The Legend (54 page)

Alec gazed at his father as if he
were looking right through him. His features took on a curious look. "What
is it about these jackals that has you running like a coward?"

 Colin suddenly brought up his
knee and caught Alec in the abdomen. Alec grunted with shock and pain,
releasing his hold on the younger man but maintaining his grip on the father.
Colin, not at all a weakling, caught Alec in the face with a sharp blow,
snapping his head severely.

Head spinning, Alec released
Nigel and cocked his arm, driving his fist into Colin's jaw. As the younger
Warrington went flailing backward, Toby jumped into the melee and clobbered him
with a blow to the back of the head.

Nigel was screaming murder as
Brian, fighting for lucidity, attempted to prevent Alec and Toby from killing
their nemesis. But his weak actions were in vain, for between the two large
men, Colin was dangerously close to losing his life. The only reason preventing
Alec from snapping his neck was the fact that he wanted answers to Paul's
death.

The solar door suddenly flew open
and Ali charged in, yanking Toby away from the chaos and fully intent upon
aiding Alec as he plowed into Colin. He had heard the scuffling sounds upon
entering the foyer with the ladies and his intuition told him Alec was in the
midst of the struggle. As always, he would be at Alec's side whatever the
situation and had nearly ripped the door from its hinges in his haste to reach
his friend.

In the doorway, Peyton and Ivy
stood in horror as Jubil struggled to recover from her recent fainting spell.

"Alec!" Peyton cried.

Barely aware of Ali's presence,
Alec was fully cognizant of his wife's voice. His head came up sharply,
focusing on her beloved features. Only when he read the terror on her face did
he slow his actions.

Toby, his knuckles bloodied,
pulled the women into the room. Closing the door softly, he bolted it this
time. The chaos that had filled the small solar not a moment before was
suddenly vanished, bringing about an eerie, heavy silence.

Peyton stared at Alec as if he
had suddenly gone mad. Across the room, Nigel was twitching with fury and
fright.

"I told you," he said
to Brian. "I warned you!"

Brian did not respond, but Alec
rose to his feet threateningly. "And I warned you. I am seeking answers,
Nigel, and I fully intend to have them."

Nigel was ashen as he focused on
Alec. "Is that what you seek, Legend? Answers? Very well, then. I shall
give you what you seek."

Brian abruptly came alive, his
face mottled with terror. "No! I forbid you! I have done everything you
have asked, Nigel, everything! I forbid you to go back on your word!"

"I have given you no
word," Nigel snarled, turning to Alec once more. "Answers, did you
say? Gladly."

"No!" Brian roared
pathetically, his hands gripping his hair as if to pull it from his scalp, his
anguish a palpable entity. There was not a person in the room who was not
visibly moved by the man's agony. His obvious terror.

Alec glanced at his father with
great concern. "What is it, Da? What in the hell would upset you so?"

Ali, rising from his crouch over
Colin's unconscious form, tried to push Brian into a chair. But Brian would not
respond, instead, he seemed to be slipping deeper and deeper into horror.
Peyton had been frozen with shock from the moment she had entered the room, but
hearing Brian's pitiful bellow jolted her from her trance and she moved swiftly
to comfort the man. He attempted to ignore her, too, but her firm, soothing
voice eventually permeated the cloak of his panic.

Alec watched as Peyton and Ali
lowered Brian into a chair. Only when his father was seated did he return his
attention to Nigel.

"Tell me now or I shall rip
your heart out." It was not a threat. It was a pledge.

Nigel was calming in spite of
Alec's vow. With a gesture that could only be described as an arrogant shrug,
he moved from his position against the wall, toward Alec.

"It is your father's fault
that I am forced to divulge this information. Had he controlled you better, it
would not have been necessary," he glanced at Brian, paled faced and blue
lipped, before continuing. "You said you wanted answers. What precisely do
you want to know?"

Alec was so tense he was literally
quaking; over his shoulder, Brian emitted another piteous groan of denial. In a
flash, Alec remembered his conversation with Jubil and prepared himself for the
lies and rumors that would come spouting forth from Nigel's thin lips. Bracing
himself.

"Why is my father so afraid
of you?"

Nigel raised an eyebrow.
"Most likely because I can destroy the House of Summerlin in one
blow."

"How?"

"By divulging the fact that
he and I are half-brothers. I am your uncle, Sir Alec. Your illegitimate uncle,
the result of your grandsire's lust for my mother."

Alec's brow furrowed,
unconcerned. "That will destroy the House of Summerlin? You will have to
do better than that."

Nigel's smug expression faded. He
had been positive Alec would fly into a frenzy as he digested that small
measure of reality, but apparently, Alec was unfazed. In fact, he was beyond
unfazed; he appeared undaunted by information that would have brought most men
to the border of shock at the very least. But Alec Summerlin appeared... bored.

In a reversal of roles, Nigel
found himself shocked as a result of Alec's calm acceptance. He was seized with
the desire to damage the emotionless man, whatever it would take. As Colin
began to come around, spitting teeth and blood, Nigel demanded satisfaction. The
shock turned to madness. They would all pay.

"I would think that would be
enough, but I see that I must disclose additional realities before you
understand the gravity of the situation," he suddenly focused on Peyton.
"Your betrothed was killed in Norwich over a year ago, was he not? By a
spear tipped joust pole? I can tell you for a fact that it was not an accident.
De Fortlage was well paid for his role as an assassin."

Alec could take a verbal attack
on his family, the implied threats of infidelities and deeper behaviors. But he
would not tolerate an assault on his wife. His thinly held control snapped and
he growled, taking provocative steps towards Nigel when soft hand were suddenly
gripping him. He stopped immediately as Peyton pressed her sweet body against
him in order to halt his advance.

Peyton could feel Alec quivering
beneath her hands. Truth was, she was shaking, too. Although she was reeling
with shock, she would not allow Nigel to visibly upset her. Especially with
Alec and Brian so volatile. When she was positive Alec had ceased any further
forward movement, she turned to the older Warrington with a careful calm.

"I would assume, then, that
you initiated the murder?" she asked steadily.

Nigel shrugged vaguely.
"Poor knights are always in need of additional coinage. With Deveraux
moldering in the ground, I was able to press Colin's suit for your hand. 'Tis
only right that a de Fluornoy marry a Warrington and end the feud that has
lasted for decades."

Peyton was nearly ill with what
she was hearing, but she maintained her calm facade if only for Alec's sake.
"Since your raids and harassment failed, you resorted to murdering an
innocent man to seek vengeance on St. Cloven?"

Nigel snorted. "Deveraux
wasn't an innocent, I assure you. The man has two bastards in King's Lynn,
mayhap more. He never wanted you; 'twas St. Cloven he wanted. Feud or no feud,
it's what I wanted, too. Even your husband, I would wager. Your keep is far
more beautiful than you could ever be."

Peyton's knees weakened, but she
fought it. As cruel as Nigel's words were, she wasn't overly astonished by
them. She knew St. Cloven to be a prize; she'd always known. Nor was she
shocked to hear of James' bastards; it wasn't an unusual occurrence, although
she would have hoped he would have remained celibate out of respect for their
betrothal. But the mention of his personal disregard for her feelings disturbed
her.

It wasn't true!
She and James had loved one
another, once. It seemed like an eternity past. At least, she thought she had
loved him. Whatever the feelings they shared, they had faded into the recesses
of her mind and she refused to be become upset by Nigel's remarks. James was
simply was no longer an issue. He hadn't been an issue since the day Alec had
kissed her.

She felt Alec squeeze her
shoulder comfortingly, bringing her back into the present. The only matter of
import was her feelings for Alec. Whether or not he had married her simply to
gain St. Cloven was not a concern. Although it may have been his initial
reasons for marrying her, she knew they shared a very special bond between them
- an unborn child.
And my love.

She fixed Nigel with an
unwavering gaze. "Then I would thank you for shaping my future, Nigel. Had
you not killed James, I would have never loved Alec."

Alec's heart soared skyward on
the wings of angels, scarcely believing what he had heard in the midst of their
swirling hell.
She loved him!
Christ, he'd experienced so many emotions
this day that he doubted one more would have been any different from the rest. But
he was wrong; with the rainbow of emotions he had experienced, Peyton's
declaration of love trumped everything. Christ, how he loved her.

He enfolded her in his arms,
wishing he could tell her everything he was feeling. But Nigel Warrington's
smug expression and his father's pants of grief prevented him from becoming too
emotional. Instead, he forced himself to deal with the issue at hand, albeit
with less conviction than before. It had almost been worth all of the agony and
sorrow to hear his wife's confession.

"Is there anything else you
wish to reveal?" he asked quietly, feeling the scale tipping in his favor.
"Any other revelations to upset and shock us?"

Nigel's advantage was slipping.
Two major disclosures had barely raised an eyebrow and he was struggling to
maintain his edge. God's Blood, he had as much as admitted to a murder and the
results had been worthless. He had to make Brian pay!

The entire room was focused on
him; Brian, the black beast, all three de Fluornoy women, Alec, and Toby. His palms
began to sweat with sheer panic until another, last ditch attempt demanded
release.

....Toby!

"Just one more," he
said, smiling thinly. "I understand Toby has never been told of his roots.
Allow me to introduce myself, Sir Toby. I am your father, and the man you so
recently thrashed is your half-brother. You, dear boy, are the result of a
liaison between your mother and myself."

Toby's eyes widened, giving Nigel
the reaction he had failed to procure from Alec or Peyton. He stumbled back,
his eyes flying to Brian, silently demanding answers. But Brian refused to meet
his gaze, and Toby knew without a doubt that Nigel spoke the truth.

Open-mouthed, he returned his
focus to Nigel. "You? How... how... oh, God...."

Jubil had been huddling by the
door with Ivy in stunned silence throughout the entire exchange. But when Nigel
focused his venom on her sweet Toby, she thrust herself forward and clasped the
young man protectively.

"Easy, sweetheart,
easy," she whispered soothingly. Toby was ashen with shock as he turned to
her, but she simply smiled. "It matters not. You are a noble Summerlin,
not a Warrington. You have always been a Summerlin."

Toby stared at her, the pain of
disbelief in his eyes. "Is.... is that what you were going to tell
me?"

She maintained her smile,
touching his face tenderly. "Would you have believed me?"

He shook his head unsteadily.
"How did you know?"

Peyton and Ivy watched with
astonishment as Jubil kissed him tenderly. The air between them, laced with
shock though it might be, was charged with sexual tension.

"I have lived in this barony
my entire life, sweetheart. Eventually, you hear everything there is to hear.
Although you favor your mother greatly, you possess Nigel's eyes. Eyes of blue
steel."

Toby rested his forehead against
Jubil's. His face was transforming from shock, to pain, to fury as he came to
grips with his roots. Jubil murmured soft words to him, easing his shock,
forcing him to calm. But Nigel did not afford him the opportunity to complete
the process.

"Satisfied, my son?" he
mocked. Somewhat fortified by Toby's unguarded reaction, he turned to Alec.
"And you, Legend. Are you satisfied? Do you have the answers you
seek?"

Alec was gripping Peyton
fiercely, knowing that as long as they held together, nothing in the world
could harm them. Peyton had always made him strong, but knowing she loved him
fed him with the power of the heavens. Toby was controlled in Jubil's embrace
as Ali moved to his wife, drawing her against him. They were all whole, strong,
and unbreakable.

He glanced over his shoulder to
his father, still slumped in the chair. Their eyes met and Alec smiled weakly.
Brian's bluish lips returned the gesture.