Lords of Retribution (Lords of Avalon series) (54 page)

Blood gurgled from the corner of Madingly’s mouth
. He was trying to speak. An odd strangled sound escaped him. He raised his arm and reached out toward them.

“Who is the Leader, Isaac
? Answer us and I will make certain your good name shall be preserved for the sake of your family,” Stephen said softly.

“Family?” Madingly managed to utter
. Again, he made an odd sort of sound. Blood began to drip from his mouth. He struggled for breath. He looked to Marrek and Stephen while extending his arm toward them, hand outstretched as if pleading for something, “My sire…he is the lead-”

The boom of a pistol being fired covered the rest of his words
.

As Mading
ly slumped over, they all looked to Trevan, who held the pistol that was fired.

“He had a pistol in his sleeve
. He was trying to kill either you or Stephen, maybe both.” Trevan bent and produced the small pistol from under Madingly’s cuff.

Stephen shook his head
in disbelief. “We trained him. I still don’t understand why he turned. I always liked him, and he damn near killed us because I liked him and let my guard down.”

Marrek placed a hand on Stephen’s shoulder
. “We all accepted him as one of our own when he was in the Department, Stephen.”

“Who is his father?” Gabriel asked.

“I don’t know. He never talked of his family. He was a gentleman. That is all I know.” Marrek shrugged. He looked to Stephen.

Stephen shrugged.
“He wasn’t exactly a gentleman. He didn’t know who his sire was. Isaac was a bastard. If he found out the identity of his natural father later, he never told me. He claimed his mother never told him who his sire was; only that his father was an important man in London. She married a merchant when he was still a babe. The man raised him. Isaac told me he took his last name, which he told me was Slaughter. Isaac did not like his stepfather much. The man died when he was a young man. His mother passed before he came to the Department. Isaac mentioned having an aunt and a few cousins, though he never told me who they were. I wish I knew who his true father was.”

Stephen thought for a moment then added, “
Perhaps he found his natural father and went to work for him. We’ll have to look into this. I’ll send word to London and get some men on this right away. Chances are we find Isaac’s true father, we could possibly find the leader of the Knights of the Brown Order.”

Marrek agreed.
“His father could have found out his bastard son worked for the Department and realized he might be useful to him.”

Stephen nodded
. “That is a definite possibility. If you are committing treason against the King and you find your bastard works for the King’s special force; it would be enough for you to acknowledge his presence.”

Many of the other Avalon Society members rushed
up the stairs.

“Are we under attack?” Trevan asked
them with concern.

“No
. Stephen suggested we simulate the situation to give Madingly false confidence,” Harry said. He looked at the lifeless form of Madingly on the corridor floor. “Apparently, it worked.”

Tremayne Chynoweth spoke
. “We have fourteen prisoners, and over twenty five Brown Coats dead. The shooters on the roof took out a lot of them. The one-eyed man, Garlock, escaped and we saw about eighteen men ride out with him. About five or six of their men scattered into the woods on foot. I sent some of our men out to see if they could locate the ones who ran off. Chances are they will talk.”

“Proper job
, thank you, Tremayne,” Trevan said.

“Then it’s over for now,
” Marrek sighed in relief.

“For now
. Garlock will be supplied with more men and come back,” Stephen offered.

Morva Chynoweth slipped past the gentlemen barring the door
of the parlour.

“Your Grace,” Stephen bowed.

“Lord Lyndhurst, we are happy you could join us,” Morva looked past him to the dead man slumped over on the floor. “I will send someone up to clean the mess. We have broken windows in the parlour here. How bad is the downstairs?” She looked to Tremayne.

“Not even a broken window, mother,” Tremayne
grinned at her.

“That is good news.
We have a wedding dinner and celebration to get in order. I must have the windows boarded up, and this rug rolled up,” she said as she noted the pool of blood beneath the dead man. “If you gentlemen will excuse me.”

“Mother, due to the circumstances I think it is best we cancel the celebration,” Trevan
said.

“That is out of the question
. My son, the Duke of Penrose, married my best friend’s daughter this day. Her sister married my nephew and the sister of Lord Silverley, who gave his life to keep others safe from these Brown-coated monsters, married Lord Elveston. Make no mistake, Your Grace,
son
, there will be a celebration this night.” Morva decreed and walked off, albeit with a slight limp.

“I guess we’ll have a celebration
. No one crosses the Dowager Duchess of Penrose when she is that angry, certainly not her offspring,” Trevan whispered to his fellows with a grin.

“I would not cross her,” Marrek
chuckled.

“”It’s important to the ladies,” Gabriel a
dded with a shrug.

“Apparently
, it is very important,” Stephen grinned.

“I’ll make certain we have double the
men on watch for the duration of the festivities,” Tremayne excused himself.

He caught up to his mother
. “Elowen tells me you were kicked by Madingly. You really need to have her look at your hip.”

“
She can tend to me later, son. I am walking. I am not in pain and there is much that needs to be done.”

The ladies filtered out of the sitting room
.

Gabriel
entered the parlour to find Senny sitting in a chair next to Elowen. When Elowen saw Gabriel enter, she released Senny’s hand and excused herself.

Senny gave him her warm, sunny smile that
never failed to make him happy. “How are you, Zenny?”

“I am well
. I knew Madingly was in the house, I felt his energy. I told Micah. He was very kind. Everyone treated me very well, not as if I was different in anyway. I feel better about all of this, Gabriel. I’m no longer embarrassed by my gift. It did help everyone tonight. I saw that.”

“I am happy for you, Zenny.” It was just he and
his new wife in the room. He extended his hand to her. “I was hoping we could retire to our rooms for awhile before dinner is served and the celebrations begin, if this is acceptable to you, Lady St. Mabyn?”

Senny took his hand and smiled
. “It is, my Lord.”

“I believe we have some
, ah, kissing to do,” he grinned at her.

“
Yes, I believe we do,” Senny grinned up at him.

Elowen made her way to her chamber
after looking at her Aunt Morva’s hip. Her Aunt had a bruise but could walk without too much pain. Elowen cautioned her that might change tomorrow when the soreness and stiffness set in.

Sophia offered to
look in on Lord Alloway and promised she would send for her if she were needed. Marrek had helped him to his room after the incident. Lord Alloway was walking slowly, but he was perfectly able to walk on his own now.

She was eager t
o be alone and think. She wanted to be as far away from Lord Alloway as she possibly could. She was still quite humiliated by her actions and the fact she was caught looking at Lord Alloway’s…
oh, good heavens, what had she been thinking?

Despite everything, Elowen
still found herself inexplicably attracted to the man! She didn’t understand it at all. It certainly did not figure into her plans. She was the healer in this area of Bodmin Moor. Her people depended on her. She planned to live her life taking care of them, just as her mother and grandmother before her had done. She had no thoughts of marrying. Lord Alloway lived…well she had no idea where he lived; somewhere in England she supposed. She knew he did not live in Cornwall.

T
here was the matter of the kiss they had shared. Elowen did not know kissing could be so pleasant, so intoxicating. Why just the memory of kissing Lord Alloway made her shiver with pleasure and long for more.

Elowen w
as so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice him come from the alcove on her left. Within seconds, she found herself wrapped in the warm embrace of Newton Lambrick, Lord Alloway.

She tried to pull back at first
. His hands were warm on her back then moved to massage her shoulders.

“What do you think you are doing?” she asked him.

“I was caught off guard earlier, Elowen. I wanted to show you what this can be when I have all my wits about me.”

Elowen opened her mouth to voice a protest.

Newt chose that moment to bend his head and capture her lips. He kissed her tenderly at first. Once she began to respond, he deepened the kiss. He took the time to nip and lick and coax her to continue the kiss.

Elowen was torn
. Part of her wanted to pull away, but the other part of her won and she became lost in his kiss. She reveled in the heady sensations, the scent of this man. The feel of his hard body against hers drove her mad with, what was it? Longing? The jolt of warm pleasure that shot through her as their bodies melded left her weak and trembling.

Before she realized what she was doing, h
er arms wrapped about his neck and her fingers tangled in his rich brown hair kissed with gold. She could feel the heat of his body through her gown, the warmth of his hands as they smoothed down her back. They rested upon her hips and pulled her closer against him. She felt the hard evidence of his desire pressed against her. Remembering how large and magnificent that member was…she realized she wanted this, she wanted to know more.

Then she
remembered she could not. The people who needed her were here on Bodmin Moor. She could not leave them. Not even for this. She feared that if she let this go any further, she might not be able to stop it.

She tried to pull away.

He allowed her to break the kiss, but not to leave his arms.

“I have to go now
, please,” her voice was a whisper.

Newt saw the
uncertainty or was it unhappiness in her eyes. “El, is there someone else in your life, another man?

“No, t
here is no one else.” Elowen shook her head quickly.

“What is it then?” Newt
slipped his fingers beneath her chin and lifted it so he could look into her pale, clear, witchy blue eyes.

“I am a healer.
The Pellar. I cannot leave my home, ever. People depend on me here. They need me. There is no point in
this
, for that reason.”

Newt
brushed a raven curl from her cheek.

“Can you te
ll me you don’t want this?” he asked her, his voice deep.

“I-I shouldn’t want this.”

“Do
you
want
this, El?” he persisted.

“My name is Elowen, and it doesn’t matter what
I want.”

“It
matters to
me
what you want. Do you want me to kiss you again, El?” he whispered.

“It’s Elowen.” She looked into his
burning green eyes. “Yes, but-”

“No buts
. I want to kiss you, and more. Much, much more, El. Tell me you don’t want to kiss me and I’ll walk away. I’m asking you, do you want me to kiss you, El?”

“It’s Elowen
. My name is Elowen.” She looked into the deep emerald green of his eyes again. They burned with something she could not quite name. She studied his strong, handsome face, his sensuous lips. She would regret it later, she was certain, but at that moment, she wanted him to kiss her more than anything.

“Yes, I do want you to kiss me, Lord Alloway
,” she whispered.

“It’s Newt
. I’m going to kiss you again, El,” he informed her in a husky tone. And he did. His tongue plunged into her mouth, exploring her sweetness. He kissed her deeply and meaningfully, with purpose. He wanted to tempt, to hold, to keep this woman in his embrace. The woman who haunted his dreams.

T
he first day he set eyes on her he was drawn to her. The witch with raven curls and pale, crystal blue eyes filled his dreams at night since that day. When he woke up to see her so close to him earlier in the day, he thought at first it
was
a dream. After that kiss, he craved her touch, her scent, the feel of her in his arms, the weight of her breast in his hand. He decided right then, he would not let her walk away easily. She appeared to be reluctant. He vowed he would stop at nothing to break her resolve. Newt knew one thing. He wanted
this witch
!

Elowen felt a myriad o
f emotions. She liked this man. She liked how his kiss made her feel. He did not fit into the plans she had made. She realized she was playing with fire. She did not want to be burned.

She pulled away
. She tried to think of something, any plausible reason to walk away. “I-I must go. I need to dress for dinner.” It was the best she could come up with when she was still so close she could feel his heat. When his eyes flashed the way they did and his lips…oh those sensuous lips!

Newt could see she was struggling
with her emotions. He released her, but not before placing a swift and tender kiss to her lips. “May we talk later, El?”

“It’s Elowen.” She nodded
. “Yes, I will talk to you later, Lord Alloway.”

“It’s Newt, El,” he called after her.

She headed for her chamber. Newt followed her, merely as an escort. He watched her enter her chamber. His eyes met hers, large, arresting and translucent crystalline orbs of the palest blue, framed by long, black lashes. She watched him as the door slowly closed and snicked shut. He frowned. Then slowly, his lips curved upward into a grin.

It
appeared wooing El might be a bit of a challenge.

He shrugged.
He was up for it. He whistled a tune as he made his way to his new bedchamber, just three doors down from his witch’s. He would just have his things moved into this chamber from his old one. He felt the need to be close to El.

Gabriel wished the festivities were over. He had been a patient man. Senny was now his wife, and he longed to make her truly his, in every way. They had retired to their rooms before dinner, but he had chosen to wait until tonight after the celebration so they would have plenty of time. Besides, Senny had been a little upset by the incident earlier. They had merely kissed and talked, lounging in her room until it was time to go downstairs.

He looked to his beautiful wife standing next to him
. She always seemed to sense his attention to her. She turned from speaking with her sister and gave him the warm, sunny smile he cherished so.

He had been wise to wait until tonight to consummate his marriage
. Senny seemed relaxed and was even enjoying herself among the large crowd of family and friends. He noted her pausing often to admire her sapphire and diamond ring that was a family heirloom. It was his mother’s, grandmother’s, his great-grandmother’s and so on before that. He could tell that she liked it. That pleased him.

Stephen Johnstone, Lord Lyndhurst, approached their group
. He greeted the newlywed couples with a bow, a kiss to the offered hand of each bride, and wished each couple well. He stopped when he saw the large, sparkling diamond on Lady Tuesday’s hand. “Your wedding ring is beautiful, Lady Elveston. That is quite a large diamond. No doubt the flash from this ring attributed to Madingly’s momentary blindness.”

“
I noticed the flash from the diamond as well, Lord Lyndhurst. It is a family heirloom, the Drayton Diamond,” Jack provided.

“Also known as Solomon’s Star,” Trevan added
with a nod. “And it appears it does protect the women who wear it. It definitely protected Lady Elveston today with that flash.”

The gentlemen who had heard the story of the diamond
before agreed.

Stephen looked to Trevan in curiosity.
“Solomon’s Star?”

“It is believed
that a Knight Templar brought the diamond from Solomon’s Temple during the Crusades. He bestowed the ring upon his ladylove in England as a symbol of his undying love and protection. As he was a Templar and celibate, he could only worship her from afar. It is believed to protect the women who wear it and it was formally known as Solomon’s Star,” Trevan offered.

“
Solomon’s Star from Solomon’s Temple, it’s incredible. A brilliant diamond for a brilliant bride,” Stephen nodded his head and smiled at Lady Elveston. He moved on to greet Marrek and his wife on the other side of the grooms and their brides.

“Don’t you worry about your wife wearing such a historically
significant and valuable ring, Jack?” Gabriel asked.

“I do
. I am thankful my wife wore the diamond today. Solomon’s Star did prove helpful earlier. We talked about this before the celebration. I have another ring for her to wear every day. The Drayton Diamond will be kept in a safe and she will wear it on special occasions,” Jack smiled at Tuesday. “I realized after Glastonbury and London, that Solomon’s Star could attract undue attention. I want Tuesday to remain safe. However, I did want her to wear it today, on her wedding day. It is a token of my undying love for her.” He caressed Tuesday’s arm and smiled down at her.

“I wanted to wear it today,” Tuesday smiled
back at her husband. “I am so thankful I did.”

“I wore both of the Chynoweth
sapphire rings tonight, one on each hand!” Wenna smiled as she extended her hands. The wedding ring was more ornate than her engagement ring and included larger diamonds around the sapphire than the engagement ring.

“The wedding ring was made one hundred years ago to match the original
, more ancient Chynoweth sapphires,” Trevan commented.

“Zenny’s ring was
centuries ago one of the original set of Chynoweth Sapphires. It’s the night for heirlooms, I suppose,” Gabriel smiled as he admired his own family’s heirloom on his wife’s hand.

“It’s beautiful, Gabriel
. I love it,” Senny gazed adoringly at the dainty gold filigree ring with a large oval sapphire, surrounded with seed pearls. Two diamonds were set in the filigree at the top and the bottom of the oval.

Lord and Lady Glaston
, Lord and Lady Wincanton, Lord and Lady Amesbury and Lord and Lady Fitzlewis were standing together when the champagne glasses were passed around. They chatted gaily amongst themselves.

Minutes later, the Duke of Penrose
moved to the center of the Long Gallery, herding his own newly wedded wife and the other brides and grooms with him.

Newt stepped up
to stand beside Elowen, who stood looking on with her brother and his wife. He gave her a broad grin.

Elowen couldn’t help but
offer him a smile. She realized she had wanted him to join her. The realization both surprised and frightened her.

Ruan stood near Anna
Johnstone, who stood between him and her father, Stephen. Ruan shifted and stepped away from her slightly, moving closer to Creed.

Creed lifted a curious eyebrow to his colleague and friend
. Wearing an amused smile, he returned his attention once again to the Duke as he began to speak.

“I w
ould like to make a toast to my beautiful bride, Morwenna, the new Duchess of Penrose. I have long waited for the day I could make this woman my bride. I am thankful that I did not have to drag her screaming and kicking up the aisle because I would have, had she not agreed to marry me.” He laughed. “I love you, Wenna.” Trevan grinned broadly, his blue eyes twinkling merrily as he lifted his glass. “To my beautiful Duchess!”