“God’s Bones,” she muttered, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. “What a terrible thing.”
“It is.”
“But if the missive is not true, why would Louis say such a thing?”
Creston sighed faintly. “Because it is a forgery,” he said. “Someone is trying to destroy Blackchurch with a forged French dispatch for Henry to see.”
“But who would do this?”
He hesitated, but just for a moment. “The messenger that Brenton and Myles encountered was from Axen Castle,” he said. “The missive came from the Earl of Sidbury.”
Ophelia’s eyes flew open wide and her jaw dropped. “Mygrandfather?” she gasped. “Are you certain?”
“As certain as we can be.”
“But… but I do not understand why he would do this! And you aresure?”
Creston was still holding her hand as she grew agitated. “Aye,” he said. “We are sure that it came from him.”
Ophelia was dumbfounded. Even as the information slapped her in the face, she was stunned. Nothing he said made any sense to her, but as she sat there and processed the news, she came to the very quick conclusion that she believed him implicitly.
She knew what her grandfather was capable of.
“Dear God,” she finally breathed. “But why? Why should he want to do such a thing?”
“In revenge for the pirates that burned Sidmouth,” Creston said. “The pirates in question are Triton’s Hellions, and their leader is a close cousin of St. Denis. We believe your grandfather is trying to exact revenge on those pirates by destroying Blackchurch, but it could be more than that. He wasn’t exactly friendly when he was here for our wedding, and I know that heand St. Denis had words, so he could be trying to gain revenge on the lot of us. We just don’t know.”
Ophelia stared at him, her expression full of distress. “Oh, Creston,” she murmured. “I do not even know what to say.”
“Do you think he’s capable of it?”
“Without question,” she said with no hesitation. “He is undoubtedly capable of it. He is a vindictive, ambitious man. My mother has made mention of how he’s treated enemies in the past. She hasn’t told me the details, but she has intimated that he has ruined or eliminated more than one adversary. He does not like to be contested or shamed. I am certain that if I were not his only grandchild, he would have had a horrible fate for me because I shamed him. But because I am his only descendant, he instead made an advantageous marriage that would benefit him.”
“And tried to fool me by promising me a woman who was already pregnant,” Creston said. “He still thinks he has fooled me.”
“I am certain that he does.”
“The next time I see him, I intend to remedy that.”
“I hope you do.”
Creston fell silent. Truthfully, she was taking the news much better than he’d thought she would. No screaming or crying or fainting. Quite honestly, her shock had given way to a kind of steely resolve that he was surprised to see.
This was no weak woman he’d married.
He should have given her more credit.
“Now comes the next part of this tale,” he said. “You realize that your grandfather poses a lethal threat to Blackchurch with his actions.”
“I do,” she said. “What are you going to do to punish him?”
“We have a plan,” he said. “But I will need your help. I realize this is asking a great deal, as he is your flesh and blood, but…”
Ophelia sat forward, quickly placing her fingers on his lips to silence him. “He is a man who starved me,” she murmured. “He was cruel and brutal. He has never been kind to me or my mother. For the past six months, I have forgotten him. It has been the best time of my life, forgetting that terrible man, but now that I hear he is trying to destroy this place, and these people, that I have come to love, it does not matter if he is my flesh and blood. Tell me what you want me to do and I shall do it, Creston. All you need do is ask.”
Creston was struck by her bravery. Perhaps she didn’t know what she was getting into, but that didn’t matter. She still offered. He pulled her into his embrace, holding her against him as she wrapped her arms around his head and neck. This was their best position, embracing tightly, their bodies pressed against one another. He could feel her big belly against his midsection, and as he held her, he could feel a strong kick from the child. That made him smile, and he released her long enough to put his hands on her stomach.
“He is very strong,” he said. “I think he wants to join us in our quest to stop your grandfather.”
