She never had been.
“She has no more gone to betray Blackchurch than I would have,” she said, looking at the men standing around. “Mayhap you do not know how cruel Sidbury has been to her. I know that we are all aware she came into this marriage pregnant. Mayhap what you do not know is the fact that her grandfather starved her early in her pregnancy so her belly would not grow and give her away to Creston. He was desperate to make that marriage occur and did all he could to ensure that it happened. The man is vile and Lia feels no loyalty to him. She hates him with every breath she takes, so, nay, she did not go to betray us.”
Her words had Creston calming somewhat. “Did she say something to you that might give us any idea as to why she went?” he said. “Please, Athdara. Tell me.”
“I wish I could,” Athdara said. “But I did not see her today. Tay told me about the plot her grandfather has ordained against Blackchurch, and I wanted to speak with her about it, but I have not seen her all day. I assumed she was sleeping and did not wish to disturb her. But knowing Ophelia as I have come to, my guess is that she thinks this is her fault somehow. She is a very sensitive woman, you know. She has gone to Sidmouth to confront her grandfather and condemn him. I know I would.”
“Instead of standing around here, you should be on your horses heading south,” Astria said, looking at her husband in particular. “I agree with Athdara—Lia is going to try to stop her grandfather single-handedly to protect the lot of you, so if I were you, I’d be riding to help her. She is doing this foryou.”
That had Kristian and Payne already heading into the stable. They didn’t hesitate. Creston was still looking at the women, however, as if they might be his salvation in all of this. His despair was growing by the second.
“I have never understood a woman’s mind,” he admitted. “But, clearly, you do. Why would she do this? I told her we had a plan.”
Athdara shook her head. “That isyourplan,” she said. “It is not Lia’s plan. Cres, she is incredibly protective of you. What you told her surely must have frightened her. She has gone to do something about it. Don’t you understand? Any wife would want to protect her husband, and that is what she is doing. She thinks she can.”
“But the danger…”
“Would danger stop you from protecting her?”
Creston felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. He exhaled heavily, but it was a sound of pain. He knew that Athdara wasright—Ophelia was very protective of him. He also knew she was an incredibly brave woman, even if that bravery was reckless. With increasing horror, he looked at Cruz.
“Oh, God,” he muttered. “I must go. I must gonow.”
Cruz nodded quickly, moving with Creston as they ran for the stables. Soon enough, everyone except St. Denis and St. Sebastian was moving in that direction. Even Brenton and Myles were gathering their mounts and the women were going inside to help. They could hear, and catch glimpses of, the trainers as they saddled their mounts and gathered belongings. There was a great deal of activity going on in the stable as St. Sebastian turned to his father.
“Y-you’re going to let them all go?” he said.
St. Denis looked deliberately at his son. “Do you want to be the one to stop them?”
“G-good point,” St. Sebastian said. Then he began to look around. “I need a messenger to send to the assistant trainers.”
“Why?”
“B-because they are going to be temporarily promoted while everyone is out saving Lady de Royans.”
St. Denis was watching his team of trainers prepare to save the wife of one of them. They were behaving as if it were one of their own family members in peril, but such was the bond between the men.
He knew that very well.
“It is more than saving Lady de Royans,” he said quietly. “They are off to save Blackchurch. They are off to save what our family has taken two hundred years to build, so what they do, they do for us as well. We have the best knights in the world serving us, Sebo. Never forget that.”
St. Sebastian turned to look at the stable, which was now lit up with servants holding torches and lamps as the trainers prepared their mounts. He could see Tay arguing with Athdarabecause she wanted to go, too. That mountain of a man was being berated by his wife and more than likely losing the battle.
That made St. Sebastian smile.
“W-we have the bestpeople, Papa,” he murmured. “The very best people.Theyare Blackchurch.”
“Agreed,” St. Denis said. Having seen enough of his trainers and their preparations, he turned his attention toward the replacements. “Have Bowen step in for Tay. He was Tay’s assistant for so long that he’ll know what to do. No one handles the dregs better than Tay and Bowen. As for the rest, have Anteaus take Sinclair’s recruits in the morning and Creston’s in the afternoon. Rhodes seems to do well on the water, so he can replace Kristian for now. We’ll work out the rest. Summon them to my solar and I shall meet you there.”
St. Sebastian nodded and headed off, commandeering a soldier from the gatehouse as he went and sending the man to find the assistant trainers, who were all out hunting for Lady de Royans. But St. Denis lingered behind, watching his trainers become a military unit. As he’d told St. Sebastian, they were the best knights in the world.
Now they were about to prove it. They were going to save Blackchurch and, God help them, a small lady who was trying to do the same thing.
A terrible situation was about to break wide open.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Axen Castle
