Jane Vows Vengeance

“I am not drunk,” said Jane testily. “Really, can none of you hear the two boys talking?”

Lucy shook her head. Ben did the same. Jane ignored Miriam, who was shaking her head so forcefully it looked as if she was trying to unscrew it, and turned to Walter. “Seriously, you don’t hear anything?”

“Not a thing,” he said. “Maybe it’s voices coming up the stairs from below. I’m sure there are all kinds of weird things going on with the acoustics in this place.”

“Maybe,” Jane said, but she sounded doubtful.

“Shall we begin?” asked Ben.

“Absolutely,” Walter said. “We only have the place to ourselves for another twenty minutes.”

“This won’t take that long,” said Ben. He smiled at Jane. “Deep breath,” he joked. “It will all be over before you know it.”

“That’s what the executioner said to Thomas More,” said one of the voices. This was followed by mad giggling.

Jane ignored them and listened as Ben began the ceremony. Although he was a rabbi, they had decided to perform just a simple ceremony now and hold the more traditional Jewish wedding when they returned home to Brakeston.

“We are gathered today in this place of deep history to witness the joining of Walter Aaron Fletcher and Elizabeth Jane Fairfax.”

“Getting married in the White Tower,” said one of the boys. “Seems bad luck to me.”

Jane gritted her teeth, forcing herself to not look around or say anything. She didn’t know why she was the only one who could hear the boys, but this was not the time to try to figure it out. I’m going to enjoy my wedding if it kills me, she thought as she squeezed Walter’s hand.

“Ow,” he yelped.

“Sorry,” Jane whispered, loosening her grip.

Ben continued. “Before I join them together as man and wife, if anyone present can show just cause as to why these two should not be joined together in holy matrimony, let him—or her—speak now.”

Jane half expected Miriam to stand up and object. However, it was a male voice that said, loudly and clearly, “I declare the existence of an impediment!”

That’s from a book, Jane thought vaguely as she turned to see who had spoken.

Standing in the middle of the aisle, halfway between the altar and the chapel entrance, was a man. Of average height and build, he had a handsome face with wide, dark eyes and a neatly trimmed ginger beard. His dress was old-fashioned, the black suit something that might have been worn by a man in the time of King Edward VII. Yet he wore it with such comfort that he gave no indication of pretense or theatrics, as if his entire closet were full of similar garments that were worn on a daily basis.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the man said, advancing toward the altar. “I was only recently made aware of the impending nuptials, and got here as quickly as I could. Thankfully, I am in time to prevent a great tragedy.”

Jane, watching the man approach, felt herself begin to shake. Walter, standing beside her, put his hand on her shoulder. “Jane, do you know this man?”

The man stopped and smiled broadly, one corner of his mouth lifting up in a rakish smirk. “Yes, Jane, do you know this man?”

Walter was looking at Jane, who was looking at the intruder and trying to convince herself that he wasn’t who she knew him to be. She tried to speak, but found that her throat was dry.

“I’m afraid this is a bit of a shock for her, poor thing,” the man said. He stepped forward. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joshua Mobley.”

Jane groaned and closed her eyes. This isn’t happening, she told herself.

“I don’t think she was expecting this,” the voice of one of the boys cut through the thoughts in her head.

“Who are you?” Jane yelled, throwing her bouquet to the floor.

“You mean you don’t remember me?” Joshua sounded wounded.

“Not you, Joshua,” said Jane. “The other ones.”

“What other ones?” he asked.

Jane was turning around, glaring at the stone walls. “The ones that keep talking,” she said. “The two boys.”

“Wait a minute,” said Walter. “So you do know this man?”

“Of course I do,” Jane said, still trying to ferret out the source of the voices. “He’s my husband. Now where are you?”

“Husband?” Walter said.

“Husband?” Miriam said.

“Husband?” Lucy said.

“Husband,” Joshua said.

Jane, realizing what she’d just done, stopped searching and turned around. “I mean he was my husband,” she said. “He’s not anymore.”

“Well now, see, that’s the problem,” Joshua said. “Technically, we never got divorced.”

“Joshua, it was almost two hundred—a very long time ago,” Jane said, exasperated. “And we were married for all of a week.”

“Nine days,” said Joshua.

“Nine days,” Jane said. “I don’t even think that counts.”

“Lady Jane Grey reigned for only nine days and yet her name is listed alongside those of England’s other queens,” Joshua said.

“Unless one of us is a queen, it isn’t the same thing,” Jane said.

For a moment Joshua seemed to consider saying something, then he waved a hand dramatically and continued. “There was a minister,” he said. He looked at Ben. “That means it counts, right, Father?”

“I’m a rabbi,” Ben said. “And I’m staying out of this.”

“Well, I’m not,” said Miriam, standing up. She marched over to Joshua, Lilith in her arms. The little dog took one sniff of Joshua and bared her teeth. “Just as I suspected.” She glanced at Jane. “Another one,” she said, shaking her head.

Walter took both of Jane’s hands in his. “Jane, are you really married to this man?”

Jane shook her head. “No. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t think so. I didn’t think so.”

Walter let go of her. “How could you not mention this?” he said, his voice angry. “You have a husband and it never occurred to you to tell me?”

“It was a very long time ago,” Jane said. “Honestly, I’d forgotten all about him until a few moments ago.”

“You wound me,” said Joshua, placing his palm against his chest.

“Oh, shut up,” Jane snapped. “Who put you up to this anyway?”

Joshua’s eyes grew wide, like a very sad spaniel’s. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Someone told you to come here,” said Jane. “Who was it?”

“It was my heart,” Joshua said. “You called out to it and I came. I’ve missed you, Jane.”

“Nonsense,” Jane said. She turned to her fiance, who was looking from her to Joshua and back again. “Walter, listen to me. I married Joshua when I was very young.”

“Not that young,” said Joshua. “Actually, many people thought of you as a spinster.”

Jane stopped him with a glance. “I was very young,” she repeated. “It was only for a few days and I thought it was taken care of.”

Walter looked at her. “I don’t know what to say, Jane. You want me to believe that you completely forgot about marrying him? I know you can be forgetful sometimes, but I find it difficult to believe that even you could forget having a husband.”

Jane desperately wanted to tell him that the marriage was almost two centuries in the past, that she’d married Joshua only because she feared she would otherwise be alone forever. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t because she’d never been truthful with him about who—and what—she really was.