Champion of the Heart (30 page)

“Of course I did,” Evan said quickly. “I tried everything to get him to take them.”

“He knew nothing of them!” she hissed.

“Is that what he told you?” Evan snarled. “Of course he would say that to turn you against me. And you believed him? I’m disappointed, Jordan.”

Jordan scowled. “Fox had no reason to lie to me.”

Evan straightened. “And neither do I.”

Jordan studied Evan’s face. But she couldn’t tell if he was lying or not, couldn’t read anything in his empty stare. What reason would he have to lie to her?

“I have been entrusted with your safety while your father is away. I have been doing everything in my power to get you safely home. And this is how you greet me? This is how you greet your betrothed?”

Jordan opened her mouth to apologize, but then snapped it shut. “There are lies here, Evan. I will discover the truth.”

Evan gritted his teeth. Jordan could see his jaw working as he stared at her. “We will be going to Castle Vaughn in the morning. I need to return to help guard the prisoners. The Black Fox will go there to try to rescue his men. I will be there when he does. He will not get away with taking you from me.” He stared hard at Jordan. “And then you will learn the truth.”

***

Jordan was tired and soaked as she entered her room at Castle Vaughn. It had been a long trek to Evan’s home. The road to Castle Vaughn had been horrible, not only because of the rain that slowed their progress, doubling the time it normally took, but also because it had left her with hours where she had spoken to no one. Hours to think of Fox. To agonize over her loss of him, to try to think of some way to mend his hate. But how could she change the past?

And then she thought of that one horrible day that had changed all their lives. She looked down at her hands. She could still see the blood there. How many times had she prayed for forgiveness? Too many to even attempt to keep track of.

She tossed her wet cloak on the bed and lit two candles. They would be here soon. Then she would get some answers. The sky, barely visible through a thin slit in the window’s curtains, was gray, casting murky shadows in her room. The light from the candles helped to ease the gloom around her, but did nothing to lift her spirits.

The long velvet curtains near the alcove to the window fluttered and Jordan glanced over at them, drawn back to the window by the sound. The window was open? It had been raining all day. Why was it open?

Jordan moved toward the window. Her foot stepped into a puddle of water. She looked down.

A hand locked over her wrist. She opened her mouth to scream, but when Fox stepped out from behind the curtains she bit back her startled cry, muffling it to nothing more than a whimper. Jordan’s heart blossomed with joy and relief and a smile touched her lips.

But there was no joy in the face greeting her, no smile on the lips sneering at her. Fox’s blue eyes were cold with rage, despite the reflection from the two burning candles dancing in their depths.

Confusion washed over Jordan. Fox’s arm twitched and Jordan looked down at his hand. A deadly dagger glimmered in the candlelight.

“It will do you no good to scream,” Fox warned.

Her gaze snapped up to his. He had come to kill her. The thought should have sent terror rushing through her, should have sent her running, screaming into the hallway. Instead, a calm resignation washed over her. She straightened her back slightly and stood before him.

A slight scowl furrowed his brow. For a long moment they stood that way, with him holding her arm, the dagger separating them.

If it would give him peace, then Jordan would gladly give her life for the atrocity she had committed all those years ago. Jordan faced Fox as she faced death, stoically waiting for him to deliver the final blow.

And waiting.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door, jarring her from her focus. She turned to glance at the door, then looked back at Fox. They were here.

If he was going to do it, he would have to do it now.

Fox dropped her hand and stepped back into the curtains.

Another knock sounded at the door.

Jordan’s heart beat wildly in her chest. He had released her. But why? Why? To let her live her life knowing a love she could not have, would not ever have? Why hadn’t he killed her?

Another knock sounded, this time accompanied by a call. “M’lady?”

Jordan stepped back from Fox and turned to the door. She moved to the bed, steadying her back on one of the four posts. “Come,” she called.

The door opened. Two soldiers entered the room, holding a prisoner between them. Michael lifted his stare.

Jordan locked gazes with Michael for a long moment. He had a purplish-black bruise on his right cheek. She frowned and took a step toward him, studying the dirty brown cloak that shrouded his body. She turned to one of the guards. “You may leave us,” she instructed.

The two guards exchanged glances. “But, m’lady!” one protested.

“I said leave us,” she ordered.

They bowed slightly and left the room, closing the door behind them. Jordan knew she was taking a chance the soldiers would report her request to Evan. She was certain he wouldn’t take kindly to one of his precious prisoners being let out of his cell, but she didn’t care. She was determined to get some answers.

Michael’s jaw clenched as he stared at her. “What do you want? Why did you have them bring me here? Have you tired of living? I will gladly end your suffering so mine can end as well.”

Jordan felt his hatred seething from him, felt the ghostly hands around her throat. She had called for Michael to be brought to her before she knew Fox was in her room. She wanted to talk to him, to try to understand his rage. Now Jordan could reunite the brothers. But she had to know first. “Why do you hate me so?” she asked, truly confused.

Michael’s face twisted in a grimace of distaste. “This is the reason you had the guards bring me to you? I’d rather rot in that dungeon than stand here and satisfy your befuddled curiosity.”

“We were such good friends. I don’t understand what happened.”

“If you were such a good friend, then why did you leave my brother, my family, like that?” Michael spat, stepping closer to her, his fists clenched.

Jordan shook her head. “I protected you,” she said, her voice growing softer.

“Protected me?” Michael demanded. “You destroyed me.”

“I saved your life,” Jordan retorted bitterly.

“Saved me? You ruined me.”

Jordan shook her head. “I murdered the baron for you.”

Michael froze instantly, his gaze scanning her face. “You are mad.” He turned away from her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“How can you say that?” Jordan asked. “Don’t you remember what was happening? What he was doing to you?”

Michael turned back to her. “What is there for me to remember?” he said, his anger churning, but his mind clearly racing at Jordan’s questions. “That you are a murderer and a betrayer. I can remember that very easily.”

Jordan looked at him for a long moment. “Michael, yes, I did kill the baron. But I killed him to stop him. I didn’t mean to kill him... but when I saw him... when I saw him... over you...” Jordan paused to collect herself. She could almost see the beginnings of the memories returning in his eyes.

Michael shook his head again, fighting the memories. “It was your fault,” he said, but the conviction had left his voice.

“Yes,” Jordan agreed, anguish gripping her heart. “Yes, it was my fault. But not because I killed the baron. Because I was supposed to watch you. I left you alone to find a different hiding spot, an easier spot so that Fox could find me first. I thought you would be all right. I didn’t know... when I found you, I was so afraid I was too late.”

Then Jordan witnessed a strange change come over Michael. He stood very still for a very long time, frozen in place, frozen in his thoughts. Jordan saw the transformation in his eyes, saw the anger dissolve, saw the horrific memories returning with anguish. For the briefest of moments she saw the face of the young boy return to Michael’s features, the sheer terror, the pain all resurfacing with a vengeance.

She stepped toward him, lifting a hand to his cheek. “It’s all right Michael,” she whispered.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Evan rushed in with two guards. They ripped Michael away from Jordan, restraining him as he struggled in their hold.

“No!” Jordan cried. “Leave him alone.”

Evan grabbed hold of her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. “Did he hurt you, Jordan?”

Jordan ignored his question, keeping her gaze on Michael. Michael twisted in his captors’ arms, his face blank, his eyes seeing something else. “Stop it!” Jordan struggled in Evan’s hold. “Let me go! Michael!”

Michael screamed out but it wasn’t the cry of a man. It was the same cry she’d heard echoing in her head for all these years, a little boy’s cry.

His eyes flashed open, pinning Evan where he stood. “It was you!” Michael sobbed. “It was you.”

“Get him out of here!” Evan ordered.

“You were the one!” Michael said as he was pulled toward the door. “It was you!”

Jordan turned a startled gaze to Evan.

“You were the one who brought me to the baron!” Michael shouted as he was pulled from the room.

J
ordan turned wide eyes to Evan. Michael’s accusation echoed in her ears as she stared in growing disbelief at the man she was supposed to marry. Could it be true? Was it even possible? Why would Michael say such a thing? A strong sense of unease churned in her stomach. The look in Michael’s eyes had been filled with honest pain. Remembered suffering.

Evan sputtered. “The man is obviously a lunatic.” He looked away from Jordan’s hard stare.

Jordan yanked free of Evan’s hold. His words did not sound convincing to her ears. “You brought him to the baron?” she gasped.

“Darling...” Evan shook his head in denial as he reached out for her.

Jordan pulled away from his touch. “Why? Why would you do that to Michael?” Jordan asked, trying to make sense of the insanity of it all. “Why would you do that to anyone?”

“I’m sure I have no idea what he was talking about.”

Jordan scowled at Evan. Just the thought of Evan doing what Michael accused him of made her ill to her stomach. She felt a warm rush in her throat and had to swallow back the nausea swirling through her.

Evan straightened. “He’s done it again, hasn’t he?”

Jordan lifted confused eyes to Evan.

“He’s come between us,” Evan continued.

“Michael?”

“No, Fox!” Evan exploded.

Jordan stepped away from him, away from his fierce anger as her own disgusted outrage grew. “This has nothing to do with Fox, Evan! This has to do with you.”

“With me?” Evan gritted his teeth. “Michael is mad, Jordan! He parades around in his monk’s robes and mutters to himself all day. He’s as much of a lunatic as his father! Why are you even listening to him? Why do you even care what he says? He’s full of lies!” Evan stepped closer to her. “All of the Mercers are full of lies! Don’t you see that?”

Jordan shook her head, harshly denying his defamatory slurs. “No, you are wrong, Evan. They are not. Frederick Mercer lost everything because of me! And now I am hearing that all of their misery, all of my misery, is because of something you did!”

Evan glared at her, fuming in silence. Jordan could see the tension in his stiff shoulders, in the clenching of his jaw. “You disappoint me, Jordan.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Jordan stared at the closed door for a moment. She forced herself to stay calm. Disappoint him? She couldn’t believe he felt disappointed in her when all she wanted was the truth. Then she suddenly remembered. Fox! She ran to the curtain and yanked it open, nearly pulling the fabric down in her hurry.

Fox was gone.

Jordan leaned out the alcove window and saw a rope hanging down the wall.

She pulled back into the room and sat in the seat near the window with a heavy sigh. Fox wanted to kill her, when just days before he wanted to hold her and love her. How had this happened? And how could she ever convince him she never intended to kill the baron? How could he ever believe her? Yet, as she thought back on that day, she knew there could have been no other outcome, no other way to stop the baron.

She played absently with her necklace and her thoughts drifted back to Evan. If Michael’s words were true, why would Evan bring Michael to the baron? And why did the baron die with a pouch with Evan’s crest on it, full of gold? Was it some kind of payment?

No. No. Evan wasn’t that kind of person. She had known him all her life. He would never do something so... so horrible. Was the baron a thief? Had he stolen it from Evan?