Heroes Live Forever (Knights in Time) (19 page)

“My God, the game is dull as dry toast. I have no idea why people find it so bloody entertaining.”

Guy pulled a record from a stack of albums and put it on the turntable. He adjusted the volume and began recording. He’d discovered how to make custom cassette tapes of his favorite songs from albums. According to him, this was nothing short of miraculous.

“Tell the old warhorse when he returns that I went shopping,” Elinor said.

Preoccupied, Guy nodded without looking up.

She was still out when Basil came back from a ride. He found Guy laying on the sofa and talking back to the actors in a movie on the television.

“Sit down, the movie hasn’t been on long.”

Basil joined him.

“Bloody awful!" Guy said two hours later and snapped the television off. He grabbed the program listing. "It says right here, ‘
Casablanca
, a World War Two classic that pits Humphrey Bogart against a Nazi Captain.’ The perfidy of the BBC luring innocent folk to watch such rubbish."

"War movie indeed,” Basil said. “There wasn't one battle scene. But then there wouldn't be with that passel of cowards. All they did was try to outwit one another for the papers to sneak away on."

"Sam the piano player was good," Guy conceded.

"At least he could sing," Basil agreed.

As they wandered out still voicing their disgruntlement with various plot points the phone rang. Elinor’s answer machine came on, followed by Jeremy’s voice. He left a number to call.

Elinor walked in the door an hour later, played the message and rushed to call Lucy to tell her Jeremy had phoned. “Guess who rang me up? I’ll give you a hint. He’s the biggest jerk in the universe.” She paced behind her desk in the library while Lucy tried to figure it out. “Yes, Jeremy.”

Basil stopped in the doorway when he heard his enemy’s name. Unseen, he eavesdropped.

“He said he wanted to see me again, soon.” Elinor said, a bit breathless.

Basil heard enough, something had to be done to thwart the butcher. He spun and headed for the village. A few minutes later, Elinor reiterated to Lucy she had no intention of going out with Jeremy ever again.

A teacher's meeting kept Elinor late. Basil used the opportunity to convince the school secretary to pass the message along. A number of times in the past he'd whispered suggestions to mortals. They always credited a “little bird” being responsible for the suggestions. The logic of this phenomena escaped Basil. To his knowledge, England did not possess an abundance of talking birds.

Sarah, ran over as Elinor walked to her car. The secretary apologized for not giving the message to her earlier. "A little bird told me I was forgetting to do something."

Elinor sat in her car and stared at the note. Her brain screamed to tear the aggravating request up and go home. But, one tiny part of her felt guilty about ignoring a plea that claimed to be an emergency.

“Why won’t he leave me alone? Fine. I'll see what is so urgent, and then never, ever see him again.” Elinor balled the note up and drove into the village.

Jeremy’s eyes widened and then sparked with anger when he opened the door. He stepped into the hall with the speed of a man who’s just seen a cobra, slamming the door shut behind him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Elinor’s shoe caught on the carpet, nearly tripping her as she tried to get out of his way. Bewildered by the malice in his tone, she didn’t answer at first.

"I asked what are you doing here?" He took a menacing step closer. His skin was flushed all the way down his neck and dark red blotches colored his cheeks.

Elinor refused to retreat, desperate not to let him see how he intimidated her. "I'm here because of your stupid message. Why else? You ass."

The door opened again and a pretty brunette in a short kimono started to enter the hallway. "Who's she?"

"A customer. Go back inside Caroline.” He shot a warning glance at Elinor. “Do what I said,” he ordered. “I'm taking care of this."

The brunette didn't move, inspecting Elinor instead. “What does she want? Did she follow you home?"

He shoved the woman inside and closed the door. His voice was low when he confronted Elinor again. "I don't know what you think you're playing at coming here. That's my fiancé, and I swear if you say one word to her about us, I'll make you regret it."

Stunned, Elinor fixed on the spot the brunette had vacated. When Jeremy issued his threat, she finally turned back to him. "Were you engaged when we went out?"

"Yes, and don't think to act the wounded puppy. It's not like you were hurt. I needed a diversion, a little side action and you seemed promising." His lip curled into an ugly sneer. "Christ, what a mistake. I had to fight you for a lousy hand job. I only called last week because Caroline was out of town and I was horny."

Jeremy gave Elinor a bruising push with the heel of his hand to her shoulder. "Get out of here!"

Elinor flinched and slapped his hand away, the sound echoing down the empty hall, "Go to hell!"

Basil and Guy watched Elinor race out of the building before following Jeremy inside. The knights lingered in the shadows and waited. They listened as the brunette told the butcher to be less friendly with his customers. "Really Jeremy, some of these sad, lonely types like that woman will think you're flirting."

The brunette left the room and a moment later the shower started. Jeremy came out of the kitchen with two glasses of red wine. He didn't notice the ottoman had been moved and blocked his path.

His elbow slammed hard into the wall as he fell. The glasses went airborne and shattered, spilling wine over the wood floor. Jeremy cradled his elbow as he tried to sit up. The eyes that sparked with anger aimed at Elinor, reflected terror now, seeing the blade of a sword hovering above his throat. The semi-transparent figure of the knight who held it grew stronger.

"Who the hell are you," Jeremy asked in a strangled voice.

He used his hip and good elbow to crawl back a few inches. Glass fragments crunched under his weight as Guy flanked him.

Basil watched the butcher's nostrils flare and his eyes dart nervously, between him and Guy. The symptoms of fear were something Basil had seen a hundred times in men he fought. The butcher's struggle not to panic pleased him.

"Who we are doesn't matter. Hear me well, butcher, never speak to, or touch Elinor again, ever. And if you think to threaten her," one side of Basil's mouth lifted in a sinister mockery of a grin. "...Pray God for his mercy, for it's the only mercy you'll know."

Jeremy snorted with false defiance, "I'm not in the habit of taking orders from psychopaths. I'm calling the police and having all three of you arrested."

There was only a flash of steel and Guy’s blade stopped an inch short of Jeremy’s neck. He jerked back, banged his head hard into the wall and lost control of his bladder. The wet stain darkened the front of his jeans and the acrid odor of ammonia filled the air.

Light bounced off Guy's sword as he held it under Jeremy's ear. "I do not know what a psychopath is, but I mislike the word."

Jeremy recoiled as Guy tilted the blade's edge closer.

Basil sheathed his sword and kneeled down, the hair on Jeremy's arm raised as the knight neared. "Heed my words butcher, or you may find yourself in a place where all you hear is silence."

The knights disappeared.

Jeremy stared vacantly and started to cry.

Elinor sat up in the corner of the sofa with a stiff whiskey. The circumstances of the incident nagged at her. If Jeremy hadn't sent the message, then who did? Only five people knew she'd dated him, excluding the two of them, it left Lucy, Basil and Guy.

Lucy had no reason to get involved, that left only Basil and Guy. Her heart sank at the thought either of them would do such a thing. But, there was no one else. Hurt and angry, she tossed the whiskey back, drinking it in one swallow. She never drank hard liquor straight. The burn fed her anger.

She’d brought the bottle with her and poured another two fingers in her glass when Basil and Guy returned.

Without looking up, she took a sip and asked, "Why did you do it?" She slammed the glass down onto the coffee table and lifted her eyes to Basil. “Why?”

Guy began to explain, but Basil raised his hand and cut him off. "This is my doing and mine to answer for." Guy inclined his head with a nearly imperceptible nod and disappeared.

“You deliberately tricked me.”

“I understand you are distressed. But, you must understand I was trying to help.”

There was such anguish in his plea, she wanted to console him. In an effort to hold onto her anger, Elinor crossed to the other side of the room to separate herself from him.

"Do you have any idea what you did? I was humiliated. He mocked me. He threatened me...threatened me for God's sake!" She rocked back and forth and stared at the floor, away from the misery in his eyes.

"Elinor, I swear to you I never meant to cause you pain. You're the one person I'd never want to hurt." Basil moved to where she stood and reached for her. "You must believe me, I swear to you on my honor as..."

Her head snapped up at his words. The gesture implored her for mercy she couldn't give. "Don't. Don't swear to me on your honor as a knight. It would be a very bad tactic on your part right now. Or is there some part of the Chivalric Code I missed, some part that says lies and betrayal are acceptable? Or is that just part of your particular code?"

Basil looked disconsolate. She meant to hurt him, meant the vicious indictment to wound.

"I am so sorry. I learned he had a betrothed. I thought if you saw what a blackguard he was you'd have no desire to see him again."

Basil's torment evident, Elinor felt a pang of regret over her harsh charge. She pushed the emotion aside, unwilling to forgive and forget.

"After what he did on our date, I know what a jerk he is. I had no desire to see him again. Why would you even think that?"

"I heard you talking to Lucy on the phone. You said Jeremy called and wanted to see you. I believed you intended to do so." Basil hung his head as awareness he’d misunderstood seemed to settle over him.

"For the record, I also told her I had no intention of seeing him. If you had bothered to ask me I'd have told you the same thing." Weary, her nerves raw from the confrontation with Jeremy and now Basil, she sank into the chair opposite him.

"You know what you don't get, Basil? You don't get it was my mistake to make. If I wanted to see him, it was my choice. Mine. You don't own me. "You had no right to interfere, no right. Stay out of my business. Stay out of my life.”

He flinched at the stinging words she couldn’t stop herself from wounding him with.

She turned from him as conflicting emotions tore at her.

Basil knelt in front of the chair and held his hand under her chin as she lifted her face to his.

"I've meddled where I shouldn't have and I'm ashamed to say for selfish reasons in part." Her cheek tingled at the nearness of his palm. "I used to be an honorable man."

An uneasy silence stretched between them. When Basil spoke again, he appeared to choose his words with the same hesitation a man in a mine field chooses his steps.

"I apologize for any harm I've caused. If you believe nothing else about me, believe I love you Elinor. I will always love you." A sad smile touched at his lips. Then, he stood and walked away.

Elinor watched him disappear and fought the urge to call out to him. The sting of remorse over the things she'd said made her feel worse than what he'd done.