trotting along at her heels. "After what happened to her in Iolan, we agreed that she needs to see her family again as soon as possible. She will travel on ahead of me to Heightmeyer, and I will join her there as quickly as I can."

Peter was quiet for a moment while Elizabeth looked out at the setting sun. When she looked back at him, he asked, "May I ask what you intend to do concerning Lady Georgiana?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I wish I knew, Peter," she said. "Daniel thinks that by virtue of being Kinsey's wife, she must have known something. Jack evidently heard about it and wrote to Daniel to convey his complete agreement on the matter, but I am not so sure."

"She was not often at court, was she?"

"Not to my knowledge. I remember seeing her occasionally before her child was born, but never after." She paused for a moment, thinking about what that could mean. "Do you think it is significant that she abandoned her husband's home as soon as she had an excuse to do so?"

Peter tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "I cannot say," he told her, "but I believe in a situation like this, there is no such thing as a detail too insignificant."

Elizabeth turned his words over in her mind. "Whatever the case, I believe I should take her back with me to Atlantis," she said. "If she is truly innocent, then she and her child need protection that only Atlantis can provide."

"And if she is not innocent?" Peter prompted.

Elizabeth smiled, but the expression was humorless. "Jack has a saying," she replied. "Keep your allies at your hand, but your enemies at your breast."