CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Morning dawned with a gray chill, with a heavy fog rolling across the land. The rain had subsided during the night, leaving behind a soggy world and soggy men. But the fog hid the devastation left by the night’s battle, as if the land were ashamed to reveal what its inhabitants had done.
Andrew crossed the outer bailey, heading for the castle. His left arm was heavily bandaged and blood was seeping through the wrappings. He had caught the broad edge of a Dalmellington sword that, at just the right angle, had split his upper arm wide open.
But his wound was nothing compared to the damage Torridon had suffered. The new main gate was again in splinters and when it fell, it almost took a portion of the gatehouse with it. The Dalmellington army had breached into the inner bailey and had managed to burn down the stables and a portion of the granary. The stable structure was gone, but all of the beautiful horses had been saved, now corralled in the kitchen yard. The Dalmellington men would have torched the keep itself if Andrew had not set up a frontline directly in front of the structure to keep them at bay.
He had fought harder that night than he had ever fought in his life, but it had all been for Josephine. Never once had his fee entered his mind. With every blow and with every kill, he was paying Colin Dalmellington back for all of the pain he had caused her.
Andrew stopped counting his kills after twenty and he had been very intent on finding Colin to carry out his threat, but Colin was nowhere to be found. Therefore, he continued to hack away at the enemy soldiers with the fury he felt and knew that, eventually, he would find Colin.
Strangely, he hadn’t seen Josephine since before the battle started, but he assumed she had wisely retreated to the safety of the keep. Knowing she was safe allowed his mind to concentrate solely on the battle but, every so often, he would find himself dreaming of her softness and reliving the night he’d spent with her. It kept him sustained.
In his battles, occasionally, he would come across Sully. Sully moved faster than any man Andrew had ever seen, using his two hands to fight his opponent with tremendous force and then moving on to the next. He was tireless and the Torridon men followed him without question. Andrew gained new respect for his friend that night.
But when it was all said and done, the tally for the battle was grim. Four Torridon dead knights – Severn being one of them, and three lesser knights – and thirty-five men-at-arms. Andrew personally lost twenty-eight men, with scores of wounded in the great hall. But Dalmellington lost over half of his fighting force, and they retreated to the safety of the woods shortly before dawn. A weary cheer went up from the soldiers and mercenaries alike when they had retreated.
The yard was littered with bodies, like discarded dolls, as Andrew stepped around and over them. Servants and soldiers alike were hurriedly removing the dead and, soon, the smell of burning flesh would fill the air like a fog and have everyone retching. Andrew looked down at the dead, knowing they were a necessary part of battle, but disliking it all the same.
He passed into the inner bailey and it looked as bad as the rest of the grounds. He found himself eager to see Josephine, eager to hold her and to forget about the destruction of the castle. He had never felt this urge before, to touch and be touched, and it was almost uncontrollable.
As he put his foot on the first step leading to the keep, Thane came barreling out of the door and nearly crashed into him in his haste.
“God’s Bones, Andrew,” he caught himself. “I beg your pardon.”
Andrew waved it off, looking at his friend. He looked as if he had been on the receiving end of a violent thrashing.
“Are you well?” he asked him.
Thane grinned. “Nothing a bottle of wine will not cure.”
Andrew returned his smile. “Good,” he said. Then he ordered, “I shall require a final count.”
“Of course,” Thane nodded, looking about him grimly. “This was a fierce one. I did not expect the ferocity we encountered.”
Andrew followed his friend’s eyes, seeing the same destruction that Thane was. “Lady Josephine is paying us good money to defend her castle,” he said. “It looks like we are not worth the asking price.”
“If we had not been here, there would be nothing left standing,” Thane pointed out.
“True,” Andrew admitted, then mounted the next two stairs. “Where is Lady Josephine?”
Thane shook his head. “You mean your future bride?” he teased. “I have not seen her.”
Andrew looked slightly puzzled. “She is not in the keep?”
“Nay,” Thane replied. “I did not see her inside.”
Puzzlement was replaced by a seed of anxiety. Andrew looked at Thane and Thane caught on immediately.
“I will search the grounds,” he said, beginning to jog away. “I will ask if anyone has seen her.”
Andrew walked rapidly into the depths of the cool keep. The smell of decaying flesh and herbs filled the air as he moved into the great hall and was met with the sight of hundreds of wounded. Across the room, he spied Oletha’s orange head, and not far from her was Justine. He began to pick his way towards Josephine’s sister.
Justine looked up from the hand she was bandaging to be greeted by Andrew’s serious face.
“Your arm is bleeding again,” she said. “I must stitch it now.”
He ignored her. “Where is Josephine?”
“I do not know,” Justine shook her head. “I have not seen her.”
“She is not outside,” he said. “She must be within the keep.”
Justine stood up, catching on to the anxiety in his voice. “Andrew, I have not seen her all night,” she insisted. “I assumed she was with you.”
Andrew stared at her, coming to realize that something was very wrong. Suddenly, he looked about the room, at the men, and at the servants.
“Where is the king?” he asked softly.
“He left before the battle started,” Justine replied. “He and his party took what they could carry on horseback and left. They informed me that they would send for their wagons later. Did you not see them go?”
Andrew hadn’t. He’d been forming lines to the rear of the fortress right before the Dalmellington forces hit. As he stood there, a thought seized him. It was a notion so terrible that he almost lost his balance.
The king had left and Josephine was missing.
Anger and horror rose in his chest like twin demons, and he spun away from Justine. His huge hands grabbed a richly carved chair against the wall and abruptly smashed it into the stone with such force that it disintegrated into splinters.
Justine yelped in surprise, with her hands flying to her mouth.
“What is it?” she cried. “Andrew, what is wrong?”
Andrew was shaking with anger, breathing like a pent-up bull. He stood over the heap of wood and silk that had once been the chair, clenching and unclenching his fists. Oletha had heard the noise and came rushing over. Now, she stood anxiously by Justine.
“The king has taken her,” he growled. “By God… the bastard has taken my Joey.”
Justine gasped, hands flying to her mouth again. “But she was not with him when he left,” she insisted. “I saw him leave with his stewards and courtiers.”
He jerked his head to her with such pain and fury that she visibly shrank. “Then where is she, Justine?” he demanded, almost begging. “She is nowhere to be found! Where is she?”
“I do not know,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
“Where, Justine?” he bellowed.
“I do not know!” she cried, bursting into tears. “Did you check her chamber?”
Andrew was gone, running to the stairs and mounting them three at a time. Justine was close behind and followed him as he barreled into Josephine’s room. He tore all of the linens off of the bed as if she could possibly be hiding there, then he moved to her wardrobe and threw open the doors, too.
He was immediately hit with the smell of rose and he shut his eyes tightly; his heart aching more than his exhausted body did. He began to curse himself; he should have stayed with her, he silently scolded himself. He should have guessed that Alexander wouldn’t stay and fight if there was nothing in it for him, and the king had promised to take Josephine with him when he left.
Why hadn’t he had the foresight to realize what could happen?
It had been badly miscalculated on his part.
Strangely, Andrew was a bit calmer now that he knew what had become of Josephine and that she was not dead out in the moor. But his panic was replaced by such an anger that he would stop at nothing to retrieve what was his.
It was time for his life to come full circle, time to kill his brother and discover the fate of his mother. And most importantly, it was time for him to rescue Josephine. There was no more time to waste with his mercenary pursuits and with his talk of biding his time until the moment was ripe.
The moment was now.
He turned to Justine. She stood by the door watching him, with fear in his eyes. “Is she gone with the king, then?” she asked hesitantly.
Andrew nodded, raking his fingers through his hair wearily. “She is.”
“And you are certain of this?”
“I am positive.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
He looked at her, then, as if the mere question were foolish. “Go after her.”
Justine’s eyes widened and she came into the chamber. “But you cannot fight the king,” she said. “It would be foolish to try.”
“I do not go to fight the king,” he said as he brushed past her. “I go to kill my brother and take back what is mine.”
Justine watched him move, a pain in her heart like nothing she had ever experienced. Oddly enough, it took her back to the day The Red Fury arrived, the day when she had read her cards for her sister. She remembered the cards she had drawn that day, symbols that had no meaning at the time. But now, they did.
Now, she understood.
“I foresaw this,” Justine said fearfully. “My cards foretold this the day you came here.”
Andrew paused at the top of the stairs, looking at her irritably. “What are you babbling about?”
Justine looked at him with great depth of fear and foreboding. “The day you arrived at Torridon, I consulted my cards about Josephine’s future,” she said as she came towards him. “All of the cards were powerful and passionate, depicting extreme love and hate, and of a great battle. But the great battle wasn’t fought last night; it is yet to come.”
His jaw muscles flexed as he looked away. “I have been waiting most of my life for this confrontation, Justine,” he said. “But I never in my wildest dreams imagined that the stakes would be this high. I love her, Justine. I cannot lose her. She is the world to me.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I have always known.”
He glanced at her, a dull twinkle in his eye. “You might have let me in on it sooner.”
She shrugged. “You had to discover it for yourself,” she said, then smiled. “You were in love with her the day you arrived but I doubt you would have believed me.”
That was more than likely true. Andrew winked at her. “Take care of yourself and your lout-headed husband, Lady Montgomery,” he said. “When I return, I shall bring your sister with me.”
Justine’s smile faded. The chances of him not returning at all were great. She was deeply concerned for him and for her sister, and she felt an overwhelming urge to consult her cards again.
“Andrew,” she said. “Josephine is stronger than you know. She can take care of herself.”
His face clouded over and she felt a chill run through her. He looked as if he were about to reply, but it faded from his lips. He took the next step.
“I know,” he said softly, then descended the stairs. “But I am stronger than she is. And I will prove it.”
Justine stared at the empty stairwell for a moment, wondering if she would ever see Andrew or Josephine again.
The cards beckoned her and she complied.
*
Andrew marched boldly towards the keep entry, with his boots clacking loudly on the stone. He was exhausted, and his arm was seeping, but he had never felt so alert or fortified. Outside, it was damp and foggy, with the sun turning the fog from gray to white.
He met Thane and Etienne in the outer bailey. Etienne’s left hand was heavily bandaged, Andrew noticed, but he was too preoccupied to ask about it.
“Lady Josephine is not to be found,” Thane spoke before Andrew could. “The men are scouring the battlefield now in search of her… body.”
“She will not be there,” Andrew said, removing his gauntlets from his boot cuff and pulling them on.
Thane and Etienne looked at each other curiously, then back at Andrew. “You found her?” Thane asked. “She was in the keep?”
Andrew pushed past them. “Nay, she was not,” he said. “The king took her with him when he left. I am going to retrieve her.”
Thane and Etienne were rushing after him. Thane grabbed his arm, something he would never have done given a normal situation.
“Are you mad?” he hissed. “You cannot go alone!”
“He will not be alone,” came a voice from behind them. Sully walked up, calmly straightening and pulling at his mail coat that had tattered during the battle. “I am going with him.”
Andrew looked at Sully and knew instantly that Justine had rushed to him and spilled the entire story.
“I go alone, Sully,” Andrew said. “I must.”
Sully pushed between Etienne and Thane, his eyes boring into Andrew, and Andrew could see that he had a fight on his hands. He knew how close Sully and Josephine were, and he knew Sully was as loyal to her as a priest was loyal to God.
“Sully,” he said slowly. “This is something that I must do alone. You know why.”
Sully would not be dissuaded. “All I know is that wily bastard has taken Josephine and I shall assist you in your vengeance.”
“He has taken her to my brother,” Andrew countered. “And vengeance is mine. Stay here with your wife and protect your castle. I need no assistance.”
Sully sighed heavily and cleared his throat. “But you may,” he said. “And if you do, I shall be there. If you do not, then only time has been wasted on my part. I am going, like it or not.”
“But what of Torridon?” Andrew asked. “It is in pieces. Who will supervise the rebuild?”
Sully pointed to Etienne. “I have many competent men to oversee things,” he said. “Torridon will be well-tended until I return.”
It seemed there wasn’t anything more to say. Andrew continued to stare him down, his jaw flexing. He had no time for this and he knew no amount of arguing would change Sully’s mind. He looked at Thane.
“Prepare my horse,” he growled. “And prepare Sully’s as well.”
Sully knew that he was going to be accompanying him all along and did not react outwardly. But Andrew glared at him as Thane and Etienne headed for the burned-out stables.
“Do not get in my way, Montgomery,” he growled, and walked away.
Sully knew he was hurting, but he wondered if Andrew’s desire to kill his brother was greater than his love for Josephine. Sully was going along to make sure, in any case, that Josephine came back to Torridon. He feared Andrew’s true motive and wondered if Josephine would suffer if she got in his way.
*
They wasted no time.
Within the hour, Andrew and Sully were both on the road heading north, with their destriers kicking up round clumps of soggy earth as they jogged down the dirt road. Both men had been silent since they left the fortress, their minds elsewhere. The tension between them was tangible, however, until Sully finally broke the silence.
“Do you think the king will keep her at Edinburgh Castle for a while before taking her to Haldane?” he asked, looking across the moor.
Andrew pretended to be interested in the countryside as well. “Mayhap,” he said. “I am counting on the fact that the king’s lust for Josephine will keep her at the castle for at least a day, long enough for him to try to violate her. We can find her and shadow her on her ride to Haldane.”
“Why not kidnap her on the road to Haldane?” Sully asked. “That is where she will be most vulnerable.”
Andrew didn’t reply for a moment. “Because I have to go to Haldane if I am to kill my brother,” he said finally.
“Damnation, Andrew!” Sully exploded quietly. “Your obsession with killing your brother has blinded you to what is really going on. Josephine is in peril and all you can talk of is the murder of a man you haven’t seen in nineteen years. Tell me – what is most important to you? Killing your brother or getting Josephine back?”
Instead of fighting back, as Sully expected, Andrew looked at him with such pain and anguish in his eyes that Sully was instantly sorry that he had ever doubted the man’s motives. Everything he needed to know was written across Andrew’s face.
“You have no idea as to what my brother is like,” he said quietly. “If the devil was mortal, he would be Alphonse. He was born vile; even as a child he was feared and hated. He came to the earldom only because he was the eldest. I sincerely believe that before his death, my father was plotting to kill my brother.”
It was rather shocking information. Sully didn’t reply as they plodded along the road, understanding now that Andrew felt he was performing a service more than fulfilling a personal obsession by ridding the world of his brother. He was coming to suspect that his reasons were not self-centered, as Sully had believed.
“And this is the man who holds your family’s legacy?” he asked.
Andrew nodded, wiping exhaustedly at his eyes. “I have always believed that it was my duty to kill him,” he said. “The man has caused so much pain and suffering that I would kill him as an apology to all of Scotland and England, sorry that the evil seed fell into power. My family is old, Sully. We’ve always been one of the most respected families in England, until Alphonse. He’s all but destroyed everything every generation of d’Vants has worked hard for. I have to rid the world of him.”
“But what of Josephine?” Sully asked quietly.
Andrew laughed softly, ironically, and shook his head. “All of my life, I have been an avid opponent to love and marriage. Love, as I knew it, only held pain. Thane fell in love with a woman once, and I made him choose between her and my army.” His smile faded and his eyes took on a distant look. “And then I came to Torridon, looking forward to a high-paying job, and I was confronted by the most exquisite woman who has ever walked the face of the earth. I experienced feelings I have never had before, and they scared me. I thought they would somehow weaken me. But once I gave into it and allowed myself to love her, I realized that I am stronger than I have ever been. I cannot put into words my feelings for her. To think of my brother, or anyone else, touching her fills me with the rage of the devil. In answer to your question, she is my primary concern, and will always be. But I must kill my brother.”
Sully understood everything now. He looked at Andrew warmly.
“As I stated earlier, I shall assist you,” he said. “Until I die, I shall assist you always. Any man who can win Josephine’s heart and hold it with the highest regard shall always have my respect.”
Andrew smiled faintly. “And you have mine, my friend.”
The storm between them had passed and now they rode together in companionable silence. The road ahead was long and uncertain, and their minds were far into the future.
They would rescue Josephine or die trying.