The Dark Lady (61 page)

She nodded. “I was the best here, and I got that way fast. I earned the right to be a squire and you know the rest.” She leaned her head back against his arm and closed her eyes.

Peter could see the pain and weariness in her face and wanted to take her back to her bed. Before he could do that there were a couple of things he wanted to know and he thought it best to get the answers while she was in the mood to talk. He did not know how long it would last before she shut herself back up and he did not want to miss the opportunity.

He took a deep breath. “I want to know of the woman you killed and I want to know why Richard took orders from you like you were the one in charge on the night you saved my life.” It was an odd sensation to owe his life to his wife. He was the one who supposed to be keeping her protected...the one to save her, if need be. Not the other way around.

She tensed against him.

“
I also want to know about your mistresses.” He wanted to know more than those things, but he did not want to tire her too much. When he had the answers to those, he could tell her the things he needed to say. Things that started with I love you and I am sorry.

“
Aye.” She kept her eyes closed and leaned her head against his arm. She shuddered. “The woman I killed and the fact that Richard took orders from me are one and the same.” Without ever opening her eyes, she quickly told of the woman and the reasons she had beaten her. Peter’s heart went out to the scared young girl she had been and understood. He could not say he would not have done the same.

Her voice quivered as she continued. “I was not proud of it—am not proud of it and it haunts me to this day. I have questioned my honor, and you were right last night. I did not do it out of honor, but I would do it again.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him, moving out of the circle of his arm. He tried to hold her, but she pushed his arm away.

“
As to my mistresses—” She looked angry and her face was flushed. “Do I ask you about yours?”

His heart ached. He would make it up to her, for all his mistakes since she had arrived. “If you will tell me of them, I will answer anything you want to know.” He would be honest with her. She was right, he had done nothing to earn her trust and it was about time that he did.

She looked at him for a moment, either measuring his honestly or debating on if it was worth it to trust him again. Either way, she must have decided in his favor because she relaxed and continued.

“
They are women that have been abused, raped, or deserted. I take them in. I help them, give them money, and the protection of my name. In all ways they are my girls.” She glared at him. “I just do not have sex with them in the library of my home.”

Peter cringed at the snide comment and decided that it was his turn to talk, to tell her what needed to be told, for both her sake and his. He could not risk losing her, not now that he had comes to terms with who she was. He wanted to get to know the real her, not the knight, nor the fake lady. She needed to discover who she was as well, and he looked forward to the journey together.

He opened his mouth, but the long awaited explanation was cut short by shouts outside. Van pulled herself to her feet as Richard’s deep voice boomed through the stable. “I do not give a damn what he said. I will see the Dark Knight, and I will see her now. Over you, around you, or through you, it makes no difference to me.”

Van gasped and raced for the door. Peter followed right behind her. Her breath came in heaving gasps as she stopped at his side. “Devenroe, what is it?”

Peter waved off James Rothman, the quiet young groom, who had been stupid enough to try to stop him. Peter was just glad that he hadn’t been hurt for his trouble.

He looked from Richard to a red faced and agitated Devon. “What is going on?”

“
Amy is gone, my lord.” Devon turned his attention to Van. “We had the men searching the castle and the grounds for her, but with no luck.”

Devon looked to be on the verge of tears. Peter could see them swimming in his liquid green eyes. Looking back at the stable, it had not occurred to Peter that all the horses were saddled and ready for the training fields, but there were no warriors.

“
We were on the way to get you...maybe you know where she is?” Devon asked before his voice broke completely.

Placing a comforting hand on the young man’s trembling shoulder, Richard looked at her. His face held a look of worry that ripped at Peter. Richard never took his eyes off Van as he spoke “On our way to you, a boy from the village gave me this.”

Van looked from Richard’s reluctant gaze to the rolled parchment dangling in his hand. She took it without a word, and Peter watched her face tighten as she read the contents.

She growled thickly. “I may have been joking before, but I may just kill the next messenger.”

Peter looked at her questioningly, curious of what she meant, but she did not look up from her reading.

“
Who brought this?” she asked staring down at the message.

“
He is just a small boy from the village. He could not know anything—”

Richard broke off as she waved off his words without looking up. The intent look on her face reminded him much of the Dark Knight that had rescued him. He could not understand how he had not seen it before.

“
What did he say?” Van asked in a deep gravelly voice.

“
He said, that the Dark Knight and only the Dark Knight was to get this message. He said...” He looked at Peter and then spoke carefully, guarded. “He said that the drowning man said to give it only to you.”

Peter noticed her start, but she did not look up from the missive. Curious of whom the drowning man was, he forced himself to hold off on more questioning until he knew what was going on.

Van finally looked up and caught Richard’s gaze. “Where is he?”

Peter wondered at the determined look on her face. She stared at Richard who shifted uncomfortably.

“
Vanessa...Van, what is going on?” Peter touched her arm, the skin hot through the sleeves of her dark blue silk dress. He wondered once again, concern tightening his chest, if it was perhaps the cut on her arm that caused the fever, and the fire within her was not caused by the brandy.

“
Eolian has Amy,” she said simply.

Devon sucked in a painful breath and a tear escaped to slither down his reddened cheeks.

Van shot a sad smile at Devon and grasped his arm. “She is alive and well, for now.”

“
Why does he have her?” Peter wanted to wrap his arm around Van, but she stepped toward Richard. Peter felt no jealousy, only concern.

Van shoved the parchment into Richard’s chest. “Mellie.”

Richard’s face paled as he opened the missive with shaking hands.

“
Explain it to them while I
question
our small messenger,” she said as she walked away.

“
He is just a boy,” Richard reminded her, but she did not respond. He read the message aloud.

“
Lady Dark Knight,

“
You took something of mine, now I have done the same.

“
I will not harm your new lady as long as you do as I say

“
Bring me her and
my
son, and bring her alone. If I see anyone else with you, Amy will die. You know where to go.”

Richard looked up and shook his head. He stared at Van’s disappearing back and took a deep breath. “Melinda was only fourteen. She was pregnant, though no one knew it at the time.” He looked back at Peter. “Van stole her from Eolian, put her up in a home, and took care of her and her son. Like most of her mistresses’ children, the boy has Van Burgess’s name.”

Peter still could not fathom the amount of mistresses and children the Dark Knight had. He had always thought they were wild exaggerations.

“
It was always assumed, by all but me and one other, that the child was indeed Van’s.” Richard continued. “Now Eolian knows it is not, that the child is his, and he wants revenge.” Richard looked at the paper again.

“
If the woman is in danger, that will be dealt with first.” Peter waited until Richard looked back up. He caught his gaze and held it. “Send someone to get the woman and her child, and we will make a plan. Do you know where he wants her to come?” Peter tried desperately to still his thundering heart. He felt for Devon, knowing he must be terrified.

“
Nay. I would say it is to the place she rescued Mellie from, but I do not know where that is.” Richard’s face tensed, his forehead marred with wrinkles as he thought deeply. “It was on one of the many trips that Van took alone. When she returned she had her.”

“
Vanessa will know. Send for Melinda and her son. Let’s get the men rounded up.” Peter turned to go, but Richard grasped his arm.

He shrugged regretfully. “I cannot do that, my lord.”

Peter turned slowly toward him, anger peeking through the worry in his mind. “You mean you cannot or you will not?” Peter asked, trying to keep the aggravation out of his voice, but knowing he failed.

“
I do not know where she is. I know where some of the others are, but I do not believe even Van knows where she is at the moment.”

A few men were starting to gather near the saddled horses. They milled around unsure of what to do next. The rest of the men, Peter was certain, were still searching the grounds and the castle.

“
Eolian almost found her and Van had her moved. Van was unable to get away from the armies, and the move was done through messenger. Only one person knows where she is.” Richard looked around the yard and then back at Peter.

“
Who?” Peter asked.

Richard just shook his head.

Peter scowled deeply. Richard set his lips in a stubborn line and shook his head again. Peter could see that he knew, but was unwilling to say. Anger sparked inside him and tried to catch hold.

He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again as James Rothman ran from the stables yelling for his lordship.

Gripping tightly onto his narrow shoulders he gave a slight shake. “What is it my boy?”

His eyes were wide, his breath coming in dragging gasps. “That big black stallion of your wife’s is gone.”

Peter shook his head, trying to fight the panic that tried to swallow him whole. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that the stallion had just wandered off. They had left him unattended, he told himself rationally. “Leave us, James.”

When he opened his eyes again, James had disappeared.

A look of panic crossed Richard’s face and he sucked in a deep breath. “She would not...Hell and Damnation.” His face flushed of color and he turned and ran from the stables.

Peter stared for a moment and then quickly fell into step behind him. Devon followed as they ran toward the castle.

Bursting into the kitchen through the servants’ entrance, Richard slid to a stop and Peter almost ran into him. “Where is the boy?”

The cook turned to him. “He has eaten and gone, sir.”

“
Before or after Lady Vanessa came to talk to him?” Richard asked, his breath coming in hard sharp gasps.

“
Lady Vanessa has not come by, sir,” she said looking at the men in confusion.

Peter turned to Richard. “What is going—”

“
Outside,” Richard said interrupting him and Peter did not argue. He ushered them all out the door in a rush.

Once they were away from the door, Peter pulled Richard to a stop. “What is going on?” He spoke quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

Richard hesitated. Peter grasped the front of his tunic and gave it a hard yank. “Start speaking, now.”

Richard looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

Peter dropped his hand from his shirt. His body trembled and he could not stop it no matter how much he concentrated his will on it.

“
Van will probably have my head for this,” Richard said reluctantly. “There is only one man who knows where every mistress is and that includes Melinda. He is the one who gets the money to them when Van is unable to.” He took a deep breath, held it, and then released it in a great whoosh.

Peter knew of this man from Van’s father. He had said no one knew who the man was. Obviously Matthew was mistaken. He eyed Richard carefully and forced himself to wait.

“
This is not going to be as bad as it sounds, so please listen until I am done before you lose your temper.” Even with saying that, Richard took a step back.

Peter’s insides rolled and he wondered how much worse this day could get. “What makes you think I am going to lose my temper?”

“
The man is...Verges,” Richard said carefully.

“
What
?” Peter noticed several heads turn at his shout and Grant came running toward them. He forced himself to calm.

“
I said to wait. Please let me finish, my lord.”

Grant stopped beside them and Peter held up his hand to forestall any comments.

Richard took a shaky breath. “Verges is the man that knows it all. She saved his life when he was drowning. He has been spying on Eolian for her ever since. He is the drowning man and he has a plan to overcome Eolian.”