by Darcy Burke
Septon wiped a hand over his mouth. The lines etched into his aged face deepened. He sank down onto the settee. “He committed all of those acts?”
Elijah registered the man’s reaction and recalled that his paramour, Lady Stratton, was Kersey’s mother. Did Septon have a close relationship with Kersey? Elijah didn’t imagine so, given that Lady Stratton had apparently abandoned her son to be with Septon. “Not personally. I can’t prove that he was one of the highwaymen we encountered or if he was in the group at Harlech, since they were all masked.”
“Then how do you know Kersey is responsible?” Cate’s father stepped toward Septon and clapped him on the shoulder while he asked Elijah the question. Mrs. Bowen went around and sat beside Septon. She rested her hand along his forearm. Their behavior was that of a family. Elijah had never felt more alone. And that only increased his ire.
Elijah needed them to understand everything Kersey had done. “He’s been after the sword all along—he and his band of mask-wearing miscreants. I can say with certainty that the men with him at Kentchurch were the same men who held up Cate’s coach and attacked us at Harlech. They shot Cate’s maid, for heaven’s sake.”
Bowen snapped his gaze to Elijah’s. “Is she all right?”
“She will be, but her leg is wounded. She and my valet were forced to stay in Harlech so she could recuperate. That is why Cate and I are alone.”
“You reference my daughter by her first name,” Bowen said, his tone darkening. He and his wife exchanged concerned looks. “Do I need to be aware of something?”
Elijah’s gut tightened. He was suddenly uncomfortably aware that he’d known their daughter in the most intimate of ways, and that he had no intention of doing anything about it. Christ, he was an utter scoundrel. “You do not.” He barely gritted the words out. “It’s true that we’ve become . . . familiar on our travels, but not in the way you might suspect.” The lie burned his tongue. But what could he do? Admitting anything would require they marry and even if he wanted to, she didn’t.
“Kersey shot Cate’s maid?” Septon asked, his voice high and thin.
“As I indicated, I can’t say for sure, as they were masked,” Elijah said. “At the very least, the man responsible was in Kersey’s employ.”
Septon hung his head. “I can scarcely believe any of this. I know Kersey has been troubled—and I blame myself—but I never imagined he could be capable of such violence, or such greed.”
Elijah’s lip curled. “Believe it. I need to find him.”
“To recover the sword?” Bowen asked.
“Yes.” And to ensure he suffers for killing my brother. Elijah didn’t say the last. He needed their help to find Kersey, and if they knew what he planned, he suspected they wouldn’t give it. “Do you have any idea where he might’ve gone?”
Mrs. Bowen looked at first her husband and then at Septon. “He wouldn’t go back to Stratton Hall, would he?”
Septon shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. But I do have an idea.” He exhaled, sounding weary. His complexion looked gray, which, coupled with his gray hair and gray eyes, made him look completely listless, as if the very life were being sucked out of him. “There have been rumors of a faction forming within the Order.” He looked at Bowen. “Timothy Foliot seeks to be the next Prime Chevalier”—he glanced at Elijah—“that is, the Order’s highest office. I knew he was ambitious, and I’ve begun to suspect that he might resurrect Camelot.”
Bowen crossed his arms over his chest. “Camelot is the group that seeks to find all Arthurian artifacts and return them to their rightful owners and it’s made up of the heirs of the knights, yes?”
Septon nodded. “They’ve cropped up now and again over the centuries. They always seek to ‘cleanse’ the Order, to rid it of anyone who isn’t a direct descendant of the knights. And their primary goal is to find every artifact. Dyrnwyn would be high on their list.”
“You think Kersey is part of this Camelot group?” Mrs. Bowen asked.
“It pains me to say so, but it makes sense, especially if he was vague about being part of the Order.” He massaged his temple. “I also remember seeing him with Foliot once. It was a year or more ago—at a party. They were at the faro table together. I didn’t think anything of it, but now it seems quite dubious.”
Elijah didn’t really care about any of this nonsense regarding the Order. He only cared about the sword because Cate wanted it. Cate deserved it. And he’d get it for her—sending Kersey to his grave in the process. He moved to stand in front of Septon. “Where is Kersey?”
Septon looked up at him, his gray eyes full of remorse. “I’m afraid I can’t say.”
Elijah’s temper snapped. He prided himself on his control and objectivity, both of which he’d honed in the military. However, in this moment, his ability to see past his hurt and rage was nonexistent. “The hell you can’t. Tell me where he is.”
“Lord Norris, there’s no call to be rude,” Margery said softly. She stood from the settee and fixed him with a stare that reminded him too uncomfortably of Cate.
Septon held up his hand briefly. “It’s all right. He lost his brother, Margery. And his own life has been endangered several times. Furthermore, Cate’s life was endangered. If they injured her maid, it is only by the grace of God that Cate is safe.”
“It wasn’t God, it was me,” Elijah bit out. “I have kept her safe and I will continue to do so.” He realized his mistake as soon as he said it. Both of her parents looked at him with new interest. He ignored the unease swirling in his gut and plowed onward. “Tell me where Kersey is. I will retrieve the sword and ensure he doesn’t hurt anyone again.”
“That sounds ominous,” Rhys said.
“He can’t go alone,” Margery interjected.
Septon stood. “I agree. We’ll go with you.”
Bloody, bloody hell. Elijah didn’t want them to come with him. He wanted to face that prick Kersey alone. And they knew it. That was why Septon wouldn’t reveal the location. Elijah would be forced accept their company. He wanted to shout with frustration, but he worked to rein in his anger. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
Septon nodded. “Agreed.” He reached out and clapped his hand against Elijah’s bicep. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve lost. I’ll do whatever necessary to see that Kersey finds justice, that your brother’s death is vindicated.”
What he’d lost.
What had he lost? A brother who had never known how important he’d been to Elijah, whom Elijah hadn’t even realized he’d loved until just recently. Until maybe this moment. Emotion burned the backs of his eyes. Elijah wanted to share Septon’s sentiment, but the older man wouldn’t go to the lengths that were necessary to truly find vindication because Kersey was like a son to him. And Elijah meant to kill him.
Cate sat in her bedroom and brushed her hair. She’d dined in her room, still too upset with everyone to spend the evening with them. She wondered how long Elijah had stayed with her parents and Septon, and what they had discussed.
Mother’s maid had come to help Cate with her bath, but hadn’t said a word about anything that had gone on downstairs. And Cate hadn’t asked. Instead, they’d talked about Grey and her injury. Cate also told the maid about Wade and suggested that he and Grey might even marry. Back in Harlech, Rhona had joked about having to read the banns. Cate thought it was not only possible, but likely that Grey and Wade had fallen in love. Their caring behavior toward one another following Grey’s injury had said everything.
What would their union mean for Cate and Elijah? They were supposed to go their separate ways after finding the sword, but that hadn’t gone at all according to plan. Cate resisted the urge to throw her brush against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she continued to brush her hair. And think about Elijah.
Would he leave her now and go after Kersey? Had Septon or her father even known where he’d gone? She shouldn’t have left earlier, but she’d been fed up, exhausted, and just plain distressed. Losi
ng the sword—that had ironically rested just ten miles from where she’d grown up—was a calamity she didn’t know how to recover from.
A light rap on her door interrupted her thoughts. “It’s Mother.”
Cate had been expecting her at some point and was actually surprised she’d waited this long. “Come in.”
Mother closed the door behind her and stepped into the chamber. She was still dressed in her dinner gown. Her blond hair—unmarred by even a single strand of white—was swept into an elegant style.
She smiled as she touched Cate’s cheek. “I missed you, dear.” She perched on the end of the bed. “Are you all right? I didn’t want to disturb you. I suspected you wanted to be alone for a while.”
Cate turned away from the small glass on her dressing table to face her mother. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” Liar. “I lost the sword.” Emotion clogged her throat.
Mother leaned forward and took her hand. “I’m so sorry. I know how captivated you’ve always been by it. Are you terribly angry with everyone?”
Cate thought about all of the secrets that had been kept from her over the years and her ire rekindled. “Yes, I’m angry. Our sex is eternally cheated.”
Mother sat back on the edge of the bed. “In some ways, yes. Your father doesn’t discount us, however.” She looked at Cate intently. “You don’t think he’s unfair, do you?”
Not compared to everyone else, including Septon. “No. But my entire life I’ve sought to discover Dyrnwyn and no one took me seriously. No one thought I would find it.”
Mother cocked her head to the side. “I don’t think that’s fair. I encouraged you.”
“Yes, but now it seems as though information was purposely kept from me so that I wouldn’t find it.”
“Yes, it does seem that way.” Mother pursed her lips. “And unfortunately you’re right. I’m certain that’s what Septon did, and your father didn’t help by not telling you about the Anarawd poem. Perhaps if you knew about the Order’s goals you would’ve changed your mind about searching for Dyrnwyn.”
Cate considered this for a moment. “No, I wouldn’t have. I don’t agree with their goals. Artifacts—Arthurian or otherwise—should be shared with the world. We have much to learn from them.”
Mother smiled, the flesh around her eyes crinkling into small fans. “You and your brother are exactly alike. Penn doesn’t give a damn about the Order either.”
Any burst of pride Cate might’ve felt was crushed beneath the confirmation that she’d been right—Penn had been privy to information that had been kept from her. “Did Penn know about the poem too?” she asked quietly.
Mother exhaled, perhaps with a touch of regret. “Only because he was here when we found it. It was just after he’d come to live here, when his mother had become ill. You hadn’t been born. I hadn’t even married your father yet.”
She knew her parents had met when she’d brought him her de Valery manuscript to analyze, but it seemed there was more to the story. “You found the poem together?”
Her mother smiled softly. “We did. It was quite an adventure. I’ll tell you about it some time. It’s where we fell in love.”
Like the adventure she’d just taken with Elijah? But no, they hadn’t fallen in love. At least, he hadn’t. Cate wasn’t sure what she felt. She only knew that thinking of him made her feel as hollow as thinking of Dyrnwyn. Maybe more so. She shook the melancholy thoughts away. “Why did you call the Order ‘infernal’?”
Mother rolled her eyes. “The Order caused us some problems during that adventure, but it all worked out in the end, even if Septon did make us promise to keep the poem secret—that included swearing Penn to secrecy too. The poem is a contemporary work of Arthur and his knights. It proves they existed as men in our history. But you probably figured that out, my brilliant girl.”
Cate warmed beneath her mother’s praise. She never discounted Cate’s abilities. “I did. Why does the Order want to keep it secret? It’s an important historical artifact.” Like the tapestry and the sword.
“Because they believe the thirteen treasures of Britain—which are apparently also as real as the men—would cause turmoil and bloodshed as people clamored to claim them.” Her eyes narrowed briefly. “And I suppose they’re right, since this Camelot faction has gone after the sword.”
“What Camelot faction?”
“Septon explained after you left that there’s a group within the Order that seeks to return all Arthurian artifacts to the actual knights’ descendants. They are somewhat militant in their methods and it seems as though Kersey has joined them.” She pressed her lips together. “Your father is quite upset.”
Because Kersey was important to him for some reason. Father had always gone out of his way to ensure they spent their summers together—until Lady Stratton had left her husband. Then Lord Stratton had kept Kersey from all of them, despite Father’s efforts. It had hurt him greatly not to be able to see Kersey, and Cate had wondered why. “Is there a reason why Kersey is so special? Is this another secret?”
“Now that is very complicated. Yes, it’s a secret, and unfortunately one I am not permitted to share.” This time, the regret in her tone was unmistakable. “It affects too many people and it may just be that it stays a secret forever.”
Cate was horribly intrigued, but knew that once her mother had made a decision, it was nearly impossible to change her mind. “I hate that you won’t tell me.”
“Does it help to know that Penn doesn’t know it either? I promise that if this information is ever going to come to light, you will be the first person I tell.” Mother smoothed her hands down her skirt. “Now, tell me about Lord Norris before your father and Septon set out with him in the morning.”
“They’re all leaving together?” Presumably to find Kersey.
“Yes. Septon didn’t want to disclose Kersey’s potential location. He’s afraid of what Norris might do. The earl blames him for his brother’s death.”
Cate’s heart ached for Elijah’s loss. “And he may be justified in doing so. Kersey certainly had the motive, given his pursuit of the sword, and he had a connection with someone in the previous Lord Norris’s household who tried to steal the tapestry. He seems more than a bit guilty.”
“Do you think he is?”
“I don’t know.” Cate wished she did. “He did keep me from being harmed at Kentchurch. His hirelings are a mercenary lot.”
Mother paled a bit. “I hate that you were in danger. I believe we’re going to have to reassess your future travel with Grey. I’m just glad Norris was with you in this instance.”
Cate was glad he’d been there too. Indeed, she didn’t want to contemplate him not being there. “Elijah has been an excellent traveling companion.”
Mother’s eyebrow arched, and Cate realized she’d just first-named him in front of her. “He called you Cate downstairs.” He had? “It seems you share a certain level of familiarity. Your father and I have allowed you far more freedom than any young woman ought to enjoy—and I don’t regret that. Society’s silly rules mean as little to me as they do to you. However, your safety and well-being are important to me. Do you want to talk about your relationship with Norris?”
What could she say? She certainly didn’t want to reveal the depths of their familiarity—rather, intimacy. And she was confused. She wanted him desperately, could barely envision going back to her life of just a few short weeks ago, but what was the alternative? He wasn’t ever going to marry, not that she was sure she wanted him as a husband, and she doubted they could maintain a romantic relationship, particularly since he’d plainly stated that last night would not be repeated. “I don’t think so.”
Mother’s green-brown eyes studied her. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Don’t forget that I was once a young unmarried woman like you. I’ve told you before I never wanted to marry, that falling in love with your father wasn’t something I’d planned.”
Yes, Cate knew that. It
was why she didn’t think she needed to marry either. “It was really that easy? You fell in love with Father and decided marriage was worthwhile?”
“I’m not sure it was easy.” Her lips curved up. “In fact, I’m fairly certain I made your father a bit mad with my insistence that we needn’t marry.” Cate wondered how far their relationship had progressed on that adventure and decided there were parts of Mother’s story she didn’t need to hear. Apparently Mother agreed because she said, “Well, that’s neither here nor there. I just hope you know that I will always support you, provided you don’t do anything exceedingly foolish.” She gave Cate a pointed look that carried a wealth of meaning.
“I always endeavor never to bring you shame or embarrassment. All I’ve ever wanted was to make you and Father proud. It’s why I wanted so badly to find the sword.”
“Oh, Cate.” Mother left the bed and pulled Cate from her chair to enfold her in her arms. Cate welcomed the comfort, squeezing her mother tight as she’d done in her girlhood.
“I love you so much, and we couldn’t be more proud of you.”
“I love you too.” They broke apart a moment later. “Thank you.”
“Get some sleep. The men will undoubtedly be off fairly early.”
The men. “I should like to accompany them,” Cate said.
Mother’s gaze turned shrewd. “I figured as much. I would too. However, your father and Septon are adamant that we not go. Who’s to say what we might do after they leave . . . ”
Cate grinned. “Where are they going? Or are you supposed to keep that from me too?”
Mother’s forehead creased. “In fact, I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but I don’t see why you can’t know, so long as you don’t tell Norris.”
“I won’t even see him.” Unless she stole into his room in the middle of the night. The thought summoned heat and anticipation throughout her body.
