Chapter Twenty-One #3
It wasn’t as if his brother had a different woman every night.
Not in the least. Essien wasn’t like that.
It was true that he liked the company of women, and there had been a couple throughout his life that had been somewhat special to him, but nothing like Addax had witnessed over the past day.
Essien had gone from being staunchly resistant to marriage to extraordinarily grateful that he had been pushed into it.
At the marriage mass the day before, Addax could never recall seeing his brother so happy.
He’d had a glow about him that was very unusual and certainly not indicative of someone who was unhappy with the situation.
For her part, Catalina had been gracious and kind and lovely, and Addax remembered thinking that he was sorry his own wife was missing the ceremony.
Emmeline would have loved it. It did Addax’s heart good to see his younger brother so happy.
Now, that happiness was being threatened.
Addax did what any good brother would do.
He wanted to make it right.
“Where is this man?” Addax asked quietly. “The one who brought the cross. Where is he?”
Essien shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “Le Kerque does, and he is in the vault.”
“Then let us go and ask him,” Addax said, grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him along. “We will ask him where the man is and then we will find him.”
They were heading toward the gatehouse, where the vault was, and Essien walked alongside his brother. “Catalina said she would know him on sight,” he said. “I told her we would go together.”
Addax came to an abrupt halt and faced him.
“Nay, you will not,” he said, his voice low and harsh.
“You will not go together. You will not take her anywhere near him. I will go to him, and when I do, you will not have to worry about this any longer. The problem will be gone and buried. Literally. Do you understand me?”
Essien did. “Ad, I cannot ask you to do such a thing.”
Addax’s dark eyes were glittering. “You did not,” he said. “But I will not risk my brother’s happiness, or his entire life, over the return of some man who was supposed to be dead. Where has he been all of this time? And why did he choose this particular time to return if, in fact, it is him? Why?”
“I do not know,” Essien said. “Addax, you are speaking of the man who fathered those two little girls you just spent time with. You would kill their father?”
“I would save my brother’s world. That is the only way to look at it.”
“But—”
“Essien, listen to me,” Addax muttered. “Do you remember when I was betrothed to Emmeline, how we believed her husband to be dead? Do you?”
Of course Essien did. Addax had been in love with the beautiful Emmeline, who was married to a man who mistreated her horribly.
When the man disappeared on a trip into town and no body was found, they assumed him dead.
It was a natural assumption. But the man wasn’t dead, in fact.
He’d been badly injured, and had no memory of who he was, until Addax happened to see the man in a village one day.
All of the man’s hopes and dreams to marry the woman he loved came crashing down when he saw her husband working as a servant in a tavern.
It had been horrific.
But fate had other plans. A series of events saw the man killed that very day, in front of Addax, no less, and the problem was solved.
No one ever knew that Addax had seen Maximilian de Grey, Emmeline’s husband, and when he was killed, Addax made sure the man was properly buried.
But he never told anyone, save Essien and another close friend who had witnessed the entire event.
Odd how Essien’s life was now playing out along those same lines.
A husband who wasn’t dead.
History was repeating itself.
“Of course I remember,” he finally said. “How could I forget? Your life was nearly ruined.”
Addax nodded. “I know,” he said. “I also know that if you had been next to me the moment I spied Maximilian, you would have taken fate into your own hands. If the runaway horse hadn’t killed him, you would have. Do not deny it because I know you would be lying.”
Essien sighed heavily and averted his gaze. “This is different.”
“How?”
“Because it is,” Essien said, more firmly. “This man we seek has not harmed anyone. He was not horrific to his wife, or beat her, or slandered or abused her. He was going to war. He was reported dead. But he may not be dead. He is simply returning to the life he knew.”
Addax was shaking his head even before his brother finished.
“He’s been gone for two years,” he said.
“Why did he not come back sooner? Mayhap he’s been running all over Europe, spending money and reluctant to come back to a wife he does not treasure.
Mayhap he is only here because he had nowhere else to go.
Do you really wish that upon Catalina? That is a horrible existence. ”
“You do not even know if any of that is true.”
“If you will not let me do this for you, then let me do it for her.”
That brought Essien great pause. He knew that Catalina had been unhappy with Alfred. He further knew that she was wildly happy with him. They were wildly happy together.
Let me do this for her.
Was it possible that Addax was the only one willing to fight for Catalina’s happiness?
“Oh… Addax,” Essien said, wiping his hand over his face in a weary gesture. “Are you certain this is something you want to do?”
“Of course it is.”
“But why?”
They’d come to the gatehouse by that point. In fact, they could look inside and see Catalina leading the girls around on the blond pony over on the south part of the bailey. Addax let go of his brother and looked at him with anguish in his expression.
“Because I’ve spent my life trying to protect you,” he finally said.
“When we were young children and our father was facing the loss of his country—our country—I could do nothing to help him. I could do nothing to protect you. When we were being used by the merchant as slaves, starved and beaten, I could not protect you. All I have ever wanted to do is protect you, Essien. You are my brother. You are the only family I have. Let me do something now. Let me save your happiness because, as your big brother, that is my right. It is my right and my honor to make your life easier because there were so many times when I couldn’t.
Please, Es. Let me do this for both of us. ”
Essien had tears streaming down his face by the time his brother was finished.
There had been such pain in his words, the helplessness of his position as the older brother, the protector, and being unable to do anything when their situation was out of control.
Now, he saw something he could help with, something he could prevent.
He could protect his brother’s happiness, even if it required being brutal to achieve it.
Addax wasn’t seeing that—he was only seeing the hope of the situation.
Hope that Essien’s happiness could survive.
“You are my big brother,” Essien said, wiping at his face. “You are the greatest man I know. I will always, always respect and admire you. You do not have to kill for me.”
“Aye, I do. And I will.”
It was a heartbreaking, terrible situation. Essien reached out, grasping his brother by the arm as he struggled for something to say. But his thoughts were interrupted by the approach of Christopher and David as the two of them headed toward the gatehouse.
They were coming from the encampment and the de Efford tent, where they’d been discussing the situation. They knew what Addax and Essien knew, that Lance was in the vault. The man who seemed to hold the key to everything. When Addax and Essien looked over at them, David lifted a hand in greeting.
“Ah,” he said. “Four earls in one place. I do not think I’ve seen so many earls since the last gathering of warlords for Henry.”
It was true. The Earls of Hereford, Canterbury, Deira, and Mercia were all standing in one place. But it also underscored the gravity of the situation where it pertained to Essien. He might not be Mercia at all, and as painful as it was, he hastened to tell them.
They had to know.
It was like a nightmare for Essien having to relive it, telling Christopher and David everything that Catalina had told him about the cross and the man that Lance had been in contact with.
But in the same breath, it was clear that so much made sense now.
Christopher and David had been wondering why Lance was in the de Efford tent, and now they knew.
There was something more to the story.
A mysterious man was the very heart of this entire situation.
“And we think this man who gave Lance the cross is still here, at Lioncross?” David finally said.
Essien nodded, trying not to look entirely miserable. “Aye, my lord,” he said. “We have come to ask Lance if he knows where the man is. Mayhap he is in the village, at a lodging. I want to know where he is and I want to talk to him.”
That was understandable. Christopher felt bad for Essien, having married a woman whose first husband might be still alive. In fact, he felt quite guilty about it.
“Come with us, then,” he said. “We were going to interrogate le Kerque and get some answers. A man is dead and I must have all of the facts. But you can ask him about the man who gave him the cross. That is your right, Essien.”
Essien nodded. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Peter and Ashton questioned the Eckington guards,” Christopher said. “They could not offer much more to the story, as they were outside nearly the entire time. But they did confirm that Harald was enraged by Lance’s presence in the tent. One man saw him grab the candle sconce next to the door.”
“Then there is truth that he attacked le Kerque?” Essien said.
“There seems to be,” Christopher replied. “But we must speak with Le Kerque. I want to hear his side of things.”