Coins and Daggers (18 page)

“
You
must
listen to me!”
Audelia grabbed on to his shirt sleeves. “No one will believe
me.”

“
Perhaps not. But they will believe
me
.” Ulric squeezed her hands where she grabbed his clothing,
making sure she could see the determination in his eyes. He was now
a man driven by love, by duty. “Do not try to stop me,
Audelia.”

A sharp rap came on the door, followed by a
familiar call. “Ulric?”

Audelia glanced up and swallowed tightly.
“I--I’ll go.”

“Don’t you dare move an inch. I am not
letting you out of my sight tonight.” And he meant it. “I’m in
here, Edwin,” he called out.

The door pushed open and Edwin Montagu
stepped through it, an uncertain expression on his face but when
his gaze finally zeroed in on Audelia, his lips curved with
amusement.

“The...um, guard, Gilgallon told me you
might be in here,” he chuckled. “How do you do, Miss Rolfen?”
Audelia simply nodded once and when Edwin noticed her tear stained
face, he frowned. “What did I miss?”

“Did you just get back?” Ulric moved
Audelia, silently begging her to sit. When she complied, he sighed
with relief.

“Well, yes. Straight off the mount.” Edwin’s
gaze swept between his disheveled friend and the weeping girl. “Is
something amiss? You look terrible.”

“Yes.” Ulric glanced over at his friend and
ran a hand over his hair. He’d been doing quite a lot of that over
the past few hours. “We have a situation. Do you remember, Lord
Dextrem? Jemison Dextrem.”

Edwin frowned, easing away from the door and
approaching Ulric. “You mean the self-important bloke we’d met on
our trip in Camden?”

“The very same.” Ulric passed a glance in
Audelia’s direction, her pained gaze heartbreaking as she watched
them silently. “I plan to murder him and I shall need your support
on it.”

“
You can’t
!”
Audelia jumped from her seat, already meaning to plead with him but
when Ulric’s face remained set and adamant, she turned her teary
gaze to Edwin instead. “You cannot allow him to do this. To kill a
man. Not-not at my expense.”

Edwin gulped,
glancing at Ulric. The last time he’d seen his friend truly like
this, was years ago. Over thirteen years ago, to be exact. While
the weeping wench before him came as a sudden surprise, Edwin also
knew that Ulric was quite serious about his words and that he truly
meant to put the stuffy lord to death. He ran a palm over his face
and tried not to look as helpless as he felt. Goddamn it, how
much
had
he missed?

Giving Miss Rolfen the most reassuring look
he could muster up, Edwin then pulled his friend to the far side of
the room and got right at it. “What in hell’s name happened?”

“She’s not just a...” Ulric glanced over at
Audelia, who had sunk back into her seat, and lowered his voice.
“She’s not just a thieving wench, Edwin. She’s an orphan who’d been
set on hard circumstances and had been merely trying to get
by.”

“
What does murdering Lord Dextrem have to do what that,
though? I never really liked the man, barely tolerated him
but
murder
, Ulric? What
has he done?”

The muscles in his jaws ticked wildly and
Ulric fought hard to control his temper. “He suffered her a severe
injustice that I refuse to allow to slip under the rug. I will not
rest until I’ve beaten the life out of the bastard.”

“
Injustice
?”
Edwin scratched at his temple, thoroughly confused but when he
glanced over at Audelia and then back at his grimacing friend, his
mind finally clicked. “Surely you don’t mean to tell me that he...”
Edwin ran a hand over his own hair. “Oh bloody
fuck
!”

Ulric ground his teeth together, speaking as
softly as he could. “Ryia is leaving by mid-morning tomorrow, and I
have no intention of letting Audelia out of my sight. She will
remain here until I can fully figure out the situation. From what
I’ve been told, the bastard has been looking for her and I intend
on finding him first.”

Nodding, Edwin looked at his friend. Ulric
looked like a mess and rightly had just cause to be. “Whatever you
need me to do, I will help you. You know that.” He placed a hand on
Ulric’s shoulder and gave it firm squeeze. “But tell me
something...”

“What?”

“Have you...lain with her?” He could already
tell but certainly still needed to ask.

“
Bloody hell, Edwin!” Ulric ran his palm over his face. “Do
you have any
other
questions?”

He shook his head. “No. But I think I’ve got
my answer, anyhow.” Edwin smiled slightly. “Hey, whatever you do,
try not to terrify her more than she already is. Stay with her
tonight and we can go get Dextrem after Ryia’s gone.”

Nodding, Ulric inhaled a deep breath and let
it out slowly. God knows, he was going to beat the hell out of
Dextrem. And after that Audelia was stuck with him, like it or
not.

Ninteen

“
T
his feels
terribly awkward, Bryce, but I shall not complain. The other part
of me, that is not fully skeptic, is thoroughly enjoying
this.”

Ryia allowed her brother to crush her into a
prolonged embrace until she felt they were both quite satisfied.
Although she was somewhat reluctant to leave, she had to. She’d
never been this long and such far a distance from her children
before. And Ryia also knew that her dear Merek must be suffering
from their insistent nagging. Chuckling, she pulled back and looked
at Ulric.

“Feel free to come back anytime you want,”
he said. “And bring the little devils with you.”

“Of course.” She gave him a small peck on
the cheek. “But you must come see us the next time we meet. I’m
sure it would help to...ease Merek’s mind a little.”

Ulric smiled despite his throbbing headache.
He’d scarcely gotten any sleep throughout the night. Even when he’d
felt the tension ease from Audelia’s body and her breathing had
settled, he’d lain wide awake and listening to the sounds of the
night, trying to calm his nerves.

“It’s a deal then. I’ll write to you.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, blinking back
tears. “Thanks for being...you.”

“I’ve always been me, Ryia.”

She reached a hand up and massaged his
cheek. Her dear brother was returning, and she could not wait until
she could see his full glowing spirit again. “No, you haven’t. But
I’m glad you’ve come back to me.”

Ulric nodded, now becoming aware of the
presence of his stable-man, Gilgallon, Edwin...and Audelia, who
stood nearby. “Send me a notice as soon as you get home. Save
travels, Ryia.”

“Stay well until I see you again.” Ryia
smiled, took a deep breath and then turned to face Edwin. “The next
time I see you, Ed, I shall bring you a lovely maiden to capture
your heart.”

Edwin grimaced and clutched his chest. “Why
not poison me instead?” He grinned and gave her a kiss on the
cheek. “Save travels, Ryia.”

“Of course. Now, where is..?. Ah, there you
are.” Ryia spun and grabbed hold of Audelia’s hands. Chuckling, she
pulled the girl into a tight hug. “I shall miss you dearly, Lia.
You’ve been a good friend to me over the past days. I could not
have asked for a better lady’s maid. But don’t you worry. I’m sure
Bryce will find a pleasant place for you here at Chastelle
Manor.”

“Thank you, milady.” Audelia nodded and
smiled in return. She knew that everything would change after this
very moment.

Ryia’s carriage was off within the next two
minutes and Ulric remained there a while, Edwin next to him,
watching it until the vehicle was but a dot in the distance.

“We know you’ll miss her, Ulric,” his friend
said. “She’s matured well. And she loves you.”

“Well, she’s my sister. She’s supposed to
love me.”

Snorting,
Edwin slapped him hard on the back. “The agreement
is
off, isn’t it?”

Ulric swallowed and glanced over at his
friend. “It had been off for some time now.”

“Good. We set out for Camden soon. I thought
maybe we could--”

“We’ll go in the morning. I have to speak
with Audelia.”

Edwin nodded and stared out past the wide
open lawn. “Try not to be too rough about it. For the time being,
I’ll start preparing some supplies for the journey.”

A
few minutes later, Ulric found
Audelia in his study where he’d told Gilgallon to watch her. Her
composure was cool and almost austere but he knew better. She was
in pain, emotional pain and he had no idea how to ease
it.

Dismissing the guard, he walked up to her
were she stood by the window.

“I cannot dissuade you, can I?”

Ulric swallowed, unsure of how to go about
things. He was not sure she would permit him to hold her or if she
would push him away. But he needed to console her somehow. He
needed to reassure her that she could trust him, that he would not
see her hurt. Not anymore.

“I’m afraid not, Audelia. I...I care about
you and you can only be safe here, under my protection.”

She turned to face him at that point, her
eyes blotchy and nose swollen. She had been crying. Pain tugged at
his heart and Ulric pulled her close, thanking God that she did not
resist him. He feathered soft kisses across her face and sighed. He
would not allow that bastard to roam free. Not while Ulric knew
what he had done. Not while he was still breathing.

“I’ve been thinking,” she muttered, voice
cracked and a it hoarse. “About everything. Are...are you certain
he had been looking for me?”

“Yes. When I went to Thornea I found someone
who’d been questioned by him just a couple weeks ago, Audelia. He’s
searching.”

“But why?” She’d thought Madame de Lucci
would be the one looking. Not...Lord Dextrem. “I’m just a....” She
shook her head.

“By law, he is your guardian so he will
search for you out of obligation. For a while, he will continue
until the courts declare it is a waste of time. Until they...decide
all hope has been lost.”

She knew what that meant. “Until they
presume I’m dead, then?”

Ulric nodded. “Please do not fight me on
this. I need you to stay here until I have a talk with the
man.”

“But you’ll--”

“I’m not a murderer, Audelia.” Ulric groaned
and rest his forehead against hers. “But I cannot promise you that
I won’t break his blasted jaw.”

Nodding, she
tilted her head to look up at the man she loved. Audelia could see
past the stubborn set of his jaws and the determined depth of his
green eyes. He was tired, exhausted, and it was all her fault. But
she’d remain at the manor a while longer, for his sake. Perhaps she
was tired of running, she did not know for certain. But with Lord
Dextrem out there looking for her, Chastelle Manor was indeed the
safest place for her at the moment. Afterwards... Well, she would
pray. She hadn’t spoken to God in a long time, and she knew that
He, at least, always knew the answers. The
right
answers.

“My dagger,” she muttered after a while,
loving the way Ulric’s fingers gently massaged her scalp just now.
“May...may I see it? I figure I’d feel a whole lot more secure with
it at hand when...while you are gone.”

* * *

D
aylight passed
faster than Ulric would have preferred it. He’d left Edwin’s
company just a hour ago, going over their preparations for Camden
on the morrow. It would take them a day, given they did not make
any stops, to reach the heart of the district and straight to Lord
Dextrem’s home.

“I had a friend there.”

Ulric turned
his head to look down at Audelia. He’d managed to lure her into his
bedchamber tonight. Though he had wanted it to happen under
different circumstances, he was quite satisfied she was in
his
bed. Ulric ran his fingers twice through her hair as she
snuggled up to him, her head against his chest.

“Tell me about her.”

“Your sister reminds me of her. They have
the same hair...and eyes. With that kind, warm temperament. She’d
been my only friend there.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hopefully, I’ll find her one day.”

Ulric ran a hand over her back and held her
closer. “Tell me about the domicile that you’d been taken to?”

“It’s a large space near the western borders
of Camden, I think. Madame...Madame de Lucci told us that we were
safe there. That we’d be in great hands. But we were never
permitted to leave the property. Not once. Not unless you were to
meet your intended benefactor. That was the first time I’d been out
since I arrived there.”

“Sounds like a prison to me.”

“That’s what Jocelyn had said.” Audelia
sighed and sat up. “We’d have fortnightly check ups, you know. All
the girls.”

Ulric followed suit, watching her as she
spoke. “What kind of check ups?”

“Madame’s assistant, Miss Darcott, used to
always say that it was for our own good. Just a small process in
maintaining our health. The Madame would examine us herself. She’d
tell us...tell us to remove our tunics while she took a look.”

Ulric frowned. That hardly sounded like a
proper establishment to him. And what did the reviewing of naked
girls have to do with finding them benefactors anyways? Something
seemed entirely fishy about the matter.

“Tell me about her. This...Madame de
Lucci.”

“
She’s beautiful. That was one of the things I had first
noticed about her. And she’s polite and respectable. It’s...”
Audelia wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “It’s almost as if
she’s a
lady
or something of the
sort.”