968. Chapter 968

After Captain Kate and the Sorceress

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Je ne regret rein, except not owning Castle. Rating: M, here and there. Time: 18th Century

Author's note: It looks like the notification app is back at FF, so someone let me know if you do get a notification.

Everyone admitted that Lady Katherine Rodgers was one of the most beautiful woman ever to grace the Palace of Versailles. Perhaps she was even the most beautiful. However, everyone admitted that she was undoubtedly the most beautiful, most wealthy woman to ever be at the court of the King of France. Men who had danced with her, and none had done more than dance, for that was all that she would allow, swore that she wore no corset. Women, who had an occasion to place an arm around her slender waist, confirmed that she had no such devices beneath her silken gowns.

This was amazing as she had two nearly adult daughters, but still had the slender body of a young woman. The oldest, a blonde named Priscilla and the younger, a striking redhead named Alexis, were as brilliant as they were beautiful. Alexis had surprised the court by discussing astronomy with the Royal Astronomer and Priscilla had displayed an admirable knowledge of trigonometry. Such would have been unusual in the young men of the court, but to find such knowledge in two young women was unheard of.

The young women did have an unladylike tan, rather than the pale, fair skin that all noble women longed for. That was apparently due to the father of the two ladies, Lord Richard Rodgers.

Lord Rodgers was a man of science and as such spoke excellent French, although with a regrettable English accent, unlike the ladies of the family who spoke perfect French, as well as other tongues. While France and England had fought each other recently, there was peace between them now. And, members of the French nobility had contacted their friends in London to learn more about Lord Rodgers and his family. To their surprise, they were told there was no Lord Richard Rodgers.

This was a great scandal until le chevalier O'Sullivan, who served as an officer in the Irish Brigade of the French Army, let slip something while drinking one night. He revealed that Lord Rodgers was in fact the illegitimate son of the English King. As a young lad he had been set up as a member of the aristocracy, and raised among his peers with his parentage an open secret. But, it seemed that as a young man, Lord Rodgers had attracted the attention of the spies in the service of the English King. It was felt that a son of the king, one born on the wrong side of the blanket, so to speak, would be a constant danger to the monarch and to the royal succession. Certain people decided that, for the good of the kingdom, something must be done. Something quiet. Something deadly. An assassination was planned, but the plan misfired and Lord Rodgers escaped. Rumor had it that a beautiful English aristocrat from a very noble family had helped him escape and became his wife. The French understood that the English would never acknowledge the existence of Lord Rodgers or his family. They also laughed at the English for their foolishness in not simply acknowledging the status of Lord Rodgers. The rosbifs were so foolish to have caused themselves so much trouble over a mere accident of birth.

Lord Rodgers had had to flee for his life and it was believed that he had lived a dangerous life in the far parts of the world. He was always accompanied by a Captain Ryan, whom le chevalier O'Sullivan identified as a nobly born Irish officer, lately in the service of the Czar of Russia, who now guarded the Rodgers family. He was noted for his supreme skill with a rapier and a pistol.

In addition, there was a large warship which was apparently the property of Lord Rodgers, now anchored at Le Havre under the command of a Captain Esposito. The ship, the Magicienne, as it was known in French, was called the Sorceress in English. Lord Rodgers said, jokingly perhaps, that it was named after his wife who had ensorcelled him and could do so to any man and many women.

And so Lord Rodgers, who, by the way, was a ruggedly handsome fellow, but who never strayed from the love of his life, Lady Katherine, remained as an honored guest of the French Court.

"My God, Kate! Don't do that!" Lord Rodgers said as he walked into the apartments they shared in the Palace of Versailles.

"Do what, lover?" Kate said with a smile.

"Stand there wearing nothing but a pair of silk stocking. You could give me a heart attack."

"I thought you liked me like this?" She said, walking towards him coquettishly.

"I love you like that, but the shock of seeing…." He got no further as Kate wrapped her arms around him and then began undoing the buttons of his culottes. As soon as Lady Katherine had pushed his pants down far enough to free his erection, she wrapped her long, toned legs around his waist and hoisted herself up, ready to be impaled by him.

Alas, before that happy union occurred, the door to their quarters opened. "Father, mother….."Whatever was to have been said next was cut off by two high pitched, feminine screams.

Lady Katherine quickly dropped down and covered herself with a robe that lay on the bed. "Pull your pants up, babe." She whispered to her husband.

"I'm doing the best that I can, but there's something in the way, obviously." Lord Richard replied, attempting to pull up and button his pants over the obvious obstruction. "There." He said, after struggling for a minute or so.

Ladies Alexis and Priscilla peeked at their parents, for each considered the man and woman before them to be their true parents, and discovering they were now clothed, turned to face them.

"You….you….you…." Lady Alexis said, blushing furiously.

"Yes, Alexis. Perhaps you could knock before you burst in on your father and me?" Kate said, trying not to embarrass the young lady any more than she already was.

"In future, we shall knock." Said Priscilla. "We'll knock loudly and long. And we'll open the door very slowly. And keep one eye closed. And we'll…."

Kate smiled. "Just knock and make sure we're not otherwise engaged, dear. Now why have you come to see us?"

"Le comte d'Mazarin has asked to join him in his observatory tonight to watch the moons of Jupiter. The four moons will be transiting across the planet." Priscilla said, now recovered from her blushing. "Really, he's a sweet old fellow, absolutely fascinated by astronomy. We'll be perfectly safe. He doesn't even try to take advantage of the chambermaids here in the palace like…." Priscilla stopped, seeing from Rick's expression that she might be providing too much information.

Kate quickly spoke. "I'm aware that he is a sweet old fellow and I'm sure you'll be perfectly safe with him. And knowing you two, if he tries anything, he'll be lucky to escape with his life."

They thanked their parents and hurried off to find Mazarin.

Rick let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Now, where were we?" He said, approaching his wife.

"I'm afraid that I was getting dressed for my meeting with M. Fouquet, and I don't want to be late."

He slid his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'm sure Fouquet has plenty to keep himself busy as Minister of Foreign Affairs."

She slid out of his grasp. "Business before pleasure, I'm afraid,"

"Where did you ever hear that?"

"From you, of course." She said with a smile.

"I must have been drunk, or out of my mind."

"Can you button my dress in back?" She said, pulling her dress up.

"You're not wearing anything at all underneath that?"

"My stockings, silly."

"Fouquet will be lucky is he remembers his name after seeing you." Rick muttered.

"That's the general idea."

Kate decided to take a shortcut through a hallway normally just used by servants. As she walked down the long, dreary hallway, she was approached by three men in servants clothing. She stood politely aside to let them pass, when one of them grabbed her around the throat.

"Please don't hurt me." She said in a quavering voice, her knees giving way under her.

The man holding her turned to his companions and started to tell them, in French, that this job would be easy. He didn't notice Kate's hand going to a dagger hidden in the folds of her dress. She turned as best she could, stabbing backwards. She felt the blade bite into something soft and her assailants arms fell away. Whirling around, she saw the man holding his eye and screaming. She quickly stabbed him in the throat, spraying blood all over. She pushed him back into the second man who was drawing a cudgel from beneath his coat. As he stumbled with his friend, Kate stabbed him in the heart and he fell as well.

The third man had backed away and had a long poniard in his hand, easily twice the length of Kate's blade. His arms were longer as well. He smiled and moved towards her in a crouch. As Kate backed up, she could hear the sound of heavy boots approaching. She cursed under her breath, but saw her opponent was moving away from her. She chanced a look backwards and saw four red-coated Swiss Guards moving toward her, drawing their swords as they did. The man began to run down the hallway to escape, only to find himself facing another two guardsmen. He rushed them, hoping to get past them before they could draw their swords, but one guard drew a pistol and fired a fatal ball into the man's head.

The Guards recognized the well known Lady Rodgers and called for the officer of the guard at once. He in turn called for his superior. Finally, Kate was escorted to her quarters by a dozen Guards.

Rick shot to his feet as soon as he saw Kate. "My God! You're wounded. "He rushed to her.

"It's not my blood. Three men tried to grab me. They're dead now. Two by me and one by one for the Swiss Guards. Now, I have to change and go see Foucoult." Kate pushed past Rick, who followed her into their bedroom and helped her change.

When Kate was almost dressed, she could hear Kevin Ryan outside, demanding to know what had happened.

"Captain Ryan, I'm fine." Kate called. "Three men assaulted me, but they're dead."

When she and Rick came out, Ryan was badly upset. "I should have been there to protect you. How can you ever forgive me? This is all my fault."

Kate put her hand on the stout Irishman's shoulder. "Kevin, you can't be with me all the time. You're not at fault. And I think we know who is behind this."

"None the less, Kevin and I will escort you to see le duc de Foucoult. Along with the Guards here."

When Kate and Rick entered the office of le duc de Foucoult, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was busy talking with the three colonels of the Guard regiments that had been on duty that night. All four men at once began apologizing to Rick and Kate.

"A thousand pardons, Lady Rodgers." Said Foucoult. "It appears that the men were common criminals, bent on robbery, or worse."

Kate snorted. "Common criminals? Who were able to penetrate the security of the Palace of Versailles? I'd say they were very uncommon criminals."

Foucoult nodded. "Quite true, I'm afraid, Lady Katherine. However, we are proposing a solution. Le Chevalier O'Sullivan, a captain in the Regiment Clare of His Majesty's Irish Brigade, has suggested assigning a company to be your bodyguards. His Majesty has approved of this. You will find O'Sullivan and his troops wait for you outside my office, along with his cousin, Captain Kevin Ryan." Foucoult turned to the Guard officers. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must discuss some things with Lord and Lady Rodgers."

The officers withdrew, offering apologies for the attack on Kate in the palace they protected.

Once all were seated comfortably, Foucoult took a package of papers from his desk. "The English government has complained to us about you. They allege that you are an infamous pirate named Kate Beckett, that your husband is also a pirate named Richard Castle, and Lady Alexis is his daughter, not yours And further, that your daughter Lady Priscilla, is not your daughter, but the wife of a Lord Desmond, who you have kidnapped."