Page 100 of A Touch So Wicked

Elissa sorted through his words and finally understood what he had just said. “I am guilty of no crime, Your Majesty.”

The king glared at her.

“You were not invited to speak, mistress,” Lord Pelham reprimanded. “Listen carefully while I outline the charges against you.”

He read from a scroll he held in his hand. “You plotted treason with the outlaw Tavis Gordon. You lured Lord Clarendon to your bed and convinced him to keep you with him at Misterly despite His Majesty’s orders. You convinced him to send away Lady Kimbra, the lady he was to wed, causing her untold anguish and embarrassment.”

Elissa squared her shoulders. “May I answer to the charges, Your Majesty?”

King George nodded curtly.

“I planned no treason. I was going to wed Tavis Gordon because my father arranged it when I was a child—long before Culloden.

“To the second charge, I can say only that I dinna lure Lord Clarendon to my bed. To the last charge, I assure you ’twas Lord Clarendon’s decision to send Lady Kimbra back to London, not mine. I had naught to do with it. It was also his decision that I wed him.”

The king rose from his chair. “You wed Lord Clarendon? You wed Lord Clarendon? Treason! Treason! He did not have our permission. We sent him a suitable wife and he rejected her.”

Lady Kimbra entered the Reception Chamber while the king was still ranting. She must have heard the exchange, for she charged forward as if propelled. “Did I hear right, Your Majesty? Did you say that Lord Damian wed the Jacobite sympathizer? ’Tis an abomination. A harsh punishment is called for, Your Majesty.”

“Please sit down, Sire,” Lord Pelham urged. “You must not excite yourself so.”

“May I speak, Your Majesty?” Kimbra asked sweetly.

The king gave permission with a wave of his hand.

“Elissa Fraser poisoned Lord Damian’s mind against me. She wasn’t satisfied until she had him in her bed. Then she cozened him into sending me away.”

“Nay, she lies!” Elissa denied.

“Before I left Misterly, she tried to run off to join her lover, Tavis Gordon. She was caught and brought back. Once I was gone, she must have beguiled Lord Damian into marrying her. The Jacobite deserves to be punished, Your Majesty. Elissa Fraser committed treason and should be put to death.”

Fear coiled in Elissa’s chest. She was as good as dead, for she had no way to disprove Kimbra’s lies. She had hoped for lenience, but that expectation died the moment she heard the venomous words spill from Kimbra’s mouth.

“Death might be a little harsh, Sire,” Lord Pelham said in an aside to the king.

“We will make that decision as we see fit,” the king said. “Summon the scribe. The unsanctioned marriage between Lord Clarendon and Elissa Fraser must be ended. We will annul it forthwith.”

Elissa felt Kimbra’s eyes on her and intercepted a look of vindication, which quickly turned to unrelenting hatred. Then the scribe entered the Reception Chamber, and Elissa returned her attention to the king.

The scribe sketched a bow. “You summoned me, Sire?”

“Indeed. We require a writ of annulment prepared and presented for my signature immediately. We wish to annul the marriage between Damian Stratton, Lord Clarendon, and Elissa Fraser. We will require two copies—one for our records and the second for Lord Clarendon.”

“Aye, Sire,” the scribe said, bowing again.

The king waved him away.

Lord Pelham cleared his throat. “What are your wishes regarding Elissa Fraser, Sire?”

“We will think on it. Until we have reached a decision, lock her in the Tower.” His gaze swept over her bedraggled form. “If she has not brought a change of clothing, see that she is provided with something dry to wear.”

“You are too lenient, Sire,” Kimbra complained.

“We will consider your recommendation, Lady Kimbra. The charges brought against Mistress Elissa are grave indeed; therefore we shall mete out punishment accordingly. If death is warranted, we shall do our duty.”

Elissa blanched. “I demand a trial, Sire.”

King George scowled. “You are in no position to demand anything, mistress. No trial is necessary. I will act as both judge and jury.” He waved a lace handkerchief languidly back and forth in front of his face. “Leave me, I am weary.”