by Wendy Vella
Mouth full of beef and pastry, both of which tasted like ashes, James turned to look at the eldest Sinclair.
“I spoke the truth.”
“Perhaps,” Dev said, tipping his tankard and downing the last mouthful. “Yet what you said was what she needed to hear. However, from Cam or I it would not have held the same meaning, and for that we are grateful.”
Nodding, James remained silent and kept eating. Was Eden well? Was Tolly treating her badly? Was she scared or hurt? Had she cried out for him? God, it was torture not knowing.
His beautiful Eden was feisty and strong, yet today he knew she had felt fear. She would know her brothers would come for her, but after yesterday did she fear he would not? God, he hoped not.
I'm coming, my love.
“Mount up!”
James took the fresh horse and placed a foot in the stirrup at Dev's words. He felt no fatigue or pain as he swung into the saddle. His body had gone from ice to a slow burning rage as the miles passed. He would find Tolly and kill him. He felt no remorse for the act he was about to commit. Tolly had dared to harm Samantha yesterday, and now Eden. The two people he loved most in this world. Therefore, he would die, just as he had chosen to kill James. Brothers they may be, but there was nothing but a blood tie between them. Any friendship he had once believed they shared was long since left behind in the glittering ballrooms of London society.
The pace was relentless, if possible even more so now they neared their destination. They all had the same goal. Eden would be saved. James would allow himself to think of no other outcome, except perhaps of his own death. He would sacrifice himself for her if there was no other option. He felt no qualms about this.
Looking to his left, he saw the determination on the Sinclairs’ faces. Even Mr. Brown, Joseph, as they had come to know him over the miles they had ridden, was determined.
“The cliffs!”
James saw them rise before him as Cam called out. The rugged beauty of the rock face and whitecaps of the waters below failed to stir him as they usually did. He saw the gulls swooping and diving, seeking their prey, and memories of the night he had first met Eden rose inside him. From the start she had shown him the kind of person she was. The selfless woman who loved him.
Following the line of rock, they veered right and headed for the small town of Crunston Cliff. Thundering through, they acknowledged no one as people ran to see who rode through their village in haste. Passing Oak’s Knoll, James spared a glance at the castle that loomed above them before drawing to a halt.
“We will ride to the first rise and then walk to the church, as I have no wish for Tolly to hear us arrive,” James said.
The ride took just minutes and James dismounted and tethered his horse. The others followed. The hill formed two tiers—the first held the church and graveyard where his ancestors lay, and on the level above sat the castle. James knew she was near; the pain in his chest had increased. Pushing aside branches, he kept close to the mountain, slowly circling the hill to reach the church.
“Eden, love, I am here with your brothers. We are coming for you, be brave.” James spoke as loud as he dared.
“She will have heard our horses, James.” Devon Sinclair moved to his side. “In fact, if she has removed her earplugs she probably heard us riding up the mountain, unless Tolly was speaking.”
They climbed and finally the church was before them. On their bellies they studied the small building.
“Joseph, stay at the back with Essie,” Dev ordered. “Should Tolly escape, shoot him.”
“Very well, my lord.”
Crouching, James, Dev, and Cam moved closer. The three men held guns, all ready to use them without hesitation to ensure Eden's safe return.
The church sat near the edge. Built of stone, its foundations had formed part of this hill for hundreds of years. Ravens had been wed and buried here, children had been baptized, and until his father became Duke, villagers had also used it. James vowed they would do so again. Shafts of sunlight pushed through the clouds and touched the weathered honey-colored stone.
James wondered if the peace and beauty before him was about to be tarnished with his death.
His home loomed above like an elderly grandfather overseeing its grandchild. He had never hated this place, only the man who had lived in it.
“He is inside,” Dev whispered from beside him. “I see him.”
“Eden?”
“She is there. Her color is strong.”
James's heart thudded in his chest as relief pumped through him.
“I'm here, love.”
“Something does not smell right,” Cam said, moving forward, his nose in the air. “Dev, grip my hand.”
James watched the brothers, Dev's pupils huge and Cam with his head thrown back.
“I smell poison in there. Poison and fear.”
“Why would he need poison?” Dev looked at his brother.
“My first thought is he wants to make sure my death is slow and painful,” James said.
“We shall try not to let that happen,” Dev gritted out.
“You two circle the outside. There is a small door at the rear that is always left open. I will go in through the front and distract him, as it is me he wants,” James said calmly.
“It is highly dangerous for you to do so, yet I can come up with no other plan,” Dev whispered. “If he tries to shoot, then for pity’s sake duck. Keep him talking as long as you can, which will allow us time to get inside. I believe from their position they are at the altar, and as Eden is not moving I think he has her tied to something.”
“Take no risks with Eden, I want her out of there before you save me.” James needed the brothers to understand that she was their main concern.
“We will save you both, Raven,” Cam looked fierce.
“She is more important than me,” James said. “I—I must have your word that you get her to safety before you—”
“She is our sister, Raven, we are aware of her importance,” Dev hissed. “Yet we are also aware of your importance to us and her. Therefore, brother, we will save you both.”
James looked at Dev for long seconds, then with one curt nod he turned and walked toward the church. He was aware of the sound his boots made upon the narrow drive and then as they hit the stone floor at the entrance. Gripping the handle, he felt the strength of his ancestors flow through him, and wrenched it open.
“You have come, brother, how kind!”
Light from a round stained-glass window high in the wall at the back of the church lit the altar. James blinked to adjust his vision and searched for Eden. She was standing tied to the large cross beneath it. Tolly stood beside her. In one hand he held a vial of liquid, the other a gun.
“Let her go, Tolly, it is me you want.”
“If only life were that simple, brother,” the man said, chuckling.
“I am sorry your mother suffered because our father would not help her, Tolly. But Eden is not responsible for his deeds, just as I am not,” James said, moving slowly forward.
“With you dead his precious untainted bloodline will be snuffed out, Raven, and only then will my vengeance be complete.”
“Let Eden go.”
“Ah, now there I am afraid I cannot oblige you, brother.”
James wondered how he had been so fooled by the man. This madman before him now bore only a physical resemblance to the Lord Laurent he and society knew. Gone was the perpetual smile and charm, replaced by narrowed eyes behind which James could see madness.
“Your father told me when I went to beg him to help my mother that I was not fit for him to step on, and she was nothing but a whore who had spread her legs for any man. Therefore, how was he to know if indeed I was his son.”
James clenched his fists. He had thought he could not hate his father more—it seemed that he was wrong.
“I was told that you were his heir, a fine specimen of untainted pure blood, and that his precious line would live long through
your pure well-bred children.”
“I am not my father, Tolly, as you very well know.”
“Yet you will pay for his sins, brother, because he is not here to do so.”
“Emily is worried about you,” James said, looking at Eden. He saw the fear etched in every line of her body, and also the anger that matched his. She struggled to break her bonds. A gag kept her quiet and James struggled to see through the red haze of rage as he saw a streak of blood on her lip. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it down once more. He would not help her if he did remain focused.
“Stay still, my love, I will get you out of here safely.” She must have heard his whispered words, because her struggles instantly ceased.
“Stay away from her. I will care for my sister!”
“I have no wish to harm your sister, Tolly. I wish only for Eden's safety,” James said, moving steadily forward. “In fact, I would like to help both you and your sister, see that you are comfortable.”
“I would not have needed to take your beloved had I succeeded in my attempts to take your sister, yet you and the bloody Sinclairs foiled that.”
“My sister is a child, Tolly!”
“As was I when I approached your father.”
“Let me help you and Emily. Let me give you money, a house, anything you want,” James said, trying to remain calm.
“We need nothing from a Raven!” Tolly spat. “Now move forward slowly and kneel before your precious Miss Sinclair.”
He did as he was asked. Slowly and steadily he walked until he stood before her.
“Be strong, my love,” he whispered.
“Down!” Tolly screeched, using the butt of his gun to hit James in the back of the head.
He heard her groan, but he did not flinch, merely did as he was directed. The second hit made him grunt, and she fought furiously against her bonds.
“I'm all right, Eden. Stay calm, love.”
“Do you know what is in this vial, Raven?” Tolly said, shaking it before James's eyes. “’Tis poison. Your last vision will be of your beloved as she drinks it. You will die knowing she will suffer an agonizing death while you lie bleeding at her feet.”
“No!” James heard the rattle of the back door, and knew he had been wrong. It was locked. He struggled to stand, lurching toward the vial. The gun fired, and he felt a burning in his arm. It knocked him backward.
“Drink it now or I shoot him dead before your eyes!”
James reached his knees as Tolly wrenched the gag from her mouth.
“James, be still!” she cried as he got to his feet. He saw Tolly had another pistol now in his hand.
“Don't drink it, Eden, he will kill me anyway!” He kept his eyes on her, begging her to listen to him.
“Drink it or I shoot him dead, now, with you watching.”
“No, Eden!” James lunged at her as she opened her mouth, but Tolly had already lifted the vial. He dove to the floor at her feet as the gun discharged, but this time he felt no pain, the shot had missed him.
The thud of feet told James the brothers had arrived. Tolly took a bullet in the chest, and the impact threw him backward, his body hitting the wall then slumping motionless to the floor, the vial shattering at his feet.
“The bastard locked the back door!” Cam roared. “Christ, he shot you!” He reached for James as Dev reached for his sister.
“Poison!” James rasped. “He made her drink poison,” he said, staggering to his feet and reaching for Eden as Dev freed the last of her bonds.
“Essie!” Dev roared.
“Eden, God, love.” James shuddered, crushing her against him.
“I-I had to take it,” she whispered. “I could not live if you died.”
“Nor can I! Damn you, Eden, you will not leave me!” James roared as he felt her body grow limp.
“L-love you,” she whispered.
“It's white arsenic!” Cam yelled, sniffing the bottle. “A large dose!”
“James, stick your fingers down her throat!” Essie screamed, running into the church. “We need to purge her of the poison,” she added, ignoring the lifeless form of the man she had loved to drop to her knees beside her sister.
Rolling Eden onto her side, Dev pried her mouth open and James stuck two fingers inside. She retched and retched, but it took several attempts before anything came out.
“Cam, take me to Oak's Knoll now. I will find the herbs we need to rid her system of the rest of it,” Essie said, throwing her sister one last agonized look before she ran from the church. “Follow us, Dev, quickly!” she cried over her shoulder, and then she was gone.
Ignoring the fire burning through his arm, James picked Eden up and followed her siblings. She lay limp against him as he rode toward her home, no life in her body, no fire in her eyes. “Stay with me, Eden. Please, love, hold on.”
One of the brothers who served the Sinclair family awaited them on the steps of Oak’s Knoll, his face lined with worry as they rode up. Taking Eden from James, he ran into the house with James and Dev following. They placed her on a bed.
“How is her color, Dev?” Essie asked from her place beside the fire.
“Pale.”
“What does that mean, pale?” James demanded.
“She is weak,” Essie said, carrying a small cup to the bed. “Dev, open her mouth for me. James, hold her head.”
Between them they managed to force down the contents of the cup by massaging her throat between sips. Her cough was weak, and her eyes were now only half open.
“Eden, love. Tell me what you feel?” Essie said.
“M-my h-hands,” she whispered.
“Arsenic makes the hands and feet tingle.” Essie wiped away a tear as she stood and looked down at her sister.
James was numb with fear as he watched Eden struggle to breathe. The pulse on her wrist seemed to grow weaker with every breath she drew.
“How long, Essie? How long before we know if it has worked?”
Essie grabbed her sister's other hand and kissed it.
“The poison shuts down her system. Her stomach will cramp and we shall know soon if—”
“She will live,” James vowed.
No one spoke as they watched Eden silently struggle to breathe as she clung precariously to life.
“Can you not do something—your senses, surely they…?”
“None of us have the power to heal by touch, James,” Essie said quietly. “It is the one sense we do not have.”
“And now, your Grace, we shall see to your arm,” Bertie said.
“My arm?”
“’Tis bleeding, your Grace. Miss Essex will make a paste and bandage it.”
He let them tend him, yet he did not move from his place beside Eden.
“The bullet has gone straight through, James.” Essie's words did not register with him as he watched his fiancée. James was sure her breathing was growing weaker. She was so still, all color had leeched from her face. Tangled and messed, her hair lay around her head in a dark cloud. Eden was never still; even when she was sitting, often her hands moved or her feet tapped. She was the fire to his ice. The one who was filled with life, the one who had taught him how to love.
“Now take this, your Grace, ’tis merely a warm drink to stop the infection, nothing more.”
He took the drink Bertie handed him yet still his eyes stayed on Eden. At some stage over the next few hours someone pushed him into a chair beside her, but he still held her hand and looked at her face. He heard them murmuring, watched Essie touch her cheek and check her pulse. Dev looked at her, his eyes filled with grief, yet James wouldn't move. She would live, she had to live. If she died she would commit him to a life of hell.
“Her breathing has grown shallow.”
James watched as Essie stood over Eden, checking her pulse. Behind her Cam and Dev, their faces solemn, watched over their sister.
“No,” James said softly. “No, she is not leaving us.” He climbed onto the bed and lifted Eden into his
arms.
“All of you touch her. Your skin to hers. Now!” he roared, when they failed to move. “The power of this family can heal her. I believe in you all. Now hold her, damn you. Give her your love and strength.”
Dev grabbed Eden's arm. Pushing up her sleeve, he wrapped both hands around it. Cam reached for a leg, clasping her ankle in his hands. Essie gripped Eden's other hand.
“Focus,” James said quietly, and then he began to talk to Eden, urging her back from the hell she had slumped into.
“Do you remember when we talked of the places we would go in our heads when we were frightened or alone, Eden? You told me you rode along the cliffs, and I climbed the castle’s highest turret.” He listened to the small wheeze of her breath before he continued. “I can't go there anymore, love, because you are my happy place. My reason for waking, the reason I now exist. Yes, I have Samantha, but you, my love… you are my everything.” Grabbing a handful of her curls, he wrapped them around his fist. “In the short time you have been in my life I have known such happiness. You have filled all the dark places in me, given me hope and shown me how to laugh. You meet me head-on, love, challenge and chastise me. I know now what it means to find that one true love and to lose you would be to spend the rest of my days wandering in purgatory, waiting to meet you again. Don't leave me, Eden,” he said, burying his face in her hair and releasing the tears that burned behind his eyes. Cradling her against him, he rested on the pillows, his cheek pressed to her chilled one.
Please don't take her from me.
He felt it then, the surge of heat that travelled through her body, and then he felt nothing.
James woke as he moved his arm, causing a red-hot ember of pain to slice through him. Eden! Opening his eyes, he looked down to where she lay on his chest. Placing two fingers on her pulse he felt it, strong and steady. Touching her forehead, he noted it was warm but not hot.
“Eden!” he rasped, tilting her head up so he could look at her face in the firelight.
“What!” Dev struggled to his feet from his position near the fire. Essie followed; Cam kept snoring.
“She is breathing well, and her skin feels warm,” James said, easing into a sitting position and then getting off the bed so he could get a better look at her.
