ROOK AND RAVEN: The Celtic Kingdom Trilogy Book One

by Julie Harvey Delcourt

  ‘If you would start thinking like my best agent again instead of a love struck idiot you would know the answer to that and know we have no choice,” Bishop with his gift of silence simply leaned back into this chair and waited in utter stillness.

  It didn’t take Sebastian long once his brain started functioning and put aside his immediate denial. It was clear as crystal and she would break just as easily if this went wrong. He sighed knowing he was facing one of those moments every agent faced eventually, of choosing between the unacceptable and the intolerable. Bishop was right; as usual.

  “Tamworth,” he said simply.

  “Tamworth,” Bishop echoed.

  The list of possible leaks was, after all, extremely small. Tamworth may be trustworthy but it was only those about him who knew of the plans unfolding. It would be Sebastian’s job to find that leak and stop it; by whatever means necessary. Even if that meant involving Jessy to do so. His connection to Jessy was the perfect excuse to get close to Tamworth without revealing his true purpose. It was the worst idea he could possibly imagine that could also hold the best chance of success. Alastair hadn’t named them all for chess pieces without reason; espionage was simply a game of strategy that always required sacrifices. He just hoped Jessy would not become a sacrificial pawn.

  After Sebastian had left, Emrys and Bishop sat together in a moment of silence as the sound of the door’s bell faded.

  “You know, it would have been very unexpected, but terribly nice to be recognized by my own descendent,” Emrys sighed, “but I suppose it’s all for the best he didn’t, at least for now.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jessy’s true Monday could begin now. Her free day. Her happy day. Mick was guarding the door like a dragon and she had gotten over her bout of tears brought on by memories of poetry spoken in love among a sea of flowers. She was now able to change into her riding habit. Her one, horrendous, extravagance living in London was to keep a horse. He wasn’t just any horse either. Circumstance, and the entail, had deprived her of her family home. Fortunately, Cousin Albert had been anything but unkind when she had reappeared in London as a widow deemed socially unacceptable due to her employment. Fanny, Albert’s wife, while concerned at first what their acceptance of her might mean to their social status, had been terribly sweet to her. They had both taken a risk far before it had become clear that Mrs.

  Jessamy Powers would be acknowledged, if not in all the highest circles.

  Albert and Fanny had pressed her to return home, and while it was tempting there were reasons she could not. She had responsibilities she could not shrug off to indulge herself in the familiarity and comfort of her childhood home. Michael had trusted her to take care of his own people, like the physically intimidating, gruff and completely loyal Mick. With his broken nose, rough manners and scarred face he was not most people’s idea of a butler but he had been Michael’s man and now he was hers.

  Two weeks after they realized she had truly made up her mind to remain in London, and that she did indeed have a loyal champion guarding her door, Albert had arrived unexpectedly with a present in tow.

  She could barely believe her eyes or contain her joy when he had led her outside to see what he had brought. Prancing lightly upon the pavement of the street, bridle held by the coachman was her beautiful, beloved Abellius so black his coat was nearly blue. He turned his great soft eyes upon Jessy and nickered in greeting, straining at the bridle. Without any regard for watching neighbors she had launched herself down the front steps and thrown her arms about her beloved.

  She was not ashamed to have cried. Abellius had been the last gift from her father. She had been there in the stall at his birth and their love had been complete from the first moment. Leaving him behind when she fled had broken her heart but when she could not be sure of feeding herself it would have been cruel to take him along. Obviously Albert and of course Able, Pemberly’s stable manager had treated him well.

  “Albert! Albert,” she had cried in turn throwing herself upon her cousin, “Thank you, oh how I thank you! I just don’t know shall I keep him here in London. Don’t misunderstand,’ and here she blushed, “I am more than grateful and so happy for your kindness but,” she lowered her voice, “I fear I cannot afford his upkeep.”

  Albert had simply smiled, patted her arm and told her that until she could afford it Abellius would be kept stabled at the townhouse Fanny had brought as part of her rather luxurious dowry. “I think you will be a great success cousin and not too far in the future you will have your mother’s dowry too. But, I will happily keep him as long as you need and want him my dear.”

  “I have only one question, “he looked quizzically at her, “What in the world kind of name for a horse is Abellius? I asked Able and he just smiled and said to ask you one day.”

  “Abellius was the god of the apple trees,” she smiled “and he has an inordinate greed for apples, especially right from the tree. It’s from a story of Celtica my mother told me when I was little. He nearly drove Godfrey, the head gardener, mad eating up all the best fruit in the orchard. If he was out to pasture he would jump any fence to get to the apples,” She laughed and reached up to stroke Abe’s silky neck and laid her face against his.

  Life in London had almost meant her death at one time. The friends who had taken her in, family she had made her own, and the unexpected caring of her distant blood had finally opened her eyes to see she could find happiness in this life. She had a career that was providing and income and return on her investment. Albert had also unknowingly given her a freedom of travel she so desperately needed.

  So, every Monday, just as today, she and Abe made their way out of town. He was ready and saddled for her by Tim, her young former chimney sweep, another of what Sean called her “rescue projects” who had a passion for horses and treated Abellius as if he was the god he was named for. With an affectionate pat on Tim’s head and a leg up she trotted from the little mews beside her house they had converted into a small stable.

  The rain had let up and sunshine broke here and there from between the swiftly moving clouds. The wind was brisk and she was glad of the riding coat she had put on over her habit. With the heavily laden basket strapped to Abe’s haunches, full of delicious things from Mrs. Gibb’s well run, if slightly tipsy kitchen, she made her way through the streets. It was only as she reached the edge, where city slowly began to give way to the country of Chiswick, that a clatter of hooves and a familiar “Hey Ho!” pulled her up to find, not unexpectedly, that David had joined her. He had made it a fairly regular habit to come along on these Mondays. He was always cautious to only join up with her once prying eyes were well behind.

  David had to admire Jessy’s jaunty appearance in her deep blue habit. A velvet top hat with a striped white and blue veil danced behind her in the wind. The veil was held to the hat by a white feather that curled artfully along her cheek. Her burnished red and gold hair was severely and simply restrained and looked like a new penny shining against the dark richness of her hat. She had come a long way from the hoyden tomboy he had grown up with.

  Their childhood of reckless tree climbing, fishing, racing their horses wildly along the river and fens, often returning home more muddy than clean, was long past. For all she presented such a lovely and sophisticated appearance he sometimes found himself longing for the days when responsibility had yet to settle upon her slim shoulders. The freedom of childhood was always too short and rarely fully appreciated at the time. There was never a reason any more to help clean the dirt off her face and help her sneak home through the kitchen garden.

  She turned to him with a wary look in her eye and he smiled slightly to himself. He knew exactly of what she was wary. She knew he was not going to let her off the hook and not discuss the man on both their minds. But first he was going to have a little fun.

  “Made up your mind yet then?” he asked lightly.

  “No,” she said shortly and picked up Abe’s pace slightly which he had no pr
oblem matching.

  “Well I wish you would make up your mind soon,” he said a bit forlornly.

  “I’ll make it up when I make it up thank you! You can’t pressure me on this,” she had just known he wouldn’t make it through the day without bringing up what she was going to do about Sebastian.

  “Well we only have maybe a month at best for you to give me an answer,” he was enjoying toying with her a rather surprising amount he discovered.

  “A month? What does a month have to do with it? What do you know that I don’t?” she eyed him suspiciously.

  “Well I know I haven’t more than a month before Adlais will be in heat,” he looked at her innocently.

  “Adlais? You are talking about your horse? You! You!” she spluttered incoherently and took a swipe at him with her riding crop.

  ‘Well what was that for?” he ducked her little crop, “I’ve been trying for ages to get you to breed Abe with Adlais. You know they’d produce an absolutely champion line. You always put it off and this time I really need an answer. Don’t want to breed her past her prime after all,” he said cheerfully patting his bay mare on her arched neck. She curveted coquettishly toward Abellius. David realized his estimate of a month might be too long. He’d swear she was flirting with the handsome stallion.

  She resolutely stared straight ahead giving him an enjoyable view of her lovely profile, even if it was rather more pink than usual. She was embarrassed at being so easily played and wasn’t doing a good job of hiding it.

  “Never did understand why you named her after your mother. Who in the world names their horse after their mother? It’s ridiculous,” she sniffed but with a small bubble of laughter she couldn’t quite suppress.

  “Before I lost her she used to watch the horses running on our stud back home in Wales. She’d say how she wished she could run with the freedom and speed they had. I think she envied them those beautiful big brown eyes too, hers were blue like mine.” David turned inward for a moment. It was so rare for him to touch upon thoughts of his mother. The sadness of a child losing not one, but both, parents so young never quite went away. He could see his mother now with her long dark hair, so like his, blowing in the breeze as she stood at the paddock gate admiring their prized stock.

  “You’ve done an amazing job rebuilding the quality of the stud David. Your parents would be proud,” Jessy reached across and touched him lightly on his shoulder with a gentle smile.

  “Thank you my dear. It hasn’t been easy after all those years my guardian, the blood sucker known as Sebastian’s mother, let it go. At least the old earl cared enough to see it was well run. All she cared about was how much money she could get by selling off the stock. Thank god the legal details of the trust didn’t allow her to access the capital or I would be a pauper. So, about Abe…you know my Adlais has a preference for him. It would be quite the love match,” he laughed as the two horses put their heads affectionately together as they kept pace.

  “Alright then. Just let me know when and we will arrange it. I suppose its past time to allow him to indulge himself and he couldn’t do better than Adlais.”

  “They will make something really special that the ton will clamor to possess. It could make your transition from the theater finally possible. I’ve thought about offering you a share in the stud if you’d let Abe become the primogenitor.”

  “What?” Jessy exclaimed. “David what a wonderful idea! You haven’t mentioned this before!” Jessy felt her head whirl and her heart pound with welcome excitement. It could present a solution to so many problems.

  “Well now seemed the time. I know you haven’t mentioned it to Sean yet but with circumstances now changing,” and here he gave her a knowing look, “I thought it might be time to show you another option. But I think we can move on to you and Sebastian now,” he slowed Jessy and forced her to face him by placing a gentle hand on Abe’s bridle. He saw the momentary flash that entered her eyes at his words and the hand upon Abe’s bridle. The big horse responded to her agitation by skittering sideways and showing a bit of tooth. Abellius was not a stallion to be trifled with and he hoped Jessy would settle him quickly. He really would prefer neither he nor Adlais were bitten, and he had a feeling Abe would make him his first choice of victim.

  “Oh,” she sighed in vexation but relaxed the tension in her hands that held the reigns. “Can’t I have just one more day of not thinking about it?” she almost pleaded but in a tone that told David she knew it was pointless.

  “Did he give it even a day before he showed up in your dressing room? He may have changed in some ways over these years, but staying away from you doesn’t seem to be one of them. Sweetheart with where we are headed I think the sooner you decide on the course of action you are taking the better. It isn’t fair to leave it any longer.” David felt for her, he really did but Jessamy Powers had always possessed the bravery of a lion and he would not let her play the coward now.

  Jessy turned to him with eyes bright with the fear she refused to express and reached for his hand.

  “You’ll help me? Try and help me not to completely muck this up? I’m not at all sure I can do this alone David,” she said simply and slightly desperately. “Sebastian told me last night I was going to muck things up and I hope he didn’t turn into a prophet while he was gone,” Seeing David’s quick look of surprise at her words she elaborated, “Not about this, about something unrelated,” and she colored and frowned at the memory.

  “Would I ever not stand with you? Or watch your back or stand between you and whatever would try and harm you? I may have finally grown out of fancying myself in romantic love with you but I still love you silly goose. I’m right here and here I shall stay. I just hope Sebastian doesn’t break my nose in the process,” David sighed. “It might reduce my marital prospects if my face weren’t so pretty,” he laughed ruefully and raised her gloved hand to kiss it gently.

  “Now,” he challenged with a gleam in his eye, “I bet you a groat I can beat you to Maureen’s since Abe is laden down with a bit of a handicap.”

  “Handicap! I hope you are referring to the basket and not me! I’ll see that groat and raise you two!” and with that she gave Abe his head. Like the children they once were they raced for their goal, free for a few moments of all worries in the pleasure of the race.

  With such prime horses the distance was eaten up quickly and with a great whoop and wave of her crop Jessy pulled Abe up a full length ahead of Adlais at the gate to the sprawling farmhouse.

  “Pay up Lord Carvell!” she said triumphantly.

  David dug into the pocket of his riding breeches and produced the ridiculously small sum they had wagered. Before Jessy even had it in her hand the front drive erupted with the calls and happy shrieks of children of various ages, several large dogs and the commanding Irish tones of a woman attempting to obtain some order. Maureen strode through the mayhem, hair curling wildly as always to open the gate. She would put any general to shame with her ability to marshal her forces and create order from chaos. She would have dogs and children under control in less time than it would take Jessamy to remove her gloves.

  “You know it was quite tame for this place until you two arrived,” she laughed enfolding Jessy in a warm hug and letting David kiss her cheek with a flourish.

  “Jeremiah! Come and take Abe and bring that great hamper into the kitchen. No pilfering either young man!” she admonished a tall tow headed and freckle faced boy of twelve.

  “Yes mama!” he rushed up to press his face against Abe and when he thought no one was looking slipped an apple from his pocket. Abe himself seemed to peek about too before making the juicy red fruit disappear in a single mighty crunch. Jem led him away with two smaller girls having called their welcomes to the arrivals. The girls were cooing and stroking Abe as they made their way to the stable. David was always amazed that a stallion that could be as terrifying and ferocious as Abe was such a lamb with children.

  “Tommy take Adlais to the stable too
and maybe you could make sure she gets one of those apples your brother gave Abe,” Tommy cheekily bowed to David with a mumbled “milord” and promptly fed Adlais another of the apples before leading the mare away. Tommy hurried after Jem to be sure that the sugar cubes he knew were in Jem’s pocket would not all end up with Abellius. Pretty Adlais deserved some too, but he had to hope the adults didn’t find out.

  Sugar cubes were a secret treat, he grinned to himself.

  Which left two smaller boys and one slight, older girl still standing with Maureen in the drive. One boy, tall for his young age and dark haired stood with his arm about a huge and hairy wolfhound who towered over him. When Jessy walked through the gate they simply smile blindingly at each other before woman, boy and large dog rushed together in a tangled embrace.

  “Mama,” the dark haired boy smiled up into Jessy’s face, “Monday’s are definitely the best day of the week.” The wolfhound seemed to agree as he stood on his hind legs to put his enormous paws on Jessy’s shoulders and so vigorously lick her face her hat when flying. “Boru agrees too!”

  “I think he does my darling, I think he does. Now that Boru has made his greeting give your mother a more proper one,” she smiled again and the young boy named Trystan hugged Jessy close. She hugged him even closer swinging him off his feet and around in circles as he giggled and the hound barked and leaped trying to join in.

  David watched the ritual with an ache in his chest he unconsciously rubbed at with his gloved hand. This Monday would be more than bittersweet as they could no longer pretend life would continue on this way. A decision now hung like an ax over them and only Jessy could make the judgment on how to handle the coming changes. He hoped they were clever enough to help her choose wisely. She would want his, Sean and Maureen’s input during the decision making process, but in the end it was her responsibility.