Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet

nephew?”
    A man of twenty sitting next to the king stood up. “I am the king’s nephew. What do you want?”
    “I want to strangle you!” S he walked closer and looked him in the eye. “Do not pretend you do not know who I am.”
    “My lady, I do not know who you are.”
    “Then it is time we met. You tried to have me killed and I suspect you are responsible for the death of my real parents … and the ones who raised me. You had their cottage set on fire trying to kill me, but I lived.”
    The king was aghast and signaled for his guard. But when the guard surrounded Charlet, he said, “Not her, him!” Two of his guards grabbed his nephew under the arms. Then the king turned back to his niece. “Have you any proof?”
    Charlet opened the palm of her hand and then unfolded the letter. She handed it to the king and stepped back. She watched him read it and saw the fury building in him. The king turned his angry eyes on his nephew. “Take him away. He will die for this.”
    “Nay!” the nephew screamed. “Uncle, it is a mistake. I have done nothing, I swear it!” He was still screaming after the guards carried him out the door and then all the way across the king’s courtyard.
    Finally, the king motioned for Charlet to come closer. “I have longed to see you and now you are here at last. Will you stay and talk with me?”
    She noticed for the first time the many eyes watching her and turned all the way around to see them. Some smiled, some looked stoic, and others had dropped jaws. She wondered if she should tell them who she was and then decided she would. “I am Charlet, daughter of...” She turned to the king for help.
    “You are the daughter of Austin and Victoria, my sister. And you are next in line to the throne of England.” He heard the gasps from the crowd and turned to them. “You will honor my niece, protect her and see that she has all she desires.”
    The room full of people quickly knelt. Charlet moved closer to the king, her eyes shifted and she whispered, “Should I also kneel?”
    “Nay, they honor you. However, it would save a few knees if you were to tell them to rise.”
    She cleared her throat, “You may rise.” She was amazed when they obeyed. Maybe being Queen would not be such a bad thing after all.

    Each morning, Blair promised himself he would not go to the MacGreagor hold to see if there was any word of her. But sooner or later, he ended up there anyway. Kevin was not handling the absence of his wife well and was often foul tempered, so Blair spen t most of his time with Connor.
    Laird Ferguson seemed to be there almost as much as Blair and all three became friends. They were the next generation, close to the same age, could share stories and try to figure out how to solve problems. Even so, Blair was having trouble enjoying even the funniest stories or concentrating on much of what they said.
    Ferguson told them of all the changes he was making at the Ferguson hold. He wanted everything to be clean and repaired when he took Kenna there as his wife. He asked for all kinds of suggestions and the other two men were happy to oblige, although Blair and Connor did not always agree.
    Blair didn’t really believe Charlet would come back. The call of the English crown was a strong one and he could not blame her for accepting it. Still he hoped and when the whistle came to signal approaching riders , he raced up the steps of the K eep to see who it was and to stand by Kevin on the landing.
    It was clearly Anna and her guard, but Charlet was not with her. He had to fight the lump in his throat and calm the dread in the pit of his stomach. He watched Anna ride across the bridge and then across the courtyard. Connor lifted her down and then she climbed the steps to reach Kevin. Her expression was somber and for a moment, Blair wondered if something had happened to Charlet.
    Anna never took her eyes off her husband’s. “The king is dead, he died in his sleep.”
    Blair’s head was swimming, his mouth was dry and a harsh pain deep in his heart was beginning to consume him. He was barely aware of the thought forming in his mind and he certainly didn’ t realize he was saying it. “God save the Queen.”
    A nna softly touched Blair’ s arm. “Nay, God save the King.”
    He couldn’t believe his ears. He was sure she would not give up the crown for him and he could hardly catch his breath. “Where is she?”
    “We did not think you would be here. She said her name was