Chapter 16
A loud knocking sound woke Bethany in the middle of the night. For a moment, she lay there and blinked up at the ceiling in confusion. On his own little bed, Matthew began to twitch and moan as the noise reached him. Bethany jumped to her feet and seized the blanket from her bed to wrap around her shoulders, covering her nightgown.
“Stay in bed, Matthew,” she said, as he sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. The knocking noise came again, louder this time.
She yanked the door open, already fearing the worst.
Dubnus stood there, a small smile on his face. Her stomach sank.
“Hello, Bethany, my dear,” he said, his voice silky smooth. “We need to talk.”
“How dare you wake me in the middle of the night,” Bethany snapped. Then his words sank in and she gasped. He knew her name. He knew the truth.
“If you would like to talk in private, we must go to the church,” he said, his voice as level and polite as if this was a social call. Bethany was ready to refuse him - why would she risk going up to the church with him? But his gaze flicked over her shoulder to Matthew, still in his bed. Bethany’s heart stopped. Her son must not get involved in any of this. She would keep him safe, whatever the cost. She drew in a deep breath and tried to get her fear under control.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
The inside of the stone church was so cold that Bethany could see her own breath in front of her face. Thankfully, she’d taken a moment to pull on her leather boots, so her feet were stiff but not entirely frozen. Her fingers were another matter. She could barely grip the blanket well enough to keep it around her shoulders.
“Here we are,” Dubnus said, striding towards the altar. A pile of papers lay right beside the bright golden cross. Bethany’s heart began to pound. She’d already known this could not possibly be good, but it seemed to get worse with every moment.
Dubnus picked up the top sheet of paper and presented it to Bethany with a flourish. His smirk showed how pleased he was with himself.
“Only one copy, of course,” he said. “I have plenty of others. And all the proof I need.”
In utter disbelief, Bethany stared down at the sheet in her hands. She read it again and again. Impossible.
It was a copy of the passport page from her passport. Her photo, her name, her date of birth. All of it was right there, in full colour.
“I know a lot more than your real name,” Dubnus said softly, stepping so close to her that she could smell his rancid, fish-tinged breath. “I know everything about you. ”
Bethany took a step backwards, desperate to put some space between them. She could not tear her eyes from that sheet of paper.
“How did you get this?” she asked.
Dubnus smirked.
“I hardly think you are in a position to ask questions,” he said. “I will tell you what you need to know and nothing more. Here is my offer, Bethany. If you give me Matthew, I will not reveal your true identity to a soul.”
Bethany gasped.
“Stay away from my son!” she said, taking another step backwards.
“I mean him no harm,” Dubnus said smoothly. “But I will get what I want. Hand over Matthew, and you can stay here as Princess Eithne for as long as you like. You will be safe.”
“I will never give up my son,” Bethany told him, glaring straight into his eyes.
Dubnus shrugged.
“If you continue to refuse, I will ruin everything for you. Everything . But I am not a cruel man. You have a little time to decide. I only hope that you will choose correctly.”