“‘You will be part of a secret group who risk life and limb to care for our feckless monarch,’ I believe you said. I do not remember a question or indeed a choice,” Michael said.
“I’m sure I worded it better than that.”
“And if you do, women will flock to your coattails,” Zach added. “Which is untrue, as no one knows what we do.”
Gabe swallowed his smile. “I gave you the option. You could have said no.”
They said nothing to that.
“And you get to wear the ring,” Zach sighed.
“Because only ten were forged and I am the eldest,” Gabe added.
“It’s my hope our king doesn’t want us to investigate a woman,” Nathan added.
“He did that once,” Gabe added. “It will not happen again.”
The current monarch liked having a task force that were specially dedicated to him. He’d asked Geraint, the steward who dealt with Alexius, to have them investigate a woman. Gabe had politely refused Geraint and was confident it would not happen again.
“It’s my hope this does not take long,” Zach said.
“Your mistress will be waiting,” Nathan snapped, and Gabe wondered if his brother was still nursing a broken heart. Nathan had kept his feelings well hidden if indeed that was the truth. It seemed he wasn’t the only Deville able to do so.
The church was in London, a small building hidden from the road. One side was blackened from fire, the other covered in a creeping vine. It was old, and a place his forefathers had been meeting for a century.
Gabe hammered a fist on the thick, scarred wood of the door four times. He then entered. It was dark, with a single candle at the rear.
A man sat at the table. They only knew him as Geraint. Tall, well built, he was solemn and serious-minded. They knew little about him, as nothing personal was discussed within these walls. It was always him they met, never the others who were part of Alexius. But the Deville brothers knew that there were more of them dotted around England, each with an ear to the ground to ensure the monarchy stayed safe. Over the years, he’d seen rings similar to the one he wore. The eyes of Gabe and the wearer met, and held briefly, but no comment had been made. All were aware of the pledge of loyalty and secrecy surrounding Alexius.
They took their seats at the round table and spoke the pledge as their forefathers had.
“Veritas scutumtibi erit.”The truth will be your shield,Gabe translated in his head, as he always did. A reminder of why they were here.
“There are whispers that someone is conspiring to eliminate our monarch.” Geraint spoke in that deep voice that carried to every corner of the small room. They’d never worked out his age, but Gabe felt it was close to his.
“There are always whispers,” Gabe said.
“Yet this one is not waning but strengthening. It is also a familiar whisper.”
Everything inside Gabe stilled. Looking at the faces of his brothers, he noted they were the same.
“Where does this threat come from?”
“France,” Geraint said softly. “We know only a name.”
“Ombrage,” Michael said softly.
“Yes,” Geraint said.
“I put a bullet through him five years ago,” Gabe said.
“We watched him fall,” Nathan added.
The night was etched in his memory. The man they’d named Ombrage, because he lived in the shadows, had killed three of the king’s guards and was minutes away from entering Windsor Castle, where he would have assassinated the King of England.
“What proof do you have it is he?” Michael asked.
“An informant who has worked with us for many years was found dead.”
