Gart looked at him. “You would not believe me if I told you.”
“Tell me.”
Gart’s jaw ticked and he hung his head, running his hand across his stubbled, bald head, trying to think of a way to phrase what he had been feeling for the past seven weeks. So much had happened. He suddenly felt like a fool because only fools got themselves into this kind of trouble. He was about to confess his biggest weakness to a fellow knight. But, on the other hand, he had never felt more strong or whole. It was an odd combination.
“You and I have been through much together, have we not?” he finally asked, looking up at his friend.
Kevin nodded. “I would trust my life to you a thousand times over.”
“And I to you.” Gart paused to collect his thoughts. “De Lohr and I came to Dunster two months ago because Buckland had requested de Lohr’s assistance in protecting the queen’s lands in France.”
Kevin nodded. “I know,” he replied. “We are preparing to sail in three weeks, which I am also supposed to tell you. De Lohr wants you in London as soon as possible.”
A second blow in as many minutes. Gart struggled to stay on an even keel as he took a deep breath, digesting the news. After a moment, he snorted ironically and stared up at the sky as if beseeching God for strength to do as he must.
“Buckland’s wife is the sister of Erik de Russe,” he took his eyes off the sky and looked at de Lara. “You remember de Russe, do you not?”
Kevin’s brow furrowed in distant remembrance. “Of course,” he said. “We fostered together. As I recall, you and de Russe were as thick as thieves. So his sister is married to de Moyon?”
Gart nodded. “I have known Lady Emberley since she was a young girl,” he said quietly. “I had not seen her in years until two months ago.”
Kevin’s brow furrowed, appearing quite serious. “De Moyon is the queen’s lover,” he lowered his voice. “The man is spouting it all over London.”
“I know,” Gart replied. “Which is why it makes no sense that he should want his family with him in London. Surely they will only be a burden to him and interfere with his affair with Isabella. Have you heard anything about Buckland other than what de Lohr told you?”
Kevin shook his head. “Nothing other than the fact that the man is a pompous idiot,” he said, his serious gaze moving over Gart’s tight features. “What is this all about, Gart? You still have not told me why you are here.”
Gart looked at him, feeling as if he needed to confide in the man. He’d never felt like that in his life and the walls of self-protection began to crumble.
“What I tell you must not leave your lips,” he muttered. “If it does, many people will suffer.”
Kevin grew intent. “The information will die with me, I swear it.”
“I believe you,” Gart said, taking a deep breath for courage. “I told you that I have known Buckland’s wife since she was a child.”
“You did.”
“I love her,” his voice was a whisper, full of pain. “I am here because I love the woman and she loves me. I intend to take her and the children out of this hellish place where Buckland can never find them.”
Kevin, surprisingly, didn’t react overly. He remained intent, serious. “You… you intend to abduct her?”
“I will not abduct her.”
“She is agreeable to this, then?”
“She is.”
Kevin fell silent as he processed the news. Then he said the first thing that came to mind, the obvious. “But she is married to Buckland,” he lifted an eyebrow, his reaction becoming evident. “You cannot simply take his wife.”
“I am not taking anything. We love each other and will be together.”
“But he can have you charged with thievery for stealing his family if you truly intend to do this. Stealing another man’s wife, particularly a nobleman’s wife, is very serious.”
Gart didn’t back down. “I realize that,” he said steadily. “But he has been beating Emberley since the day they married. When I first arrived here, he beat her so badly that she could not rise from bed for two days. The man is vile and horrible and treats her no better than an animal. Do you have any idea how it feels knowing that the woman you love is married to man who brutalizes her? You cannot comprehend the fury and pain I feel every time I think about it.”
De Lara’s expression darkened. “Nay, I cannot,” he agreed. “But the fact remains that she is Buckland’s wife and….”
“She carries my child.”
