“You summoned me?” Thia demanded.
“You took long enough. I take it you were in the grand hall, drinking yourself ill alongside our king?”
Thia cocked an eyebrow. “I was not. I have no use for Edward, and I have especially no use for the company he keeps.”
“Your beloved sister-in-law?” Colin smirked. “What about your brother?”
A flash of pain crossed Thia’s thick features. “He is busy with his wife at the moment. Mayhap I shall seek him later when he is alone. I have no desire to meet up with the bitch.”
Colin snorted, wincing when the pain in his face bloomed with the action. Instantly, his mood was darker.
“Your brother did this to me,” he growled. “All because of her. Do you realize that?”
“I do.”
Colin’s shadowed eyes glared daggers, slicing through Thia’s flesh, bone, soul. She could nearly feel the physical pain, like the ache left where her brother’s companionship used to be. All because of her.
Colin rose unsteadily. “I am, for all intent and purposes, a prisoner.”
“There is but one guard on your door, a household guard. He did not say you were a captive.”
Colin turned away thoughtfully. He paced the length of the small chamber, trying to ignore the ache of his head as he concentrated.
His father was a prisoner, most likely slated for execution in light of a murder confession. He himself was very nearly a captive, his future unclear. The grand plans that had been so carefully cultivated were spinning out of control, dissolving, as the Summerlins and the de Fluornoys triumphed once more. Whether the dispute be over unsettled lands or questionable parentage, ’twould seem that the Warringtons always ended as the losers.
He wasn’t even sure if his betrothal to Thia was still viable. For that fact, he knew he needed to act quickly and decisively if he was going to accomplish the ultimate act of vengeance upon the Houses of Summerlin and de Fluornoy. Even if his father had failed, he himself would not.
He could devastate both families in one swift action, one swift death. The Warringtons would triumph in the end, as was their duty. But he had to act now.
He turned to Thia. “You will take me to the stables. Tell the guard that you are taking me downstairs to join the festivities; I care not the excuse used so long as he allows us to leave together.”
“To help you escape? Why in the hell should I do that?”
Colin’s jaw ticked as he crossed the floor towards her. “I shall not be escaping alone, foolish bitch. After you leave me in the stables, you shall return to the dining hall and lure your brother’s wife to the stable yard. I shall take care of her from there.”
Thia raised an eyebrow. “Abduct her? What about my brother?”
Colin thrust a finger at her. “That will rest on your shoulders, lady. You must convince your brother that you merely wish to speak to his wife on the pretense that you would end the hostilities between you. Being a loving brother, he shall trust you to a private conversation while he remains in the hall.”
Thia swallowed, knowing surely that all trust would be destroyed between her and Alec should she deceive him in such a fashion. If trust was lost, then there would be no hope of regaining the relationship they once shared before the introduction of his hated wife.
For the first time, she began to reconsider her reasons for being rid of Peyton. Were they really valid enough to warrant something as potent as murder? Mayhap, with time, they could learn to tolerate….
“Well?” Colin broke into her thoughts roughly. “Do you understand what you are to do?”
She fixed him with an uncertain gaze. “And if I refuse? I could run straight to Alec with your plans, you know. He’d surely kill you.”
The blue veins on Colin’s temples throbbed. When he spoke, his tone was low and controlled. “If you do, I shall tell Alec that you were responsible for Paul’s death. I shall tell him that I personally witnessed you push Paul under the chargers hooves, and out of fear that my testimony would not be believed, I kept silent.”
Thia’s eyes widened. “You would not dare! He would never believe you!”
“Are you willing to take the chance? With the animosity and brutality you have already displayed toward his wife, do you think Alec would believe you incapable of murder?”
Thia was beginning to quake with fear. “What do my actions towards his wife have to do with Paul’s death?”
Colin crossed his arms smugly. “You tried to kill his wife because she discovered your ‘secret’. What if Paul discovered the same mysteries, only did not have the fortune to escape your wrath? I could convince them of your barbarous act, Thia. Have no doubt.”
Her mouth opened in outrage. “It’s a bloody lie!”
