Liam needed to get rid of the baby, get rid of Beth. He was no longer taking any chances of being exposed, of being stuck with her as his queen, he would be rid of them both. Just a few seeds added to her tea should be plenty to do the job, he just needed to have the guard slip the new bags into the box of her favorite tea while she was out.
***
Beth felt, off, her heart was racing even though she was sitting, her vision was blurry, when she tried to stand she would lose her balance. She didn’t understand, what could be causing her to feel this way, she wanted to get help, but she couldn’t move from her bed. She did the only thing she could think of in her haze, she called Bastien, hopefully he could help her.
*
Bastien raced to her cabin, away from his screaming king, she called him but didn’t say a word, he was panicked, hoping he could get to her in time. He threw open her door, he ran to her side, she was laying on her bed, NO! He thought. He quickly checked her pulse, faint but rapid, he radioed for a car as he lifted her into his arms, praying he wasn’t to late to save either of them. As he left he noticed the teabag in her barely drank cup looked off, he would make sure it was collected once he had her in the car.
***
At the hospital Bastien paced the waiting room while he waited as they pumped her stomach, he didn’t know how long it had been but by the little he thought she ingested they thought she had a chance. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the king, that Liam was behind this, he just needed to find a way to prove it. She needed to be okay, he couldn’t let him take her away like this. He wished they never went to Liam, that he had gotten her away before Liam had a chance to hurt her. He had to find a way to take him down, prove that he was behind everything, the attack, this attempt on her life, the photographs.
If felt like forever before a doctor came to see him, it seemed as if time stopped as he listened to the doctor speak. He released a breath of relief as the doctor told him that Beth and the baby would both be alright, he just wanted to keep her a few days to keep an eye on her progress. The doctor passed him an ultrasound of ‘his’ child, he had to tell them he was the father, it was the only way he knew he would get any information was if they were involved. He felt like a fraud telling them that in a blind panic as he brought her in but he had to know she was going to be alright. She had told him there was no one left, so if anything happened there would be no one to tell, he only hoped she would understand. He looked at the ultrasound, 10 weeks written in the corner, Liam’s, he nearly killed his own child, his heir. Blood boiled in Bastien’s veins he needed to stop Liam before he brought down the entire nation, he was obviously not in his right mind. He rushed back to the train, leaving a guard with Beth, he needed to find proof.
Back at the train as he walked past Liam’s cabin he noticed the door was slightly open, he stopped when he heard Beth’s name.
“Did you take care of my problem?” He heard Liam ask someone, his hands clenched in fists, he suspected, he knew but he had hoped that Liam couldn’t kill his own child, kill Beth.
“I did what you asked but Bastien got there before I could find out if the job was done. She’s at the hospital and won’t give any information to anyone who isn’t family.” He heard a younger guard say, how did Liam convince him to KILL her?
“OF COURSE HE DID!” SLAM! Bastien could hear Liam’s rage well before he hit his fist against the wooden surface.
There was no more doubt that Liam was behind all of it, now he just had to find the proof, take him down before he could try again to hurt Beth.
He waited down the hall, hidden but where he could see Liam’s door, waiting for the guard to leave, maybe with enough pressure he could get him to expose Liam, give him the proof he needed. The younger guard slipped out of Liam’s cabin, one he himself trained, he felt even more betrayed that the younger man could be swayed to do something so wrong.
“Joshua!” Bastien said as he stopped the guard, his hand gripping his arm.
Joshua looked up at Bastien, alarm in his eyes.
“We need to talk.” Bastien said, a fire in his grey eyes, he was getting what he needed to end this now, no more harm would come to Beth, he’d make sure of it.
“A—about what?” Joshua asked, his voice unsteady with fear.
“About exactly what you’ve been doing to Lady Beth.” Bastien replied, his voice hard from controlled anger.
“It—it was the king!” Joshua yelped as Bastien’s hold on his arm tightened.
“Oh? And you didn’t aid in his plans? You didn’t plant poison in her tea? You didn’t allow her to be in a position to be raped? It was all the king?” Bastien growled, his rage building.
“I—I had no choice.” Joshua answered, fear written across his face.
“We always have a choice, you didn’t have to obey his demands when you knew they were wrong.” Bastien growled, his blood boiling with rage.
“I—I—” Joshua stuttered unsure of what to even say.
“You will tell me what I need to know, give me what I need to stop him.” Bastien said his harsh tone causing the younger man to jump.
“But—but the king!” Joshua protested.
“The king is the least of your worries, you are an accomplice in attempted murder, trying to take out the heir to the throne, that’s treason.” Bastien replied evenly, biting back the urge to punch the man who aided in nearly killing Beth.
“His—his heir? He said nothing about a baby, a heir.” Joshua stammered, his body trembling in fear of the crime he had became complicit.
“I imagine he wouldn’t, now spill. Tell me everything that can help me stop him, expose him for what he’s done.” Bastien demanded.
“He—he sent letters to Tariq, from Lady Beth telling him she was interested in him, he sent several starting after the royal Regatta. His—his last letter said she liked it rough not to take no for an answer, I delivered it the night before Applewood. He had me sell photographs of them in New York, and arrange a photographer to be outside her room at Applewood manor. He—he had me buy belladonna, and her favorite tea, he replaced it himself, but I put the tea bags in her room.” Joshua confessed his face showing remorse and sorrow.
“And you didn’t find any of this wrong?” Bastien replied, his voice dripping with disdain.
Joshua hung his head unsure of what to say, how to apologize.
“Be ready to go forward with this to the press.” Bastien growled pushing him away as he stalked off to Liam’s cabin.
Joshua looked after Bastien in dismay before running off to his own room.
Bastien pushed open Liam’s door, it slammed against the wall with a BANG causing Liam to jump.
“Bastien, what is this about?” Liam demanded once his eyes leveled on Bastien.
“You will come clean about everything you did to Beth, or I will.” Bastien growled, his eyes narrowed slits as he glared at Liam.
“I will do no such thing.” Liam scoffed, straightening his suit.
“Your reign of terror ends now your majesty.” Bastien said, venom dripping from his words before he turned on his heal and exited the cabin, formulating his plan in his head as he went.
***
Later in the hospital, Bastien sat beside Beth’s bed, holding her hand, a guard still posted at her door.
Beth opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings, “Bas?” Beth asked her voice breaking, tears in her eyes, her hand going to her stomach.
“You’re okay Beth, you both are.” He replied.
“Was It Liam?” She asked, tears now falling.
“Yes, and it’s his.” He responded softly, gently brushing her raven hair behind her ear.
Beth let out a sob, the baby’s own father tried to take its life, her life, she needed to tell everyone what he had done.
