To Capture Her Heart (20 page)

“Nay!” Gwendolyn screamed as she lunged forth and knocked the mug from Rosalind's hands just as it was about to her reach her mouth. She couldn't allow her to take the potion knowing she was with child. What if it was harmful to the babe, or to Rosalind?

 The tea splashed in an arch across the room as the mug clattered angrily to the ground. Both women watched in shock as the spilled liquid sizzled and smoked before evaporating completely, leaving a black charred spot on the stone floor beneath.  

Gwendolyn and Rosalind stared at the spot in shock before turning wide eyes on one another.

“Why did you do that?” Rosalind asked, still shocked by Gwendolyn's outburst.

“There was a bug in your tea,” Gwendolyn stammered lamely. “I was only trying to keep you from swallowing it.”

Rosalind looked at her suspiciously. “A bug? Hmmm...you could have just said something.”

She could have, Gwendolyn thought, but instead she had acted hastily in her attempts to keep Rosalind and her unborn child safe. But now that the potion was gone for good, there was only one option left—someone she loved would die.

Gwendolyn quickly made up an excuse that she was not feeling well so that Rosalind would leave her alone. She needed time to think, to figure out what she was going to do. What was she going to do? She paced nervously, both hands twisting furiously into her gown. It had been impulsive to knock the potion from Rosalind's hand, or had it been?

She fell to her knees on the hard stone ground, fingering the charred spots before her. Her finger burned at the contact and she instantly retracted her hand. Whatever had been in that potion had not been harmless. She watched with horror as the flesh on the tip of her finger changed from yellow, to green, to black, the skin peeling back as if she had a flesh eating disease.

Leaping from the ground, she went and stuck her hand in the small basin of water atop her dresser, scrubbing furiously at the spot lest the poison cause any more damage. Relief washed over her when she realized that she had been smart to stop Rosalind from partaking of the tea. She was almost positive that the potion was poisonous.

But what did it all mean? Had Roreck tried to have her kill Rosalind? The thought made her physically ill. She wasn't sure what was going on anymore, or who, if anyone, was safe.

Chapter 24

Evil Unveiled

If Gavin had been dissatisfied with his life before the festival, he was downright unhappy now. Life at Herfordshire Castle continued as normal, but Gavin felt anything but the same. He hadn't seen Gwendolyn since she halfheartedly bid him goodbye at the stables. He wasn't sure how she did it, but the little imp had weaseled into his heart, a heart he had believed was impenetrable.

He realized there was something different about her from the beginning, but it wasn't until the night they spent in the forest waiting for the stranger to appear, that something changed between them indefinitely.  She was vulnerable and insecure and so beautiful. He couldn't comprehend how somebody as lively and caring as she could ever doubt her own worth.

The most unsettling part of the night had been when, for the briefest of moments, he had seen himself through her eyes, and he didn't see a lowly defender who had let everyone down. Nay, he had seen a man who deserved to love and be loved, the same as her. The revelation had been as unwelcome as it had been unexpected.  Fear gripped his heart when he realized that he was starting to love her and that loving her had the potential to bring him further heartache.

His attempts at drinking away the fear were futile. He couldn't escape the longing he felt for her no matter how much ale he partook of. As a beacon of hope niggled its way into his heart, he had to decide if he would allow it to take root or if he'd let the ever-present fear consume it, smothering it's flame forever.

He had decided to give love a chance and regretted it the minute she proclaimed she couldn't trust him. Mayhap the hope he had felt was only a false one, rooted in something that could never be. It had been a mistake to allow himself to hope and to dream, even for the briefest of moments, for his heart registered more pain at her rejection than it had ever felt before.

He cursed his vile luck as he let Talbot drag him through the gardens. Spending the day watching the beast only added to his already foul mood. The irritation at seeing each other again was mutual. Talbot smothered several plants with his large paws as he pulled Gavin further towards the outskirts of the gardens. Gavin kept his eyes downcast to avoid the withering glares the gardener was sending his way.

Off in the distance, Gavin saw a lone figure sitting on a bench, a dark hood draped over her head. His heart skipped a beat and his pace quickened, hoping it was Gwendolyn. As he neared, he came to a halt. The woman sitting on the bench was most definitely not Gwendolyn—she was much too tall and her bearing was nothing like Gwen's.

He hesitated to approach, not in the mood to socialize, but Talbot had other ideas. The dog picked up on the foreign scent immediately and began wagging his tail excitedly. He let out a yelp, and the woman turned, revealing a face he had hoped to never set eyes on again.

“I've been waiting for you.” Ice blue eyes watched him shrewdly as a mysterious smile slowly crept on Clarice's face. “Come, sit with me a moment.”

Gavin was frozen in place, unwilling to do as she said. “Nay, I have other things I need to be doing at the moment.”

She tilted her head back and laughed, the hood slipping from her head, revealing long tresses of white-blonde hair. He shuddered. How had he ever found her beautiful before?

“Do not attempt to humor me with your false claims of importance. We both know that you have nothing more worthy to do here than to walk the king's dog. And,” she slipped one graceful hand out of her cloak, which Talbot instantly began sniffing, “from the looks of it, the beast actually likes me.”

That little betrayer! The stupid dog had a worse sense of character than anyone he had ever met, human or beast. He would definitely have to talk to King Terric about finding a replacement. Pulling back on Talbot's leash, he attempted to separate him from Clarice, but Talbot only snarled at him before turning once more to her.

“See, there's nothing to be afraid of. I need to speak with you for only a moment then I promise I will disappear from your life completely, if you wish, that is.”

“Of course that's what I wish,” he snapped. “Hadn't I made that clear at our last encounter?”

“Perfectly,” she cooed icily.

“Then speak your mind and leave me in peace. I'm running out of patience.”

He watched as Clarice reached into the fold of her cloak and retrieved a small vile of golden liquid. “I brought you a gift.”

“I don't want your gift,” he spat.

She ignored him. “Roreck concocted it just for you. It's painless and swift, much more humane than I would have chosen to do it.”

Gavin's confusion was mounting. “Who the hell is Roreck and what sort of madness are you prattling on about?”

Clarice rose to her full height as fire flashed in her icy eyes. Shoving the vile at him she hissed, “Do you want to go painlessly or would you like me to make you suffer?”

Gavin reached forth and hit the vile from her hand, sending it flying to the ground where it shattered on a large rock. “Neither.”

Clarice curled her hands into fists and groaned. “Why did you do that?”

Gavin gave a sardonic laugh. “Because I didn't like either of your options, obviously.”

“Roreck is not going to pleased that you refused his potion. But nonetheless, you leave me no other choice.”

“Who is Roreck?” He asked once more, his patience wearing thin.

“Oh, I forget you haven't had the pleasure to meet him. He's the man I left you for the day before we were to wed.”

Gavin's jaw tensed.

Clarice laughed.

“Well, if I'm being truthful, I never truly left you for him. I had him all along.”

“What do you mean?”

She came close to him, tracing one long finger down the side of his face, in the irritating way she had. “Dear, sweet, gullible, Gavin. You were only a pawn to me from the beginning. I was never in love with you. I was only using you.”

He reached up and swatted her hand angrily away from his face. Was it true?

She continued, “When I told you I was leaving you for another man, you were supposed to beg me to stay. You were supposed to promise me you'd do anything to keep me. That's when I was going to tell you to kill the king and queen.”

“Queen Rosalind and King Terric?” Gavin gasped in shock.

“Of course, you fool. Why else would I have needed a defender from Herfordshire Castle? I needed someone with access to the king and queen, someone nobody would suspect.”

“But why would you want them dead? I don't understand.”

“Of course you don't. You couldn't possibly understand what it's like being the illegitimate child of a man who refuses to care for you or for your mother. You can't possibly understand what it feels like to live in poverty and to be treated as an outcast, a pariah in the village. It wasn't until my Uncle Asher became lead trajector that he had some money he could spare to aid my mother and myself. Life had changed drastically for us the last several years until...”

“Until the king and queen discovered your uncle's betrayal,” he finished for her. He was having a hard time processing what she was telling him. He had no idea that she came from such a bitter background or that she was the niece of the man he had executed.

“When I met Roreck, I knew that vengeance could be mine. He's the brother of Alexandir Goff, the assassin, and is perhaps even more bitter than I. He has vowed to avenge his brother's death, if it's the last thing he does. We came up with the plan for me to woo a defender to manipulate into doing our bidding. But unfortunately for us, we picked the wrong one. I never would have pegged you as stupid enough to quit your post to follow me around Darth so I could paint landscapes.” She laughed at him once more. “That was just my excuse to leave you after the wedding. Besides, I don't even paint. But never mind all that. I don't want you to feel badly now, for I have come up with an even better plan.”

Gavin hung onto every evil word she spoke. He felt foolish for being so easily duped by her charms. He had been completely oblivious to the person she truly was, to her true motives in wanting to marry him. But one thing was for sure, despite the heartache he had felt at her betrayal, he was immensely grateful that he had gotten away from her when he did and had discontinued being a pawn in her evil scheme. He refused to allow her to control him anymore.

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she continued speaking. Gavin listened intently, hoping that he could figure out a way to save the king and queen.

“I have decided not to kill King Terric.” Gavin exhaled in relief. “Only the queen will have to go. As soon as she is out of the way, I will be there to help mend King Terric's heart. I will become queen of the Southwest.”

Gavin seized her wrists tightly in his hands, pulling her forcefully against him. “Nay. I will not allow you to kill the queen. I will kill you myself first.”

“You may be able kill me, but you will never be able stop Roreck. He's within the castle walls already.”

Gavin shook her hard, rage boiling inside of him. He couldn't believe he had ever held any tender emotion for the wicked woman before him. She had used him for her own gain, not caring that she had played with his emotions or trampled his heart. And now she was admitting that she wasn't above killing to get her way. He had to decide what to do with her, and he had to think fast.  For if what she was saying was true, Queen Rosalind could be dead soon.

Deciding he had no time to lose, he began racing back to the castle, pulling her behind him. He could feel her protesting as she tried to wrench her hands free from his grip, but he wasn't about to let go. His pace increased as he began running, worry creasing his brow. He could hear Talbot barking in the background as he raced to catch up with them. The dratted beast raced on ahead, then suddenly stopped a few feet in front of Gavin. He couldn't stop in time, tripping over Talbot as he let go of Clarice's hand in an attempt to catch his fall.

It was no use. He hit the hard ground with a thump. He quickly turned to find Clarice. She was on all fours, crawling towards him with pure hate marring her face.

“If only you had followed the plan,” she cried, “the king and queen would be dead. You have complicated things for the last time.”

Gavin sprang to his feet just as she approached, but it was too late. Clarice reached forth and clasped her hand around his calf. A sharp pain instantly caused him to fall to his knees. He groaned, rolling over to see that her hand was still holding onto his bare calf. Apparently his hose had ripped when he fell, exposing several inches of bare flesh, flesh that was now scorching beneath her touch. He pawed at her hands, desperate to get them off of him, anxious for the burning pain to cease.

His head started swimming as his eyes drifted shut. What was happening to him? The strength left his arms, but it didn't keep him from his efforts. He pulled at her hands, but with each attempt, he became weaker and weaker. Panic gripped him as he realized that it was a losing battle. He was much too weak to be able to stop her. He felt his heartbeat slow as the last of his strength dissipated. Slumping back onto the ground, he finally gave up his fight. He would be dead soon, and so would the queen.

Chapter 25

More Than Enough

Clarice rose, smiling with satisfaction. Gavin was dead. She unfolded her hand and looked down at the small shard of glass in her palm. She had laced it with poison before coming in search of Gavin, just in case. She was grateful she'd had the foresight to do it, for there was no doubt in her mind that he would have killed her, or at the very least, sent her to the castle dungeon had she not killed him first.

She carefully disposed of the glass, throwing it into the nearby pond and watching it sink to the bottom before brushing her hands on her skirt and fleeing. She had to get to Roreck. She had lied to Gavin when she told him that he was already inside of the castle.