CHAPTER 120
Mathew stood rigidly in the corner of Grace's chamber, arms folded behind his back. He had not moved for nearly an hour, but his words lingered in the air.
"You cannot delay," he said at last. "The longer Jonah breathes freely, the more dangerous she becomes. Robert's hand is gone, but his network is not. Some still answer to her."
Grace sat by the wide table, staring at the parchments Mathew had uncovered. Her fingers pressed against her temples, as though the inked words might burn into her skull.
"And if I move against her now," Grace said in a low voice, "what does the kingdom see? A king who punishes his queen's kin? A king who silences dissent? No. They already whisper that I lose my mind. They must not have reason to believe it true."
Mathew stepped forward. "They will believe worse if she acts before you. If Robert's ghost has truly been seen."
"Enough," Grace snapped. Her voice cracked through the chamber like a whip. "Do not speak of him."
