The Illegitimate Claim (51 page)

exact words?”

“Andru, I don’t remember her exact words.” Meah sounded exasperated.

“That’s odd. Maybe I can help you. You said you didn’t think you could do it again

because you almost died the first time.”

Meah looked away from him as thunder rumbled in the distance. “I tell you what,

my lord,” she challenged him. “Why don’t you tell me everything you know, and then

I’ll fill in any blanks.”

“I like this idea better. You tell me everything that happened at Fool’s Creek that

day, and then I’ll compare it with what I already know.”

“Are you looking for a deception, my lord?” She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he

realized if Gilroy hadn’t shared the details of that day with him, he would never have

learned the truth from her. “The dog-woman’s words were confusing, and I’d hate to

repeat them inaccurately.”

He used the side of his hand underneath her chin to raise her face to his. “I already

know every detail of the truth, my lady.”

There was no mistaking the fear that ran through her eyes. But unfortunately this

was as far as he could go. He couldn’t accuse or make charges—he could, according to

Gothman law—but he wouldn’t for the sake of Gothman. He turned from her, and ran

his hand through his hair.

“Are you pregnant?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered from behind him. “She said I would be…I

mean…that I would have a baby.”

He spun around on her. “What?” he whispered and tears ran down her cheeks,

although she slapped at them with irritation. “She said you would be? Did she say

when?”

Meah turned away from him in an attempt to compose herself. He flipped her back

around aggressively. “When, Meah? When were you to get pregnant?”

He shook her when she didn’t answer right away. Finally, she yanked away from

him as tears fell miserably down her soaked cheeks. Lightning streaked across the sky,

and the thunder that followed shook the ground.

“She said I would conceive that day. She said Crator was giving me my wish.”

Meah shouted the words over the thunder and then set her jaw showing she would say

no more.

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Meah couldn’t have hit Andru harder than she did with the words she hurled at

him. She took off running then. As fast as she could, she ran back to where the gliders

were parked.

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Chapter Twenty-Six

“Andru, where are you?”

Andru groaned at the sound of his papa’s voice in his ear.

“On my way home, Papa.”

“Good. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Now what was that all about? Andru was in no mood to deal with the man.

Granted, he was pleased that he suffered no serious ramifications from his blow. Darius

seemed to be back to his old self, and everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to

the black patch secured over his eye.

Once again, Lord Darius was at the helm, although Andru and Gilroy had more

responsibility than ever before. Andru would push for his papa to step down—on that

matter his mind was set. But Andru was in no mood to address that at the moment.

Meah consumed his thoughts. He needed to go to her—talk this over with her. It

was clear what he would say to her, what he had to say to her. And the sooner he said

what she needed to hear, the better. Resentment would breed in her quickly, and he

wouldn’t lose her, not again.

Andru hardly gave the guards notice when he pulled into the backyard and one of

them stepped forward to take his glider. If he’d stopped to look twice at them, he would

have noticed they all wore their full warrior attire—only worn during battle or special

ceremonies. He didn’t bother to even look, but simply darted toward the house.

Voices streamed in from the throne room but he paid them no heed. Andru darted

past Fulga and scurried up the servant stairs, hoping to avoid speaking with anyone

until he talked to Meah. He bolted into his bedroom, paying little attention to the closed

door as he slammed it open.

“Oh, my lord!” One of the older servants jumped noticeably when Andru burst into

the room.

He came to a complete stand still when Meah stood in the middle of the room—

without a stitch of clothing on. He blinked several times as he took in the beautiful body

before him that never ceased to shatter every conscious thought he had. This was not

what he expected to see when he burst into his room.

The heavyset old lady quickly held up a breathtaking lavender silk that he

recognized as a Gothman gown. A second later he realized the servant was helping his

claim change clothes.

“Leave us,” he barked and held his hand out for the gown.

The servant all but threw the gown at him and then ran from the room. He could

always tell the signs of a Gothman woman who had been beaten many times. He held

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the gown out in front of him to get a good look at it before gathering the material up

and lifting it over Meah’s head. She allowed him to dress her without saying a word.

“Why are you putting this on?” He wondered where she got it. He’d never seen this

particular dress before.

“I don’t know. Lord Darius contacted me when I got to my glider and told me to

come straight home. I thought something was wrong with one of the twins. But when I

got here Tara handed me this dress and told me to change quickly and then wait in here

until I was called. That servant followed me up and told me they were hard to put on

unless you knew how to do it.”

Meah’s tone was flat, and he could tell she’d been crying hard by the raspiness in

her voice. Andru knew how to put the dress on—and take it off—a woman. He slid the

silk over her skin and let it slide down her body. He draped the two strands of

material—which made up the top half of the gown—across her breasts and then turned

her around to tie them securely behind her neck. The remainder of the material fell

loosely down her back. Andru turned her around and stared at her, suddenly taking

immense pleasure in dressing her.

“Sit down.” He pointed to a stool that sat in front of her dressing table and she sat

as she looked up at him with glassy eyes. He pulled the chair from his desk across the

room and then sat behind her, placing one of his long legs on either side of her, so she

brushed against his inner thighs. Slowly, he freed her blue-black hair from its braid and

began brushing it in long, even strokes. He brushed it until she closed her eyes and

relaxed, then he whispered soothingly. “We’re going to have a baby, my lady. You’ve

made me very happy, and I’m sorry I made you cry.”

Her head shot up as she stared at him through the mirror. “Andru, um…”

“Shh,” he whispered, and buried his face in her hair. “Crator wills it, then so be it.

You’re mine, Meah.”

She turned around quickly as her tears began flowing again. He crushed her to him,

suddenly excited about the fact that he would be able to watch the life grow in her

belly. He pictured Darien, his nephew and his son. He’d seen the way Gilroy looked at

the boy with fatherly pride. His friend saw the boy come into the world and had been

with him every day since. If Gilroy could do it than so could he.

The looks exchanged between Meah and Gilroy had grown obvious since she’d

returned. Meah had told him Crator was granting her wish. Did she wish she could be

with Gilroy, instead of him?

He tried to think rationally about this. Too much was happening right now to let

irrational emotions cloud his mind. Damn, he wanted to own her, but it wasn’t going to

happen. She’d found someone else, and Crator approved.

Andru always believed Crator didn’t condemn him for taking his sister. He

wouldn’t have created them so intertwined if it was wrong. Andru believed that with

all his soul. He would have to turn the other way when it came to Meah and Gilroy and

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he wondered if he was capable of such an act. It was no more than what he asked of his

first commander, and Gilroy had successfully done it for quite a few winters now.

A gentle knock on the door pulled them from their silent embrace, and his deep

thoughts.

“I’m to check and see how Lady Meah is doing?” The servant looked nervously at

Andru then her eyes darted to Meah. “Ah, you’re quite a sight, my lady, you are.”

The servant escorted the two out to the hallway where Darius stood at the top of the

stairs. Andru noticed his papa wore his formal military attire, and he frowned. Lord

Darius looked down the stairs and gestured for someone to approach. Another servant

hurried toward them, carrying Andru’s leather jacket, with all his medals on it recently

polished.

“What is this?” Andru showed his confusion as the servant held the jacket for him

to slide his arms into it.

And Darius explained. He spoke calmly and with his usual authority and enjoyed

watching his son’s mouth fall open and the dumbfounded expression cross his face. His

papa had done it again. He didn’t bow to his son’s demands. The man had done things

his way. And since the final moment had arrived, Andru had no choice but to follow

him down the stairs with Meah on his arm.

They entered the throne room where Tara sat on her large wooden throne. She

stood when Darius and Andru entered the room and then the Lord and Lady sat again.

Torgo was in the middle of the room with a table set up next to him. He had a landlink

on the table and a camera stood on a tripod next to it. When Darius and Tara sat, he

peered through the lens, focused in on them, and then moved to the landlink and stared

at the screen.

“We’ll be ready to go here in just a minute,” he announced.

“Stand over here, Andru,” Darius said, and indicated his son should join him at his

side.

“Have Meah stand by Andru.” Tara smiled at the nervous-looking young lady.

“You’re absolutely stunning in that gown. Can you fit her in, Torgo?”

“I’ve got her,” Torgo said, as Andru pulled her close to his side. “Okay, Darius,