He took a large, steadying breath as he closed the door behind him.
Too much emotion. It was all so foreign to him. The love, support, and friendship. Almost overwhelming. He needed some time alone to think, and yes, make decisions. The words on that sampler had been intended for a member of her family, but he’d selected that gift out of all the others on the table.
Why?
He walked until he found some stairs that took him up.
He’d believed his life would always follow a certain path. Spent it fighting for everything he had. When he’d lost Max, it had taken time to adjust, but he had adjusted and focused on Maddie. Now he had this… and Kate.
Walking along the hall, he climbed again. Reaching the next floor, he opened a door at the end of the hall, where he knew there was access to the tower. James had told him to come here and view this, as it had some of the oldest treasures in the castle. His ancestors’ treasures.
Opening the door at the top, he entered.
“You’re alive!”
Before he could retreat, the two men were on him. Grabbing his arms, wrenching the injured one.
“What the hell are you two doing here!” Rory looked into the faces of the men who had left him for dead.
“The question is, why are you?”
Manton was the leader, and he’d lured Rory in to help him on the trip to England. He’d said he’d needed a deckhand, but what he’d needed was someone to help him smuggle goods. Rory had refused and ended up shot and left for dead.
“These people saved me.”
“Well now, that’s handy, as you can help us haul their stuff down and into the dungeons.”
“There’s a route there out to the cliffs,” the other man, Berger, said. He was a simple soul who just did whatever Manton wanted him to.
“I don’t understand how you got in here. I thought you’d gone back to France.”
He had to get them out of the castle before someone came looking for him… which they would, and soon. Rory couldn’t allow any of his family to be hurt.His family.
“We ran into trouble just around the coast. The boat hit rocks and got stranded.” Manton glared at Berger. “A fisherman took us aboard and bought us here. We heard about the fair and decided it may be a good time to visit a castle and get something to sell to help with the repairs and get us back to France.”
“You’ll be caught, this place is full of people.”
“All eating in that fancy room. Even the servants are there. We’ll steal a few things, then slip away. And now you’ll be coming with us. You can carry, and then we’ll finish what we started.”
“We have to move with haste, they will come looking for me. Grab what you want and let’s go.” The thought of one of the children trying to find him made Rory’s blood run cold. He had to keep everyone safe.
“That’s the spirit. I may even take you back to France with us, no hard feelings over what happened.”
“Of course,” Rory gritted out. The man was an idiot if he thought Rory wouldn’t extract retribution, but not now. Now he had to do what they wanted and get them out of Raven Castle.
“Take this.”
A gold chalice was thrust at him. There were huge rubies twinkling in the sides, and it had to be hundreds of years old and worth a large sum of money.
“Hurry,” Rory urged them on.
“We have enough now. You go first, and remember I’ll be watching you,” Manton said, motioning with his gun.
Rory walked down and prayed no one saw him. Hoped the family that had embraced him did not appear. He realized as he faced the prospect of death once more that not seeing them again would be painful, but the thought of not seeing Kate… now that was excruciating.
He cursed himself for his doubts and his need to be alone. He should have taken what they offered him, held it tight and not let go. Instead he’d needed time and solitude to think… however, now he was thinking with clarity. He wanted what was here in Raven Castle, he just wasn’t sure he’d survive long enough to grab it. At least his family was safe.
Please stay that way.
