“There is nothing that I have held back. I am who I am. Selina Voss,” Selina said, “I came to Valebridge looking for Arthur Roy and I found you, Marcus. I fell in love with you for the man that you are, not the man that I thought you were. I have brought you chaos and…”
It was like being plunged into cold water. With horror, she realized that she had spoken Marcus’ secret aloud in front of Dai. Revealed him to be not Arthur Roy, the rightful Duke of Valebridge, but Marcus. A man no one knew even existed. A man no one believed had a right to the Dukedom. She looked at Dai as Marcus hugged her close to him, turning so that he was between her and the old man.
“What are you playing at, Dai? Is this some kind of elaborate trap?” Marcus demanded.
Dai straightened from his customary slouch, pushing back his shoulders and chuckling. It was a deep, rich sound and when he spoke, the voice was devoid of the Welsh accent.
“No trap on my part, Marcus. The power of the stone. If you want to marry your girl, there needs to be honesty. I include myself in that.”
“I didn’t mean what I said…” Selina began, not knowing how she could retract her words but desperate to make Dai believe that she hadn’t meant it.
She stopped when the sound of his voice finally registered in her consciousness. It was the voice of an educated gentleman. Gone was the rural Welsh burr.
“No need to explain, Selina,” Dai said, “your truth was one I already knew. Because the idea for all of it came from me in the first place,” Dai said in a voice rich with humor.
“From you?” Marcus said, “just who the hell are you, old man?”
There was anger in his voice and Selina could understand that. It felt as though the world had shifted beneath her feet. What had been solid ground was now marsh and she was sinking. Dai had been playing them for fools, acting the part of the old poacher while somehow manipulating them. The question was why? Was he acting on behalf of her father? Or someone else? Some unknown actor yet to be revealed?
“Please, Dai, if that is your name,” Selina said, tears in her voice, “I trusted you. Tell us who you are and what you want.”
“What I want is for the two of you to be happy in a way that the two of us never could be. Marcus is a far greater man than I. A far better Duke than I. That’s why I wrote him a letter telling him to take my name and the title I could never live up to,” Dai said.
“Arthur?” Selina stammered.
Dai, or rather Arthur, nodded slowly, looking from Selina to Marcus and back again.
“Yes, Selina. I am Arthur Roy.”
CHAPTER30
“That is insane!” Marcus snarled, fists clenched.
The world has gone mad! I am marrying in a pagan ceremony under the light of the moon and my dead brother has come back from the grave. Or not come back from the grave, simply being impersonated by a mad old poacher!
He didn’t know whether he wanted to strike Dai or get himself and Selina away from the mad old man as quickly as possible. Selina made the decision for him. He had placed himself between her and Dai. Now, while Marcus was taken by surprise, she stepped past him and close to the old poacher. Suddenly alert, Marcus reached for her but she shrugged him off, peering into Dai’s face.
“I think I can see it,” she whispered, “but aged so much.”
“It’s pitch dark,” Marcus protested, “he could claim to be the King of England, and in this light, would look just like him.”
“Then ask me a question only Arthur would know,” Arthur said with humor in his voice.
“What did you and I call this place?” Selina asked slowly.
“The Fairy Dell,” Arthur answered immediately.
“He could have overheard you telling me,” Marcus pointed out.
“And how would I have known about the letter you found? Did you tell anyone else?” Arthur asked.
“No,” Marcus admitted, “but someone could have been into the castle before me, found my father and the letters.”
“So cynical,” Arthur said, shaking his head.
“Marcus, it is him!” Selina insisted, turning to face Marcus.
“Brother, the last time we were together we raced horses across the hills. Father decreed that the winner would dine with him and mother. The loser would have nothing. He said it would teach us strength of character and willpower. At the brook about a mile south of Valebridge, where it crosses the Stony Meadow, my horse balked at the jump. I was thrown from the saddle and hit my head on a rock, knocking me senseless. You could have ridden on to claim your victory, as I would have done had I been in your position. But you stayed behind and tended to me.”
