“Julian, stop!” she cried. “Stop fighting!”
Exhausted, with blood still seeping from his nose and a cut over his right eye, Julian immediately let go of Louis and stepped away from the man as he collapsed to the ground. By this time, Lista was upon them, looking at the pair in astonishment and horror.
“What are you doing?” she nearly shrieked at him. “Why did you do this?”
Julian wiped the blood from his eye because it was stinging. “I did not start this, I assure you,” he said, winded. “Louis threw the first blow. I am allowed to defend myself.”
Lista looked at him in shock before returning her focus to Louis, who was struggling to sit up. “He struck you first?” she said. “But why? Louis, why did you strike Julian?”
Louis wasn’t really capable of answering at the moment. Julian put his hand to his jaw, thinking he had some loose teeth, before sighing sharply.
“In response to the insults I dealt him, I am sure,” he said. “In fact, I was returning to Felkington to apologize for my behavior. I acted poorly and had come to seek forgiveness, but I can see that de Rhos is not in a forgiving mood. Not that I blame him, but I had hoped he was a man of mercy. I had hoped you are a woman of mercy, too, but if you have a notion to put your fist in my nose like de Rhos did, then know that I will not let you. I amcertain your words of anger will do more damage than any blow ever could.”
Lista’s gaze was drawn to Julian, who was fairly battered. His right eye was starting to swell and there was blood all over his chin and neck, down onto his tunic. A panicked servant had found her in her chamber as she’d finished dressing, only to tell her about the vicious fight that was going on just outside the entry. The servant hadn’t told her who was involved, so seeing Julian and Louis trading brutal blows had been a shock.
But a strange thing happened after that.
Seeing Julian for the first time since his departure had her bloody well thrilled to see the man. Yesterday, she wasn’t sure she’d ever see him again, so his surprise appearance wasn’t unwelcome in the least.
At least, to her.
But Louis’ reaction in seeing Julian was entirely another matter.
“Nay,” she said after a moment. “I have no desire to put a fist in your nose, nor do I have any intention of spouting off angry words. I know why you left, Julian. Addington told me. I suppose that I should be furious that you thought I was capable of such deceit and, to be truthful, I was quite irate when I first learned of it. But I am not irate any longer. I’ve had time to think about it and I’m sorry that others have hurt you so badly that you thought the worst when you saw Louis helping me stand. It was a polite action and nothing more, I swear it.”
Julian let out a grunt of disbelief. “You are apologizing tome?” he said, incredulous. “Lista, you have nothing to apologize for. God’s Bones, woman, why would you even do such a thing? I am the one in the wrong here which is why I suspect de Rhos went after me. I was so very wrong and I behaved horribly. I would beg for your forgiveness but I do not blame you if you do not wish to give it. I am not entirely sure I deserve it.”
Lista smiled timidly. “I forgave you long ago,” she said. “You needn’t worry about me.”
Julian could hardly believe it. He thought he was going to spend the day on his knees, at the very least, begging for her understanding and the fact that she forgave him so easily had his head spinning.
He shook his head in wonder.
“Is there really such forgiveness in this world?” he murmured. “Is there really a woman of such grace, of such understanding, that she would absolve me of my horrible deeds so easily? Truly, Lista, I do not deserve it but God bless you for being so merciful.”
Tears were starting to pool in Lista’s eyes as she looked at him. Battered, emotionally scarred Julian could hardly believe there was forgiveness for him. It only underscored the trials and tribulations the man must have had to go through in his life, of the unjust people he surely must have known.
Poor, sweet Julian.
But he’d found his forgiveness now, as easily as if the transgression had never happened. It was at that moment that the healing between them began, something that patched any cracks in their budding relationship. If there was mercy, there was hope, and they both had an abundance of hope. Just as Lista took a step towards Julian, and he towards her, Louis suddenly lurched to his feet.
“That is not why I struck you,” he said, slurring through his swollen mouth. “I struck you because you do not deserve this good woman, yet you have returned and she will fall into your arms regardless of what you have done. I struck you because she seems to think you are more worthy than I am. I struck you because you judged my act of compassion without even knowing the facts. I thought we were becoming friends, de Velt, but yousevered that infant friendship without any reason whatsoever. I struck you because you deserved it.”
Julian was out of arm’s length, but Louis was so badly beaten that he probably couldn’t have taken much more of anything. Julian was quite certain he could topple the man with little effort.
But nothing he said was untrue.
“I know,” he said simply. “I judged you badly, Louis, and I am deeply sorry for it. Mayhap you are not in a forgiving mood now, but mayhap you will be someday. I hope you will reflect upon the short time we spent together and the pleasant conversations we had and realize I had simply made an error in judgment, one that you did not deserve. It was my own insecurity that caused me to behave that way and although it is a weak excuse, it is the truth. You are a decent man and there aren’t many of those in this world. I recognize that.”
Louis wiped at his mouth, clumsily. “Up until this moment, I did not think you were a man of good character after what happened,” he said. “But it seems to me that only a man of good character would recognize his failings.”
“I hope so.”
“Did you return to apologize and claim Lista?”
Julian looked at Lista. Her gaze was moving nervously between him and Louis. “Only if she’ll have me,” Julian said, the warmth in his eyes reflecting the emotion he was feeling for her. “But after this, I would not blame her if she would not.”
Louis snorted, an ironic sound. “I suspect that is something you need not worry over,” he said. “I asked permission to court her, you know. After you left, I went to her mother and asked. I was given permission, though by whom is debatable. Nonetheless, by rights, she is mine to court.”
