Chapter Seventeen #4
Nigel was calming in spite of Alec’s vow. With a gesture that could only be described as an arrogant shrug, he moved from his position against the wall, toward Alec.
“It is your father’s fault that I am forced to divulge this information. Had he controlled you better, it would not have been necessary,” he glanced at Brian, paled faced and blue lipped, before continuing. “You said you wanted answers. What precisely do you want to know?”
Alec was so tense he was literally quaking; over his shoulder, Brian emitted another piteous groan of denial. In a flash, Alec remembered his conversation with Jubil and prepared himself for the lies and rumors that would come spouting forth from Nigel’s thin lips. Bracing himself.
“Why is my father so afraid of you?”
Nigel raised an eyebrow. “Most likely because I can destroy the House of Summerlin in one blow.”
“How?”
“By divulging the fact that he and I are half-brothers. I am your uncle, Sir Alec. Your illegitimate uncle, the result of your grandsire’s lust for my mother.”
Alec’s brow furrowed, unconcerned. “That will destroy the House of Summerlin? You will have to do better than that.”
Nigel’s smug expression faded. He had been positive Alec would fly into a frenzy as he digested that small measure of reality, but apparently, Alec was unfazed.
In fact, he was beyond unfazed; he appeared undaunted by information that would have brought most men to the border of shock at the very least. But Alec Summerlin appeared… bored.
In a reversal of roles, Nigel found himself shocked as a result of Alec’s calm acceptance.
He was seized with the desire to damage the emotionless man, whatever it would take.
As Colin began to come around, spitting teeth and blood, Nigel demanded satisfaction.
The shock turned to madness. They would all pay.
“I would think that would be enough, but I see that I must disclose additional realities before you understand the gravity of the situation,” he suddenly focused on Peyton.
“Your betrothed was killed in Norwich over a year ago, was he not? By a spear tipped joust pole? I can tell you for a fact that it was not an accident. De Fortlage was well paid for his role as an assassin.”
Alec could take a verbal attack on his family, the implied threats of infidelities and deeper behaviors.
But he would not tolerate an assault on his wife.
His thinly held control snapped and he growled, taking provocative steps towards Nigel when soft hands were suddenly gripping him.
He stopped immediately as Peyton pressed her sweet body against him in order to halt his advance.
Peyton could feel Alec quivering beneath her hands.
Truth was, she was shaking, too. Although she was reeling with shock, she would not allow Nigel to visibly upset her.
Especially with Alec and Brian so volatile.
When she was positive Alec had ceased any further forward movement, she turned to the older Warrington with a careful calm.
“I would assume, then, that you initiated the murder?” she asked steadily.
Nigel shrugged vaguely. “Poor knights are always in need of additional coinage. With Deveraux moldering in the ground, I was able to press Colin’s suit for your hand. ’Tis only right that a de Fluornoy marry a Warrington and end the feud that has lasted for decades.”
Peyton was nearly ill with what she was hearing, but she maintained her calm facade if only for Alec’s sake. “Since your raids and harassment failed, you resorted to murdering an innocent man to seek vengeance on St. Cloven?”
Nigel snorted. “Deveraux wasn’t an innocent, I assure you. The man has two bastards in King’s Lynn, mayhap more. He never wanted you; ’twas St. Cloven he wanted. Feud or no feud, it’s what I wanted, too. Even your husband, I would wager. Your keep is far more beautiful than you could ever be.”
Peyton’s knees weakened, but she fought it.
As cruel as Nigel’s words were, she wasn’t overly astonished by them.
She knew St. Cloven to be a prize; she’d always known.
Nor was she shocked to hear of James’ bastards; it wasn’t an unusual occurrence, although she would have hoped he would have remained celibate out of respect for their betrothal.
But the mention of his personal disregard for her feelings disturbed her.
It wasn’t true! She and James had loved one another, once.
It seemed like an eternity past. At least, she thought she had loved him.
Whatever the feelings they shared, they had faded into the recesses of her mind and she refused to become upset by Nigel’s remarks.
James was simply no longer an issue. He hadn’t been an issue since the day Alec had kissed her.
She felt Alec squeeze her shoulder comfortingly, bringing her back into the present.
The only matter of import was her feelings for Alec.
Whether or not he had married her simply to gain St. Cloven was not a concern.
Although it may have been his initial reasons for marrying her, she knew they shared a very special bond between them – an unborn child. And my love.
She fixed Nigel with an unwavering gaze. “Then I would thank you for shaping my future, Nigel. Had you not killed James, I would have never loved Alec.”
Alec’s heart soared skyward on the wings of angels, scarcely believing what he had heard in the midst of their swirling hell.
She loved him! Christ, he’d experienced so many emotions this day that he doubted one more would have been any different from the rest. But he was wrong; with the rainbow of emotions he had experienced, Peyton’s declaration of love trumped everything. Christ, how he loved her.
He enfolded her in his arms, wishing he could tell her everything he was feeling.
But Nigel Warrington’s smug expression and his father’s pants of grief prevented him from becoming too emotional.
Instead, he forced himself to deal with the issue at hand, albeit with less conviction than before.
It had almost been worth all of the agony and sorrow to hear his wife’s confession.
“Is there anything else you wish to reveal?” he asked quietly, feeling the scale tipping in his favor. “Any other revelations to upset and shock us?”
Nigel’s advantage was slipping. Two major disclosures had barely raised an eyebrow and he was struggling to maintain his edge. God’s Blood, he had as much as admitted to a murder and the results had been worthless. He had to make Brian pay!
The entire room was focused on him; Brian, the black savage, all three de Fluornoy women, Alec, and Toby. His palms began to sweat with sheer panic until another, last ditch attempt demanded release.
….Toby!
“Just one more,” he said, smiling thinly. “I understand Toby has never been told of his roots. Allow me to introduce myself, Sir Toby. I am your father, and the man you so recently thrashed is your half-brother. You, dear boy, are the result of a liaison between your mother and myself.”
Toby’s eyes widened, giving Nigel the reaction he had failed to procure from Alec or Peyton. He stumbled back, his eyes flying to Brian, silently demanding answers. But Brian refused to meet his gaze, and Toby knew without a doubt that Nigel spoke the truth.
Open-mouthed, he returned his focus to Nigel. “You? How… how… oh, God….”
Jubil had been huddling by the door with Ivy in stunned silence throughout the entire exchange. But when Nigel focused his venom on her sweet Toby, she thrust herself forward and clasped the young man protectively.
“Easy, sweetheart, easy,” she whispered soothingly. Toby was ashen with shock as he turned to her, but she simply smiled. “It matters not. You are a noble Summerlin, not a Warrington. You have always been a Summerlin.”
Toby stared at her, the pain of disbelief in his eyes. “Is…. is that what you were going to tell me?”
She maintained her smile, touching his face tenderly. “Would you have believed me?”
He shook his head unsteadily. “How did you know?”
Peyton and Ivy watched with astonishment as Jubil kissed him tenderly. The air between them, laced with shock though it might be, was charged with sexual tension.
“I have lived in this barony my entire life, sweetheart. Eventually, you hear everything there is to hear. Although you favor your mother greatly, you possess Nigel’s eyes. Eyes of blue steel.”
Toby rested his forehead against Jubil’s. His face was transforming from shock, to pain, to fury as he came to grips with his roots. Jubil murmured soft words to him, easing his shock, forcing him to calm. But Nigel did not afford him the opportunity to complete the process.
“Satisfied, my son?” he mocked. Somewhat fortified by Toby’s unguarded reaction, he turned to Alec. “And you, Legend. Are you satisfied? Do you have the answers you seek?”
Alec was gripping Peyton fiercely, knowing that as long as they held together, nothing in the world could harm them.
Peyton had always made him strong, but knowing she loved him fed him with the power of the heavens.
Toby was controlled in Jubil’s embrace as Ali moved to his wife, drawing her against him.
They were all whole, strong, and unbreakable.
He glanced over his shoulder to his father, still slumped in the chair. Their eyes met and Alec smiled weakly. Brian’s bluish lips returned the gesture.
“Is that what you were afraid of?” he asked softly. “I am hardly bothered by it. You really should have told me yourself and saved Colin the beating.”
Brian closed his eyes and two fat droplets pelted his pale cheeks. His huge hand batted weakly at the tears. Weakly, he nodded once.
“I would assume, then, that this was the reason why you changed your mind about the betrothals? Because Nigel threatened you with the release of dark secrets if you did not bend to his will?”
Again, Brian nodded. Alec’s heart was breaking for the fear the man must have suffered. “All is well, Da,” he whispered, returning his attention to Nigel confidently. “The House of Summerlin is still standing.”
There was no mistaking the look of defeat on Nigel Warrington’s face.