CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
At some point, Andrew realized he was staring up at an old, cracked ceiling.
He didn’t know how long he’d been staring at it but, at some point, it occurred to him that he was, indeed, looking at it. The ceiling was low, attached to walls that were equally crumbling and cracked, and as he turned his head, he could see the floor that was piled high with old, moldy hay.
And the smell – it smelled heavily of urine in the chamber. It made his nose twitch, but the twitching nose pulled at his mouth and made him realize that he was gagged. When he tried to move, he was also bound hand-and-foot, tied to the bed. The only thing he seemed to be able to move freely was his head, and he looked around, noticing that he was tied up on a bed frame. He had no idea how he got here.
There was some disorientation with that thought. Plus, his head was killing him. It throbbed as if he’d been on a week-long drinking binge and the stale air in the chamber wasn’t helping. There was a window cut into one wall, but it was covered with a dark oiled cloth that had holes in it. He could see daylight streaming in from the holes and, beyond the window, he could hear noise that sounded like a busy city.
God Bones, he had no idea where he was, how he got here, or even what day it was. He thought back to his very last coherent memory and he could recall leaving Edinburgh after seeing Josephine. He could also recall his encounter with Ridge de Reyne. Then, he came back to the tavern, but after that… nothing.
Clearly, something terrible had happened if he was tied up in a small room with a gag in his mouth. He didn’t even remember the fight that put him here. Maybe that was why his head was hurting so badly. Someone, or something, must have hit him in the head.
But that was all he knew.
So, he lay there, staring at the ceiling, realizing that he had to piss very badly. Along with the aching head, it was a most uncomfortable feeling and the minutes passed as he lay there, wondering if he should simply piss his pants and be done with it. He had no idea if he’d been left here to rot, or if someone was returning for him. Minutes turned into hours. At least, it felt like hours. As Andrew lay there and seriously considered his next move, the door to the chamber shoved open and someone entered.
Esme appeared in his line of sight and he looked at her with some shock. He knew his reaction must have appeared in his eyes because she looked at him with equal shock. Then, she smiled thinly.
“Are ye finally awake, then?” she said. “I’ve been wondering if ye ever would.”
Andrew didn’t answer; he couldn’t with the gag in his mouth. Esme bent over him, her big bosom spilling out of her bodice and the rank scent of her body odor filling his nostrils.
“Can ye understand me?” she asked. “Or did the knock on yer head scatter yer brains?”
He stared at her for a moment before nodding, wondering what in the hell was going on. Nothing was making any sense and Esme wasn’t someone he was particularly glad to see.
“I’m sure ye’re wondering what ye’re doing here,” Esme said, reaching out to untie the gag. “If I remove this, ye must promise not to shout. Otherwise, I’ll keep it on for good.”
Andrew was quickly coming to realize that Esme had something to do with his circumstances. Until he could figure out what, exactly, was going on, he’d have to play along with her. He spit out the gag as she pulled it away.
“Now,” she said. “It seems that I have ye where I want ye. ’Tis yer own fault, ye know.”
Andrew licked his dry lips; his tongue, everything was dry. He struggled to speak. “What happened?” he asked hoarsely. “Where am I?”
Esme only smiled, but it wasn’t a warm or humorous smile. It was something decidedly hard. “I’m going to keep ye,” she said firmly. “Ye toyed with me, Andrew, and that wasn’t right. Ye should never have used me as ye did. I have every right to seek vengeance for having been wronged.”
So that’s what this was all about? She felt used because he’d seduced her to gain information? There was no use in denying it because he had, but he didn’t think she’d taken it so seriously. Evidently, he was wrong.
“What did I do that was so heinous?” he said, playing somewhat dumb. “For whatever I did, I am very sorry.”
Esme cocked her head, her lustful gaze moving up and down his long body. She reached out a hand, laying it gently on his groin.
“Ye had yer way with me and then ye wouldn’t speak to me,” she said, beginning to rub his crotch through his leather breeches. “This is all I wanted and ye wouldn’t give it to me. Now, ye’re going to. And I will have it any time I want it.”
Andrew’s mind was working quickly. So she wanted a slave for sex, did she? Even now she was rubbing his groin and it wouldn’t be long before, physiologically, he started to respond to her. He wouldn’t be able to help it. Tied up as he was, she could remove his breeches and mount him, and he wouldn’t be able to stop her. He’d already tugged on the ropes that bound him and they were strong. He didn’t want to have intercourse with the woman, so he had to think quickly.
“Is that what you think?” he asked as if incredulous. “That I would not speak to you any longer? Why, that is not true. I have simply been very busy on business for the king. I have not had time for anyone or anything other than my duties. I was not ignoring you in the least.”
Esme’s expression changed somewhat, doubtful of his words. “I tried to talk to ye, but ye would run off when ye saw me!”
“Because I had no time to talk,” he said, knowing that if he was going to save himself, he would have to speak sweetly to her like he did the first time he met her. She was stupid and pliable. “Esme, my love, it had nothing to do with not wanting to talk to you. I had planned to return to you when my business was done. But now you may have ruined those chances. I have business for the king that cannot wait, and I must return to him. How long have you kept me here?”
A spark of uncertainty flashed in Esme’s eyes. She was becoming increasingly uncertain. “I brought ye here,” she said. “When ye returned to yer room that night, two of my stable servants were waiting. They hit ye over the head and brought ye here.”
“Where is here? Esme, you must untie me. I must return to the king.”
Esme stood up from the bed, confusion clouding her face. Clearly, she was mulling over his words.
“Then why did ye ignore me so?” she demanded. “Why did ye not tell me ye intended to return to me?”
He feigned exasperation, which wasn’t so much feigned as it was real. He was truly exasperated with the situation.
“Because I did not have the time,” he insisted. “Had I known you felt this way, I would have made the time, but I did not know. And you… you abducted me because of it? Untie me this instant, Esme. If I do not return to the king, he… he will think I have abandoned him. He will send men out to execute me. Is that what you want?”
Esme was quite distressed over the situation now. Had she done wrong? She was a bold woman, but she wasn’t a smart one. She had no idea that Andrew was giving her an untrue story simply to get her to untie his bindings. He seemed so very sincere and, being that she lusted after him, she was willing to believe everything he told her.
“Then… then ye will not leave me?” she asked.
He shook his aching head. “I will not,” he said firmly. “I told you I will return when my business is finished, and I will. Untie me!”
Esme sighed heavily, feeling scolded and sad. After a brief hesitation, she moved timidly to the bed, pulling a small dirk from the belt at her waist to cut off the bindings. Andrew felt the first one fall away with the greatest of relief.
“All of them, love,” he told her with as much gentleness as he could manage. “Now, tell me how long I have been here.”
Esme cut the bindings from the left wrist and bent over to cut them from the right. “Three days.”
That brought a strong reaction from Andrew. “Three days?”
She nodded. “My men hit ye very hard,” she said. “I did not know if ye’d ever awaken.”
No wonder his head was killing him and he felt groggy. He probably had a broken skull on top of everything. As the bindings fell away, he realized his arms were numb from having been tied up over his head and he struggled to bring some feeling back into them. As Esme went to cut away the bindings on his legs, he sat up, very slowly, and noticed his possessions were crammed into the corner of the chamber. He even saw his broadsword propped in the corner, but what he didn’t see was Demon Slayer.
“Did you bring all of my possessions in here?” he asked as he rubbed at his wrists, trying to bring the blood back into them.
Esme nodded. “Everything that was in the chamber.”
Not everything, he thought. “Is it all there? My coinage and everything?”
Guiltily, she shook her head. “I gave some of it to my stable servants for helping me,” she said. “I gave them some coinage for keeping their mouths shut.”
It seemed to Andrew that she intended to keep him here, as a prisoner, for a very long time. As the last binding fell away, he swung his big legs over the side of the bed and sat there, trying to orient himself.
“Three days,” he muttered. God, he was in a panic to get out of there and make it to Josephine. Given how long he’d been away, she surely must have thought he’d run off and left her. “Where am I, Esme?”
She stood over him, looking worried. “At the inn,” she said. “This is a room the servants sometimes use to sleep in. Are ye angry with me, love? I wasn’t trying to be cruel, but ye wouldn’t speak to me… I wanted so very much to talk to ye.”
Was he angry? Of course he was. He was damn frantic and furious. But he was afraid if he demonstrated any of that, she’d call her stable servants or whoever happened to be in ear shot and he’d have a fight on his hands that he wasn’t in any shape for. He wanted to get to his former room and see if Demon Slayer was still where he left it, and then he needed to get to Josephine. It made him sick to think of what could have happened to her in three days. But instead of snapping at the woman, he forced a smile.
“Nay,” he said, reaching out to touch her hand. “I am not angry. But I must get to the king and try to explain why I have been missing for so long.”
He stood up unsteadily with Esme beside him, wringing her hands with worry. “But ye’ll return to me after?”
He nodded, almost throwing himself off-balance as he did. “I will return to you.”
“Promise?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I said I would. You will not doubt my word.”
Esme watched him nervously as he went to the corner and picked up his belongings, both saddlebags, another satchel, and his sword. For a man she’d fought so hard to abduct, she was letting him go rather easily, mostly because he was promising to return to her. She did so very much want his favor. As she watched, he started to look around as if missing something.
“Where is my mail?” he asked. “My mail was in that chamber. Where is it?”
Esme sighed heavily. “The stable servants…”
“They took it?”
She nodded.
He pointed to the door. “Go,” he commanded softly. “Get it back. I need it. I will meet you in front of the inn.”
Esme didn’t hesitate. She scooted from the chamber as Andrew lumbered out behind her, incredibly frustrated with what had happened. His head was killing him and he put a hand to it, feeling a massive lump on the right side of his head. Even after three days, it was still big and sore. No wonder he’d been unconscious for so long.
They were on the ground floor of the inn and heading straight into the kitchens from the little back chamber, where kitchen servants and wenches were looking at Andrew rather fearfully. The last time they saw the man, he was being carried between two of the big, burly stable servants.
But Andrew ignored them. He needed to make it to his former chamber. As Esme headed from the rear of the kitchens and out to the stable yard beyond, he made his way through the common room, which was half-full of patrons, and headed up the stairs to the level above.
There were three doors on this level and a sleeping loft. He and Sully had rented the room facing the street, and he went to the door and gave a shove, only to find that it was bolted from the other side. Stepping back, Andrew lashed out a big foot and kicked the door in, sending splinters of wood exploding.
Someone inside the chamber screamed, a woman’s scream, and he stepped in to find a man on his back while the woman was on top of him, his body embedded in hers. It was one of the many whores who called the inn home, making her money for the day, but Andrew ignore both her and her customer as he went to the bed nearest him, shoved up against the wall, and pulled up the mattress. He could immediately feel some weight to it and he knew Demon Slayer was still where he left it. He breathed a sigh of relief.
There was the cut in the mattress he’d made, and he dug his hand into it, feeling the end of hilt of Demon Slayer. Digging deeper into the mattress, he got a grip on the sword and the sheath, and drew them out. Straw from the mattress fell all over the floor, chaff floating in the still air of the chamber. He blew bits of straw off of the sheath, brushing at it, cleaning it up as he headed to the door, which wouldn’t close now that he’d kicked it in. But he didn’t care; he blew from the room without saying one word to the two occupants.
Rushing down the rickety stairs and through the common room, he emerged into the street beyond, a street he had become very familiar with. His attention immediately moved to the road that headed up to the castle gates, and the road was dotted with people, which told Andrew that it was sometime in the afternoon. By the location of the sun and the dampness of the air, he guessed it that a fog was rolling in as sunset approached, and he began to look around frantically for Esme. He needed his mail, but he didn’t want to wait around for it. He needed to get to the castle.
He was desperate to get to Josephine.
He waited all of two minutes before he began to walk, wondering how he was going to get through the gates without his apple man disguise, but it couldn’t be helped. Sully was inside the castle, presumably, so perhaps if he said he was with the party from Torridon, they might let him in.
As he quickly headed up the incline of the road, he passed by a man who was wearing a heavy cloak, long, with a hood to it, and he yanked it off the man as he continued to walk, slinging it up over his shoulders and pulling the hood up over his head. The man yelled his protest, but Andrew ignored him. He wanted to conceal his features somewhat and remain as incognito as possible, but he truly wondered if that was going to work. He probably should have thought his approach out better, but his urgency to see Josephine was clouding his judgement.
He could only pray.
Getting through the portcullis gate wasn’t difficult because all of the guards were over talking to two women, who were heavily flirting with them. Andrew was able to slip in and practically run up to the second gate, which posed more of a problem. There weren’t many people at that gate, but there were many guards, and Andrew knew he was going to have to make his story good or they would not let him in. Then, he’d have to try again in the morning with the apple man disguise. As he approached the gate, two guards approached him.
“Name!” one of them boomed.
Andrew came to a halt, holding up his hands to show he wasn’t holding a weapon. “I am with Lord Montgomery’s party from Torridon Castle,” he said. “The name is d’Vant. If you will ask Lord Montgomery, he is expecting me.”
The two sentries looked at him suspiciously, but a third sentry had heard him. He was an older man and he walked up to Andrew, peering at him curiously.
“Yer name is d’Vant?” he asked.
Andrew was certain his answer was about to get him in a good deal of trouble. He didn’t like the way the man was looking at him, but it was too late to lie about it now. With regret, he nodded his head.
“Aye.”
The older sentry’s gaze lingered on him a moment before he lifted his hand and motioned to him. “Come with me.”
Andrew did, quite certain he was about to be arrested. He followed the sentry through the second gatehouse as the two of them headed up the hill and into the main part of the castle. Andrew thought it was rather odd that the man didn’t arrest him immediately. Instead, he was clearly taking him somewhere, but all Andrew could think of was running off and finding Josephine.
But he didn’t run, mostly because he was fairly certain he couldn’t outrun or successfully hide from soldiers who knew the castle grounds. Besides… he wasn’t in any shape to run. He felt horrible with his throbbing head and lurching stomach, and something made him stick to the man who was in the lead. There was something decidedly strange about the man who hadn’t arrested him right away, and that had him curious.
When they reached the bailey where the ground leveled out and the garden Andrew knew so well was off to the east, tucked up against an outcropping of rocks, the older sentry turned to him.
“Ye’re Andrew d’Vant?” he asked.
Andrew nodded. “I am.”
“De Reyne has been looking for ye,” the sentry said quietly. “He said that if ye showed yerself, I was to bring ye to him.”
Well, at least he wasn’t going to be taken to the dungeons, at least not yet. Andrew simply nodded, and the man continued on to a big stone building that was directly in front of them. It was two-storied, with small windows, and soldiers seemed to be coming in and out of it. As Andrew and the older sentry approached, the sentry called out to those who were milling around the building’s entry.
“Do ye know where de Reyne is?” he asked.
One of the men pointed to the collection of buildings, including the great hall. “I saw him go that a-way!”
The older sentry turned in the direction of the great hall and began to run. Andrew picked up the pace and ran after him. They ran all the way to the great hall, entering the structure that was being prepared for the evening meal.
“There!” the sentry said, pointing.
Andrew caught sight of Ridge over near another door. There was no mistaking de Reyne’s sheer size, so the sentry began to run with Andrew right along with him. They ran across the hall, through the door that de Reyne had disappeared into, and out into a small courtyard.
“De Reyne!” the sentry shouted.
Ridge was about to enter another building attached to the courtyard on his way to join the king before the man went to dinner. He came to a halt at the sound of his name, turning to see a sentry over near the great hall door. But that wasn’t all he saw. He also saw Andrew standing there, looking haggard and pale, carrying baggage and dressed in a dirty cloak. His eyes widened as he rushed towards Andrew.
“D’Vant,” he hissed. “Where in the hell have you been? We’ve been looking for you for three days!”
Andrew sighed heavily, raking his hand through his dirty hair. “You would not believe it,” he said. “A wench at the inn where I rented a room decided I wasn’t paying her enough attention and decided to abduct me. I’ve been unconscious for three days, tied to a bed, and only just managed to escape.”
“What?” Ridge exclaimed softly. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly serious. Where is Josephine?”
Ridge lifted his eyebrows at the rather wild story but, given Andrew’s pale appearance, he believed it. But he dismissed the older sentry before answering, sending the man for Sully and telling him to have the man come to the king’s chambers. When the sentry rushed off to carry out the orders, Ridge eyed Andrew.
“Come with me,” he muttered. “There is much to discuss.”
Andrew didn’t like the look on his face. He grabbed hold of the man’s arm before he could enter the building.
“Please, de Reyne,” he begged quietly. “Where is Josephine? Is she well?”
Ridge could see the panic in Andrew’s eyes. He didn’t think he would have to be the one to tell Andrew what had happened to Josephine, but there was no other choice. He had to be the one to deliver the bad news.
“Blackbank took her,” he said, lowering his voice. “They left last night for Haldane Castle. You were not here, d’Vant; you do not know what a nightmare it was with Blackbank. He became ragingly drunk at the feast last night and we had to forcibly separate him from Lady Josephine. Whilst she was safe in her room, the man went on the rampage and bedded a servant girl, killing her. I was guarding Lady Josephine’s door and when I left to search for you, Blackbank broke down her door and killed Nicholas de Londres, who was in the chamber with her as protection. It was a slaughter; as if a lamb went up against a lion. Nicholas never stood a chance.”
Andrew almost couldn’t take what he was hearing; his aching head was now spinning as he slumped back against the doorjamb, looking at Ridge with horror.
“God, no,” he hissed. “Tell me he did not hurt her.”
Ridge shook his head quickly. “Strangely enough, he did not,” he said. “After the king discovered that Blackbank had murdered de Londres, he tried to break the betrothal but Blackbank would not hear of it. He threatened to raze the castle if we tried to break the bargain, so Lady Josephine insisted she go with him. That is why we have been looking for you; the king wishes to speak with you.”
Andrew almost couldn’t function. He was so shocked and horrified at what he’d been told that he could barely move, but he forced himself to, following Ridge as they went to the king’s chambers. They were in the more lavish part of the castle at this point, but Andrew didn’t notice. He didn’t notice the polished floors, the tapestries, the arched doorways made from carved wood. When Ridge came to a halt and knocked softly on a door, it was opened from within.
Ridge and Andrew stepped into the king’s chambers as the man was dressing for the feast. He was standing in front of two polished bronze mirrors, looking at himself as his chamberlain dressed him in fine silks. At first, he caught sight of Ridge but when he also caught sight of Andrew, he spun around and nearly knocked his chamberlain down. His eyes were wide with surprise.
“D’Vant!” he gasped. “You have returned!”
Andrew was feeling weak and exhausted, with his throbbing head. But he stood tall as he faced the king, the man who had altered the course of his life. It was difficult to look at the man and not hate him.
“Aye, my lord,” he said. “I am here.”
Alexander came towards him, seemingly greatly concerned. “What happened?” he asked. “Where did you go?”
Andrew sighed heavily, realizing that he was going to have to repeat his story, but Ridge spoke for him.
“It would seem that d’Vant was abducted by an admirer,” he said. “A woman knocked him unconscious and has held him for the past three days. He has only just managed to escape. I told him what became of Lady Josephine and I told him that you wished to speak with him, but I did not tell him why.”
Alexander looked at Andrew with the same surprise Ridge had displayed when he’d been informed of the abduction by a woman. “That is astonishing,” the king said. “Was she beautiful, at least?”
Andrew shook his head, slowly and painfully. “She was not,” he said, dropping his saddlebags and satchel where he stood. He simply couldn’t hold them any longer. He rubbed at the lump on the side of his head. “It is a long and ridiculous story, but I have a bump on the side of my head to prove it. And I would be eternally grateful for any wine and food you could provide me. At the moment, I am not feeling particularly well.”
Ridge began barking orders to servants, who fled to carry out his bidding. Alexander grasped Andrew by the arm and pulled him over to a chair that was near the blazing hearth. Andrew sat heavily in the chair as William Ward, who had been in the chamber and had heard the entire conversation, brought forth a cup of the king’s own wine for the injured man. Alexander snatched it from him and gave it over to Andrew himself.
“Drink,” he said. “It is a fine Madeira, something I keep only for myself. It will fortify you.”
Andrew drank the entire cup and Ward appeared with the pitcher, filling it up again. He took another long drink, smacking his lips as he looked up at Alexander, wondering why the man was being so nice to him. He was suspicious.
“So my brother took Josephine,” he said to the king. “Ridge told me what happened.”
Alexander nodded, taking the chair opposite Andrew. “Aye,” he said, rather subdued. “He took her.”
“Last night?”
“Aye,” Alexander said. Then, he hesitated before continuing. “If it means anything to you, d’Vant, I am sorry for all of this. I truly believed I was making a strong alliance with a powerful border lord when I betrothed Josephine to him. I have known Alphonse for years and, although the man has always been brutal, I suppose I did not realize just how brutal he was. He killed my nephew and the man wasn’t even armed.”
“I know.”
Alexander sat forward in the chair, watching Andrew closely as he drained his second cup of wine. He sensed the man’s defensiveness, perhaps even his hostility. Not that he expected otherwise.
“You do not forgive me, and I do not blame you, but I want you to listen to me,” he said, his voice earnest. “When I realized that I had made a mistake, I tried to break the betrothal, Lady Josephine would not let me. She told me to let her go because she knew you would come for her. She said she knew you would kill your brother, which would serve justice to you and to me. You would have your revenge against your brother, and Nicholas would see justice.”
Ridge appeared at Andrew’s side, pulling the wine cup from his hand and replacing it with a hunk of bread that had meat and cheese embedded in it. Andrew took an enormous bite, chewing slowly. It hurt his head even to chew. But he managed to swallow before answering.
“I will have my vengeance regardless,” he said. “I gather from this conversation that Josephine told you I had come to Edinburgh.”
“She did.”
“Then mayhap she did not tell you that what I do, I do for myself. It has nothing to do with your nephew. My vengeance against my brother is my own.”
The king sighed heavily, sitting back in his chair. “I want justice for my nephew,” he said. “You want vengeance, as you say, for yourself. And what of Josephine? Do you not want vengeance for her as well, for the fact that your brother has taken her from you?”
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “You took Josephine from me,” he said frankly. “You ordered de Reyne to abduct her and bring her to Edinburgh. When I figured out what had happened, I followed. Sully and I have been skulking around Edinburgh for days, avoiding being seen, trying to avoid being arrested because I knew if you saw me, you would have me thrown in the dungeons. And now you want my help because the contract you brokered has spiraled out of control? You did this to her. This is all your fault.”
He was rather emotional and Alexander understood why. The man had been through an ordeal, now with an added head injury, and nothing he said was untrue. Therefore, Alexander wasn’t truly offended, but he was greatly remorseful.
“And so, it is my fault,” he said, feeling scolded. “I said I was sorry. You do not need to accept that apology, but I said it just the same. The important thing is that you go after Josephine. She has been with Blackbank since last night. And without anyone to prevent him from having his way with her, there is no telling what has happened. When will you go after her?”
Andrew didn’t like the thought of that at all. All thoughts of vengeance aside, the very real issue was that Josephine was with his brother, unprotected. He put the food aside and stood up, weaving unsteadily.
“I am going now,” he said. “My horse is in the livery down by the tavern where I almost ended up a permanent resident. As soon as I collect my horse, I will be heading south to Haldane. My brother brought an entire contingent with him, which means he will be traveling at a slower pace. I cannot catch up to him before he reaches Haldane, but I will make haste to reach it as quickly as I can. If I move swiftly, I should not be too far behind them.”
That was what Alexander wanted to hear. He leapt to his feet. “I will provide you anything you need,” he said. “In fact, I will send Ridge with you. If you run into trouble against your brother, he can be of some assistance.”
Andrew looked at Ridge, remembering what he’d said to the man the night he’d disappeared. He knew that Ridge was sympathetic to Josephine’s situation. You said that you owed Josephine a debt. If, for some reason, I am killed instead of my brother, then I ask you to honor that debt.
Aye, Andrew remembered what he’d said, very well. In that context, he was willing to let Ridge come with him because if something happened to him, he needed someone to take Josephine and get her to safety.
Ridge was that man.
“He is welcome,” he said, still looking at Ridge. “Are you ready to ride tonight?”
Ridge nodded. “I am ready when you are.”
Andrew sensed a strong ally in Ridge de Reyne. Strangely enough, he also sensed one in Alexander, who’d had a shocking change of heart. He seemed genuinely concerned for Josephine. But Andrew couldn’t dwell on the king’s guilt. In truth, he didn’t really believe it. If given the choice again, he was sure the man would do the very same thing, whatever was necessary to form an alliance for his crown.
“Then we shall depart immediately,” Andrew said, moving to the spot where he’d dropped his saddlebags. “I fear we will have to stop at Torridon on our way south so that I may retrieve my heavy battle armor. I do not intend to go up against my brother without it.”
Ridge and Alexander were following him to the door. “Torridon is not too far out of the way,” the king said. “In fact, it is along the road you must take south.”
Andrew heaved his saddlebags onto his shoulder, reaching down to pick up both of his broadswords. “It is not exactly on the road, but it is not too far from it,” he said. “The delay shall be minimal.”
He was just turning for the chamber door when the panel suddenly opened, spilling forth Sully and Donald. Sully’s eyes widened when he saw Andrew.
“God’s Bones!” he hissed. “You are alive! Where have you been?”
Andrew didn’t want to take the time to repeat his story. He was in a great hurry. “In a siren’s lair,” he muttered. When Sully’s features screwed up with confusion, he went to the man and put a brotherly arm on his shoulder. “I will tell you on the way. We are going to Haldane.”
Things were moving swiftly but Sully was ready. He’d already had the conversation with the king about saving Josephine, so he already knew the situation, for the most part. He also knew that they had an ally in Alexander, at least for the moment, with everyone wanting the same outcome – justice for Nicholas, safety for Josephine.
But the key factor in all of it had been Andrew, who had been missing up until that very moment. Sully didn’t know why Andrew had been missing, but he intended to find out as they headed off to rescue Josephine.
“I am going with you,” Sully said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Let me gather my things and meet you in the gatehouse.”
“I am going, too,” Donald announced. He had been devastated over Nicholas’ death and Josephine’s situation and, perhaps, even more than Andrew, had visions of vengeance on his mind. “I will meet ye at the gatehouse!”
He raced out of the chamber, well ahead of Sully, who was close on his heels. Andrew and Ridge were nearly through the door when Alexander called out to them. They paused, but the king was looking mostly at Andrew.
“I know I should not wish you luck in killing a man, but I will do just that,” he said seriously. “When you kill your brother and marry my cousin, I hope you will consider forgiving a man for making a bad decision. I could not admit that until now. And I should look forward to a strong new alliance with the new Earl of Annan and Blackbank.”
Andrew could see that the man was sincere. Or, at least he thought he was sincere. But it would be good to have an alliance with the king, someone he could depend on in the greater scheme of things. A man who would be his cousin through his wife.
… his wife.
God, even thinking that was like music to his ears. But there would be no wife unless he got the hell out of Edinburgh, immediately.
“I believe we can have a strong alliance, my lord,” he said. “And when I kill my brother, it is possible that I will mention Nicholas’ name. Josephine was fond of the lad.”
Alexander nodded, his mood melancholy. “As was I.”
Andrew could see the emotion in the man’s face, shocking for the king he thought to be foolish and weak. He didn’t see that in him at the moment.
“I will not fail, I swear it.”
With that, he was gone, followed by Ridge. Alexander went to stand in the doorway, watching the two enormously powerful men moving down the corridor amongst the flickering torches. It was a surreal scene, as if they were both descending into the darkness.
The darkness of vengeance.
“I hope that is not the last we will see of either of them,” William Ward said over his shoulder.
Alexander turned to look at his chancellor. He came into the room, pondering that very thing.
“Somehow,” he said slowly, “I do not think that will be the last time. D’Vant is led by love, I think. He speaks of vengeance, but when he speaks of Josephine, all I can see in his face is his love for her. When one is led by love, failure is not possible.”
With that, he went back to his chamberlain as the man needed to finish dressing him, leaving William standing there, pondering his words.
When one is led by love, failure is not possible.
God, he hoped so.