“I am Queen of Marcello and deserve to be treated with respect.”
Pelonis had apparently listened to enough back and forth bickering from the two of them. “Alistair is correct. We sent no notice of our plan to come visit. Daciana and her people are just settling in here. They do not have the luxuries that we have in Marcello. If you’d wanted those things, My Queen, then perhaps you should have stayed there.”
Kamille’s mouth began to drop before she snapped it shut. “I came to see my only son.”
“If that’s your reason for being here, then you should be enjoying his company instead of complaining about everything else. I find Daciana quite refreshing. She has been caring for Jaceson since he was injured. Yet, according to Alistair, she still finds time to make breakfast for you herself. She saw to you having a hot bath and food brought to you yesterday evening so that you could rest after such a long and weary trip. But have you given any thought to thanking her? This is not the kind of queen I know you to be.” Pelonis had an irritated tone in his voice. Certainly, he did not suspect Kamille of what she had tried to do.
Alistair began to wonder if his mother had told his father of their conversation last night. He decided that she could not have. Pelonis would have come to him demanding an explanation. Did he suspect Kamille though? He did know that someone had been hired to harm her. With Kamille’s past, did he think she would have done so? Had she ever said anything about Daciana to give away her dislike for her other than her complaints in the past few hours?
“I plan to spend time with him just as soon as he allows me to do so. Running off to be with that illegitimate Jaceson, visiting with the woman who bewitched him, and running around like a commoner!” Kamille shrieked.
Pelonis and Alistair both turned to stare at her.
Anger flashed through her hate-filled eyes.
“Witch?” Pelonis questioned sharply.
Kamille stammered, “The people in the villages talk of how she bewitched animals and the young men of their villages. The men followed her about, offering to do things for her. Just as Alistair followed her all the way out here to be with her. Now he wants to marry her. She is no better than a commoner. She may have the title of Princess, but her kingdom has nothing! She is nothing, not worthy of our son!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
MAGNOLIA STEPPED INTO THE room just in time to hear the end of Kamille’s high-pitched rant. “Avengar…” She spoke calmly and loudly, “…has more than you could ever fathom. My people have great character. They have worked harder than anyone else you will ever come to meet, simply to have a bit of land to call their own. A place to raise their children. They give to others in need, even if it is the last that they have. We may not be rich in coin, but we’re rich in heart. That is something that one can hold their head up high about.”
They all turned to look at her. She walked slowly toward them, her hands clasped in front of her. “As for being a witch, I have never enchanted anyone. I was raised to be kind to others. Told that if you show kindness to someone, then sometimes even the hardest of hearts can be affected by it. Often times, kindness is repaid with kindness. But I suppose that if a stranger travels to your village, they may seem strange to you. They have different customs, and that can scare those who are filled with ignorance. I never thought you would fall into that lot, Your Highness.” A soft smile crossed Magnolia’s face.
Kamille’s face turned crimson at the words spoken to her. “How dare you?”
“I dare because I know the truth. I know that you believe that I am a witch. You think of me as a threat, someone who will take away your son. You saw Jaceson as a threat to Alistair once. You still do. There is nothing that you can do about Jaceson though, because Pelonis cares for his son. You didn’t think anyone cared about me. All you saw when you looked in my direction was a girl trying to take what belonged to you.”
When Kamille began to interrupt her, Pelonis stepped toward his wife. “You let her finish.” Pelonis then turned his warm blue eyes to her and nodded.
“Gordon was a man who would do anything for you. All he wanted was to have the affection of his queen and a bit of gold to line his pockets. The fact that Alistair had humiliated him in public while defending me only added fuel to the fire for him. When you told him that you believed me to be a witch, he believed you. Why else would his prince humiliate him for someone whom he considered no better than a peasant? At your order, he came here.” Magnolia walked slowly toward Kamille. “Hunting me down in the woods on All Hollow’s Eve to kill me. To carry out your plan.”
“This is absurd!” Kamille backed away, but Alistair reached out to grab hold of her.
Magnolia stopped a foot away from her. She could see the pure hatred in the queen’s eyes.
“Dragoste attacked him after he kicked me down the hill, believing he had left me for dead. When he returned back to Marcello, he had several wounds, did he not?”
Pelonis nodded solemnly. “Said it was a wild animal.”
“Oh, it was an animal that was in a rage, but Dragoste is anything but wild. He is my most loyal companion.” She stroked the large black wolf’s head. “Gordon reported back to you. He told you that I was dead. Since Gordon was so very ill, you told him that you would pay him when he was better. He never did get better, so you paid the physician for caring for him.”
Kamille glared at her and stepped forward. “What proof do you have of such allegations?” Her voice was low and threatening. “I’ll have your head for such false accusations.”
“Gordon gave you a trinket, a trophy of sort, to prove to you that he had done what you asked. Something that nobody else would have because your son had it made just for me and paid the man a good deal of money so that he would never make another one like it. My wolf Claddagh ring. The ring that you now have in your possession. If I am correct about you, you have it on you now. Tucked away in a fold of your gown so that you have that constant reminder of how close you were to achieving your goal. To having your son back.”
“Do you have it, Mother?” Alistair’s voice shook with anger.
“Of course I do not.” Her right hand trembled at her side while her left hand slipped into a well-hidden pocket of her gown, seemingly unnoticed.
Magnolia saw her move. She knew what is was she was reaching for.
“Kamille, what is in your hand?” Pelonis boomed loudly, causing his queen to jump in her spot. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her hand out of the hidden pocket in her gown. Her fingers were curled closed. Slowly, one finger at a time, the fingers were coerced open to reveal the ring that had been stolen away on that horrid night. “What have you done?” Pelonis dropped his wife’s hand. The ring clattered loudly to the floor.
“She took him away from me! My only child left me to be with this witch! A peasant princess was going to someday sit on my throne! I could not allow such a thing to happen.” Her eyes were wide and wild, jumping from person to person.
Magnolia spoke softer than she had before. “You would have lost him either way. Had you killed me, Alistair would not have given up seeking vengeance. He would have given up everything that you call home.”
“Never. He would never leave his duties. He would have never left his kingdom to allow it to fall apart.” Kamille shook her head quickly back and forth.
Alistair stepped beside Magnolia, and a wave of comfort went through her at his nearness.
“Marcello would not have been left to fall to pieces. Father is there. When the time comes, Jaceson could take the throne. I assure you, Mother, if you had taken away my love, I would never have returned to Marcello.” The edge in his voice appeared to drive the truth of his words into the queen like a knife into warm butter.
“You tried to murder Daciana so you would not lose your son? You tried to have Jaceson banished to ensure that Alistair never had his place threatened. Your actions are unforgivable. This is treason against the crown. I promised Daciana and her people safety. My quee
n is the one who does not listen to my words. The one who threatens them. All with the help of your dear friend.” Pelonis sneered when he uttered that last word.
Kamille spun around and ran out of the castle before anyone could stop her. The soft snowflakes from the night before had turned into a whiteout blizzard.
“She’ll never survive out there,” Magnolia whispered. “She doesn’t know this land. Get the men.”
Pelonis reached out a hand to her arm and placed it gently on her. “You should not endanger the men for her. She brought shame to our kingdom by her actions. She would have been tried for treason and hanged or spent the rest of her life in the tower.”
“That may be so, Your Majesty, but she is still your queen and Alistair’s mother. I cannot stand by and allow her to perish in this storm if there’s something that I can do about it.” Magnolia raced off to grab her heaviest cloak.
A few men had gathered at the entry to the castle.
“Hopefully, she’s in the village. Check every home, every building. But don’t wander out into the blizzard beyond the village. We don’t want to lose any of you.”
“We’ll go with you.” Alistair and Pelonis both stepped to her side.
CHAPTER THIRTY
FLAKES WERE COMING DOWN in large white swirls. Magnolia prayed quietly for the snow to let up so that they could see. They needed to find Kamille soon. When they reached the last building in the village, they peered out into the white world. The snow seemed to slow down a bit, and the storm didn’t seem as angry as it had been just a few moments before.
Magnolia pushed on toward the sea with Dragoste by her side. He’d refused to leave her. Trudging through the snow caused the horses to slow. She could make out shapes much more clearly now than she could just moments before. It seemed the storm was slowing down for their search.
When they neared the cliffs, they dismounted. Certain that it would be better to go on foot than to have a horse lose its footing so close and pitch forward over the cliff down to the shore below. Late morning turned into late afternoon, and they still walked slowly along the cliffs. A bare brush caught Magnolia’s eye. Hanging from one of the branches was a bright crimson piece of fabric. Carefully, they walked toward the edge of the cliff. White flakes gently fell down now, allowing them to see all the way back to the castle. When Magnolia peered over the edge of the cliff, she stifled a scream. Lying on jagged rocks below was Queen Kamille.
“We have to get down there.” She forced back the tears that wanted to fall.
“I’ll go. There is a path down just over there, wide enough for a horse and rider. I have taken it many times.” Alistair moved forward.
Magnolia watched and shivered as he made his way slowly down to the rocky shore below.
Pelonis settled a comforting hand upon her shoulder.
Shortly after Alistair made it to his mother’s side, they knew that the queen was dead. She had not survived the fall. They watched as he lifted her body and laid it over the horse’s back.
All were silent as they made their way back to the castle. Right before they entered the village, Magnolia stopped. “Wait.” She spoke only loud enough for them to hear. “Nobody needs to know what happened. There is no need to speak to anyone about what she paid Gordon to do. Let her people remember her fondly. Tell them that she only wanted to get in a short walk but then got disoriented by a snowstorm. They never need to know why she was truly out there.”
Pelonis offered a sad smile before he nodded. “That’s what we shall say then.”
The solemn party continued to the castle. Once there, the men who had searched the village came out to carry Kamille’s body inside. A few others took the horses to the stables to wipe them down and settle them in. Magnolia, Alistair, and Pelonis walked into the castle in silence. She was in shock over what had happened.
The next day it was decided that Pelonis would leave to take Kamille back to Marcello for a proper burial. Alistair merely nodded while listening to his father speak.
“I leave at dawn.”
“I am going with you,” Alistair spoke up. His bright blue eyes shined with unshed tears. “I have to go with you.”
“What of Daciana?” Pelonis questioned.
Alistair turned and smiled at the woman he loved. “She is strong. I will return to her come spring. Right now, you need me at your side. I cannot allow you to do this alone. I am going with you, Father.”
Pelonis smiled sadly and nodded.
Magnolia knew then that he would have never placed a punishment of death to his wife. He would have sentenced her to the tower. He would have given her every comfort that she could have ever asked for. It was clear how much he loved her.
“Be safe in your travels.” She stepped toward them.
Pelonis wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you. I would be proud to someday call you my daughter. Anyone else would have not bothered to go search for her. I was not even going to go. Despite all that was done to you, you still went out in that storm to try to bring her back safely. I am forever grateful.” He kissed the top of her head much the way her own father had when she was a child.
“I will come back in the spring. We will marry then, if you will have me.” Alistair pulled her into his own arms the second she had been released from his father’s.
All she could do was nod in agreement.
That evening there was a quiet meal and much packing to be done. Magnolia spent the evening in the kitchen, preparing food for them to take with them on their return journey. It saddened her that Alistair was leaving, but it was something that she understood. He would return. Until then, she would have to go on with her life without him. Tears slid down her face as she packed them food. She was going to miss him more than she would ever be able to express. The only thing to do was to ensure that he returned to a thriving Avengar. Magnolia was determined to make it happen.
EPILOGUE
THE COOL SEA AIR blew at her long black hair, twisting and twirling it about her face. Magnolia lifted her face up toward the sunlight, allowing it to warm her cheeks. There were times when it had seemed like winter would never end, long cold weeks spent inside. At least she had been able to teach Gwain the basics of reading in that time. She believed he would be reading books like Gulliver’s Travels on his own soon. It was his favorite story. Already, she planned to get him a copy of his very own.
Every Friday evening, people gathered in the great hall to enjoy some treats and listen to her read from a book. It was a time where it seemed they were family.
Jaceson and Railynn had grown close in the winter months. When he’d healed enough to walk with the use of a cane, she’d assisted him with some of the chores he’d insisted on doing. By the time he no longer needed the cane, Magnolia could see the blossoming love there.
A shout from young Gwain brought her out of her thoughts. She turned to see the young boy running toward her. “He’s coming!” he shouted as he got closer. “Alistair is coming!”
The smile that lit her face showed the biggest pleasure she’d had since before he had left her back in January. Lifting up the skirt to the long white dress she wore, she started running toward Gwain, who pointed in the direction that Alistair was coming from. In the distance was a man on a white horse riding toward them as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. Her hair streamed behind her as she ran toward him, calling his name.
He slid off his horse and pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him as if he was afraid she would disappear if he loosened his hold. “I missed you,” he whispered into her hair.
“I didn’t think you would ever come back.” She turned her face up to his, looking into those penetrating blue eyes. She ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. “I am so glad you are back. Don’t ever leave me again.”
“Never,” he replied vehemently as he slanted his mouth over hers.
She melted into his arms. Her body felt as if it had molded itself into his.
�
��I’ll never leave you again, Daciana Magnolia Dietrex.”
OTHER TITLES FROM BLUE TULIP PUBLISHING
To Refuse a Rake by Kristin Vayden
Pursued by Kristin Vayden
Knight of the Highlander by Kristin Vayden
The Only Reason for the London Season by Kristin Vayden
What the Duke Wants by Kristin Vayden
An Unlikely Duchess by Nadine Millard
Drown by Jennifer Rae Gravely
Seeking Scandal by Nadine Millard
Hourglass by K.S. Smith & Megan C. Smith
To Tempt an Earl (Greenford Waters Legacy) by Kristin Vayden
Betraying Ever After by Kelly Martin
Phoenix Rising by Elise Faber
Rivers by Jennifer Rae Gravely
Hourglass Squared by K.S. Smith & Megan C. Smith
Out of the Blue by E.L. Irwin
The Forsaken Love of a Lord by Kristin Vayden
Unwilling by KD Wood
The Dark Hour by JF Jenkins
When Ash Falls by Rachel Van Dyken
The Second Life of Magnolia Mae
BOOKS RELEASED AS SECOND EDITION:
Surviving Scotland by Kristin Vayden
Living London by Kristin Vayden
Redeeming the Deception of Grace by Kristin Vayden
Upon a Midnight Dream by Rachel Van Dyken
Whispered Music by Rachel Van Dyken
The Wolf’s Pursuit by Rachel Van Dyken
BOOKS TO BE RELEASED:
Dreamweavers by C.C. Ravanera (no release date at this time)
The Mysterious Miss Channing by Nadine Millard
www.bluetulippublishing.com
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
The Second Life of Magnolia Mae Page 15
