Theo had been out every night since he’d made love to Iris searching for any information he could find as to what was behind Iris’s kidnapping and his parents’ murders. He’d not told anyone what he was doing, and by the looks on the faces before him, he was about to hear how annoyed they were with him about that.
“Well now, what a pleasant surprise,” Zach said from the depths of his hood. Gabe sat, and his brothers lined his back. Mary was seated to his right, Zach behind her, and Geraint was in his customary place at the head of the table.
“Why are you all here?” Monty asked.
“Aren’t we often here when you are?” Michael asked pleasantly.
“Perhaps he still has that chest inflammation and is under the weather?” Nathan asked.
His eyes shot to Mary; she was firing daggers at him.
“Yes, after all, we called to see him many times. Especially after the note he sent us,” Forrest said.
“Oh right, yes. The one where he went to the White Swan to find Iris,” Zach said.
Monty looked to Geraint, who was watching what was playing out before him with keen interest.
“There is no need to discuss this here,” Monty said. “Or at all,” he added.
“Oh, there is a need,” Mary said. She then bared her teeth at him.
He didn’t take his usual position at the table with his hands folded, showing his ring, as Gabe was. If they were honest, he and Gabe just did it to annoy Zach.
Monty stayed where he was, standing, with a few feet separating him and a pack of angry Devilles. Monty was still not used to taking other people’s feelings into consideration, so it came as a shock they were annoyed with him.
“If we could focus on the matters at hand,” Geraint said.
All hostile gazes turned from Monty to look at Geraint, and he could breathe easier.
“Information has been uncovered about a group calledFratres Fidei, Brothers of Faith,” Geraint said. “Which is also the name on the correspondence Lady Challoner handed to Lord Montgomery.”
All eyes turned back to him and were still decidedly frosty.
“It was also on the correspondence found in the king’s advisor’s papers,” Geraint added. “We have found a link that, until now, we had not been aware of.”
“What link?” Monty demanded.
“I think he’s about to tell us that, or do you think he’ll keep it to himself so we can’t assist him with finding out—”
“Shut up, Zach,” Monty snapped.
“Yes, well, as I was saying,” Geraint said. “A small book was found in the pocket of a jacket of the advisor. An entry mentioned a man called Diaboli.”
“Devil,” Zach translated.
“We believe this refers to Ernest Silverton. He was the third son of Lord and Lady Silverton. On the surface, a man who kept to himself and everyone liked.”
“It’s funny how people seem a certain way but aren’t.”
“Will you shut up!” Monty snapped, knowing Zach was getting at him.
“I’m guessing that wasn’t the case,” Gabe said to Geraint after he’d elbowed his youngest brother in the ribs.
“It wasn’t. He was a devil worshipper, and we now believe the original leader of the Brothers of Faith.”
“I wonder why we have not heard about this club until now,” Michael said. “There are rumors about most things.”
“There is more, and this involves your father, Lord Montgomery,” Geraint said.
