Page 41

She forced herself to focus on his voice. One breath. A second breath. She shuddered and took a third breath.

“That’s it. Nice and steady.”

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. She coughed, lost her equilibrium, then started again. Gradually, her breathing regulated, and her terror began to subside. Loosening her hold on the man’s sleeve, she opened her eyes. Smoke made the darkness ghostly, and the face above her swam in and out of focus. Her mind was addled. She had been thinking of Rhys; that was why he seemed to appear before her.

“’Tis improving,” he said. “Your breathing is stronger.”

He sounded like Rhys. She reached out and touched his tunic. The firelight illuminated his face. Surely this was no specter. “Rhys?”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Aye.”

“I do not understand.” She raised a shaky hand to her head. “I thought you were gone from Anglesey. Why are you here?”

“I could ask the same of you, my lady.”

Memory of her anguish at the castle and her furious ride here washed over her. She turned her head to face the smoldering friary. “My mother’s grave lies somewhere beneath that rubble.” She looked back at him in time to catch the flash of pain in his eyes.

“I am sorry. I remember you telling me she was buried in this graveyard.”

She nodded, tears starting to flow. “Why would they do this, Rhys? Why would they torch a place of worship and destroy the final resting place of so many innocent people?”

His gaze moved from her face to the devastation before them. “I fear that I must carry some of the blame.” His voice was heavy. “I and my brothers.”

“But I watched Henry and his men ride this way, and I heard their jubilation in the castle upon their return. They readily claimed responsibility for what they had done.”

“Aye. Because they’d helped fulfill Henry’s vendetta against the Tudor family.” She stared at him, trying to understand. He sighed, and for the first time, she saw the weariness in his face and shoulders. “Earlier this week, Gwilym, Maredudd, and I led a deadly attack against Henry and his army as they marched into Wales. On the battlefield, Henry swore vengeance, and when we learned that he had set sail for Anglesey, we assumed that his target was Penmynydd.”

Catrin gasped. “Margaret is there.”

He gave a ghost of a smile. “Maredudd is on his way to remove her and our retainers from the family home. She shall be kept safe.”

For a moment, he watched the weakening flames. “We saw the fire from the boat.” When he looked back at her, the pain had returned to his eyes. “I should have guessed this is where Henry would come. My parents, my grandparents, even my two older brothers—they are all buried here. This place honors more Tudors than any other.”

“Forgive me,” she whispered, wishing she could do something to ease the burden of guilt he had taken upon himself. “I should have recalled the memorials to your family within the chapel.”

He remained silent. A wagon lumbered by, loaded with empty barrels and tired townspeople.

“They shall be remembered still,” he finally said. “My family and your mother. Even if their gravestones are gone.”

She nodded. A second wagon passed, this one carrying brown-robed occupants. “What will become of the friars? This was their home.”

“They will likely be reassigned to other friaries in the area.”

The pain in her chest intensified. “The manuscripts Brother Robert and Brother John worked on so lovingly are gone.”

“Is that why the friars were in the chapel?”

“They told someone they were going after the pages, but neither of them was seen again afterward.”

“And so you went after them.”

She hung her head. “It was foolish. Others risked their lives for me.”

“It was brave,” he said. “Mayhap one of the greatest acts of bravery I’ve witnessed.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “And I have seen many.”

She covered her mouth, bending against the pain as her coughing began again. Rhys waited patiently beside her until her breathing was controlled.

“You must leave this place, Lady Catrin. Nothing more can be done, and the air will be clearer at the castle. Once you are there, Beti can give you the care you need.” He frowned. “How did you come here?”