I stepped out of the library. I was about to turn to find the staircase when I paused. Ingrid still had Lowell. I didn’t have to go back right away. I could pay a certain brother–in–law a visit and give him a piece of my mind.
I found the staircase leading down to the dungeon and pulled a sconce off the wall to light the way. The farther I descended, the colder the air became, and I was almost shivering by the time I reached the floor. The wolves ran hot; it wouldn’t bother them, but as one of the few humans in the castle, I was frozen.
I approached the guard standing outside the prison. “I’d like to see Seth Wolfic, please.”
The man looked hesitant. “Are you sure about that, miss? He’s been some trouble today.”
“Do you know who I am?” I asked him. The guard nodded. “So you know some of the horrible things he’s said about me?” Again, the guard nodded. “I need to give him a few choice words before he’s executed.”
The guard smirked. “All right then, Your Grace. Just stay away from the bars.”
He pulled the key ring from his pocket and unlocked the door. I gave him a nod as I entered. I passed by the empty cells, my footsteps echoing off of the walls. Seth looked up as I approached, and broke into a broad smile. I glanced over at the guard sitting in the corner, as far away from Seth’s cell as he could be while still keeping the captive in his sights.
“My darling, I was wondering when you would finally come visit me,” Seth said.
I came to a stop in front and a few feet away from his cage and crossed my arms. “You can drop the act, Seth.”
“What act, my darling?”
“You do not get to call me that,” I snapped at him. “Your brother is the only one allowed to call me that, and you know that.”
Seth’s fingers traced a pattern along the silver bars. “You’ve never minded before.”
“You’ve never called me that before.”
Seth leaned over to look at the guard and rolled his eyes. “Women, eh?”
“Oi,” I said, snapping my fingers at him. “I’m here to speak with you!”
Seth pressed his body up against the cage, locking eyes with me through the bars. “If you don’t want to speak of our torrid love affair, what do you want to talk about?”
“All right,” I said, strutting toward him, trying to keep my composure. “From now on, I’m just going to ignore those remarks from you. I’m actually here to laugh at you.”
“Laugh at me?”
“You tried to escape and you failed.”
“So you came to what, gloat?”
“Essentially.”
Seth tsked. “That’s so unlike you, Christine.”
“You don’t know anything about what I’m like.”
Seth tilted his head at me. “You seem tense, Christine. Is Jasper giving you enough attention in bed?”
That threw me for a loop and I blinked a few times. “What?”
Seth reached his hand through the bars, trying to touch me, but I was still out of his grasp. “Because if not, you know, I could show you what it’s like to be with a real man.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’d have to decide quickly, though,” he sighed. “I’m afraid I won’t be here much longer.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“The elders are losing their patience with me.”
“That’s your own fault,” I pointed out.
“Perhaps. But I suspect they’ll decide to kill me.”
I walked to the cage, my face inches from his. “Good. If they decide to execute you, you’ll deserve it.”
He pressed his face to the bars, his skin sizzling at the contact. “Think about what I said, Christine.” His tongue snaked out, sliding against my face. I tried to pull away, but he had my arm in an iron grip. “I can show you pleasure you can only imagine.”
“Oi, let her go!” the guard shouted, finally doing his duty. Seth released me and I almost stumbled backward. I wiped the saliva from my face and stood just outside his reach.
“The next time I testify, I’m going to make sure they choose to execute you,” I told him. Then, I turned on my heel, moving swiftly past the guard and down the dark corridor. I couldn’t catch my breath until I was climbing up the staircase on the way to my bedroom.
My dreams were filled with nightmares about Seth. This time, I wasn’t just in danger, but in a repulsive, sexual situation that caused me to wake covered in a thin layer of sweat with a pounding heart. Unlike my last visit with Seth, this one didn’t make me nervous. He had pushed me just a little bit too far. I’m not sure what he had wanted to accomplish with his advances, but it certainly wasn’t this. The next time I was called to testify, I was going to pull off the performance of a century. I would stay composed with just a hint of a tear in my eye, making myself look both honest and sympathetic. I would dive into deep detail about everything Seth had ever done to me, and once the jury heard it all, they would have no choice but to choose execution as Seth’s punishment. Anything else would be irresponsible.
I fed and changed Lowell, then disappeared into the bathroom while Jasper played with the baby. When I looked into the mirror, I still looked a little sleep–deprived, but I exuded a new confidence. I didn’t need cosmetics today. I was going to sit in court with my head held high, and I was going to be the perfect witness.
Bridget came to my room to help me get ready. I chose a dress in a sky blue with navy accents. She buttoned up the tiny pearl buttons and added matching jewelry.
“If you don’t mind me saying, ma’am, you look like you’re ready to take on the world today.”
“Thank you, Bridget.” I hadn’t told Jasper about my visit to his brother. It would only cause him to needlessly worry, and I didn’t want that. “I suppose I just slept better last night.”
Jasper came up and kissed me on the cheek, the baby still in his arms. “I’m glad. I’ve been worried about you.”
I smiled, but guilt sank in my stomach as I looked at him. I hated keeping things from him, but what he didn’t know, he couldn’t worry over.
Bridget twisted and secured my hair, then we were ready to go. Just like the other days, we dropped Lowell off at Ingrid’s room, then waited in the lobby. I wasn’t going to let the silence suffocate me today. I chatted with Annabelle and Jasper, and my cheery mood seemed to make the others happier too. Everyone was more relaxed by the time Benedict came to let us inside.
“Good morning, everyone,” he said once he was situated back behind the bench. “Due to yesterday’s...upset, we have changed tactics a bit. Seth will be unable to speak unless he’s on the stand, and we have hired an attorney to represent him for the remainder of the trial. There is one exception,” he said, his eyes flicking to me. “The next time the duchess is on the stand, he will question her himself.”
I didn’t even blink. Go figure that Seth would pull a trick like this. Jasper squeezed my hand, but I only smiled. “That’s fine,” I whispered.
“Mr. Chadwick, you have the floor,” Benedict said.
The counselor stood up. “To begin, I would like to call Bridget Chambers to the stand.”
Bridget stood up. She was wearing a pretty purple dress that showed off her red ring. She had gotten herself together before coming to help me, her dark hair pulled back from her green eyes. With grace she took the stand, and smiled at the jurors.
“Ms. Chambers, please tell us your relationship to the Wolfric family,” Chadwick began.
“Certainly,” she said. “I met Christine when we were both still living in Ervine. When she became engaged to the duke, she called for me, asking me to be her chambermaid.”
“Why you?”
“I had assisted Christine when she was in some trouble. I think she felt that she owed me. I’ve been the chambermaid at Wolf’s Peak for just under a year.”
“But you are not going to be a maid there for much longer?”
Bridget smiled. “I should think not. I re
cently became engaged. Most of you were there.”
“Ms. Chambers, what can you tell us about the kidnapping incident?”
“We were on our way back to Wolf’s Peak from Ashford Castle when our carriage was attacked by wolves. They killed the driver and maimed the horses. The men shifted, going out to fight. I shifted as well and joined the battle. While we were fighting, Christine was dragged from our carriage into theirs. The men that were still alive shifted back and raced off. We tried to keep up, but couldn’t. Instead, the men went to get help and we returned to Wolf’s Peak. When Jasper caught word that Seth had been sighted, he brought the councilmen and me to rescue Christine. He initially went in alone, not knowing it was a trap. Christoph found us in town and notified us, and we raced to save him. We found Jasper and Christine surrounded by wolves, about to be killed. Christoph and I got Christine to safety while the others fought. Then the elders arrived.”
After a brief and uneventful cross–examination, Christoph was brought to the stand.
“Tell me your relationship with the Wolfric family,” Chadwick said.
Christoph glanced down at his hands. “It’s complicated.”
“Start at the beginning, please.”
“I was a doctor in Sheville. Seth came to me, explaining that he was going to be kidnapping a pregnant woman and would need help caring for her. Initially, I refused. The men shifted into their wolf forms, and Seth explained to me that if I refused, he would kill my family.” His eyes filled with tears as he looked out at his audience. “I have a one–year–old daughter. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. So I agreed.
“But I didn’t agree with the way they treated Christine, and I tried to do everything I could to help her. When Christine discovered that Jasper was walking into a trap, she implored me to find him and warn him. Initially, I disagreed, not wanting Seth’s revenge. But it gnawed at me, and finally I found his men. At that point, it was too late, and Jasper had already left. In the cover of night, we returned to the castle. While the wolves battled, I helped Christine, as Bridget said. I gave them a few moments of privacy, going outside to see how things were coming, as Bridget had assured me that the duke and his men were winning. While I was outside, I was attacked and nearly died. Conor, also a doctor, brought me inside. With no other options to keep me alive, he turned me. Now, I live at Wolf’s Peak as the resident doctor with my family.”
“Many of us were there and can confirm his testimony,” Benedict said.
Seth’s lawyer asked a few bland, boring questions of Christoph, but nothing new came of it. Either Seth’s lawyer was terrible, or Seth was so deeply in trouble that there was nothing he could say to counter it.
Chadwick took the floor again. “Next, I would like to call Theodore Melle to the stand.”
My jaw dropped, and there were gasps all around the room. No one had expected Theodore to be testifying. Even Jasper had a look of shock on his face.
From the side door, Theodore was dragged in, his arms in cuffs. He glanced briefly at Seth, then averted his eyes. Seth only scowled as his former accomplice took the stand.
“How did you become entrenched in the narrative at Wolf’s Peak?” Chadwick asked.
Theodore didn’t meet our eyes, keeping his trained on the floor. “My uncle was murdered by Seth. Because my uncle was a councilmember, the council had to replace him. Roderick didn’t have any kids, so my brother and Conor and I were the only options. Technically, Edgar was supposed to be ahead of me, but we both went. Conor was chosen anyway, so it didn’t matter. I was embarrassed, but Edgar was furious. I didn’t understand it; he had never wanted to be on the council before. Turns out, Seth had told him he would pay a handsome fee if Edgar made it to the council and could spy for him. Seth came to visit us. He told Edgar that he and I could keep working for him, and that when he became the duke, he’d put us on the council. So we agreed. We helped him kidnap Christine, and then the battle happened, and my brother died…”
He choked up, unable to continue. Had they not been so horrible to me, I’d almost feel bad.
Almost.
Finally, after the cross–examination, Chadwick took the floor again.
“Next up, I’d like to call the Duchess of Faolancaster, Christine Wolfric.”
I took a deep breath and stood up.
Chapter Twenty–Four
I crossed the room and sat down in the seat. From where I sat, I could see everyone. All eyes were on me, the jury to my left, my friends and family in front of me, and Seth. He stared at me, his eyes boring holes into my body, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I kept my eyes trained on Chadwick as he stepped toward me.
“Hello, again, Christine,” he said.
I smiled at him. “Hello.”
“Today, we’re going to talk about your kidnapping. What happened when you left Ashford Castle?”
“We left early in the morning so we would have enough time to get home. It was just as Bridget said: we were riding, and the coach stopped suddenly. We were under attack from Seth’s men. Conor and Adam shifted in the carriage, and Bridget ran out to shift in the woods. Hazel, Annabelle, and I were left in the carriage. While the others fought off wolves, our carriage was still under attack. I was grabbed and dragged outside and thrown in a carriage. I blacked out, and when I woke up, I was bound in the bottom of the carriage with Seth’s men. We arrived at the castle where Seth was waiting, and they locked me in a room. I wasn’t able to leave there until Jasper came for me a few days later.”
“How were you treated while you were there?”
“They left most of my treatment up to Christoph, and he did his best to take care of me. When Jasper arrived, Seth held me at knifepoint to keep Jasper from attacking him. We managed to create a diversion and escape outside, but once we got out there, we were surrounded. I thought for sure we were dead, but then Jasper’s men showed up. I was injured, so Christoph and Bridget brought me inside to fix me up. When we came back out, the elders had arrived.”
“During this time, did Seth ever reveal his plans to you?”
“Initially, I thought Seth would kill me to kill the baby and destroy Jasper’s chances of keeping his title. Then, I thought that by killing me and the baby, Seth would utterly destroy Jasper. But Seth wanted more. He wanted Jasper dead as well. He used me as bait to draw Jasper in. His plan was to kill us both.”
“So he could become duke?”
“Yes.”
“In your opinion, is there anything that Seth wouldn’t do to gain that title?”
“He’s killed people, including his own parents. I think he would stop at nothing to become duke.”
“What do you think should happen to Seth?”
I turned my gaze to the prisoner. His face was still set hard, his eyes full of hate. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t say it. His life was in my hands, and I wasn’t cold enough to murder him.
“I would recommend he be locked up for the rest of his life,” I finally said.
Chadwick raised his eyebrows. “Not executed?”
“Not executed.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Chadwick sat down, and now it was Seth’s turn. The guards removed his mouthpiece, but kept his hands and feet chained together. He paused, watching me for a moment before approaching my seat.
“I’ve missed you, darling,” he said with his sharp grin.
I was not going to let him fluster me. “Are you going to ask me questions, or are you just going to use pet names on me?”
“Does it bother you?”
“I’ve told you it does.”
He nodded. “Oh, yes. Last night. That visit was the highlight of my week, to be honest.”
Seth gave me an exaggerated wink, while Jasper shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I hadn’t wanted Jasper to know about my visit, and Seth took advantage of that. The cat was out of the bag now, and I’d have to face up to Jasper when this was done.
“Don’t try to make it something it wa
sn’t,” I said. “The guard there can attest that nothing inappropriate happened.”
“If I recall correctly, last night you promised you would ensure the elders had my head. Yet now here you are, saying that I should be jailed instead. What changed your mind?”
“I’m not like you,” I said. “It’s not that easy for me to sentence a man to death. I would rather have you rotting in a cell, left to be haunted by the lives you’ve taken.”
“If I’m the horrible person you say I am, what makes you think I’ll have any remorse?”
“I doubt you will. But for someone like you, being held in prison is the worst thing that could happen. I suspect you’d welcome death before you’d welcome the rest of your life in solitary.”
He came close enough that he was standing up against the wood that separated us. “Our nights together really helped you get to know me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Seth. I doubt you’ve ever been able to get a woman to stay long enough to get to know you. Have you ever had a woman stay with you at all?”
From across the room Jasper stifled a laugh while Seth’s face twisted in rage. “That was unnecessary.”
“Your whole line of questioning is unnecessary. Quid pro quo.”
Seth didn’t seem to have words for that. He sort of stared at me, his mouth gaping open, while I just smiled at him. He blinked at me a few times, a sort of choked sound coming from his mouth. His face burned red as he glanced down at the ground.
“No further questioning,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Benedict asked. He had almost definitely heard him, but was reveling in Seth’s embarrassment.
“No further questions!” Seth almost screamed, stomping back to his desk like an angry toddler.
I watched as he sank down in his chair, pouting. I only smiled back at him, the mischievous grin pulling at my lips. I could hardly restrain myself, or my joy. I looked at Seth and he looked back at me, hatred written all over his face.
I had won.
We broke for lunch and resumed later that afternoon with Daisy, Annabelle, and Conor’s testimonies. Seth stayed quiet the entire time, but whether that was because of his muzzle or because of his embarrassment, I wasn’t sure. Finally, we had completed a full day of trials, and we exited the courtroom feeling accomplished.
The Wolf's Cub (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 3) Page 18
