“Perhaps I’ve misjudged you,” Father Eldridge said in his dry, reedy voice. “The rumors about you might have been exaggerated or unfounded.”
“You’re forgiven. I’m just glad to do something that means so much to my wife.” He bestowed a mechanical kiss to my cheek. “But if you don’t mind, she and I would like to be alone.”
“Of course, of course,” Father Eldridge said, bowing his way out the door.
Rahil called after him, “And watch for that donation!” before snapping the door shut.
A ringing silence followed. “That was unexpected,” I told him. “Why would you offer to do so much for them?”
He gave me a curious look. “I simply want to prove to you that I’m not a bad person. I know there are more than a few rumors about me, and none are complimentary. But I really do want to make a difference in the world.” Eagersincerity shone out of his eyes, and my heart softened a little. People made errors in judgment all the time; perhaps I had done the same.
“What you did was very kind,” I told him quietly, inwardly vowing to stop calling himBluebeardin my mind. “That worship center helped me through many difficult times.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, and reached out to squeeze my hand. I allowed it. I still didn’t trust him, but a hefty donation would make a world of difference to that worship center. Samira’s face floated to the forefront of my mind, as if she were about to ask me to show her how to brew yet another elixir to ward off old age. She had never reappeared after she’d gotten married, and Rahil hadn’t explained her disappearance. I wouldn’t allow myself to be bribed into lowering my guard, no matter how much money he offered.
“How dideach of your wives die?” I asked him that evening at dinner, my stomach knotted. I tried to broach the subject delicately, but tact had never been one of my strengths. “I assume they all died.”
He poked at his food with his fork. “I don’t particularly enjoy talking about it, but I suppose you have a right to know.” He put down his fork and distractedly twisted the wedding ring around his finger—the one he had claimed a previous wife had given him. A bright green gemstone flickered back at me.
“I thought that ring had a ruby on it,” I said hesitantly.
“No, it’s always been an emerald,” he said, rubbing histhumb over the jewel. “Maybe there was strange lighting before. Did you want to hear the story?”
I nodded.
“Joy was my first wife, and she was the love of my life. Having the dragon enchant this house was her idea, and she was unlike any other woman I’ve ever known. We were very happy for several years, but she died in childbirth, along with our unborn son.” His voice choked up and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I vowed that after her, I would never love again. No offense.”
“None taken. Go on.”
“I vowed I would never love again,” he repeated, “but I still had to be married to fulfill the stipulations of my inheritance. So I married Nicole, a woman from a wealthy family. Our marriage was more akin to a joint business venture. We put our assets together and she agreed to marry me for the tax benefits and logistical advantages.” He smiled sadly. “Not particularly romantic, but it worked out well enough. We got along for the most part and were married for two years. But she hadn’t told me all of her business dealings, and it turned out that her family’s wealth came from…less-reputable sources, and there were some creditors who collected in blood rather than money.”
I cringed. “That’s horrible.”
“It was. It happened right in front of me. I still don’t know why they didn’t kill me at the same time. It would have spared me a great deal of suffering, and I don’t think I’ve contributed anything to the world since her death.”
“But you’re doing good things now,” I pointed out. “You just donated to a worship center today.”
He tugged at his beard. “It seems that money’s all I’m good for.”
A drop of pity swelled in my chest. Could I have misjudged him? “What about wives three, four, and five?”
“After Nicole’s death, I told myself I would only pick a woman to marry who wasn’t caught up in any business dealings, and it would be best if she was fairly unattached. My third wife, Natalya, was an excellent horseback trick rider. I used to watch her try out different techniques for hours. One night, she was riding back home during a storm and her horse got spooked.”
He shuddered. “It was about then that I started wondering if I somehow cursed any woman who married me. I refused to marry for several years, but the way my inheritance is set up, it was going to all be taken away. I wondered if it would be better that way—after having three failed marriages, I thought maybe it would be best if I were rid of my riches, even if it went to lawyers. I almost did it too. But then Karis came along. She was a talented musician and composer, and she changed my mind, at least a little. She said that if I was going to throw away my fortune, the least I could do was give it to women who had never known wealth—at least as long as I was clear I would never love them.”
A slight smile crossed his lips. “I asked if she was volunteering, and she said only if I agreed to give her any musical instrument she wanted.”
“Sounds like a woman who knows opportunity when it’s presented to her.”
“She was that. I bought her an entire orchestra of the best instruments money could buy and hosted concerts so she could perform for crowds. We even traveled to other countries. I went to every single one of her concerts. If she had lived longer, I think I might’ve fallen in love with her. But she caught black fever while we were touring Coronis and died before we could get back home.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. The pain in his voice was all too audible, but at the same time, there was a gut-wrenching twist to my insides. “And the most recent wife?”
“Ah, yes. Samira had attended one of Karis’s performances and came to express her condolences, and we discovered that we had a great deal in common. We struck up a close friendship and she was willing to marry me. But Samira knew the fate of my previous wives and wanted something to ward off illness and injury, just in case I was somehow cursed, so I managed to procure her a full apothecary and a place for her to brew potions. It’s part of the manor; you’ll see it when you go exploring. She was determined to learn to prevent any illness.”
That part did sound like her. She was always very interested in remedies and treatments and had always wanted to learn.
“And then?” I prompted.
