Chapter 24
The Battlements
Rhys
Ihead back to my office with a smile on my face and my dog at my side.
I have to admit that when Stella brought this dog home, I thought this is going to be my life, where my bride brings home every mangey mutt she can get her hands on.
Hell, she even asked to turn the orangery into a bird habitat.
I can’t decide if my father would have loved her or hated her, but I guess it doesn’t matter. He’s dead and she’s mine.
My wife is a lot of wonderful things and a terrible liar. And my sister is even worse. A new lip gloss, my arse. Those two were finding out what I’ve suspected for a few days now—Stella is pregnant.
A heavy knock falls on my office door.
“Come in,” I call out.
Leo enters with a heavy face and my heart immediately clenches. “Is it Stella?” I ask.
“What?” he asks. Then he realizes how he must have scared me.
We’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. No one knows yet that the earl and Stella’s murderous uncle are dead. We were hoping to shake a few more rats loose from their nests but with that comes the knowledge that my wife is not necessarily safe here.
“No, no, Your Majesty. The Queen is fine to my knowledge.”
“Then what is it?” I ask.
“I just wanted a moment of your time.” He looks like he has something awful to tell me and if it’s not about my wife, it has to be about my sister.
“Well, what is it?” I ask.
“I understand that you’ll hate me after I tell you this,” he says, looking like he hates himself more than I ever could. “And I’ll accept whatever your decision is. Especially if you want to relieve me of my duty. Even that.”
“Even that?” I ask.
“Even that,” he says, making me wonder what could be so awful that he’s done to be relieved of his duty because I’m not sure there’s anything he loves more than this job.
“Well, out with it then,” I tell him. “You’ll feel better once we clear the air.”
“I was coming back from my lunch break, and I heard the maids gossiping,” he begins.
“Well, that’s probably where you went wrong, mate,” I laugh. “The maids love household gossip and more than half of it is false.”
“Dahlia paid one of them to head to the village chemist for some pregnancy test,” he says.
“I’m so sorry. I was careful, I swear. I would never disrespect the Princess this way, but I have to tell you that I’m in love with her.
And if she’ll have me, if you’ll give me your blessing, I want to marry her.
If that’s not acceptable, I’ll do whatever it is you wish of me, even be relieved of my post.”
I barely hold in the urge to groan. “You fucking idiot,” I laugh. “You’re no’ going to be relieved of your post.”
“I’m not?”
“No,” I answer. “Dahlia’s not pregnant. Stella is.”
“What?” he gasps, looking a little sad. I figured his feelings for my sister were real, I just hadn’t realized how deep they ran.
“Stella has been showing signs of being with child,” I explain. “Since we were in the states, at least. She wouldn’t want to tell me until she was sure herself since it’s so important that she provides me with an heir but it’s no’ like she can just pop over to the chemist herself.”
“Oh,” he says. “That makes sense.”
“Aye,” I tell him. “Now you’ll have more time to woo my sister so that when she’s ready, she’ll say yes to you without feeling like she had to. She’ll do it because she returns your feelings.”
“Aye,” he says, perking up a bit. “But are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be,” I answer. “But I’ll tell you what? Let’s go find the girls and we’ll just ask them to clear it all up.”
“All right,” he says.
I push up from my chair and move around my desk to join him. It’s not like I can get anything done while waiting to find out the news.
We make our way down the hall to the library. If Stella is anywhere, it’s in here. This is her favorite room in the castle, but when I push open the door, her cat rushes out with his fluffy orange tail sticking straight up and hissing as he runs away.
“What the fuck?” I ask as I step into the room with Leo on my heels and stop dead in my tracks. “Maeve.”
I drop to my knees beside her and press my hands to the wounds at her belly. Her eyes are glassy and there’s a trickle of blood coming from her mouth.
“Maeve!” I lean forward, but her breath is rattling in her lungs.
“I tried,” she whispers. “I tried to get her away. Wasn’t… fast… enough.”
“Do you know where she is?” I ask.
“The… battlements,” she whispers just before the light dims from her eyes.
“Maeve!” I shout again, looking to Leo who has his fingers at her throat to feel for her pulse.
He just shakes his head, confirming what I already know. Maeve is gone forever and I don’t know why.
“Let’s go,” he says. “If she took her up to the battlements it canno’ be for a good thing.”
I just nod and push to my feet as we race out the door and right into Dahlia.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” she asks.
“I need you to go to your room and lock yourself in,” I tell her. “Do no’ come out for anyone other than me or Leo.”
“Why?” she asks.
“Stella is gone,” I tell her.
“She said she was going to the library.”
“I figured as much but her cat just ran out so I know she was there and—” I snap my mouth closed, not sure how much to tell her. I’ve always tried to protect my sister from the uglier side of things.
“And what?” she asks.
“Maeve is in there,” Leo tells her.
“Good. Is she under arrest?” she asks.
“No poppet,” he says. “She’s dead.”
“What?” she gasps. “Where’s Stella?”
“Maeve said she was at the battlements,” I tell her.
“Rhys,” she starts to panic. “You have to get her. She’s pregnant.”
“I know,” I tell her. “I’ll get her, I promise.”
She nods and takes off toward the office. I watch her swing open the door and call to my dog before racing down the hall to the residence.
Leo and I race toward the stairs that lead to the battlements. I have to get there in time.
I can’t lose her.
I can’t lose them.