Secrets In Savannah (Phantom Knights)

by Amalie Vantana

  “Too late.” Lucas aimed Guinevere’s hand at my head. He pulled back the hammer, his finger snaking over Guinevere’s.

  “No,” she shrieked and jerked to the side as Lucas pushed their fingers against the trigger.

  Chaos broke out as both Sam and Leo broke free from their guards. I had dodged to the side, and the shot missed me and my guard. I tried to move toward Guinevere as Lucas grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her against him, a knife appearing in his hand. He placed it against her throat. My chest tightened.

  The tavern door opened, and a guard stuck his head in. “Soldater,” he shouted into the room and then disappeared outside.

  The sound of a whistle somewhere outside the tavern and growing closer caused Lucas to back toward the door behind the bar, still holding Guinevere against him. His guards followed him, keeping their pistols pointed at us while Sam and I advanced toward them. They would not take Guinevere, for I was prepared to fight to the death to protect her.

  “We will meet again soon, Jack Martin.” Lucas shoved Guinevere into me and then slammed the door shut.

  “Follow them,” Sam ordered Leo and Leo rushed to the front door, just as it opened, and a constable came in with Hannah on his heels. The constable caught Leo’s arm.

  “Trying to flee are ye? Well ye won’t be gettin’ away so easy-like.”

  “Release him at once, he is not the one you want,” Hannah said as she struck against the constable’s arm with her reticule.

  He looked around at the fallen sailors and the barkeep who was moaning as he was coming to.

  “You are a moment too late. The ones responsible for this mess just escaped,” Sam said with a scowl cast at the constable.

  “I have my men outside. They have captured two of the rogues and will catch the rest.”

  As the constable questioned us, Sam ran up the stairs to search for Bess. When he came back down, it was with Bess who had been searching the rooms. Charlotte was not there, nor was George staying in the Inn.

  Hours later when we arrived home after an extensive search for Charlotte, Bess led the way into the parlor. She did not sit, but stood before the fireplace with her hands on her hips. When Guinevere and I were seated, she stared straight at us.

  “It is clear to us all that a war is ahead. Though we each have our own reasons for fighting,” she looked at Guinevere, “we protect our own. If you want our help, you must become one of us. Which is why,” she said with a smile that I knew all too well, for it usually came before a dangerous plan, “you two will be getting married. At once.”

  Guinevere’s head jerked up from staring at her lap. After my surprise had worn off, I fought the urge to tell Bess to mind her own matters. This matter was not something you could force, nor could you bribe, implore, or entrap for I had tried, numerous times.

  She must have seen that for she walked to the door. “It is simple. You have one choice, but I will leave you to make that one choice together.” She ushered Hannah out and closed the door, leaving Guinevere and me to make a decision that would change the rest of our lives.

  CHAPTER 19

  Guinevere

  Bess did not know what she was asking, what I would be risking if I agreed. It would not only change my life, but that of my sister. It had been my intent to marry Jack, but after the fight at the tavern, my heart and head were at war. Lucas would be sure that he did not fail again. To marry Jack would be to destroy him.

  “Do you realize,” Jack began, “that you have told me secrets, but I have yet to tell you one of my own?”

  My head shifted off of Jack’s shoulder so I could see him.

  “The night that we first met, and you threw a knife at my head, I was on my way to enlist. The life of a Phantom no longer appealed to me, and I was searching for something of worth.” His face was that of a young boy in mischief when he grinned. “I was too young then to know that I had found the best part of my heart, but I spent weeks searching for you to return this.” Jack pulled a knife from his belt, holding it out.

  My heart squeezed, overflowing with love for the only one who had ever made me feel of worth.

  “Thoughts of you were what helped me throughout the war, Guinevere,” he said with such sweet vulnerability. “I love you, and if you take a chance with me, I vow that I will strive to be worthy of your trust.”

  Consequences no longer mattered, I knew what my decision was. Taking his hand and pressing it, there was one thing that had to be said.

  Before I could speak, the door opened and Bess entered. “Splendid, you have decided. I have a wedding gift for you,” she said cheerfully, stepping aside so Reverend Gideon Reid could enter the room.

  Jack rose and went to greet his friend while I tried not to panic. Everything was moving too swiftly for me. Bess and Gideon were speaking about the wedding ceremony; Hannah was saying something about a dress, and Jack still did not know my name.

  “Wait!” I did not mean to shout, but it came out, and everyone stared at me. Calmly, I said, “I would like a word with Jack and Reverend Reid alone.”

  Bess and Hannah each appeared concerned for me as they went out, leaving me to face the truth.

  “I cannot marry you, Jack—”

  “Guinevere,” he began but I took his hand, silencing him.

  “Not until I tell you who I am.”

  Gideon was smiling at me; the creases in the corners of his eyes wrinkled into three lines. He knew who I was, for I had told him all when I began to visit him every week.

  “Guinevere Clark was a name created to protect me. My true name is Constance.” I held my breath and my hope.

  “Constance.” Jack said it slowly, as if trying it out. “Do you live up to your name?”

  “I will if you will allow me the opportunity.” The time for pretense was over. I knew that I would marry him in the end, no matter how long I fought it. It was time for me to stop fighting him, and to begin living my life with him for however long we would have together.

  “You must vow never to breathe my name to another person. It is imperative to my sister’s safety as well as my own.”

  Jack seemed to grasp what I meant for he agreed then told Gideon to get his book, it was time to perform a ceremony.

  “I am not marrying you dressed as a boy, Jack. I will return soon.” In the foyer, I found Hannah and Bess waiting for me. They ushered me up the stairs to my chamber where they helped me to dress in a deep blue gown that Hannah had brought with her from her home. As Hannah ran into her chamber to fetch some shoes, I had a moment alone with Bess.

  “In the absence of your family to offer you their blessing I will tell you what Jack told me on the morning of my wedding.” Bess placed her finger beneath my chin and tipped it up so that I looked straight into her eyes. “You deserve happiness. You deserve love. You deserve to know every day that you are of worth to someone, and I know without a doubt that you have found that person.”

  She placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling at me, and I felt a great longing for my sister. “This life we live is never easy and hardly ever fair, but you have been given a great treasure, Guinevere, do not waste it.”

  She stepped back as Hannah came into the chamber, and after she had arranged my hair she declared that I was ready.

  Was I? Making my way down the stairs and into the parlor where Jack was waiting, I knew the answer.

  Hannah, Leo, Sam, and Bess all gathered in the parlor as Jack and I stood before Gideon.

  Jack took my hand as Gideon began the ceremony, and I barely heard what he was saying for the emotions that I saw in Jack’s eyes. He had waited for this moment, fought for it, and now that it was happening I could truly see how much he loved me. Even with all of the trials that we were facing, all of the secrets that I had yet to tell him, he wanted me, and I swore to myself that I would be deserving of him every day.

  Jack pressed my hand. “I will.”

  My mind came back to what was being said.

  There was no
turning back from this moment. Did I want to spend the rest of my life with him no matter what came our way? “I will.”

  “Who giveth this woman to be married unto this man?” Gideon asked.

  I had not thought about that. Facing Gideon I was about to say that I gave myself, but someone cleared their throat. Leo nodded, and I did not think that Jack could look any more surprised than I felt.

  “In the place of her family, I do give her to this man,” Leo said in his smooth, deep voice.

  Tears burned my eyes, and I wiped one away as I mouthed thank you to Leo. A ghost of a smile touched his lips before he turned his attention back to Gideon.

  We went through the vows and when Jack placed a ring on my finger the pressure of finality that I was sure to feel did not come. Instead, I felt a giddy love. I belonged with Jack now, and he with me. What I had wanted from the time I was ten years old had come true. I had a family again.

  As Gideon pronounced us man and wife, I knew that what I had done would have consequences, but none of that mattered any longer. It was Jack and I to the end.

  Bess came up to us and hugged her brother and then me, whispering in my ear. “You will do well by him, this I know,” she leaned back to look into my eyes, “sister.”

  Sam, Hannah, and Gideon were congratulating Jack, but as I turned from Bess, Leo came up beside me.

  “Thank you for what you did. It meant more than I can say.”

  Leo inclined his head, his handsome face smiling slightly. “You are one of us now,” he said, then surprised me by kissing my hand. Seeing the approval in Jack’s friend, I felt reassured that I had done the right thing.

  As I joined Jack, he placed his hand on my waist, holding me close to his side.

  Sam and Leo were preparing to go out to search for Charlotte when Jack inquired about Rose, Abe, and Betsy and why they had not come to Savannah. Bess said that Rose had a mission of her own. Sam frowned as he shoved one of his dark curls behind his ear. He told Jack that Rose had a shadow and she, Betsy, and Nell were determined to oust the unfortunate person.

  When they had departed, Bess winked at her brother and led Hannah and Gideon back into the parlor, entertaining them with a story about a donkey, a pig, and Sam.

  Jack took my hand, leading me up the stairs. From my chest to my stomach felt like a thousand butterflies had been released, flapping their anxious wings and searching for a place to go.

  With each step we took, the butterflies fluttered until they came to a stand outside his door. He pulled me to him and kissed me lightly, but it sent hot waves through my body, curling my toes in my slippers. He opened the door and allowed me to walk in before him. A single candle was lighting his chamber that was similar to my own, but my gaze was fixated on the large bed. My body was tensing with something that I would not call fear. Nerves perhaps.

  The lock clicked on the door, and my attention moved to Jack. He was smiling as he walked across the chamber with the key in hand. He pushed open his window, winked at me, then tossed the key out the window.

  That broke the tense mood as we both laughed. Jack stood before me, taking my hands in his and raising them between us.

  “Will you tell me another secret?” He grazed his lips over my knuckles.

  There were a dozen secrets I could have told him, but only one felt right for the moment.

  Slipping my hands away from his, I removed several pins from underneath my hair. Pulling off the auburn wig that I had worn since I took on the role of the white phantom was freeing. A tan cap was covering my hair. Once it was removed, my dark brown hair fell to brush my shoulders.

  “When I became the white phantom it was imperative that no one knew who I was. The wig helped to change my appearance and no one looked close enough to see who I was, until you.”

  Jack said nothing, but his frown spoke loud. I let out a small breath and closed my eyes. He knew and fell in love with Guinevere, the white phantom, not me, a woman whose whole life was built around secrets and lies.

  My wig was pulled from my hand, and I opened my eyes to see Jack holding it up with one finger, examining it. “You would have made a brilliant Phantom.”

  Me? A Phantom? If only he knew.

  He lowered the wig and took a step toward me. “I care not whether your hair is red, yellow, black, or brown, to me you will always be beautiful.”

  All of the held in breath and emotions seeped from me, causing my shoulders to sag in relief. It was one less secret that I had to keep. I threw my arms around Jack’s neck and pressed my lips against his, so happy to be free of another secret. I felt the wig hit my feet as his arms slipped around my waist. My hands moved to his hair, and I buried my fingers into the thick, soft waves as I held on. He lifted me and I tried to protest, but he grunted as he captured my mouth again. He placed me on the bed. We laid back together. His lips were soft against mine, playful, but the more we kissed, the more intense things became until he leaned back, his thumb running across my bottom lip, down my neck, but halting at the neckline to my gown. He looked at me, uncertainty in his eyes, and I fell a little more in love with him.

  “Will you be mine in body as well as in name, Constance Martin?”

  Tracing the side of his handsome face with my fingers, I loved hearing my name on his lips. “I love you, Jack, and I want you through love and for life. I will accept nothing less.”

  CHAPTER 20

  JACK

  My wife was gone when I awoke, and for a terrible moment I thought I had dreamed our union. Until I heard her voice outside our door.

  “How are you sure that the source is reliable?” Guinevere was asking someone.

  “It is not my source, but yours,” Sam replied, sounding rather impatient. There had been only one other time that I heard him so annoyed.

  “Samuel Mason, you are not disturbing them on the morning after their wedding,” Bess hissed rather loudly outside the door. “Do you not remember the morning after our wedding?”

  My annoyed groan was audible as I laid back, closing my eyes.

  “Jack knows I would not disturb him for anything short of an emergency. I would call Charlotte’s capture an emergency.”

  “Your wife was in the right. You will not disturb my husband,” Guinevere said, and I heard Bess pulling Sam away, scolding him.

  “You have fifteen minutes,” Sam said from further down the hall.

  As the door opened, Guinevere came in carrying a tray. She set it on the bed, smiling. “Did you hear?”

  “Indeed. What is this source Sam spoke of?”

  Guinevere picked up a letter. After handing it to me, she plucked a flower from a vase, a hyacinth flower. Running the stem between her fingers, she laughed.

  “You have quite the collection of lock picks.”

  Smiling, I unfolded the letter. “One never knows when they will prove useful, as I see you discovered.”

  Guinevere shrugged one shoulder, grinning in return. “Wait until you see my collection.”

  The seal on the letter had been broken, so my wife knew what was in the letter. Spreading open the single sheet, it was brief and to the point. Frederick demanded a meeting at once, writing that he had something that we wanted. I crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it across the room.

  Guinevere went to my wardrobe and began throwing articles of clothing over her shoulder. Going up behind her, I wrapped her in my arms. She stilled with one of my shirts in her clenched hand.

  “Do you think that he has Edith?” Guinevere whispered.

  “If he does, we will rescue her. She is my family now, too.” I kissed her shoulder then moved away to dress.

  Half an hour later, we were in the parlor making plans. Guinevere and I would go together on horseback, and Sam, Leo, Bess, and Hannah would approach the temple from a different direction, watching for a sign of Charlotte or George.

  It was nine in the morning when we set out. We were armed and prepared for a battle if that is what it took, but I was sure that Fred
erick did not have Edith or Charlotte. It was more probable that he wanted to talk about Harvey, and threaten us.

  We did not see the others as we reached the temple, but I knew my sister’s methods, and she would give me five minutes before she found a way inside.

  Dismounting, I went to help Guinevere, but she slid out of her saddle and was moving up the temple steps without waiting for me. She pushed open the door and strode in as if she were still the white phantom who never waited for anyone.

  Following her inside, Frederick was seated on his throne. “So good of you to come,” Frederick said as he smiled at my wife.

  “This had better be worthy our journey here, Frederick. I do not look with favor upon your having interrupted my wedding trip again.”

  Frederick rose and stepped off the dais. “I have a gift for you, but first you must understand why you have been summoned.” He walked toward a table beside the dais that held a large book. He opened the book and flipped a few pages. “It has long been the ruling of the Holy Order of Levitas that any traitors of the Order would be marked with the appropriate sign.” Frederick turned, staring straight at me. “So when this person was brought to me, and I heard what they had to say, I knew what must be done.” Frederick motioned to one of his men. “Bring forth the traitor.”

  The guard walked through the door behind the dais, and I stepped closer to Guinevere, as she looked a moment from throttling Frederick. The odds being against us was the only reason that I restrained her.

  The guard returned, pulling a struggling Charlotte with him. My breath rushed out of me at the sight of her being forced to her knees before Frederick.

  “This is why you have summoned us? For her?” Guinevere turned toward the door, as if she would walk out.

  “She is no traitor, Frederick. She is just a girl,” I said.

  Frederick’s laugh was full of contempt. “Just a girl? Just a girl who tells anyone that she meets that she is a Phantom and has been trained to kill. She also says that she has captured the white phantom, whom she plans to turn over to those who will see to her demise.”