Chapter Seventeen #3
“What are you going to do?”
“I… I do not know. It’s been nine months, Es. I cannot go running back there.”
“Why not?”
Addax’s head came up. “Because she has had nine months to forget me.”
“Have you forgotten her?”
That brought Addax pause. “Nay,” he whispered. “Of course not.”
Essien’s eyebrows lifted. “I am telling you this because you must go to Alston,” he said. “Henry has been notified of the deaths of Claudius and Max, and if his law advisors tell him that she is, by definition, the dowager Countess of Bretherdale, that makes her a valuable commodity.”
“I realize that.”
“Are you just going to sit here and let her marry for a third time? Someone who is not you?”
Addax’s jaw was twitching. “If she marries me, she loses the title.”
“You think the title means more to her than you do? Do you really think she’s that shallow?”
The twitching in Addax’s jaw grew worse. He stood up, pacing the tent, raking his fingers through his hair, and generally fidgeting as he pondered the unexpected turn his life had taken on this day.
Emmeline was a widow.
Emmeline was a widow!
He could hardly get it through his head. The woman he dreamt of morning and night was without a husband. Essien was correct—was he truly going to stand by and watch her marry for a third time, someone who might be of a higher station than him, someone who could elevate her in the eyes of England?
But the truth was that he was a king.
There was no one higher than him.
He was Qara Ejder—the Black Dragon, the thirty-second King of Kitara, heir to the Jasmine Throne. That was his right, and his bloodlines went back further than any king that England had to offer. He was more of a king than Henry or Alexander could ever hope to be.
And this king wanted to take a wife.
“Nay,” he said after a moment. “She is not that shallow. Not Emmeline.”
Essien stood up. “Then go to her,” he begged softly.
“Go to her and ask her if she will have you. Sweet Christ, Addax, this is the woman you love. I know you better than anyone, and you will never love another. You have lost so much in life. We both have. You must not let this chance slip away. Our father would not want you to.”
Our father would not want you to. That was like a shot to his heart.
Addax realized that his brother was right.
He had lost everything—his family, his throne, the very things that made him who he was.
His entire life he had worked hard to make something of himself, and, as he saw it, perhaps God had a hand in Maximilian’s death.
Perhaps God, for once, had shown Addax mercy, knowing how he felt.
Knowing that for once in his life he deserved something good to go his way.
This was his chance.
“I’ve often wondered what Abba would think of what we’ve done with our lives,” he said softly.
“If he could see us now, what would he think? Would he think we’ve become too selfish with our collection of horses and the money we’ve won on the tournament circuit?
Or would he think we’ve accomplished something important? ”
Essien shrugged. “I think he would want us to be happy, no matter what we did.”
“Do you?” Addax said. “Because I am not sure. If we were still living in Kitara, I would be the crown prince, and you would be the next in line for the throne. If Abba was dead, then I would be king and you would be the crown prince. We would be ruling a kingdom, Essien, but instead, we are sworn knights in a country we were not born in. Our friends do not have the same heritage that we do. They do not share the same background or even the same language. We ride in their tournaments, we win their money, but when de Lohr calls, we rush to do his bidding. We kill, we spy, and we change the fate of a nation with what we do. Do you really think Abba would be proud of his sons?”
Essien nodded. “I think he would be very proud,” he said. “Addax, we escaped death. We ran from it in Kitara, we ran from it in the Levant, and we have found our place in the world. Mayhap we were never meant to stay in Kitara.”
“Why do you say that?”
Essien cocked his head seriously. “Do you think you could have held the throne with Ekon so desperate to have it?” he said.
“We would have been in a battle every day of our lives. Even if we killed Ekon, the man had supporters. He was a bad seed that infected many. I do not think I would want to be in a battle every day of my life. Do you?”
Addax sighed faintly. “Nay,” he said. “I would not.”
“Then mayhap your destiny was not as the King of Kitara. Mayhap it is as the husband of Emmeline de Grey, and mayhap you are in England for a reason.”
“What reason?”
Essien smiled faintly. “Because you will have many children, who will in turn have many children,” he said.
“Your children will become knights and lords and great men who will guide England. And mayhap one of your children will do something so important that it changes the world for everyone. You never know.”
Addax chuckled. “Nay, you never do,” he said. But he soon sobered. “All I want is to make Abba proud. That is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“He was proud of you the moment you were born.”
Addax was grateful for the vote of confidence. Usually, it was him bestowing wisdom on Essien, not the other way around. Reaching out, he patted his younger brother on the cheek.
“Many thanks, Es,” he said softly. “And now, I am going to find my destiny. At least, I hope she is my destiny. Will you send word to Henry about the situation? You can tell Cole about it, but do not delay sending word to Henry. If he knows Emmy is a widow, I do not want him betrothing her to another. Tell him… tell him the King of Kitara has chosen his wife, and it is Lady Emmeline de Witt de Grey. Tell him I do not care about the earldom or the lands. I only care about her. Will you do this for me, Essien? Will you help me?”
Essien smiled broadly, grabbing his brother by the hand. “I will do better than that,” he said. “I will ride to Henry myself and tell him.”
Addax was slowly being consumed by joy. There was apprehension there also, but the joy was overwhelming. Emmeline was within his grasp.
He’d never thought that he would see the day when that was possible.
“Thank you,” he whispered sincerely. “But we must once again ask Cole to take care of the men we have acquired. I will take what I can carry on Indra, but turn the other horses over to Cole for safekeeping. I’ll return for them someday, but right now… right now, I have business elsewhere.”
Essien nodded, feeling his brother’s excitement. He’d hoped this would be his reaction when he returned with the news about Emmeline, but he couldn’t be sure. Addax had done all he could to purge thoughts of her from his mind, so he was glad to see those efforts had been fruitless.
If anything, he loved her more than he ever had.
As Addax rode out about an hour later, Essien went to Cole to tell him the tale. Cole not only agreed that Essien should go to Henry, but Cole was going to go, too. As Addax headed as fast as he could for Alston Castle, Essien and Cole headed south to London.
They were to convince one king to let another king have that which he so desperately wanted.
A future.