The Legend (41 page)

Alec had known what her answer
would be all along, but he still felt a bolt of nausea course through him. He
knew he went pale as he pulled Peyton against his broad chest comfortingly,
caressing her back. All of Peyton's opposition was vanished and she pressed
against him, seeking his strength and comfort as if to block out the horrible
vision.

"So she attacked you for
discovering her secret," he whispered, voicing his thoughts aloud.

She nodded against his chest.
"I am sorry, Alec. I would never lie about something like this. I was
shocked and...."

"I know," he kissed the
top of her head; slanting a gaze down the corridor, he could see the figures of
his sister and father as Brian tried to calm the large young woman. "Did
she hurt you? Thia is considerably more of an opponent than Ivy."

She managed a smile at the
attempted humor, looking up to his beautiful face. "Not really. Ivy's
stronger."

They grinned at each other a
moment as Alec touched her hair, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. It
suddenly occurred to Peyton that he did not seem particularly upset by her
revelation and her smile faded. "Are you not shocked by this? You do not
seem overly concerned."

His smile faded, too, as his eyes
roved her exquisite features. "I have lived at Blackstone most of my life.
Sooner or later, the rumors will reach you."

"Then you knew?"

"I suspected."

She did not say anything for a
moment, sympathizing with Alec's shameful secret. As the days progressed, it
would seem that every passing moment brought new revelations of the Summerlin
family, dark secrets and shameful stories that Alec hid behind an icy facade
and an emotionless manner. She fleetingly wondered what else the proud family
was hiding.

"So what now?" she
asked softly, running her hand over his stubbled chin affectionately. “What are
we to do?”

He sighed thoughtfully. "We
return to St. Cloven tonight."

"What about your sister? She
cannot wed Colin, Alec," Peyton said firmly. "You must do
something."

"The woman attacked you and
now you defend her?" he cocked a blond eyebrow.

"I am not defending her,
merely stating a fact," she said softly. "You know that she cannot
marry Colin."

He slanted a painful gaze at his
sister, now in his father's arms.  "I do indeed, but I do not know what I
can possibly do to prevent the union, short of killing young Warrington.
Unfortunately, my father is correct when he says that I am not her parent. As
much as I hate to admit it, I fear that I am impotent in this matter."

"You were not Ivy's parent,
either, yet you helped her," Peyton pointed out. "Surely you can
think of something to help Thia."

"I was able to help Ivy
because, technically, as your husband, I am your sister's guardian and may do
with her as I please," his face was noticeably sorrowful. "I suppose
I could do the same with Thia, but my father would not only disown me, he would
probably have me killed. I have provoked the man beyond his limit with my
intrusion."

Peyton was too concerned with Thia
and the Warringtons to have given thought to the term 'disown'. She continued
with her argument. "You are not meddling; you are simply doing what must
be done. Why is your father so willing to give in to Nigel's demands? It's
almost.... almost as if he is afraid of him."

Not strangely, Alec had been
pursuing the exact same thoughts. It was as if Nigel intimidated Brian somehow,
although Alec could not imagine why.

In fact, he had discovered a good
deal about his father in the past several hours, traits he never believed the
man capable of. It was as if the father he had known and admired all of his
life was a grand facade, a product of an adoring young boy's admiration.  He
wondered if the Brian Summerlin he had loved and respected ever existed.

Brian began to move down the
corridor towards them with Thia tucked against his torso. Toby, solemn and
silent, followed. Alec watched, stone-faced, as his father approached. When
Brian met his son's gaze, it was with the look of a beaten dog.

"I must attend the
Warringtons," he said quietly. "Will you see to your sister's
comfort?"

Peyton could sense a good deal of
tension between Alec and his father. She deliberately avoided looking at Thia,
instead, choosing to gaze at her husband.

"My wife and I are planning
on leaving for St. Cloven immediately, as pursuant our earlier
conversation," he said coldly. "Since you have made it clear that I
am no longer welcome at Blackstone, I am sure you will understand if I refuse
to attend your daughter."

Brian looked as if he'd been
struck; his eyes took on a strange expression of grief. "You suggested
that you depart this night for St. Cloven, not I. I never ordered you to
leave."

"You did not have to. Your
lectures and condemnations for my actions were enough."

Brian put his hand out
beseechingly. "Alec, please. I was angry at the time and did not mean...."

"Aye, you meant it. Every
word. Good life to you, Father," he glanced at his sister and a flash of
anguish appeared in his sky-blue eyes. "Thia, you know where I will be
should you ever need me."

With that, Alec led his shocked
wife down the remaining length of the corridor and disappeared. He tried not to
think of his sister in the hands of Colin Warrington, but his father had made
it clear that his hindrance was unwanted. He was forbidden to meddle, discouraged
from assisting. And according to his father, his punishment for aiding Ali and
Ivy was long in coming for his repeated disregard of Brian's wishes.           He
was a man without an inheritance.

Alec knew he should attempt to
help his sister, far more than his efforts to keep Peyton and Ivy from the
Warrington clutches. Thia was his flesh, his only sister, and his heart ached
for the plight he had brought down upon her. He cursed his father for lacking
the faith to tell him of Nigel's ultimatum; Ivy or Thia. Had Brian been honest
with him from the first, then he could have acted accordingly. Instead, he had
unknowingly reduced his father's choice by one.

Aye, it was Brian's fault. Let
him wallow in his own weakness, then. It was no longer Alec's problem to solve.

Her brother out of sight, Thia
turned to look at her father questioningly, but Brian refused to meet her gaze.
Instead, he hugged her tightly as if to break her.

"Come, Thia darling,"
he said hoarsely. "We must seek your mother and tell her what I have done."

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Peyton didn’t say a word as Alec
loaded her onto her small palfrey, nor did she speak as he went about securing
the caravan that would accompany them to St. Cloven. She continued to watch him
closely, deeply curious as to what had occurred between him and his father.
From the words that had been exchanged in the corridor, it was obvious that
something severe had happened.

She'd not had the opportunity to
ask him why he had been gone so long, leaving her alone to stew in her own
fears, and after what had transpired with Thia, she had completely forgotten
about his absence. But now, observing his cold manner and curt orders as he
dealt with the servants, she would know what had happened between father and
son.

She could stand her curiosity no
longer. As Alec passed particularly close to her palfrey, directing a groom to
better secure his Saracen stallion, she called out to him.

"Alec?" she hailed
softly.

He turned sharply as if she had
startled him, but his expression immediately softened. "What is it,
sweetheart?"

She smiled weakly and politely
beckoned him. Obediently, he complied and she immediately reached out to him.
He took her hand and kissed it, although she could tell he was hurried.

"Are we to leave soon?"

"Aye, love. We are almost
complete."

She cleared her throat, eyeing
the large traveling party.

"Aren't your mother and
father going to bid us farewell?"

His soft expression stiffened.
"I do not think so."

He turned to move away from her
but she gripped his hand tightly and he was forced to look at her. "Why
not?" she asked softly. "Alec, what's happened between you and your
father?"

He glanced over his group of
horses and wagons. "Not now, Peyton. We will discuss it later."

She refused to let him off so
easily. "Unless you have had bitter, awful words with them, I would like
to bid your parents good-bye. They have been very kind to me."

"No," he said flatly. 
When she opened her mouth to protest, he cast her a beseeching look. "Not
now, Peyton. Please. Do not press me at the moment."

She sighed heavily, with great
disapproval, but complied. Alec kissed her hand again and released it, his
focus returning to the impending journey. He hadn't taken two steps from her
when Lady Celine suddenly exited the castle, her wide blue eyes focused
intently on her son.

Alec froze, his gaze riveted to
his mother. Before he could recover his surprise, Lady Celine crossed the
bailey toward him with great determination.

"Where are you going?"
she demanded loudly.

Alec moved towards his mother
quickly. He would not allow family problems aired for the scrutiny of the
world. He held out his hand to her, but she slapped it away angrily.

"Answer me, Alec. What's
this nonsense I hear from your father?"

Alec was as emotionless as always
superficially, but inside he felt like a five year old boy again. "Father
has disinherited me. You will have to ask him for clarification."

"I did," she snapped.
"He proceeded to inform me that you went beyond subordination this night,
Alec. You defied him. What in the world would possess you to do this for a
woman who is of no concern to you?"

Alec did not react, but he could
only imagine how Peyton was feeling. "She is my wife's sister and,
therefore, a great deal of concern to me. She and Ali have found affection and
I could not stand by and watch my father ruin two lives."

Celine's eyes widened
outrageously. "Ruin two lives? How dare you accuse your father of such
injustice! As it is, you have ruined your sister's life as a result of your
chivalrous loyalty to those who are of inconsequential concern. Ali and Ivy are
nothing compared to blood ties."

Aboard her palfrey, Peyton turned
away with tears in her eyes. But Alec faced his mother without emotion.

"Peyton is my wife, mother,
and closer to me than all of the blood relations I have ever known. Her genuine
unhappiness would have resulted from a marriage between her sister and the
Warrington heir, and I will not stand for it.  As Lady Ivy's legal guardian, it
was my prerogative to do with her as I saw rightly over the desires of her
liege. I was perfectly correct in my actions, only father is too stubborn to
admit it. He is merely upset with the fact that I went against his wishes. Had
he been honest with me at the first regarding the Warrington proposal, it is
quite possible that we could have avoided all of this."

"'Tis not your place to
demand explanations from your liege!"

"I did not demand an
explanation, merely the truth. Father has himself to blame for Thia's
predicament."

Celine's lip twitched menacingly.
"How dare you turn the blame on your father. No one forced you to take
matters into your own hands," her gaze drifted to Peyton's red head.
"Or I am incorrect in that assumption? Did someone, in fact, demand you
into action?"

"What I did, I did for the serenity
of my own family purely by my own choosing."

Celine closed her eyes as if to
ward off the thunderous headache that was sure to consume her. The
circumstances of the day had sorely drained her strength and she simply could
not believe the twist events had further taken. When she opened her eyes again
to refocus on her son, her face was a darker shade of red.

"Then you are telling me, in
essence, that you provoked your father's wrath for the happiness of your new
wife, whom you have known for less than a week?"

Alec's only reaction to her
scathing tone was to blink. "Aye."

Celine returned her gaze to
Peyton, who was facing away from her. Alec could see that his mother was
shaking terribly with anger and fatigue. "Did she ask this of you?"

"She did not."

Celine refocused on her son, her
manner calming in spite of her increasing fury and disbelief. When she spoke,
her voice was a menacing as Alec had ever heard it. "God help me, Alec,
had I known that woman would turn you into such an idiot, I would have married
her to Colin Warrington myself.  Have you completely lost your sense of
loyalty?"

Alec tensed ever so slightly.
"Not at all. My wife comes first."

Celine's jaw twitched furiously
and her eyes found Peyton once more. Before Alec could stop her, she voiced her
outrage to his new wife. "What have you done to him?"

Peyton's head snapped to Lady
Celine, tears coating her lovely face. Alec put his hand on his mother firmly
and turned her toward the castle. "Not here, mother. Go inside and leave
us alone."

Furious, Celine slapped her son
harshly across the cheek. The resounding noise could be heard by all present
and the entire bailey went abruptly silent. Peyton actually started at the
sound, her tears forgotten for the moment as she waited for her husband's
reaction.

But Alec did not react. In spite
of his stinging cheek, he merely gave his mother a long look and turned back to
his business. He resumed bellowing orders as Lady Celine stood in the center of
the bailey, shaken and despondent to her very soul.

Even if Alec was ignoring her,
Peyton wasn't. She liked Lady Celine a great deal and was crushed to realize
that hard feelings had established themselves. As Alec's back was turned, she
slid from her horse and timidly made her way toward Alec's mother. She simply
couldn't leave with such terribly animosity filling the air.

"My lady," she
whispered. "I...."

Celine whirled to her, startled
to see that Peyton was nearly upon her. Her attention had been focused on her
errant son, all but ignoring his wife. But before Peyton could continue, she
held out a defiant hand.

"I will not hear you,"
she said angrily. "You who have turned my son against his family. I have
not only lost a grandson this day, but my very own Alec. This is your fault! Go
away from me!"

Peyton couldn't help herself; she
started to cry again. Lady Celine had been so kind to her that she had almost
come to think of her as a mother. To face her rejection was devastating. But
far more than her own feelings, she was concerned with Alec; she couldn't
fathom the possibility that his own mother would spurn him.

"Please, my lady," she
said softly. "Be angry with me if you must, but not with Alec. There is no
man more generous and kind in all of England, and he sincerely believed he was
doing right for Ali and Ivy's sake. If you...."

"Not another word!"
Celine snapped savagely. "I shall not hear you defend my son to me, you
conniving wench. You coerced my son to the altar and now you have succeeded in
convincing him to reject his family. Be out of my sight before I take a dagger
to you!"

Alec was suddenly between them,
his hands clutching his mother as he had never gripped a woman in his life.
Celine gazed up into angry sky-blue eyes that she did not recognize, and fear
immediately swelled in her breast. The eyes that blazed upon her were not the
eyes of her beloved Alec.

"Were you a man, you would
be drowning in your own blood for making such a threat. As it is, I shall thank
you never to speak to my wife in that manner again," he released his
mother as quickly as he had grasped her and turned to Peyton. "Mount your
horse. We leave."

Without another word, Peyton did
as she was told. She did not dare look at Lady Celine, fearful that she would
be able to read the woman's hate in her eyes. When Alec reined Midas beside her
a scant few seconds later, she was more than willing to retreat from the great
bailey of Blackstone.

It was late when they began their
return trip to St. Cloven, and later still two hours into their journey. The
Saracen stallion was not traveling well and Alec had to walk beside the horse
to keep him calm. Midas, tethered to a wagon, snorted his disapproval to not be
leading the caravan.

With Jubil in one of the wagons,
Peyton found herself riding alone with Toby and several men at arms. In spite
of his mother's anger, Toby felt compelled to accompany his brother to his new
keep, if only for the fact that he knew Alec would sorely miss Ali's organizing
presence. While Alec tended to other concerns, Toby would see to the security
of his new keep.

In truth, he looked forward to
the task; he'd not had a chance to prove himself to his brother with Ali
constant presence. He was eager to further establish his responsible nature by
confirming to Alec that he was a mature, capable knight. Though it was never
Alec's intention, Toby was positive his older brother still viewed him as an
eager young lad with bucked teeth and a knack for trouble-making. Even if he
was a fully grown man, Alec still saw him as his younger brother and Toby was
certain the opportunity before him would sway his brother's opinion.

As the caravan traveled into the
night, Alec was having better luck controlling the Saracen. The animal seemed
to be calming somewhat and he was considering remounting Midas when a soft
voice floated up beside him.

"Do you mind if I walk with
you?"

He looked down to see his wife
smiling up at him, the coarse road crunching under her delicate slippers. His
first reaction was to sternly direct her back to her palfrey, but he found that
he could not.  It was nearly the first smiling face he had seen all day.

He reached out and took her hand.
"Who allowed you to dismount?"

"Toby," she said.
"'Tis amazing what a bit of sweet-talking can accomplish."

He raised a disapproving eyebrow.
"Do not think to turn your feminine wiles on my younger, weaker-willed
brother. You will ruin him."

She snickered. "I will not.
But, in truth, he is terribly cute when he blushes. He turns red enough to
ignite kindling."

Alec fought off a grin, gazing to
the head of the column where Toby rode astride his chestnut destrier, dutifully
leading Peyton's palfrey beside him. He shook his head. "You are an
aggressive, terrible woman to take advantage of a noble knight. He'd do
anything for you regardless of my wrath."

Her smile abruptly faded and she
lowered her gaze, watching the road beneath her feet. Alec studied her bowed
head and squeezed her hand gently. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, preparing to
evade his question, but she remembered well their mutually spoken requests of
honesty. She swallowed and brushed at the threatening tears. "'Tis just....
that's what your mother called me."

His own smile vanished. Leaving
the Saracen to nibble on his alfalfa, he whisked his wife across the moving
caravan to where Midas was tethered. Deftly, he mounted her astride the
plodding horse and bolted on behind her. With a clucking noise, he reined Midas
to the very front of the column, away from the others.

Once alone, he kissed her head,
her cheek, and the top of her ear. Peyton sighed raggedly, collapsing against
him.

"I do not want you to fret
over my mother's words," he said softly. "She was angry, a state
which consumes her quite often, and she habitually says things that she does
not mean. You must remember that."