He’d worked a portion of the situation out before he arrived. The picture of Miash Mena had seen had been drawn just for her, but what Creed wished for her to do with the lie, he still didn’t understand.
His moved down another hallway where voices spoke loudly, and his eyes caught Ralph’s down the hall. The spy rushed to him and started to speak without being asked, knowing Morgan needed to know everything and quickly.
“Thomas, Luke, and John are inside with the princess, Marianne, and Lady Philomena. They’re threatening to kill the future queen if anyone goes through the door. It’s been ten minutes.”
Morgan cursed and asked, “How did this happen?”
“Creed arranged her transport,” Ralph said. “I didn’t know the men who posed as her guards. I’d never seen the men before, but when I was told that three men walked into the princess’ sitting room wearing the clothes of royal guards, I knew it was them.”
“Yes,” Morgan agreed, now seeing clearly. Then he shook his head. “The tailor. He thought he was making uniforms for a play, but instead it was for this.” He sighed. “So, Mena basically helped three criminals get into the palace. Then what happened?”
Another voice answered, and Morgan realized it was Miash. “Lady Philomena was acting suspiciously, so I escorted her to a room to ask her questions. Knowing Creed wishes the princess dead, I suspect most people of guilt and there was great guilt on her face.”
“That guilt was from another matter,” Morgan told him. “What happened in the room?”
“Apparently, she thought I was the person in charge of the stabbings of recent and knocked me out.” Miash was rubbing the back of his head as though the memory returned pain to the area, or perhaps it never left.
Morgan lifted a brow at the man. “Lady Philomena put you to sleep? Impossible.”
“It was her,” Ralph said.
Morgan turned to him. “How do you know?”
Ralph hesitated for only a breath before saying, “I taught her how to do it. I caught her practicing with a dagger in her room earlier this week and offered her a few lessons, but eventually, she made mention that she didn’t wish to kill anyone, so I taught her where to hit a man to make him sleep.”
“Where did she get a dagger?” Morgan asked.
“My guess is Creed,” Miash said, “I thought she’d been sent here to kill the princess, but apparently, she’d been sent to kill me.”
“Creed was a fool. Philomena would never commit murder,” Morgan said swiftly.
“I don’t know,” Ralph said. “She seemed pretty determined to learn how to use her dagger. I think George’s death did something to her. Miash was lucky I taught her another trick.”
Miash nodded, his blue eyes distant. “She’s a beautiful woman. I’ll never be fooled by a face such as hers again.”
Morgan let the comment of Mena’s beauty pass and started toward the door and pulled out his gun. “Why is everyone still standing in the hall?”
“No one wants to risk killing the princess.”
Morgan looked at Ralph. “Well, then surely you know that one doesn’t need to enter through a door to get a job done.” Instead of stepping toward the soldiers who blocked the door to the sitting room, he moved up a flight of stairs and quietly entered the room just above the sitting room.
He noticed his moves were followed and when he turned around, he found at least a dozen men with him, Miash and Ralph there as well. He spoke in low tones. “Anyone who now comes into this room must move quietly. We don’t want to alert the men that we plan to go in through another way. I need rope. Someone will lower me and Ralph down to the window. We’ll take the men down and then the soldiers can move in.”
Miash turned to address another one of the men before stepping forward. “I’d like to go as well. The princess is my responsibility. I should have taken better care of her.”
“We’ll be hanging upside down, and you’ll have to be a good shot,” Morgan told him. “It’s the only way to make sure our heads and hands go first as opposed to showing our feet and giving them enough time to attack before we can. Shooting a man upside down might sound easy, but it is not.” Once they knew what they were facing, and if they had time, they would right themselves and go in. Yet while he spoke, Morgan had already decided that he’d let the soldier go if he wished it. Princess Victoria had been his to guard, and he’d stepped away to see to a threat that hadn’t truly existed.
Miash took another step forward. “I’d like to go all the same.”
Morgan nodded and turned to the soldier who’d returned with an older gentleman behind him. Morgan recognized the man who oversaw all the guards for the palace. Morgan explained his plan and didn’t have to tell the man he’d do it even if he disapproved. The O.S.S. had to answer to few men and he wasn’t one of them.
Thankfully, he was given the nod of approval, and Ralph moved to form the teams who would be holding the rope. Morgan tied himself onto one and then assisted Miash with his own, all the while wondering what he would meet when he finally made it to the window below him.
Once they were secured, they moved to the windows and Morgan lowered himself first, showing Miash how it was done. The other soldier learned quick and kept his body close to the wall as they moved. “Don’t think of yourself upside down. Imagine the rest of the world is while you are right side up.”
Miash said nothing, obviously concentrating to do as he was told. Morgan looked over and saw the determination on the young man’s face and then looked ahead. They reached the window and Morgan leaned up and lifted a hand. The rope handlers stopped, and Morgan said to Miash, “I’ll look first. A quick glance, and then I’ll tell you what I see.”
“Understood,” Miash said.
Morgan waited for a moment before moving. He looked down into the window and then back up. His heart was racing at what he saw.
“What is it?” Miash whispered.
Morgan shook his head and looked again before coming back up and telling Miash, “See for yourself.”
Miash dropped and looked and then came back up, his eyes widened. “Who is that woman?”
Morgan smiled. “That’s my fiancée.”
* * *
33
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
.
.
.
* * *
“ I know ” …
* * *
.
Mena kept her dagger pointed forward as the men stood back. Two of the men were weaponless and already injured.