Bittersweet Endeavors (51 page)
Read Bittersweet Endeavors Online
Authors: Tamara Ternie
“Why are you smiling?” she asked suspiciously.
“Because I love you
,
”
he said with a broad smile.
That t
ook the wind
out of her sails. For the first time since she began her
speech
, she took
a breath. A heavy, long sigh ensued.
“
Then I
’m
no longer
obliged
to marry Lord Sutherl
ing
or
Thomas
?”
Nay
, you
shall
no longer
…
when did
Thomas
enter into this
decision
?” he asked
,
annoyed.
It
was
easier
for him
to accept the decision when
he
believ
ed
the bed she’d share
would be that of a man of many years
, as well as decrepit, but
Thomas
was
young
and
virile
.
Jealousy twisted his gut.
“
Tis
not important,” she
said, smiling.
“It matters only that you’re the one I want
and
shalt
love until the day I die
.”
“
Aye
, sweetlin
g, but you can wage
r that’ll not be long
if you do not make haste and
hide
,” he
warned
.
Myra
wrapped her arms
around h
im and
relief consum
ed
his entir
e body. He didn’t lose
her, and best of all, he’
d
never lose her a
gain.
Myra
stood
on her toes and
cupped his face in
to
her hands.
Her eyes displayed how much she longed for him
,
and
her lips moistened and r
eadied for his
kiss. She
needed
to be
held and comforted, and rightly so, he thought. He, too,
needed
her
, a
nd if he could, he’d have made
love to her right there
and
celebrate
d
their union together. But he couldn’t. Not yet, at least.
“You must go
and hide,
Myra
,
” he
repeated,
and gently pushed
her back.
“My uncle,” she
whispered
. “Don’t do it
,
Seth!
I beseech you, l
et The King
’s men
capture
him
,” s
he
pleaded
.
“
I watched hi
m slay my parent
, and m
y fath
er was a great, very strong man, a
ble to battle and win against the
largest
of men and army,
yet
my uncle defeated him.
Ashton
know
s naught about
honor. He’ll not fight fair, Seth! I cannot go throug
h that again. I cannot stand here and watch him end you
, too.
”
“I’m sorry,
Myra
,” he soothed
, “
B
ut this must be done
, f
or
your
sake as well as our
sons
.
”
He smoothed her hair with his hand and tried to kiss her tears away.
He held her tight and attempted to caress the worries from her trembling body.
“I know
what you speak is necessary
,” she said, and
sniffed back more tears
. She
dried her eyes on her sle
eve.
“P
lease, Seth,
be cautious
.”
Horse
hooves pound
ed
in the distance, and when
they
looked up, he
and Myra
saw gusts of
dust kicked behind in the horses
’
wake
and lingered
in
the distant brush.
“
That’s him,” Myra said, when their figures came into view, but still at a distance.
“
Make haste and
go inside the ship
’s hull
and
hide yourself
. I shall
come for you when all is clear.”
Seth grabbed her arm. “If I don’t come for you,” he warned, “
T
hen lay in wait until
T
he
K
ing’s men come and find you.”
Although he knew she wanted to, she
didn’t
argue
.
He pushed
her toward the ship,
and
Seth
quickly
prepared for
his encounter with Ashton
.
HAPTER TWENTY-
FOUR
215
The horse
s
’
hooves pounded
hard onto
the ground
when
they made
their way toward the docks. Seth
watched
the
whirls of dust
behind
Ashton
a
s
he and
his man charged forward. Seth secured the line across the road
and prepared to
waylay their path
. One line fastened around a large
o
ak and the other entwined about another
o
ak
to impede
Ashton’s
path.
Crouched
beneath the brush, Seth waited and
his hands squeez
ed
the rope firmly
. H
is
heels brace
d against the hard dirt beneath
. He glanced toward the ship and prayed that
Myra
stayed
well-
hidden. If all went well,
Ashton would
soon
be
dead
and unable to
harm Myra or
find his
escape
out of
England.
Ashton’s
man
approached the rope
first. His horse’s leg
s
met the line and
hurled
the man
forward o
nto the dirt. His neck broke the instan
t he landed onto the road.
Ashton’s
horse
approached and
faltered prior to
striking
the
marked trap
, saved only by his man whose
horse
had discovered
the
snare
.
Ashton’s
steed
re
ared
,
and its
back
hooves planted into the ground
. T
he
horse
raised
its
front hooves high
,
and a
loud n
eigh
ing
ensued
. A
shton
propelled
downward on
to the grou
nd. He toppled to the dirt
and rolled
relentlessly
to the edge of the road.
Unlike
the other
man,
Ashton didn’t break his
neck by the fall, but
his
gait slow
ed
when he stood
,
addled by the
plunge he’d taken
. Seth pulled the knife from his belt and ran
full chisel
toward him
.
Despite the fall, the man
proved
lazily
slow and his effeminate sized body made for an easy kill. He
wasn’t
the formidable enemy he
ima
g
in
ed in his mind.
When Seth reached him, he grabbed
Ashton
around his upper shoulders
and held
him tight
against his chest
.
Seth raised the knife to his throat.
“May your blackened soul lay tormented in Hell forever
,
”
Seth decl
a
red.
And i
n one
ha
sty
stroke
,
he
sliced the blade across
Ashton’s
neck
. His
body slumped
and Seth released his
dead
body to the ground.
* * *
When T
he
K
ing’s men came to retrieve her from the ship’s
hull
,
Myra
feared the worst.
Yet
to her relief,
Ashton
didn’t kill Seth, but
near as troublesome, T
he
K
ing’s men
arrived and
took
them both into custody by The King’s order of decree. Although she
knew The King would be angry by her insolence, she
hadn’t expected that
he would
send for th
em so soon
, but yet there they
stood,
at The King’s court. Sh
e and Seth walked down the aisle toward The King, her gait purposefully slow.
“Oh, Seth,”
she whispered
, holding his han
d so tight that she thought it might
break.
“What do you think
h
e’ll do to us?”
“I dare not venture to speculate,” Seth returned. “
To bait your uncle,
I
stated
disgust
for The King’s decree that
separated us, and I let loose a very
angry tongue that undoubtedly
would
offend
The King
if relayed
.
I’m sure it’ll not bode well,” he warned.
They reached the end of the
walkway
. The King
glared
down at them and
Myra
swallowed hard.
James and
Thomas
loitered a distance from The King but
Myra
knew they’d be of little use to aid their cause.
“
Come forward,” The King
ordered and
his voice
was
loud and commanding.
I
f
not for Seth’s support,
Myra
didn’t think she’d ha
d
m
ade
the short distance
without faltering
.
“May I speak, Your Grace,
” Seth
humbly
asked.
The King nodded.
“Do what you will for my
impudence
, but I beg
for your
mercy that
Myra not be
punish
ed
.
”
“My men
state that
Lord Brunnington
is dead by your hand?
”
Seth nodded the affirmative.
“So, I am not only in
your debt for
killing one of my enemies
,
but
now
two?”
The King raised a brow upward
and Myra believed there may have been a hint of a
smile
upon The King’s
face
.
“
You owe no debt, My King, but if you feel exceedingly inclined to
show imbursement
,
I
beseech
you repay
by
setting
Myra
free.”
The King smiled
, and then he laughed
. He sat up straight in his chair and looked thoughtfully at her and then at Seth.
“
Naught
can
abate my
annoyance
for you defying me,
” he said
to
Myra
, his voice full of authority,
“
B
ut had you not
fled
, you’d
be
aware that I changed my previous decree.”
Myra
and Seth looked at each other. The
anticipation
in his eyes matched the
hope
she felt in her heart.
“
Tis
my opinion, as well as
my
decree, that Seth Preston
shall
make an honorable and loyal subject to the crown
and
nurture
your
son’s skill
s
and strength
s
effectively in preparation to take his rightful place at Brunnington
whil
st
he is
in remainder
.”
Myra
grabbed S
eth
and hugged h
im
tight.
“Further ordered is that an annulment is sanctioned for your unlawful marriage to
Ballentine.
For many reason,
” he said emphatically, “T
is
not recognized by the church or that of law. W
ith respect to your son
, Jonathon,
and his place at Brunnington, I mandate that you are properly wed
ded
to his father, Seth Preston
.”
The King waved his hand and the clergyman quickly walked toward them. Before
Myra
realized what
transpir
ed
, she and Seth became
husband and wife.
The King
rose
to
take his
leave
but added, “May your marriage bring
forth
bountiful love and children, my cousin.”
He then turned to Seth. “You have caught my attention
and appreciation, Seth Preston, and as such, we shall meet again, soon, and discuss what your future shall entail
.”
Seth nodded his head, appreciatively. “I shall look forward to our next meeting, Your Majesty.”
Myra
smiled
wide
and
lowered herself into a curtsy to show her
appreciation
.
The King made his departure and
James and
Thomas
approached and
offered their congratulations, but
Myra
had only one thought on her mind
.
“The ship?” she asked
Seth,
excitedly.
“Supplied and ready to set sail,”
Seth
smiled.
“
Tis
time to bring our son
and Lucia
home.”
“
Anything you desire is yours
, my wife.”
Seth
took her hand into h
is
,
stooped
over it
in a formal bow
, and kissed her gently on
the
forehand. An ornery grin
twitched at his lips and he
let loose a
laugh.
They stood there like two fools and shared joyful merriment as they laughed and twirled with one another
in the
near
empty
hall
, as Thomas and James
silently
left
the room
.
Seth
abruptly gripped
her hand
s
and drew her body
firmly
against his.
He captured
her mouth with his
and
kissed her hard and long
, and m
uffled promises
professed
his love
against her lips
.
In his arms, Myra’s eyes filled with tears of joy. And there, as Seth held her tightly against him, she realized a profound fact. For
the first time
in many years
,
she was
safe and at peace, but what mattered most
,
she was
happy.
Very, very happy.
Don’t miss Tamara Ternie’s THE ENTANGLEMENT, also available at Amazon.com.