Bram closed his eyes and nodded. “I was afraid of that. And is there any hope for us to rekindle what we felt?”
It suddenly hit me that Henri handing me off to Bram was perhaps his way of pushing us back together. If Henri truly never expected to see me again, and wished only for my happiness as he’d proclaimed, this was likely where his mind had settled. My heart lurched in my chest as I thought of Henri making that sacrifice, his very happiness, to see me safe. And here I was with his rival. I knew then that I couldn’t leave Henri to the mercy of his uncle. I had to do something. I just wasn’t sure what.
And Bram deserved better. Even now, I felt safer with him than I’d felt in weeks, and I knew that his words and touch could both soothe my soul in ways Henri couldn’t. As much as I longed for Bram, it wasn’t fair to lead him on if I continued to think about Henri. If only I didn’t have to decide between the two.
“I’m not sure,” I said, honestly. “As you’ve pointed out, I have changed. Your advice was part of that change, so it might be to your liking. But I can’t promise it will be as before. I’m sorry you came all the way out here to—”
“Do not apologize,” Bram cut me off. “You can’t promise yourself to me if your heart is in conflict. I won’t press the issue.” He hesitated. “But I will admit that I was wrong about Henri, in some respects.”
“How so?”
“In his letter to me, he apologized for his slander of my father’s practice. He said that he’d been trying to save face in the moment, when pressed on why his family utilized Father Schedoni instead of my father, and in doing so, came up with a response that he thought would appease the inquirer. He said that making Schedoni seem like the only option for his family was important for his family’s safety, whatever that means. But he never thought that his foul words would spread through town like they did. He claims to have tried to stop them, but I’ll never know if that’s true.” He shrugged. “I might not understand his motives, even now, but I do regret our friendship ended the way it did. It was only his treatment of you that renewed my loathing for him.”
“He has quite redeemed himself,” I assured Bram. “He has saved me from misery. And in my place, I’m afraid he’s going to suffer greatly.”
“I’m not sure how you can so easily forgive someone who tried to force you into an inappropriate relationship when you were powerless to refuse.”
“It wasn’t easy. But he’s earned my forgiveness. And my gratitude. Perhaps even my heart.” I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know how to explain it. He’s done some terrible things. He’s acknowledged that. I never expected to be able to look past them, and yet … I’ve seen him grow. He’s genuinely remorseful for his actions. I’m willing to give him another chance, and I’m glad what you’ve relayed to me has confirmed that he’s willing to try to be a better person.”
Bram nodded slowly, then patted my hand. “I may not completely understand, given how I saw him treat you, but I trust your judgment, and ultimately, it’s your decision whether to forgive him or not.” He paused. “However things turn out between you and me, know that I will always come to your aid, Emile. You will always have my esteem, and my affection. I will never again let what happened between me and Henri happen between me and someone else I care about.”
I smiled, my eyes misting over. I reached up and hugged him, and he hugged me back. I tried to put as much feeling into the embrace as I could, to let him know how much he meant to me, how much I was sorry that I couldn’t give him a full account of my heart. “I’ll always be there for you too, Bram.”
He smiled into my hair. “I’m happy to hear you say that.”
A resounding crack from across the barn sent us to our feet in an instant. I watched, eyes wide, as the door to the barn shuddered under the weight of something massive, several boards cracking in its wake.
“Oh God,” I said, clinging to Bram.
“What is it?” he asked, pushing me behind him.
“It’s Montoni. He’s found me.”
A menacing growl reverberated through the night air as the door shuddered once more under the weight of Montoni, more wood splintering as it buckled in at an alarming rate.
“What do we do, my lord?” Annette asked, frozen in place, staring at the door.
“Up in the hay loft,” I ordered her, pointing to a nearby ladder. “He’s not here for you.”
Annette obeyed immediately, scrambling up without another word.
“How isthatMontoni?” Bram asked, hands on my shoulders. “Surely it’s some demon.”
“Heisa demon,” I told him, beginning to shake. Montoni was manandbeast. A terrible combination, I realized, closing my eyes. He could have inquired in town after strangers staying nearby, then simply tracked the horses. I’d led him right to Bram.
There was a shout outside the door, followed by the blast of a gun.
I rushed forward, Bram at my side, and peered out through the gaps that had been created in the door as it had begun to cave, but the darkness was too thick to see anything of consequence. There was the sound of a struggle, and then no sounds at all.
I swallowed hard and looked at Bram. “He wants me. If I go out there, he’ll—”
“Absolutely not,” he cut me off.
“But, Bram, you don’t understand what he’s capable of.”
“If this door is any indication, I have some idea, and I’m not sending you out to anything capable of causing that sort of damage.”
I pursed my lips, wondering how I could make him see how futile this was. Montoni would get in if that was what he wanted. It was only a matter of time. Nevertheless, we pushed against the door to brace it against another barrage.
