His Secret Slave to Scandalous Queen

Accusing the princess was spark near dry gunpowder.

Bella looked away, frustration tightening her face. "I don’t know," she whispered. "I don’t know why." Her fingers twisted in the linen. "Maybe someone else tried to attack her. Maybe there were two of them. Maybe she made herself look like a victim. I do not know how, Diana. I only know what I know."

Livia’s heart beat harder.

Bella turned back to her, eyes pleading now. "I am telling you, it was the princess."

Livia sat still, struggling to hold both things at once: Bella’s terror and the impossibility of what she was saying. "I..." She swallowed. "I believe what you say, Bella. I’m sure you feel strongly about it. But why would she want to hurt you?" Livia asked. "Or your son, God rest his soul? I don’t know why she hurt my Thomas," Bella whispered.

"But I know why she hurt me, Livia."

Livia jerked back instantly, her hand slipping from Bella’s.

Bella’s eyes widened. "No—no, no, no..." She reached for Livia. "I won’t tell anyone!"

"How did you know?" Livia whispered.

"I heard you and the king talking."

"Oh my goodness," Livia gasped.

"I need you to listen to me, Diana," Bella said. "You cannot let the princess find out about you and the king."

"There is no me and the king."

Bella gave her a sad smile. "Isn’t there?"

"No," Livia said too quickly. "There is not."

"I may not have seen you both," Bella said carefully, "but I heard you. The way you spoke with the king," Bella continued, "with such passion, such fierceness... Diana, I do not hear it when you speak about the duke."

"I love the king..." Livia’s mouth betrayed her before her sense could catch up. Horror seized her. "I mean the duke. The duke. The duke, Bella. Don’t confuse me!" She loved Richard. She did. She had only just confessed it to him hours ago.

Henry was a door she had locked.

Bella reached for her hand, and Livia took it. "Before I went to my brother’s," Bella whispered, "I heard the princess asking for a name. She wanted to know who the name belonged to." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Livia’s throat tightened. "What name?"

Bella’s fingers trembled around hers. "Yours. Livia."

The shock on Livia’s face was horrifying. All the colour drained from her cheeks.

"How?" she whispered.

Bella swallowed. "I do not know how. Perhaps the king mentioned it without meaning to. Perhaps the princess overheard something. Perhaps someone else heard and carried the tale to her. This palace is full of gossips and yet the important details, no one ever knows."

"God help us, Whitehall has ears not walls."

Bella’s gaze grew steady again. "The king only began spending more time with me after he discovered you were my French tutor," Bella said. "Before that, I was just a woman he called on when he needed. Yes, he spends some time with Thomas when we had him, but it was always for a few moments through the day. Then suddenly he is interested in my French classes, in my friendship with you. Suddenly he was asking questions...Days later, I am attacked?"

"You are right," Livia said at last. "All of this sounds mad. Completely mad. I do not know what to say."

"I once told you there are different kinds of love. I did not exactly know why you were asking then," Bella continued, "but I think I know now. You speak of the duke with trust...With gratitude. Sometimes with irritation, which may be the most convincing part, honestly."

Livia let out a broken little laugh.

"But with the king," Bella continued, "you burn."

Livia stood abruptly, unable to sit still beneath such dangerous honesty. "What happened with the king does not matter anymore. It is finished. Whatever I felt, whatever I thought I felt, whatever foolish, cursed, miserable part of me once belonged to him, it is over. I am telling you, Bella, what happened with the king does not matter anymore."

"Then you will not mind helping me go give my greetings to the king."

Livia turned back. "What?" Livia said, wide eyed.

"You said..." Bella started, but Livia cut her off.

"No. I meant, can you even walk? Is this something you are obligated to do no matter what?"

"Yes," Bella said. "Come on. Help me up. I must greet the king." Bella pushed the coverlet aside.

Livia swore under her breath. Bella tried to stand. Her face went white at once. "Oh, for God’s sake." Livia rushed forward and slipped an arm around her waist, bracing her carefully. "You royals and your damned suicidal rules."

Bella leaned against her, trembling but determined. "Thank you."

"I am not helping because I agree. I am helping because if you fall and crack your skull, someone will blame me, and I have had quite enough palace drama for one lifetime."

Together, they walked out of the chamber. Every few steps, Livia felt the other woman’s weight dip against her and tightened her hold. Bella moved with painful dignity, chin lifted, one hand pressed discreetly to her side.

The palace corridors stretched ahead of them. Bella, stubborn creature that she was, showed her the way to the throne room.

By the time they reached the doors, Livia’s arms ached and Bella’s breathing had gone thin.

"Inform His Majesty of my presence," Bella told the guards.

The guards hesitated, taking in her pallor, her trembling legs, and Livia’s arm locked firmly around her waist, then went in.

A few minutes later, the doors opened. They entered the throne room slowly. The Lord Chancellor stood near the king.

Henry sat with a document in hand. The moment he looked up and saw Livia was the one helping Bella, he promptly got to his feet, shaken by her appearance.

"Lady Bella..." Geoffrey called in surprise. He could not hide his alarm at the sight of Bella standing in the throne room, pale as linen and held upright almost entirely by Livia’s arm.