Tyren looked at her, defeat in his eyes. “Because it is a weak man who must beg others to feed him,” he said simply. “We were not your responsibility. I have one hundred and sixty-seven people that live in and around Bardon Castle. They are all my responsibility. I had to feed them, to help them survive, and relieving travelers of their purse was the only way I could do it. I had nothing more to sell, nothing left to generate a living. I could not make our misfortune your own, Valeria. You had your own mouths to feed.”
Pity began to overtake the angst. “Oh… Ty,” she sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Instead of surrendering your pride and asking for help, you surrendered your nobility and your honor. You became an outlaw that was both feared and reviled. Do you have any idea how long I have been searching for you? How long my men have been searching for you?”
Valeria said it before she realized what she was saying, watching the confusion spread across Tyren’s face. “You searched for me?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
Valeria realized she had just given away her mighty secret as well. It had slipped out before she could stop it. Her first instinct was to try to lie her way out of it, but she wasn’t a liar by nature. The forced fabrications she’s spun to protect her father, Warden of the Tyne Vale, hadn’t come naturally.
Moreover, she couldn’t lie to Tyren. He had confessed his shocking secret. Perhaps, it was finally time for her to confess hers.
Her guard went down. In fact, there was nothing left to guard.
“Nearly three years ago, my father suffered an attack of paralysis,” she said, turning to look at Cassia as she spoke. “I did not tell you this, Auntie, because I was trying to preserve the illusion that my father is still in charge, but the truth is that he is not. He cannot speak and he cannot move. He lays in bed, day after day, a shadow of his former self, while I carry on the illusion that Mars de Velt is still Warden of the Tyne Vale. When I tell people that commands have come down from my father, they have really come from me. My father’s men know the secret and they keep it. We are all afraid of what will happen if it is learned that a woman commands Fourstones Castle and that a woman is actually Warden of the Tyne Vale.” She turned her attention back to Tyren. “I have been the one determined to bring you to justice these years past, Tyren. Not my father. It has been me.”
Tyren’s eyes widened in shock; he couldn’t help it. “You?”
“Aye.”
He was stunned. But, as he thought on her revelation, the situation began to make perfect sense. “Is that why I have not seen your father whenever I have visited? Because he is an invalid?”
“That is why.”
Now, he understood completely. So much was clear to him now, at least as far as Mars was concerned. The man’s constant absence was now explained. But as he pondered the truth, he began to realize the great lengths Valeria had gone through to protect her father’s secret. Had it become common knowledge that Mars was an invalid, that could have caused a great deal of unrest and uneasiness in the vale. Mars ruled with an iron fist and it was his justice that kept people safe and comforted.
But it hadn’t been Mars’ justice at all, at least not as of late. It had been Valeria’s.
“Then you lied to protect him,” he said softly.
Valeria wondered how he was taking all of this, for it was difficult to tell. His expression didn’t waver much. Would he curse her? Would he try to run now that he found out Mars was not the icon of justice he thought he was? She nodded to his assertion.
“Much as you lied to protect yourself and your men,” she replied.
She had a valid point. “Then it seems that we both had secrets,” he said quietly.
Valeria nodded.
Tyren was looking at her through new eyes now. She had always been intelligent and decisive, but realizing she had been Warden of the Tyne Vale, strangely enough, wasn’t much of a surprise. There had been cunning and intelligence behind the warden’s actions the past few years, something that wasn’t usually Mars’ pattern. Valeria and her men had been pursuing the Greenhead Ghost for some time and there had been more than one occasion where she had come very close to capturing him. Valeria had seemed to have a clever knack for seeking him out and tracking him, and the more he looked at her, the more impressed he became. When he should have been disillusioned at the very least, he was actually quite amazed.
Valeria, of course, had no idea what Tyren was thinking. She couldn’t tell by his expression. More than the fact he was the Greenhead Ghost, she found herself concerned with what he thought about her now. She struggled not to feel ashamed. Next to her, she heard Cassia sigh.
“You both did what you had to do,” she said quietly. “Necessity drives people to do desperate things. You must consider that before passing judgment.”
Valeria was still looking at Tyren with great sadness. She was certain that everything she had hoped for was ruined by her confession but, somehow, it seemed like the right thing to do. He had admitted his secret and she felt compelled to admit hers. When the dust settled, she could only hope he could at least forgive her for what she’d had to do. She couldn’t even think of what she had to do now. In fact, as far as she was concerned, she could only do one thing.
“There is no judgment to be passed,” she said. “He did as he thought best and I did as I thought best. I will not tell my men, Tyren, and I will not arrest you. I cannot do it. But you must leave Fourstones now. You must leave and never come back.”
Tyren could see the sorrow in her features. “I will not leave you,” he said, his manner depressed. “I could not leave you, Valeria. I came today to ask for your hand in marriage and that has not changed. My heart towards you has not changed but I understand if your heart has changed towards me. No one wants to be married to a criminal.”
She was rather surprised by his statement. “You are not a criminal in my eyes,” she said. “Ty, you did what you had to do in order to survive. In the same situation, I cannot say I would not have done the same thing. But my father… I have assumed duties meant for a man and surely that is not something a fine lady would do. You deserve a fine woman who has not lowered herself to do such things.”
Tyren could see that she was condemning herself for her actions far more than she was condemning him for his. He stood up from the chair, facing her. “You are the finest and most noble woman in all the land,” he said. “It seems we have both had to do things we consider unsavory, but you did not break the laws of the land, Valeria. I did. It would make your father a great hero if you were to arrest the Greenhead Ghost. It would bring you much prestige.”
Valeria’s eyes began to fill with tears again. “Do you think I could arrest you?” she whispered tightly. “Ty, you have been my heart for years now. I cannot remember when I have not adored you. I could no sooner arrest you and punish you than I could arrest and punish Aunt Cassia. You both mean so much to me. But you must leave Fourstones and never come back. If my father’s men were to discover what I know or if, at some point in the future, we were to capture you, it would be up to me to punish you and I could not do it. I simply couldn’t. Do you have any idea what chaos that would create in my father’s command structure? The only way I am able to keep command now is because I am firm and decisive with my men. But with you… Ty, I would have to turn against my own men. I would defend you before I would harm you. Do you see now why you must leave?”
He took a few steps in her direction, his expression vulnerable and soft. “I will not leave you,” he murmured. “If I go, you go with me.”
“Aye,” Aunt Cassia chimed in. “Take her away, Sir Tyren. Take her out of this hellish place where she must assume the duties of her terrible father. I know that Mars is my brother, but he is not a good man. He has always been cruel and cold. See how it drove Romulus away? Poor Romulus. He did not deserve the abuse his father heaped upon him. If you leave Valeria here, alone and unhappy, she will never find love again. She loves you, you know. All you need do i
s look at the ring you gave her to see that the stone is as pure a crimson as I have ever seen it. It is the color of true love.”
The ring. Valeria held up her hand again, instinctively, to look at the stone, which was, indeed, a rich orange-red. It was very nearly glowing. Tyren reached out and grasped her hand to look at it as well and they gazed upon that ring that had brought them together, had bound them together, as nothing else ever could.
His folly had been her greatest gain.
“You love me?” Tyren asked hoarsely.
Valeria’s eyes moved from the stone to his face. “I told you that I adore you.”
“Tell me you love me.”
A slow and gentle smile spread across her face. “I do,” she whispered. “I love you with all that I am.”
He caressed her fingers, his expression a mirror of her own. “As I love you,” he said. “Your aunt is correct; I must take you away from here. This is no life for you, assuming your father’s duties. Let Worth Cartingdon or one of the other men handle it. Your duty is to be my wife.”
She reached out, touching his stubbled cheek. “It is not only my duty but my honor,” she said. “But when we marry… you cannot continue your ways, Ty. Sooner or later, you will be discovered and it would destroy me.”
Aunt Cassia tugged on Tyren’s tunic. “Listen to me, young man,” she said. “Take her to my home in Carlisle. Valeria knows where it is. Go there and wait for me to return and then we will decide where you will go to start a new life. That is what you must both have, you know. You must leave this old and terrible life behind and start fresh. That is what you both deserve. If you remain here, the truth will catch up to you, eventually. You must go where past indiscretions cannot find you.”
Both Tyren and Valeria looked at the old woman, realizing she was correct. They had to run away, to start fresh and new somewhere where the Tyren’s hidden identity could never be a burden to him, where they wouldn’t be looking over their shoulders every moment of every day, waiting for their darkest secrets to be revealed. They had to go far, far away and make a new world for themselves, built upon the foundation of a love that was stronger than the curse of a ring or the shadow of shameful secrets.
It was a love that would carry them through for all time.
That night, with the help of Aunt Cassia, Tyren and Valeria made plans to flee the Tyne Vale and never look back. It was a thrilling new life that faced them. They continued with her celebration into the night, pretending that nothing was amiss. But just after midnight, Valeria returned to her chamber, packed a satchel, and kissed her aunt farewell. As the only person that knew the fate of Tyren and Valeria, and the truth of their secrets, Cassia urged her niece onward. A new life was waiting, far from the strife and strain of the old one, and Cassia urged Valeria to seize it with all her heart.
But Valeria needed no urging. She was eager to leave with Tyren, eager to start anew, and just past midnight on the day after her eighteenth birthday, Valeria and Tyren slipped away into the night, traveling beneath the full moon and heading west through the silver-bathed landscape. A new life was beckoning for them both, a life of happiness and peace, and of a love that most men only dreamt of. Old lies slipped away and new truths began. The dawn saw a new day, a new hope, and dreams only of each other.
Aunt Cassia had toasted her niece’s new life that evening, feeling satisfaction that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She had been part of something great, she felt, something wonderful and encouraging. For Tyren and Valeria to leave to a new life, a life she would help them with, gave her a sense of accomplishment and hope. Love was worth such sacrifices, after all, and she knew, simply by the expressions passing between Valeria and Tyren, that they loved each other deeply. The hope was there and it was strong.
Life would be good to them. When Cassia finally slept towards dawn, dreams of Albert and a crimson ring filled her head. In her dreams, she could touch Albert. She could even kiss him. He held her in his arms and told her how much he had missed her. Ever my love, he had whispered to her. The joy in her heart was so strong that it felt as if her very heart had burst with it. Happiness, once again, was hers.
When a servant went to wake Cassia well after dawn, she found the old woman dead with a most wondrous smile upon her lips. Cassia had passed away, passing right into Albert’s waiting arms, and the truth behind Valeria and Tyren’s disappearance died with her.
But the legend and love of the crimson ring lived on.
* THE END *
Books by Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Romance:
The de Russe Legacy:
The White Lord of Wellesbourne
The Dark One: Dark Knight
Beast
Lord of War: Black Angel
The Falls of Erith
The de Lohr Dynasty:
While Angels Slept (Lords of East Anglia)
Rise of the Defender
Steelheart
Spectre of the Sword
Archangel
Unending Love
Shadowmoor
Silversword
Great Lords of le Bec:
Great Protector
To the Lady Born (House of de Royans)
Lords of Eire:
The Darkland (Master Knights of Connaught)
Black Sword
Echoes of Ancient Dreams (time travel)
De Wolfe Pack Series:
The Wolfe
Serpent
Scorpion (Saxon Lords of Hage – Also related to The Questing)
Walls of Babylon
The Lion of the North
Dark Destroyer
Ancient Kings of Anglecynn:
The Whispering Night
Netherworld
Battle Lords of de Velt:
The Dark Lord
Devil’s Dominion
Reign of the House of de Winter:
Lespada
Swords and Shields (also related to The Questing, While Angels Slept)
De Reyne Domination:
Guardian of Darkness
The Fallen One (part of Dragonblade Series)
Unrelated characters or family groups:
The Gorgon (Also related to Lords of Thunder)
The Warrior Poet (St. John and de Gare)
Tender is the Knight (House of d’Vant)
Lord of Light
The Questing (related to The Dark Lord, Scorpion)
The Legend (House of Summerlin)
The Dragonblade Series: (Great Marcher Lords of de Lara)
Dragonblade
Island of Glass (House of St. Hever)
The Savage Curtain (Lords of Pembury)
The Fallen One (De Reyne Domination)
Fragments of Grace (House of St. Hever)
Lord of the Shadows
Queen of Lost Stars (House of St. Hever)
Lords of Thunder: The de Shera Brotherhood Trilogy
The Thunder Lord
The Thunder Warrior
The Thunder Knight
Time Travel Romance: (Saxon Lords of Hage)
The Crusader
Kingdom Come
Contemporary Romance:
Kathlyn Trent/Marcus Burton Series:
Valley of the Shadow
The Eden Factor
Canyon of the Sphinx
The American Heroes Series:
The Lucius Robe
Fires of Autumn
Evenshade
Sea of Dreams
Purgatory
Other Contemporary Romance:
Lady of Heaven
Darkling, I Listen
Multi-author Collections/Anthologies:
With Dreams Only of You (USA Today bestseller)
Sirens of the Northern Seas (Viking romance)
Ever My Love (sequel to With Dreams Only Of You) July 2016
Kindle Worlds (Kathryn Le Veque World of de Wolfe Pack):
River’s End
The Wedding Fountain (Bella Andre’s Kindle World)
Note: All Kathryn’s novels are designed to be read as stand-alones, although many have cross-over characters or cross-over family groups. Novels that are grouped together have related characters or family groups.
Series are clearly marked. All series contain the same characters or family groups except the American Heroes Series, which is an anthology with unrelated characters.
There is NO particular chronological order for any of the novels because they can all be read as stand-alones, even the series.
For more information, find it in A Reader’s Guide to the Medieval World of Le Veque.
Forever Her Champion
Part Two
Ever My Love—The Lore of the Lucius Ring
by
Suzan Tisdale
Prologue
Allistair Castle, Highlands of Scotland, 1488
Nothing good ever came in the dark of night.
Valeriana knew this, even at the age of four. Monsters only invaded your dreams at night, or Brownies and fey fairies came to steal little girls from their families. Her mother had told her this just that very night when Valeriana complained at bedtime. Hours later, when she woke to the raspy sound of her father’s voice, to the worry in his eyes, she knew something terrible had happened.
“Wheest, child,” her father whispered harshly. ’Twas not anger in his voice, but worry blended with the illness he’d been battling for days. His handsome face looked ashen, and eyes that typically sparkled with mirth were dim and glassy. His dark hair was a mess, resembling the feathers on a rooster after battling a fox in the hen house.
“But why must we leave?” she begged for an answer as he scooped her into his arms. “And why cannae ye go with us?” Her papa was her entire world. He was her hero, her champion. The thought of leaving without him made her stomach hurt.
Her father pressed her close to his chest, ignoring her pleas. “There be no time to pack everythin’,” he told her mother, who was shoving some of Valeriana’s clothes into a bag. “Ye’ll nae be gone that long.”
“If ye think ye’re sendin’ me clear across the world without a change of clothes, ye be sadly mistaken!” Her mother did not look happy. But then, she rarely ever looked happy.
Ever My Love: The Lore of the Lucius Ring (The Legend of the Theodosia Sword Book 2) Page 9
