#the countess Eleanor

[3psil-0n]

"If only we could fly like birds and go wherever we wished."

I haven't beaten Rule of Rose yet, but Eleanor is definitely my favourite member of the aristocrat club. Poor girl isn't even that mean to Jennifer and just aaaa-

[crescentmp3]

kill your feelings, eleanor

[image desc: digital art of op's original character, eleanor lloyd. she has a grim look of hesitation on her face, a dagger in her hand as she holds in her hand a heart—her own heart, light growing inside it to paint it red and pink with love as the darkness in it melts off. she grips the dagger tightly, peering intently at her heart. the drawing has dramatic lighting for effect, and she seems to be in her own room. there is a barely visible corkboard at the back that has the face of the earl crossed out. // end id]

[une-sanz-pluis]

The Marriage of Henry of Lancaster and Mary de Bohun (1380/1)

From: Chronicles of England, France and Spain and the Surrounding Countries, by Sir John Froissart, Translated from the French Editions with Variations and Additions from Many Celebrated MSS, by Thomas Johnes, Esq; London: William Smith, 1848. *

Humphry, earl of Hereford and Northampton, and constable of England, was one of the greatest lords and landholders in that country; for it was said, and I, the author of this book, heard it when I resided in England, that his revenue was valued at fifty thousand nobles a-year. From this earl of Hereford there remained only two daughters as his heiresses; Blanche the eldest, and Isabella** her sister. The eldest was married to Thomas of Woodstock, earl of Buckingham. The youngest was unmarried, and the earl of Buckingham would willing have had her remain so, for then he would have enjoyed the whole of the earl of Hereford’s fortune. Upon his marriage with Eleanor, he went to reside at his handsome castle of Pleshy, in the county of Essex, thirty miles from London, which he possessed in right of his wife. He took on himself the tutelage of his sister-in-law, and had her instructed in doctrine; for it was his intention she should be professed a nun of the order of St. Clare***, which had a very rich and large convent in England. In this manner was she educated during the time the earl remained in England, before his expedition into France. She was also constantly attended by nuns from this convent, who tutored her in matters of religion, continually blaming the married state. The young lady seemed to incline to their doctrine, and thought not of marriage.

Duke John of Lancaster, being a prudent and wise man, foresaw the advantage of marrying his only son Henry, by his first wife Blanche, to the lady Mary: he was heir to all the possessions of the house of Lancaster in England, which were very considerable. The duke had for some time considered he could not choose a more desirable wife for his son than the lady who was intended for a nun, as her estates were very large, and her birth suitable to any rank; but he did not take any steps in the matter until his brother of Buckingham had set out on his expedition to France. When he had crossed the sea, the duke of Lancaster had the young lady conducted to Arundel castle; for the aunt of the two ladies was the sister of Richard, earl of Arundel, one of the most powerful barons of England.**** This lady Arundel, out of complaisance to the duke of Lancaster, and for the advancement of the young lady, went to Pleshy, where she remained with the countess of Buckingham and her sister for fifteen days. On her departure from Pleshy, she managed so well that she carried with her the lady Mary to Arundel, when the marriage was instantly consummated between her and Henry of Lancaster. During their union of twelve years, he had by her four handsome sons, Henry, Thomas, John and Humphrey, and two daughters, Blanche and Philippa. The earl of Buckingham, as I said, had not any inclination to laugh when he heard these tidings; for it would not be necessary to divide an inheritance which the considered wholly as his own, excepting the constableship which was continued to him. When he learnt that his brothers had all been concerned in this matter, he became melancholy, and never after loved the duke of Lancaster as he had hitherto done.^

Notes:

* Johnes notes that this is from "only one of [his] mss. [manuscripts] and not in any printed copy". Chris Given-Wilson (Henry IV, Yale University Press, 2016): "This story comes from a variant manuscript of Froissart's chronicles used by Johnes, but subsequently destroyed by fire."

** Johnes: "Froissart mistakes: their names were Eleanor and Mary." Presumably, Johnes then corrects their names for the rest of the narrative?

*** Jennifer C. Ward (translator and editor), Women of the English Nobility and Gentry: 1066-1500 (Manchester Medieval Sources, Manchester University Press, 1995): "This is probably a reference to the convent of the Minoresses outside Aldgate in London where Isabella, daughter of Thomas and Eleanor, later became a nun."

**** Ward: "Joan de Bohun, Mary’s mother, was the sister of Richard FitzAlan, earl of Arundel." Given-Wilson argues the role Froissart assigns to Mary's aunt was actually played by Joan.

^ The veracity of Froissart's account has tended to be questioned, with some historians generally concluding there was probably some truth, mostly revolving around the falling out between John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock over the marriage. The secretive nature of it is almost certainly untrue, given Gaunt had received a royal grant for Mary's marriage. Given-Wilson:

Froissart claimed that ‘the marriage was instantly consummated’, but this was precipitate. He also got several other details of the story wrong, such as calling the two sisters Blanche and Isabel and saying that it was their ‘aunt’ who carried Mary away from Pleshey, but the essentials of his story are corroborated by other sources and undoubtedly correct. Countess Joan was complicit in the plot, presumably hoping to give her daughter a life outside the convent. She probably commissioned a pair of illuminated psalters for the marriage.

The psalters were probably made by the de Bohun-sponsored workshop at Pleshey, one of Woodstock's principle residences. It's possible, presumably, that Joan commissioned them after the wedding but if they were commissioned before/finished by the time of the wedding, it's hard to imagine that Woodstock's household were entirely unaware that a move was being made to marry Mary to Henry.

[eve-to-adam]

Me, writing about Cecily's childhood: I can't wait to get to the scenes of her adult life! I can't wait to get rid of these years of her life!

Me, writing about a more mature Cecily: I want to go back and write about her childhood! Her childhood excites me, aaaah

[tudorqueen6]

Family of Queen Katherine: Catherine Neville, Lady Constable

Lady Catherine Neville, Lady Constable (b. 1529/30), aged 60, Daughter of Henry Nevil, Earl of Westmorland, Second Wife of Sir John ConstableRobert Peake the elder (c.1551 – 1619)Lytes Cary Manor © National Trust Catherine NEVILLE, Lady Constable (1529/30-27 Mar 1591) was the daughter of Sir Henry NEVILLE, 5th Earl of Westmoreland and Anne MANNERS. They were parents to several children including…

[dailytudors]

FRANCES GREY, DUCHESS OF SUFFOLK, MOTHER OF A QUEEN

Born Frances Brandon, named after St. Francis of Assisi but also in honour of the King of France, Francis I, who was once the stepson-in-law of her mother and who had granted the marriage of her parents. Daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, Princess of England and Dowager Queen of France, she was the eldest daughter of her parents' union and after the death of her brother their eldest child. Sister to Eleanor Clifford, later Countess of Cumberland. She had two full brothers one elder and one younger, who did not reach adulthood. By her father, she had four half-siblings, like her full brothers her younger brothers did not reach adulthood. Granddaughter of Henry VII, King of England and Elizabeth of York, Queen of England. Making her the niece of Henry VIII, King of England and per the Act of Succession 1536 the first person in line for the English throne outside of her uncle's marriages, as her mother's heirs took precedence over her Scottish cousins who were through her aunt - the elder of Henry VII's daughters - Margaret, Queen of Scotland's line. Her first marriage was to Henry Grey, initially Marquess of Dorset who later acceded the Dukedom of Suffolk after her father's death. Henry Grey was related through their common ancestress Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, Henry through Elizabeth's first marriage and Frances through her second. Her second husband was Adrian Stokes, the Master of the Horse to her cousin Mary I. Mother to Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days (technically thirteen if you take the date of the death of Edward VI) who was made heir by Edward VI brushing over Frances's own claim. Also, the mother to Katherine Grey and Mary Grey, who at times during Elizabeth I's reign were considered viable heirs by the court. She had a loving relationship with her stepmother Catherine Willoughby and socialized in the same circles, including the protestant circles of her uncle's latter reign and her cousin Edward's reign. Beloved friend to her Aunt by marriage Catherine Parr, Queen of England who was also a good friend of her stepmother. Friend to her cousin Mary I, even after Mary had put her Husband, Daughter and son-in-law to death. Mary, Frances and their cousin - through their aunt Margaret, Queen of Scotland - Margaret Douglas were all close in age and brought up in the court of Henry VIII. Mary ended up on the throne, with Frances being the mother of a Queen and Margaret being the mother of a King Consort of Scotland and later the grandmother of James I, King of England.

[Anna Chancellor as Lady France Grey, in Amazon Prime's My Lady Jane]

[the-jewel-catalogue]

The Duchess of Teck's Pearl and Diamond Brooch

When Queen Mary’s brother Prince Frank died in 1910, they had just repaired a decade long rift, during which he altered his will to reflect his feelings towards his sister.

James Pope-Hennessy said around this time (when his sister has just recently become Princess of Wales) Prince Frank was alienated from her due to her disapproval of his mistress Nellie, Countess of Kilmorey as well as her attempts to help him “with money and good advice.” He says Frank found, “the burden of gratitude too heavy to bear.”

Frank’s will states, “The jewel given me by my godfather Francis Joseph Emperor of Austria I leave to Eleanor Constance, Countess of Kilmorey with the caveat that she will leave it to H.R.H. The Princess Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland daughter of His Majesty King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.”

Queen Mary was horrified by the contents of the will and in 1910 paid the Countess £10,000 for the Cambridge emeralds to be returned to her. But this jewel was not included in that purchase. The Countess died in 1920 and the brooch presumably went to Princess Victoria. The brooch was later either given to or left to Queen Mary by Princess Victoria (who died in 1935) and was later photographed in her photographic jewel inventory. She left it to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The brooch has now presumably been left to King Charles.

~ British Royal Jewels IG

[catherinetheprincessofwales]

 Baronet -> Coal-miners -> Royalty  

“A time may yet come, perchance, when a descendant of one of these simple artizans may arise, not unworthy of the Conyers' ancient renown; and it will be a gratifying discovery to some future genealogist, when he succeeds in tracing in the quarterings of such a descendant the unsullied bearing of Conyers of Durham." Sir Bernard Burke, 1861.

In 1861 the genealogist and publisher of Burke’s Peerage Sir Bernard Burke, in his book "Vicissitudes of Families", dedicated a chapter to the “The Fall of Conyers" which concludes with the following: "Magni stat nominis umbra! The poor Baronet left three daughters, married in very humble life: Jane, to William Hardy; Elizabeth, to Joseph Hutchinson; and Dorothy, to Joseph Barker, all working men in the little town of Chester-le-Street. A time may yet come, perchance, when a descendant of one of these simple artizans may arise, not unworthy of the Conyers' ancient renown; and it will be a gratifying discovery to some future genealogist, when he succeeds in tracing in the quarterings of such a descendant the unsullied bearing of Conyers of Durham."

Sir Thomas Conyers, was the 9th and last Baronet Conyers of Horden Hall. While a gentleman at birth, he was reduced to poverty and resided at the Durham Workhouse. His pride made him reject financial aid from his distant relatives, among them his second cousin Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, whose funeral he attended at Westminster Abbey in 1800. At the time she was one of the wealthiest women in England and is an ancestor of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, the late Queen Mother.

His later years were made somewhat more comfortable at the aid of another distant cousin, George Lumley-Saunderson, the 5th Earl of Scarborough who provided him with a small house. Sir Thomas died a pauper on 15 April 1810. His surviving children, three daughters had married working men in the little town of Chester-le-Street, County Durham. As if from a Thomas Hardy novel, his daughter Jane married a man named William Hardy. 

For five generations Sir Thomas Conyers descendants would work as labourers, and often in coal mines once owned by distant ancestors and now owned by the Bowes-Lyon family. By the sixth generation his descendant Robert Harrison, a carpenter left his family still working in the coal mines to seek opportunities in London. There he married and had a daughter, Dorothy who married a builder named Ronald Goldsmith. 

The early years of Dorothy and Ronald’s marriage and their children's upbringing were spent in a comfortable council house, providing the security needed to buy their own home. Their daughter, Carole, became a flight attendant and married a young flight dispatcher, Michael. They settled in Berkshire and spent a few years in Jordan, working for British Airways, before returning to Berkshire, where Carole started her own business at her kitchen table. 

Almost ten generations and 201 years after Sir Thomas Conyers died a pauper, his descendant Catherine Middleton married Prince William of Wales on 29 April 2011. 

Family Line 

Sir Thomas Conyers 9th Bt. Conyers of Horden (drawing) m. Isabel Lambton

Jane Conyers of Chester Le Street, County Durham m. William Hardy of

Jane Hardy of Biddick, County Durham m. James Liddell

Anthony Liddell of Little Lumley, County Durham m. Martha Stephenson 

Jane Liddell (photo) m. John Harrison 

John Harrison (photo) m. Jane Hill

Robert Harrison (photo) m. Elizabeth Temple 

Dorothy Harrison (photo) m. Ronald Goldsmith 

Carole Goldsmith m. Michael Middleton 

Catherine Middleton m. Prince William of Wales

[christophernolan]

LORD OF THE RINGS + Art references

Albert Lynch - Jeanne d'Arc, 1903 Sergey Solomko | Nastasya Korolevichna ( Настасья Королевична) VIOLET OAKLEY - Lohengrin, Knight of the Swan book cover, c. 1910. Dante Gabriel Rossetti | The Day Dream (1880) Theodor von der Beek | Ophelia , 1901 Herbert G Schmalz | - Zenobia's last look on Palmyra, 1888 Leon Francois Comerre | Girl with a Golden Wreath Thomas Cooper Gotch | Destiny Gaston Bussière | Femme à la couronne: la princesse Celte , 1911 Romaine Brooks | Femme Avec des Fleurs, 1912. Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun | Portrait of Theresia, Countess Kinsky, 1793 Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale | The Lover's World, 1905

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

taylor swift lyrics x colors x textiles in art – gold

Tied Together with a Smile – Taylor Swift // Portrait of Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria – Frans Pourbus the Younger 💛 The Best Day – Fearless // Amarillis Crowning Mirtillo – Jacob van Loo 💛 Castles Crumbling – Speak Now // Madame Sophie of France – Jean-Marc Nattier 💛 State of Grace – Red // Louise, Queen of the Belgians, as Marie de Bourgogne – Jean Baptiste Madou 💛 End Game – Reputation // Princess Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart – Alexis Simon Belle 💛 So It Goes… – Reputation // King Gustav III of Sweden and His Brothers – Alexander Roslin 💛 Dancing with Our Hands Tied – Reputation // Noble Lady – Moritz Stifter 💛 Dress – Reputation // Portrait of Jemima Crew, Countess of Kent – Workshop of Godfrey Kneller 💛 Daylight – Lover // Portrait of Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox – Peter Lely 💛 invisible string – folklore // Princess Margareta – Oscar Björck 💛 invisible string – folklore // Portrait of Eleanor Maria Josepha of Austria – Benjamin Block 💛 gold rush – evermore // Portrait of Doge Francesco Venier – Titian 💛 coney island – evermore // Portrait of Princess Louise Marie of France – attributed to François-Hubert Drouais 💛 long story short – evermore // King Gustav III of Sweden – Alexander Roslin

[empirearchives]

Costumes of Napoleonic figures at the Devonshire House Ball of 1897

1. Aileen May (née Wyndham-Quin), Countess of Meath as Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland

2. Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (née Countess Josephine Kinsky) as Princess Pauline Bonaparte Borghese

3. Thérèse (née Kinsky), Countess Clary-Aldringen as Caroline Bonaparte Murat, Queen of Naples

4. Florence Anne (née Cole), Lady Delamere as Hortense de Beauharnais

5. Sir Charles Edward Cradock-Hartopp, 5th Bt as Napoleon I; Millicent Florence Eleanor (née Wilson), Lady Cradock-Hartopp (later Countess Cowley and Mrs Duberly) as the Empress Josephine

6. Lord Arthur Vincent Hay; William George Montagu Hay, 11th Marquess of Tweeddale; Candida Louise, Marchioness of Tweeddale as the Empress Josephine

7. Kathleen (née Douglas-Pennant), Viscountess Falmouth as Madame Recamier

8. Maria Henrietta Sophia Chaine (née Phipps) as Madame Sans Gêne

9. Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin as Marshal Lefevre

10. Catherine Dorothea Mary Grosvenor (née Simeon) as Marie Louise

[crescentmp3]

hi

[image desc: a digital comic of op's characters, anne constable and eleanor lloyd. in the first frame, eleanor rubs the back of her neck while looking off to the side, some blood splatters on her. she says awkwardly, "er... countess, i don't mean to come off as unappreciative, but it feels inappropriate to propose a relationship to me right after my assassination of the earl."

anne puts a hand to her chin and grins, sparkles around her as she says in a honeyed tone, "ah, is that it, darling? worry not. i have much further inappropriate scenarios planned for the two of us than this."

eleanor glares at her in a mixture of repulsion and irritation, eliciting anne to say lightheartedly, "ah, too soon?" // end id]

[une-sanz-pluis]

The survival of Mary's 1387–8 wardrobe account and a number of her devotional books makes it possible to know considerably more about her than about most aristocratic women of the fourteenth century. In 1387–8 she was based at Kenilworth, but from 1390 onwards Peterborough was her home. Henry spent a good deal of his time at Peterborough in the intervals between his travels and his public engagements, and often sent Mary gifts of cloth or delicacies such as fruit and nuts, oysters, mussels and sprats when he was away. Sometimes she travelled with him, but for the most part her social circle comprised other noble women. She remained close to her mother, Joan countess of Hereford, and her sister, Eleanor duchess of Gloucester, exchanging gifts, livery robes and visits with them, as she did with Gaunt's duchess, Constanza, his mistress, Katherine Swynford, and Katherine's daughter, Joan (Beaufort). A particular friend in 1387–8 was Margaret, wife of William Bagot, a confidence conducive to their husbands' relationship. Mary certainly did not shut herself off from public affairs: she kept abreast of developments during the Appellant rising, and in September 1388 William Bagot sent her a message with news of the Cambridge parliament. She also received messengers from Gaunt in Bayonne and his ally the king of Portugal, the husband of her sister-in-law Philippa. However, it was her musical, artistic and religious interests that are most likely to have influenced Henry, for Mary came from a family more closely identified with the discerning patronage of art and literature than any other in fourteenth-century England. Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex (d.1361) – ‘a retiring, priest-dominated bachelor’ – was an early patron of the alliterative revival in English vernacular poetry in the mid-fourteenth century, while his nephew Humphrey (Mary's father) was a patron of Froissart. Mary herself paid for a Latin primer to be bound in London, for strings for a harp (cithara), and for a ruler with which to line parchment ‘for singing notes to be added’, suggesting that she did not just sing and play but also composed music, as Henry may have done. He too owned a harp and bought a ‘pipe called a recorder’ in the same year. They kept ten minstrels in their household and regularly rewarded itinerant pipers, fiddlers, trumpeters, clarioners, nakerers (cymbal-players). A payment to ‘singing clerks’ indicates an interest in polyphony as well as minstrelsy.

Chris Given-Wilson, Henry IV (Yale University Press, 2016)

[funkyllama]

Simparte women descended upon Schloss Celle's diplomatic sitting room on the night before the Royal Wedding. The family was joined by only three women of the Bride's party; Princess Eleanor of Trenton, and her cousins, through blood and marriage, Princess Claire and the Countess Hertford. Thirty minutes away, in the Billiards room of Wittmund Palace, Prince Philippe held a much smaller gathering. The Count Hertford sent his future cousin a gift, an apology for his unattendence.

Last / Beginning / Next @empiredesimparte @trentonsimblr

eloise finally got the regency themed party of her dreams !! aha, category is: dinner at Barton Park >:D

[motherdanger]

the monsterverse au is expanding... we've now got countess cecilia and her brides, jill, joyce, and eleanor [more of this au]

[angelasscribbles]

The Defiant King: To Catch a Killer

Series: The Defiant King

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: None in this chapter

Word Count: 1,620

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Mature Themes

My other stuff: Master List.

Liam sat in his office contemplating the fact that his mother’s killer was currently in the wind. His fury was tempered by the knowledge that there was nowhere on the face of the earth that Godfrey was safe from his reach. He couldn’t evade capture forever. He’d find him eventually.

Godfrey would pay for his crimes.

Bastien’s incompetence during the palace lockdown fiasco could not be overlooked, and Liam was done being nice. It had gotten him absolutely nowhere. Not in his personal life, not in his professional life. He had fired Bastien and promoted Mara.

There was a knock at his door and the new head of palace security ushered the countess inside.

“If you wanted to speak to me,” Madeleine sniffed, “You could have just called.”

“Sorry for any inconvenience, my lady. Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk.

Madeleine sat primly on the edge of the seat, crossing her legs and wrapping her hands around her knees as she tilted her head to the side. “It’s about time you contacted me.”

“Is that so?” Liam raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she thought he had summoned her.

“Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “With the birth of your heir and the line of succession secured, you’re ready to focus on ruling. You’ve realized that Riley is never going to be your queen and you’re ready to move on. Am I close?”

He smirked as he took his seat behind the expansive mahogany desk. “You’re right on all counts.”

Smugness settled on her features as she nodded. “I’m prepared to forgive you for past rashness and reinstate our engagement contingent on a few concessions, of course.”

He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chair. “I must confess, I’m curious about what concessions you require.”

“A public apology, for starters. The way you unceremoniously dumped me was quite pedestrian and undignified. It requires an apology. The new marriage contract must be signed in front of multiple witnesses. We’ll sign it together, so I know you’re serious this time. I’ll need a new ring. You can’t expect me to accept the same one I returned.”

“Of course not. What else?”

“I’ll choose my own ladies in waiting this time, just as I’ll choose my own staff. I get full discretion with redecorating the palace. And Riley will give up her rooms at the palace. She has an estate; she can go back there.”

The amusement on the king’s face was replaced by annoyance. “Is that all?”

“Yes.” Madeleine was less sure of herself as she noted his pique.

Liam sat up straight and fixed her with a steely gaze. “Riley will stay here under my roof for as long as she damn well pleases.”

“If you expect me to agree to another engagement—”

Liam snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m not getting engaged to you, or anyone else, for that matter.”

“I don’t understand.”

“While you were correct that the line of succession is secured, Riley will never be queen and I am ready to move on and focus on ruling…none of that is why I called you here.”

Madeleine’s brows creased in confusion. “You didn’t call me here to renew our engagement?”

“No.”

“Then why did you ask me what my terms were?”

“Because it was amusing.”

Embarrassment flared through her. She covered it with ire. “Wow. You’re a real asshole, do you know that?”

“So, I’ve been told.”

Madeleine’s usually pale cheeks were stained with pink as she snapped, “Why did you call me here then?”

“Where’s your father?”

She blinked several times as she processed the question. “What?”

“You heard me, Countess. Where is he?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

Liam watched her face closely. She seemed genuinely perplexed. A bit of the tension eased out of his shoulders. At least he hadn’t been engaged to a woman that knew her father was a murderer. “He’s wanted for the murder of Queen Eleanor, my mother. Regicide is not just murder, but high treason, punishable by death.”

What small bit of color she possessed drained from her cheeks. “What? No…. there must be some mistake. My father is a son of a bitch, but he’s no murderer!”

Liam softened a little. “I’m sorry, Madeleine, but there’s proof.”

The countess slumped in her seat. Deep down in the bottom of her heart, she believed him, for her father was ruthless. He cared for nothing quite so much as self-advancement, she knew that only too well. “My mother—”

“Will be stripped of all her lands and titles. She’ll be allowed to stay in her home for now, assuming she’s cleared of any involvement.”

“There’s no way my mother knew. Come on Liam, you’ve met her. She’s not smart enough to pull something like that off, not ambitious enough to want to and she’s far too gossipy not to tell someone something if she knew anything about it.”

“Then she has nothing to worry about.”

“Except for losing her ancestral lands and titles.”

Liam shrugged. “She brought a traitor to court. If not for her, Godfrey wouldn’t have Cordonian citizenship, and he certainly would never have been in my parent’s inner circle.”

“Liam, please…”

His gaze hardened again. “Please what?”

“Be reasonable!”

He barked out an ironic laugh. “A moment ago, you were dictating a list of unreasonable demands to me.”

“Those weren’t unreasonable, and you tricked me into thinking you wanted to renew our engagement!”

“Why would I get engaged to someone who is no longer a member of the nobility?”

Her eyelids fluttered closed as she silently cursed her father. When she opened them again, her entire demeanor had shifted. “Please, Your Majesty, I beg you for mercy. I had nothing to do with my father’s crimes!”

Liam leaned back, tapping a finger to his lips. “Perhaps your mother’s lands and titles could be bestowed upon you… assuming you’re willing to earn them.”

“Yes! Yes, I’ll do whatever you ask of me!”

“I knew you would see reason. You’ll start by telling us everything you know about your father, his business, his associates, and so on. No detail is too small. I want to know what he eats for breakfast.”

“If you think it will help…”

“It will. You never know what might be important. Some detail you deem irrelevant could be important in the right hands. I’ve assembled a special intelligence force to track him down. You’ll be giving information to them over the course of several days or weeks. However long it takes.”

“I’ll be interrogated?”

Liam lifted a shoulder indifferently. “Semantics. You’re cooperating. Look at it as an interview.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “Give them my number and—”

“That won’t be necessary. You’ll be staying here.”

“But I want to go home…”

“That won’t be possible. Not until your father is apprehended.”

For the first time, a tendril of actual fear threaded its way through her. “You’re keeping me prisoner?”

“Please. You’ll be in one of our finest suites, in the royal wing. My honored guest. Does that sound like a prison?”

“Am I allowed to leave?”

“You just told me you were willing to do whatever it takes to help me bring your father to justice and restore your family’s honor…as well as its money, titles, lands, servants—”

“Yes, alright. I get it.”

“Mara will be assigning a personal guard to you….for your protection, of course.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Of course.”

“You will stay on palace grounds for the duration of the investigation. You will surrender your phone for my IT team to search. It will be returned with the proper programs for monitoring communications. Your mother can visit you here if she likes, but those visits will also be monitored.”

Madeleine’s face flamed red. Her fists clenched at her side. “You’re treating me like a criminal!”

Liam stood, effectively ending the conversation, and strode to the door. “No. If I considered you a criminal, you’d be in a cell in the dungeon. I’m treating you as an asset. One that I expect cooperation from.”

Madeleine slowly rose from her seat and followed him. “I already said I’d cooperate. This is excessive. You don’t need to keep me prisoner!”

Liam paused at the door and leaned into her personal space. “Let me be very clear, Madeleine. If you ever want to see the outside of this palace again, you will cooperate fully with the parameters I’ve put in place. The crown is seizing your parent’s assets, bank accounts, and properties as we speak. When this ordeal is over, you can walk out of here a free woman, a duchess with complete control over your family’s wealth and your public image intact. Or you and your mother can be stripped of citizenship and exiled from the country, penniless. The choice is yours.”

He stepped away from her and pulled the door open to summon Mara. “Take the countess to her suite and make sure she stays there.”

Madeleine, with her gaze fixed on the toe of her two million dollar Tanzanite heels, whispered, “Can I at least send for my clothing?”

Liam’s face broke out in a satisfied grin. “Glad to see you’ve decided to cooperate.” Turning to Mara, he ordered, “Make sure Lady Madeleine gets whatever personal possessions from Fydelia she desires. And don’t forget to relieve her of her phone.”

He stepped back so Madeline could move into the hallway and into Mara’s possession.

Her usual haughty demeanor subdued, she cast a glance back at her former fiancé, hopelessness painted on her face.

Her desperation stirred no sympathy in his heart. His face betrayed no emotion as he shut the door in her face.