“Cortez can have him as well. I know they will be in good hands.”
Gorsedd was touched by a man who, in his hour of sorrow and despair, would be so good to his son. He clapped Kevin on the arm.
“Hopefully, it will not come to that,” he said, turning to peer out into the vacant street. “Come now, there is no more time to waste.”
Gorsedd led Kevin across the avenue and into the darkened walkway where he had left Annavieve. She was still hovering there, in the darkness with Vietta, and at the first sight of Kevin, she burst into tears and threw herself against him, sobbing. Kevin held her tightly, trying to quiet her, knowing that her sounds would carry. He wanted to kiss her all over, to inspect her for injury, but he knew there wasn’t time. They had to get away. Releasing Annavieve, he took her by the hand and turned to Gorsedd.
“We will wait for you in the Great Wood,” he said.
Gorsedd pointed off to the northwest. “That way,” he said. “I will find you as soon as I can.”
Kevin wasn’t sure there was anything more he could say. He reached out, grasping Gorsedd by the hand and squeezing tightly. That bond, that hold, said more than words ever could. The man had given him his life, his love, and he would never forget it. He was forever indebted to the kindness given to him by a man who was risking a great deal to do it.
In silence, Kevin and Annavieve disappeared into the darkness, fleeing into the night, hoping for a new life and a lifetime of love. As long as they had each other, nothing else mattered. They were together, leaving the rest behind them.
Gorsedd and Vietta watched them go. Vietta had tears in her eyes, quickly blinking them away when she realized Gorsedd was looking at her. He smiled weakly and she smiled in return, perhaps thinking they were a party to something bigger than themselves. To help two people in love on such a dangerous level was something most people would not do. But they had.
Gorsedd took Vietta’s hand and led her off in the darkness, back towards the meeting house, to face what was sure to be a coming storm. Neither one of them had any idea what had truly transpired, the events leading up to the moment of release for Kevin and Annavieve. But they were quick to discover what they had missed.
The world, for all of them, changed that night.
EPILOGUE
Victor was killedby a madwoman.
At least, that was what Gorsedd told Kevin and Annavieve when he found them the next morning sheltered by a stream deep in the Great Wood. Gorsedd went on to inform Kevin that everyone was out looking for them but not for the reasons Kevin thought. It was clear that Kevin, in his duty, had fled with the duchess to save her from the madwoman who had killed the duke and even now was in hiding.
That’s what Gorsedd had told everyone, in any case. He had capitalized on the rumors of the duke being assassinated by an unknown madwoman and it was he who had told everyone that Kevin must have fled with the duchess to save her. With a grin, Gorsedd informed Kevin that Salisbury was anxious to know of the duchess’ safety and that the man sincerely couldn’t remember what had happened the night before. He had become so drunk that he’d lost several hours of his life. He remembered the tournament, and going to the meeting house for the feast, but nothing after that. He absolutely did not remember the part about Kevin and the duchess, or of Annavieve’s confession regarding Victor’s orders for Kevin to consummate their marriage. Everything was a blank.
God was infinite in his mercy, Gorsedd told them. But there was more to come.
With Victor dead, murdered by the madwoman who had then taken her own life, Annavieve, Duchess of Dorset, inherited his empire. Ilchester Castle, his six garrisons, and his properties in Surrey and Derbyshire were all hers now. Everything belonged to her and Salisbury was anxious to find her and make sure she was safe. He was also quite anxious to reward Kevin for saving the duchess’ life.
With Gorsedd’s reassurance, Kevin and Annavieve returned to Longcross and to a host of people who were happy to see that the duchess was, indeed, alive. The situation, now calm, was too good to believe. It was utterly shocking but utterly true.They were safe.
The day following Victor’s murder, Annavieve sat with Salisbury, Gorsedd, and Kevin, determining what needed to be done in order to bury Victor and move on from the tragedy. Word was sent to Edward with the news of his cousin’s murder and the announcement that the new duchess was the sole heiress of the Dorset empire. Meanwhile, Annavieve relied on Salisbury’s judgment on where and when to bury Victor. Truthfully, she would have thrown him into a field and lit him on fire simply to be done with it, but he was Dorset and by rights was afforded a grand funeral. He had one, buried two days after Roger Longespee, in Ilchester beside his parents. After that, he was completely forgotten.
No one ever identified the madwoman. Gorsedd and Kevin buried her quickly in an unmarked grave in a corner of the churchyard in Longcross. Meanwhile, the tournament that had brought them all together eventually ended and the de Lohrs returned to Lioncross Abbey, having no idea what had become of Mimsy. A search of Longcross never turned the woman up and the de Lohrs were forced to return without her.
But Vietta knew what had happened, based on what Gorsedd and Kevin had told her, she knew that Mimsy had been the murderous madwoman but that secret, along with the knowledge that Mimsy had been her birth mother, never made it to the ears of Lady Agnes or Lord Myles. For all they knew, Mimsy had simply disappeared and Vietta was still very much their daughter. The death of Victor had been Mimsy’s last sacrifice for her children and Vietta, as well as Annavieve and Kevin, let the woman lie in peace.
And life went on. Thomas eventually recovered from his near-death experience and was sent home to his father’s seat of Castle Questing along with Adonis, who accompanied him home. With them, they carried two missives, both from Kevin. One was for his mother and the other one was for William de Wolfe.
The missive to Jemma Hage contained warm greetings as well as what had transpired for Kevin over the past few years. He wanted to assure his mother he was well and that he loved her. But the missive to de Wolfe was quite different. Evidently, there was a certain duchess Kevin wanted to marry and he hoped that a solicitation of a proposal from the great William de Wolfe to Edward might convince the king to allow the duchess to marry a mere knight. She was pregnant, Kevin explained, and she was in need of a husband since the duke was killed. Kevin also explained that he loved the woman and wanted very much to marry her.
So William, at his advanced age, took a last trip to London to visit Edward and ask permission for Kevin Hage to marry the Duchess of Dorset. Given that the duchess was pregnant with Victor’s son, the title would undoubtedly pass to the infant and the dowager duchess could marry whom she pleased, so permission was given.
Therefore, on a warm August night, William arrived at Ilchester Castle, a massive complex, with permission from Edward for Kevin to marry the duchess and was informed upon his arrival that the duchess had given birth to a son that morning. The entire castle was celebrating. When William found Kevin, the man was weeping and William didn’t understand why until he saw the infant.
The tiny lad looked exactly like Kieran Hage, Kevin’s father, and that was precisely what the dowager duchess named him.
Kieran de Ferrers, Duke of Dorset.
Kevin married Annavieve the next day with William de Wolfe by his side. Even if his father was not there in body, Kevin felt him in spirit and for the first time in his life, he finally felt at peace. He knew his father was with him, watching over him. Kieran was alive in Kevin’s new son, nestled contentedly in his mother’s arms. For Kevin, his life had come full circle.
The Scorpion had finally come home.
THE END
