“What evidence have you found?”
“I have discovered nothing to support the informant’s accusations and plenty to undermine the validity of the accusations.”
Mendal frowned. “I expressed my wishes very clearly at Wisenvale regarding this matter and Lord Wisten’s fate.”
“You did, sire. You wanted Lord Wisten’s full confession and him in custody. Circumstances did not provide opportunity for us to capture Lord Wisten.”
“I understand he is dead.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“At your hand?”
“No. It was done at my order.”
Mendal’s face tightened as he peered at me. “Did Lady Irvaine kill him?”
“No, your majesty, I did.” Tomas’ calm confession banished all my hopes of him remaining free of blame.
The king blinked. “You, Tomas?”
“Lord Wisten threatened to take the life of a woman with child. I chose chivalry.”
Murmurs passed through the gathered courtiers. A few of the men smiled in satisfaction. They most likely hoped the king’s favorite, Tomas, had gone too far.
“I expect nothing less of you, Irvaine.” The king’s pursed lips spoke of displeasure despite his words.
One of the nobles standing at the king’s left hand leaned forward. “What do you wish done about Lord Wisten’s title and lands, sire?”
“Thank you for reminding me, Cilnore.” Mendal leaned toward the clerk, but his voice carried so the whole gathering could hear. “Hold Lord Wisten’s lands in trust to the crown until a suitable time when I feel inclined to award them to a deserving party.” He stressed the word deserving.
Cilnore flinched as though stung, and half of the other nobles shifted uncomfortably in their shoes.
“Lord Irvaine, might I assume that the woman you rescued was your wife?”
“It was not, my king. It was Kolbent Briaren’s widow.”
Mendal’s eyebrows rose. “He left a widow? Who’s the child’s father?”
“Briaren is, I believe. I would like to petition for guardianship.”
The king’s face grew stormy. “That is a matter for another day, Tomas. Beware. I will not be distracted from the issue at hand. I will not look well upon any attempts to divert me.”
Tomas fell silent as my gut tightened like a lute string. Dentin and Tomas intended to push the king much farther and he was already voicing warnings. This boded ill for my fate.
Please spare Tomas, I prayed.
The king continued questioning without pause. “Lord Dentin, did the knight provide any further information when you questioned him?”
Dentin summoned one of the pages with a single finger. He handed the lad the bundle of pages that he had tucked away when he met us and indicated they were for the king. “Sir Jorndar bragged of taking Kyrenton vargar with only a handful of men and wishes to lay claim to the title and lands of the noble title of Irvaine upon his marriage to Rolendis Briaren, widow of Kolbent Briaren, late Earl of Irvaine. He claims he was not party to the plot to invade. That piece of foolishness, he professed, was completely of Lord Wisten’s making.”
The king skimmed the pages and then handed them to the man beside him, who noted every word spoken. “No mention of Lady Irvaine?”
“None.”
“Fine.” The king nodded and waved a hand at the scribe. “Note that Sir Jorndar’s claim has been denied. Draw up an execution order for my signature, death by hanging. I can’t have knights riding about causing trouble with peers of the realm.”
Unwieldy silence stretched as the scribe made notes. Not even the nobles stirred.
“Back to the matter at hand.” Mendal cleared his throat and gripped his cane. “I see no reason to spare the Lady Irvaine. You have spoken no evidence in her favor, Dentin.”
“You have not given me opportunity, my king.” Dentin pulled a completely new bit of parchment from under his over tunic.
One of the courtiers cleared his throat pointedly. “If you keep pulling documents from your clothing, Lord Dentin, we will be led to believe you are nothing but rustling paper.” A few around him laughed uncomfortably with furtive glances in the king’s direction.
“Be wary Doritane, lest your name appear on one of his lists,” another man responded.
Again the courtiers shifted and murmured.
Dentin waited without reacting until the rustling ceased before speaking. “My lord king, I have collected a host of witnesses who can speak to Lady Irvaine’s actions and companions over the last month. I, myself, can swear to her movements since our meeting in Wisenvale. Before that, I have corroborating sworn testimony from two or more witnesses as to her location and actions from the moment Lord Irvaine’s company entered Wisenvale until this moment.”
“All on that piece of parchment?” Mendal tilted his head and lifted his eyebrows in obvious disbelief.
“No, your majesty, this is simply a list of the witnesses and the periods they witnessed. I have the detailed statements under lock and key. I have arranged for a sampling of the strongest witnesses to be available, should you wish to question them yourself.”
The king motioned for one of his pages to fetch the parchment. “Is that the army of men that escorted Lord and Lady Irvaine into my presence?”
“They are a sampling of my witnesses.”
The king frowned over the list. “Most of these are Irvaine’s own men.”
“Yes they are, your majesty.”
“Might they be stricken from the record based upon their corruptibility? He is their superior.”
“Have you ever known Irvaine to choose a traitor to serve in his ranks? He demands complete loyalty to you as the primary requirement of service in his ranks.”
I could think of a traitor from Tomas’ men. Brevand’s mutinous face danced before my mind’s eye. Tomas had chosen unwisely in selecting him. Seeing his childhood friend, he had employed a traitor. I tried to keep my features neutral as Mendal studied first Dentin’s face and then Tomas’, directly over my shoulder.
“You vouch for this woman, Tomas?”
“I do.”
Mendal’s scrutiny fell on me. I met his gaze for a moment, then lowered my face and waited.
“Fine.” Mendal grunted to indicate it was nothing of the sort. “I clear her of the charges.”
My head snapped up in surprise. I was free. I felt as though a great load had fallen from my shoulders. My body was suddenly so light I wanted to fly. However, one glance at the king’s frown rooted my feet in the ground again.
In the king’s mind, I was not clear of suspicion. For now, perhaps forever, I was compromised in his mind, a woman of dubious lineage. My cousin plotted against him. He believed I would do the same, given the chance. Strange considering how he overlooked Tomas’ lack of a father.
But, it did explain why Tomas kept his true parentage a secret. Should Mendal discover Tomas was sired by a western baron, the king would never trust my husband again.
While I worked through the implications in my head, the court formalities wound down. Tyront’s sentence was announced, death by hanging, and King Mendal declared his intention to break camp come morning and return to the capital. Now that there were no more signs of revolt, he perceived no reason to stay.
Finally, he withdrew, signaling the end of the gathering.
The courtiers and court staff disbanded in a hurry.
Dentin left after a swift bow to me and Tomas. I hoped I would see him before he left.
I turned around to find Tomas standing closer than I thought. His dark eyes drew in my gaze, relief in the midst of exhaustion.
“Come, wife.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “We have sleep to catch up on.”
“No kiss of celebration this time?” I widened my eyes in false innocence.
He laughed and caught me up in his arms, spun me around. Finally setting my feet on the ground, he didn’t pause to let me catch my breath before lacing his fingers through
my hair. “I love you, Brielle,” he whispered before kissing me so that I clung to him for balance.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Epilogue
“Mother! They are here!” Darnay ran into the great hall, his new puppy at his heels and barking so that the ceiling echoed with the ruckus. Sliding the last few feet and colliding with my legs, the boy wrapped his arms about my waist in an effort to keep upright. The grasp quickly morphed into a hug. The dog danced about and continued yapping.
“Hush, Samson!” I freed a hand to signal the dog to sit. As the puppy’s wiggly hind end lowered to the floor, tail whipping the rushes every which way, a wail rose to replace his yapping.
“Linora.” Darnay released me and dashed to the cradle only a few steps away. “Sh. It is all well.” Scooping his little sister from her nest of blankets, he smiled as she quieted to stare at his face and bat at his nose.
The instant attraction was reassuring to see. Even now, two years since my marriage to Tomas, I reveled in how Darnay’s attitude had changed toward me. Linora’s birth three months ago solidified our family in ways I had not expected. She was of the three of us, not a fragment of the past.
Darnay took to the role of older brother with joy and a seven-year-old’s eagerness to help. The attraction between the siblings had been almost instant and mutual. Linora usually drank in his every word, laughed and smiled at his antics, and would soon be trailing him everywhere. As every older sibling does, Darnay did tire of sharing Tomas with Linora when he would much rather Tomas be outside teaching him to use a bow.
“Who arrived?” I asked Darnay as he bounced the now smiling Linora.
“I spotted Father and Lander coming through the outer bailey gate.”
I splayed a hand across my middle as it tightened with anxiety.
“Don’t worry, Mother, he will like you.” Darnay smiled up at me with the confidence of a young man with little experience with disappointment.
“Like you liked me at first?” I smiled and ruffled his hair so he knew I teased.
“Mother, please stop. I don’t want to look like a little boy.” He handed me Linora so he could smooth his dark curls.
I pressed my face against Linora’s soft auburn spirals and breathed in the baby scent of her. She tangled her fingers in my own escaped curls and tried to cram them in her mouth.
“We are home. Where is everyone?”
Tomas’ voice brought my head around, yanking my hair and Linora’s fist from her mouth. She protested with a mighty wail. Despite her angry noise, I couldn’t tear my gaze from the welcome sight of my husband striding down the great hall.
“Father!” Abandoning his unruly hair, Darnay ran to his father. He was almost too tall to be swung about, but Tomas did anyway. Bracing for the catch and throwing his son up as though he were still five.
“Did you take good care of the women while I was gone?”
“Yes, I watched Linora while she slept every afternoon. I carried the linens for Tatin. And I played with Linora four times so Mother could nap, didn’t I Mother?”
I nodded as I tried to ease Linora’s fist open. “He was very helpful.”
Darnay immediately launched into a story about his recent training with Antano.
“Whoa, just a minute, Darnay. Mother needs some help.” Tomas set him gently on his feet and approached me with a smile.
Linora, spotting her father, reached both arms out to him and attempted to launch herself from my arms, my hair still in her fist.
Tomas laughed as he caught her. “You aren’t supposed to be stealing your mother’s hair, little one. You will grow plenty of your own soon enough.”
With both hands available, I made quick work of freeing myself from my daughter’s grasp. “How did it go?” I asked in a whisper as Tomas leaned in for a kiss.
He didn’t pause to answer. Claiming my mouth and pulling me up against him with his free arm in a way that promised more delightful attention later, he worked a familiar magic on my senses.
“I missed you, wife.” He drew back to kiss my temple before retreating. “I will fill you in on the details later.”
The fleeting grimace on his face indicated enough discomfort to make me concerned, but I pushed my worries away when he turned to face the far end of the hall. There, standing in the shadows and looking as though she wished the floor would swallow her, was a tall young woman carrying a thin, toddler boy.
“Come and greet my family, Gelsey.” Tomas beckoned the girl toward me. “Brielle, this is Gelsey, an orphan who has been rearing Lander for Rolendis.”
Gelsey came forward and dipped an awkward curtsey before offering a shy smile.
I made a point to smile warmly in return.
“Welcome to our home, Gelsey.”
“And this–” Tomas placed a gentle hand on the small head of the boy in Gelsey’s arms. “–is Lander, son of Rolendis and Kolbent Briaren.”
I approached slowly. The boy’s wide blue eyes watched my movements from beneath a thick fringe of very straight brown hair. The hair and eyes looked nothing like Rolendis, but the almost pretty form of the boy’s face reflected his mother.
I offered a hand. “Very nice to meet you, Lander. I am Brielle.”
Lander regarded my offered fingers with suspicion. Then he turned away, pressing his face into the hollow of Gelsey’s narrow shoulder.
“He is hesitant of strangers, my lady.”
I nodded. “I would be too if I was just taken to a new and strange place. Is there anything he particularly likes? Any favorite foods?”
“He loves white bread and butter.”
I smiled at the mention of the delicacy. “I am sure we can find you some white bread and butter.”
“I will get it.” Darnay disappeared in the direction of the kitchens.
“Do you have any preferred foods, Gelsey?” I asked.
“Me, my lady?”
“Of course, you must be hungry too. Come, let the three of us go to the kitchen and see about feeding you both. Then I will have Tatin show you two to the nurseries. I assume you won’t mind sleeping in there with the children and their nurse for the first few nights until Lander adjusts.”
As I spoke, Lander slowly eased his face from Gelsey’s shoulder. “Gelsey stay?”
I smiled into his fair eyes. “Yes, Gelsey can stay.”
His small mouth lost a little bit of its petulant firmness. “Bread?”
“Yes.”
“Let me show them, my lady.” Tatin had appeared in her usual, efficient way. I nodded my agreement. The expression on Tomas’ face indicated he wanted me to himself. Taking Linora from Tomas, Tatin led the way toward the kitchens. As the door closed behind them, I heard the girls exchange introductions.
“Now, wife, I have plans for you.” Tomas’ strong arms enfolded me, pulling me backwards into his warmth. “I have missed you, and I intend to take advantage of our temporarily childless state by whisking you away.”
I turned in his arms so we almost brushed noses. “What makes you think I don’t have similar plans, my lord?”
~~~~~~
Acknowledgments
When I was about four or five years old, I was admitted into the hospital for eye surgery. While there a friend of the family came to visit me and he gave me a bear with a t-shirt that said, “Consider yourself hugged.” This is my first time including acknowledgments in one of my books. That said, I realize I am not going to be able to thank everyone by name who has helped in the creation of this story. If I miss mentioning you, please “Consider yourself thanked.”
Abigail, thank you for the spark that set fire to this story. I hope it lives up to your expectations for the opening line. Also, I owe you greatly for the selection of Brielle’s name. Your comment prompted me to look at the name twice.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for offering the other opening line that I used in the first chapter. Your contribution fed the story and gave me a place to begin with Brielle’s character.
A
lyssa and Joanna, thank you for naming Brielle. Once she had a name, her personality and past opened for me. She wouldn’t be the same to me if she bore the name Susan or Kay.
Thank you to my wonderful and supportive husband for letting me disappear on random evenings to write. Without you, this book would have never been written. Most of all, thank you for your love.
To the wait staff of our local restaurants, thank you for your patience with the odd woman with the laptop who would show up late at night, ask for a booth, and type like mad. You were unfailingly kind and generous.
My children, you contributed equal parts motivation, inspiration, and distraction when I needed it. To my oldest son who planted the seed of Darnay in my mind, I hope you are pleased that you did, when you are old enough to understand.
Lovely ladies of Iridescent Inklings, thank you for your feedback, support, and chatting with me about writing and other various topics. Your encouragement saw me through the rough spots when my characters weren’t cooperating or when I grasped for a new plot idea on the fly.
Not least, and certainly not last, Charissa, my sister of the pen and sister of the heart, you never fail to listen and give good advice, no matter the topic.
Ann, thank you for reassuring me that my scribbling has value despite my fears.
To all my beta readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You push me to improve. Without you, this book wouldn't be as polished as it is.
Finally, thank you, dear reader, for picking up this book. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
- Rachel Rossano
About the Author
As a happily married mother of three small children, Rachel Rossano dreams of new stories among the chaos of diapers and sippy cups. Then she writes as fast as she can during nap times and after the little ones are tucked in for the night. She draws from a long history as an avid reader and lover of books. Usually she writes fantasy novels that masquerade as historical, but she also dabbles in the science and speculative fiction genres.
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