Lords of Retribution (Lords of Avalon series) (58 page)

The
ir rhythm increased. Their kisses become more passionate. They were aware of nothing except the moment. A touch. A kiss. A caress. All the while, they were fused, partaking in the ancient dance of lovers. The fire of passion burned within them. Love bound them. Bodies, minds and souls joined, they rode the waves of ecstasy together, as one. They raced upward, reaching ever higher. They felt intensely in every fiber of their being, how every touch, every movement, every precious sound they made brought exquisite pleasure to the other. They soared higher, reached for infinity then exploded together in the midst of the raging inferno, then hung suspended in the blinding rays of golden ecstasy. Pleasure crashed through them like the waves of the ocean against the rocky cliffs during a Cornish Gale.

The
y drifted back to Earth together, hearts pounding, moist bodies pressed close, enveloped in one another’s embrace. They could do naught but give in to slumber, her head resting against his shoulder, his arm enveloping her and holding her close. Cocooned together, sated, they entered the blissful void and surrendered to the dreams that came while they rested in the arms of Morpheus.

The gentleman sat in the darkened room with his head in his hands. Isaac was dead.

He had shed tears
over the loss of Isaac!
The gentleman rose and paced the carpet once more.

He could see now that Isaac had become careless
. He became obsessed with things he shouldn’t have, like the Penrose girl and his obsession to be included among the gentry.

The gentlema
n realized it was imperative that he, personally, take action at this time. It was extremely fortunate that he could easily move within the circle of the Avalon Society. He’d be privy to their plans and therefore could make his own before the sacred treasures were turned over to the Crown. None of them would ever think twice about his involvement.

He sighed
. Unfortunately, this was now a necessary step.

He c
ould rely on no one else to get his information or find the locations of the items that would soon be his. Garlock and his new men gathered in Cornwall would have no idea that he was among the Avalon Society, for they did not know his identity.

Presently,
in London, his most trusted man was eradicating those who could possibly recognize him.

He was the only one able to pull this off without the Avalon
Society realizing who he truly was.

He could easily obtain his treasures working from within their
group. He could get the treasures and precious information he needed out and none would be the wiser. The Knights of the Brown Order would naturally fold without him or any other Grand Knights to lead them, and no one would ever know or suspect he was
the Leader
. He would be among the Avalon Society and share their defeat with them. Then he would return to his home, with his cherished prizes.

A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth
. It was actually a perfect plan. Even better than the original.
Yes!

He pulled the cord to summon his valet
.

When his man en
tered, the gentleman said, “Prepare for a long stay in Cornwall. Send word to my assistant that he is to continue his endeavors in Town while I am away.”

“Yes, my Lord.” The valet bowed, and left his Lordship alone in the dark quiet once again.

He was retiring, ending the Knights of the Brown Order for good. Just as soon as he added the ancient and holy treasure he coveted to his private collection. With any luck, the holiest treasure known to man would soon belong to him,
if it could be found
.

He rose
and moved to the desk. He needed to get everything in order.

Lachlan stood before the mirror. He had dismissed his valet. He checked his appearance as he adjusted his clothing after resting his arm in its sling. He turned quickly, seeing movement behind him in the mirror’s reflection.

He froze and blinked
. Once. Twice. “Charlie?” he whispered.

Above the waist, Charlie was solid
. Below the waist, he was transparent. Lachlan wondered if perhaps he was going mad. He had seen many ghosts over the years, just never the spirit of a dear friend. A friend he owed a great debt to for saving his life. The painful memories of Charlie’s death brought him sadness. Lachlan’s last memory of that night had been the sight of Charlie taking the deathblow meant for him. Davitt’s knife thrust into Charlie’s chest had killed him.

“Lachlan, my friend, it is good to see you feeling well.” Charlie grinned and shook his head, “No you are not going mad
. You are seeing my spirit.”

“I-I, Charlie you saved my life, losing yours in the process
. I thank you. I am just so sorry you perished. I would give anything if you hadn’t died saving me.”

“It was my fate
and no fault of yours. You can help me, Lachlan, that’s why I’m here. My sister, Wednesday, is in danger. I think Tuesday may be as well, but she is safe enough, for now. She has Jack. Would you protect Wednesday for me, Lachlan? They are after my diary, and soon they will want my notes, I am certain-”

A knock sounded
upon the door, interrupting Charlie. Lachlan looked to the door. When he turned back, Charlie was gone.

“I will protect your sister old friend
. With my life if necessary,” he whispered before he limped toward the door using a lion-headed cane. “Coming,” he called.

Marrek waited for him beyond the door
. “I thought you might want help down the stairs. We leave to search for the Jesus stone at Fairy Cross in five minutes.”

Lachlan had learned to swallow his pride several weeks ago
upon receiving his crippling injuries. “Yes, Marrek, I would appreciate your assistance. Stairs are difficult for me still.”

Fairy Cross Court, St. Mabyn

“This is
much more involved than we originally thought it would be,” Marrek turned to Newt as they ascended the stone steps leading onto the veranda.

“That is an understatement
. There is the foundation of the old pre-fifteenth century remains of the older Chynoweth house with its gardens, and the current manor dating from the fifteenth century with its newer wings and gardens and the remains of an older house from the dark ages with gardens there. All are made of stone. The gardens are filled with stone walls, old stones and crosses and there are even a few follies made of stone! The fact that we are looking for
a stone
and have no idea what shape or size it is; only that it was referred to as long, certainly doesn’t help,” Newt shook his head in exasperation.

“Um,” Marrek grunted. “The proverbial needle in the haystack,” Marrek ended with a sigh of disappointment.

It had sounded so simple. Look for the original stone carved by the hand of Jesus himself given to the Lord of the Manor of Chynoweth centuries ago for safekeeping. His cousin’s home, Fairy Cross Court, was the ancient site of the Chynoweth family seat and they were certain the stone would be here.
Unfortunately, the place was filled with stones!

“It does seem to be a daunting project
. This will take weeks,” Newt snorted.

Marrek nodded.

Lachlan limped up the steps with his cane to join them on the veranda.

Harry, Micah, Owen and Lyon joined them. Moments later, Lord Lyndhurst, Tremayne and Nightshade made their way toward
the group now gathering on the veranda.

Some of Gabriel’s footmen brought out c
ool beverages for them, as the day was quite warm.

“N
o luck finding the stone thus far.” Harry leaned against the railing. “We’ve been at it two hours. We need to get back to Menadue. I’m certain the ladies are up and about by now. We will have to come back to Fairy Cross tomorrow.”

“Lyon, Owen and I could find nothing inside the house, but there is much more of it we need to search,” Micah offered.

“Could we set up some of our men here at Fairy Cross to work at it daily?” Lachlan asked.

“We could, I suppose.” Harry shrugged. “But that would leave us short of men at Menadue
. That is where they’ve been hitting us. They are no doubt watching us. If so, they know the stone is here at present, or that we suspect it is. We can’t leave Fairy Cross unguarded now.”

“You have a spy at Menadue
. Up until today, he thought all the treasure to be there. Their numbers aren’t as great as the Avalon Society’s at present with the recent hits they’ve taken. Splitting up between two locations might make things more difficult for them,” Lachlan provided.

A grin lit Marrek’s stony face as the idea came to him. “Of course
! Lachlan you are on to something. If we were in two different locations, they would not know exactly where the treasures were.”

Harry nodded, “It might even be better if we split up into three locations, the third as a decoy so to speak
. With three locations, they won’t be able to determine where the treasures are located. They won’t know if they have been split up, all removed or if they remain at Menadue. Not only will it divide their numbers, it will render their spy quite powerless except at one location.”

“We will use my home, Penhallow, as the third location.” Marrek straightened.
He could bring Kitty home!
The thought warmed him.

“I suppose we need to return to Menadue and bring the idea before the others,” Micah suggested. “The plan seems very sound. It makes a great deal of sense. Primarily because men can remain
at Fairy Cross Court and continue to look for the stone, the treasures will actually be safer, and it does help with our mole problem.”

Marrek called to ten of Trevan’s men who had joined them in their search
. He gathered up Gabriel’s men as well. He instructed Trevan’s men to be on guard until late afternoon, and Gabriel’s men to split up and take the evening and night watch. He assured them someone would be there to replace them at dawn the next morning.

“Well then, gentlemen, I suggest we return to Menadue and get things in order,” Marrek said as he rejoined them
.

The others made their way back inside Fairy Cross
.

Newt and Marrek were the last to go in.

“How is your head feeling?” Marrek asked Newt.

“There’s still a dull ache, but I am holding up.”

“Happy to hear it.”

“Marrek, when we split into groups, is it possible I can join you at Penhallow?” Newt asked.

Marrek gave him a knowing grin, “You are not making as much progress as you’d like with Elowen, are you?”

“Not exactly
. I’ve made some,” Newt confessed with a shrug.

“She’s stubborn,” Marrek warned.

“Um. That is true. But I am determined as well as stubborn,” Newt grinned.

“Then by all means, I will make certain you join us at Penhallow,” Marrek gave him an answering grin.

“If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem to be quite eager for me to win your sister’s affections.” Newt raised a curious brow at him.

“It has always bothered me
that Elowen chose not to marry, even more so after I recently married. She is strong and independent. I know she could make her own way in life, but the thought of her being all alone bothers me. It always has. I don’t think she realizes she can be a healer and a wife.” Marrek wasn’t going to tell Newt that he noticed Elowen watching him, even before he was shot.

Marrek continued, “I never thought
you would marry, but I can tell, rather I have felt since the moment you told me you were interested in Elowen, that you are completely serious about her. I feel you are the right man for her. God knows you have the determination. I just have a feeling. Call it gut instinct, intuition, a premonition.” He shrugged.

“This is very good to hear, because
I am
the right man for her. Don’t concern yourself about Elowen. She won’t be alone. She will have a husband.
Me!
”

“You are quite sure of yourself,” Marrek laughed in amusement.

“I am.” Newt nodded. “Sure, determined and stubborn.”

Marrek grinned
. “I’ll wager this process could prove to be very interesting.”

As it
turned out, the newlyweds were all summoned to leave their love nests and come down for dinner and the important meeting afterward. The newlywed gentlemen had received messages apprising them of the change in their situation and the plans to split their parties.

Gabriel leaned against the doorframe watching his wife at her dressing table.
“I do hope we can return to Fairy Cross tomorrow. We’ll get you settled in. After the trouble is over, we will bring your Grandfather to join us. Trevan and I decided he must stay here with Morva and great Aunt Demelza until that time. Wenna shall be here at Menadue with him until the majority of us remove to Truro in a couple of weeks,” he said as he moved to stand behind his wife.

Senny rose and turned to face her husband with a smile
. She leaned into him as her arms snaked about his neck. “I am looking forward to making Fairy Cross my home. Home is wherever you are now, Gabriel.” She lifted up on tiptoe and kissed him.

Gabriel enveloped her in his arms, pulling
her close. He kissed her deeply, hungrily. After several minutes, he reluctantly pulled away. “I suppose we should remove ourselves downstairs to the drawing room before this ends as it did before our bath,” he whispered huskily against her ear, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

Senny giggled
. “I think that is a sound idea.”

Gabriel beamed
down at her. He could not remember ever being happier. He escorted his wife from their chamber.

They met Trevan and Wenna in the corridor.

“Ah, I was about to pound on your door, Gabriel. If I have to be present downstairs, I was going to make damn certain you didn’t weasel your way out of it,” Trevan chuckled.

“I thought about declining, but I am far too anxious to take my lovely bride home to Fairy Cross.” Gabriel gave Senny a wink as he responded to his cousin’s remark.

Wenna linked her free arm in her sisters as the four of them made their way toward the stairs at the end of the corridor.

Trevan paused to beat on Jack’s door
. He flashed the rest of his party a wicked grin.

The door swung
open. Jack said, “We’re coming!” He grinned broadly as he opened the door wider and ushered his bride out of their chamber. “Making certain we didn’t decline?” He grinned at Trevan.

“Yes!” Trevan chuckled.
He winked at Jack.

Jack spoke, “I think it is a fairly good idea for our large party to split into smaller groups until we regroup i
n Truro. We’ve become like hunted prey here, being one party, as we are. They surely know we have the treasure with us.”

“I agree
. Yet, it will be risky splitting up too, they may try to take out our locations one at the time,” Gabriel said with concern. He squeezed Senny’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

“True,” Trevan nodded
. “But there are enough of us now that we shall still have sizeable numbers at each house.”

“I don’t see that anything can be done about it, save what you are planning
. Remember there is one of them here in this house, among us. Senny felt that person’s energy, just before Madingly was killed,” Wenna commented.

“Yes I did
. I still feel his energy even now. It’s almost like a whisper. The only way I can describe it is that it feels as if he is cloaked, or blocking me from tuning in to him,” Senny said with confidence.

Gabriel stiffened
then forced himself to relax. He did not want his wife to pick up his fear. He knew that if someone was psychically talented enough to keep a person from tuning in to their energy, they were probably aware that Senny could feel them. That placed her in grave danger.

Jack remembered Charlie’s request to protect Tuesday earlier that morning
. It had eaten at him the entire day that Tuesday could still be in danger. He said, “We shall do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe.” His lips grazed his wife’s temple.

“We lost Charlie, and many of the ladies have suffered
at the hands of the Brown Coats. I think the other ladies will agree with me when I say we shall not be content to sit around and wait for them to attack again. This must be done. We shall all adapt. Soon we will go to Truro and hopefully bring their leader down,” Tuesday offered quite passionately.

Wenna and Senny agreed with her
.

“We’ve begun our retribution
. Let us finish it and begin the atonement. Right the wrongs and make the Knights of the Brown Order pay for what they have done.” Marrek’s voice sounded from behind them.

They turned to see Marrek and Catherine followed by Lachlan, Wednesday and Elowen
.

“I suggest only one
person in each house know what treasure they have and where it is hidden. Only one of us should know the locations of all the treasure. None will know who that person is, except a handful of us. The spy amongst us is the most dangerous threat to us at the moment,” Marrek offered.

“I agree.” Trevan nodded and turned to
descend the stairs.

“God help the traitor when he is found out,” Lachlan said. He glanced at Wednesday out of the corner of
his eye. She had insisted upon aiding him down the stairs. He liked the way she fit him, the way she tucked neatly under his arm, the way her curvy body molded to his. He liked the feel of her arm about his waist. In truth, he barely leaned his own weight into her, but he had found her offer the perfect excuse to make bodily contact with her.

“Yes, God help him, for when he is found, he’s a dead man,” Newt said matter-of-factly from the bottom of the stairs
. He allowed the Duke and his new Duchess, St. Mabyn and his Countess, Jack and his Countess, St. Erth and his Countess and Lachlan and Lady Wednesday to pass him. He stepped forward then, offering his hand to
his
woman. Elowen. El. His witch. He watched her lift her hand. He saw her hesitate for but a moment.

S
he then placed her fingers upon his as a smile curved her full lips upward. Tension left her crystalline, witchy eyes and for now, in this moment, she appeared to be happy and carefree.

His green eyes burned as they raked over her
. It was as if he could see her without her clothing. Elowen knew she blushed. She could not help it. Just thinking of standing naked before him did things to her, strange and wonderful things. She shivered from the pleasurable reaction such ideas gave her.

“Are you cold?”
He breathed against her ear as he placed her hand upon his arm. His fingers lingered, lazily brushing across her knuckles.

“Not really
. I just felt a slight chill,” she lied. She had shivered and it had not been from cold. She would not own to the cause. That it was because of him. His touch. The things it did to her.

“
I shall just have to warm you up,” he whispered low enough so that only she could hear.

She started to scold him then
broke into laughter when she saw the teasing glint in his emerald eyes. “You’re incorrigible!”

He winked at her. “D
on’t forget that, El. I am a determined sort.”

“As am I, Lord Alloway.”

He sighed, “It’s Newt, El.”

“It’s Elowen, Newt,” she parried.

Newt chuckled. “Touché,
Elowen
.” He brought her hand to his lips and placed a lingering kiss upon the backs of her fingers. She shivered again. He chuckled. “I told you I’d warm you up, El.”

“Well, back to business as usual,” Wenna brea
thed as they reached the library.

“No, woman
, this is not anything like before. We are married now. No matter what happens or what decisions we make in that room, it will never change the fact that we are together. We have one another,” Trevan said as he pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

Wenna smiled up at him
. “You are correct. Things are different. We shall always have each other.”

Behind his cousin and sister-in-law, Gabriel looked to his wife.

Senny smiled up at her husband. “We have one another as well, Gabriel. We can handle whatever comes our way.”

Gabriel liked this
new confidence displayed by his wife. He always knew it was there. “That is true, my love. Whatever happens, we are fine, because we have one another.” Still holding her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and kissed her palm.

Senny blushed as she looked into his eyes
. They told her he would rather be doing something else.

Gabriel grinned at the seductive look his wife sent him.

“Trouble, it is true.” Jack winked at his grinning wife. “Just as our fellow newlyweds have said, we’re in this together; so all is well for us. We are all of us happy, and all of us in love with our spouse. We shall let nothing take that away from us.”

Tuesday winked back at her husband, causing him to laugh
aloud. She joined in his laughter and leaned into him, giving his hand a squeeze.

Jack re-laced his fingers with hers and looked tenderly
down at her. He mouthed, “I love you, Trouble,” to her.

The rest of the newlywed party
agreed in unison. Nothing could take what they had found. They entered the library, each one happy and wearing a broad smile, and looking upon their spouse they so loved.

Keep reading for an excerpt from Book 4, the last book of the
LORDS OF AVALON
series,
LORDS OF ATONEMENT
, by K. R. Richards, plus A Note From the Author, the
Lords of Avalon
Character List, Special Acknowledgments for some very special Photographers, Acknowledgments, e-books by K. R. Richards and some info about the two new upcoming series,
The
Secrets of the Shroud
series and
The Cornish Rakes
series, About the Author, and a very special page,
Jack Drayton, the Earl of Elveston
, a surprise for my FB fans!