by Tara Rose
Behind her, Denver cried out loudly and thrust in jerky movements, then sighed loudly and wrapped his arms around her, holding her. All four of them panted and were covered in sweat. Chelsea was sore in places she didn’t even know could be sore.
They helped her off Denver, and then they uncuffed her wrists. They each took a turn holding her and stroking her hair and back. They had to help her into Roland’s bathroom so she could clean up, because her legs were shaky. When she returned to Roland’s room, Denver gave her water to drink and some cheese to eat. She thanked him, and then he kissed her tenderly and gazed into her eyes with so much intensity she had to blink back tears.
The other two were on Roland’s bed, sleeping. Denver led her to the sofa and lay down with her wrapped in his arms, and when he whispered her name over and over, Chelsea didn’t try to hold back the tears this time. They trickled softly down her cheeks as she realized the enormity of what she’d given these three men already, and how true to their word they’d been not to hurt her.
She drifted off to sleep, listening to Denver’s soft breathing, his warm, strong arms around her. She was safe, completely sated, and utterly happy for the first time in her life.
Chapter Ten
The next two weeks passed by in a blur for Chelsea. She met Jaxon, Parker, and Brenna, plus Abigail, Jarrett, and Colton, in addition to the king and queen, plus so many of Denver’s, Roland’s, and Archer’s family members that she knew she’d need a spreadsheet to keep them all straight.
Every time she caught Anne and Lawrence whispering together, she let the guys know, but as time went on she began to suspect they were secretly having sex as opposed to plotting anything. She told the guys this one day, and Roland frowned, asking her sharply why she thought that.
“Well, I caught them kissing this morning in the hallway outside the sitting room. That’s pretty definitive. And by kissing I mean his tongue was in her mouth.”
“They’re not supposed to do that,” said Archer.
“So they can’t get married, or have children, or even have sex with anyone?”
“They can marry or have a sexual relationship,” said Denver, “but it’s complicated.”
“Please explain it to me.”
“Anne can’t bear children with anyone except a man from Enfield,” said Roland. “The curse applies to our female servants, as well.”
“So then what’s the harm in her having a little fun with a fellow servant?”
“The harm,” said Archer, “is that we need them focused on their duties, and on protecting us. Not on each other.”
She understood that to a point, but still thought they were making a big deal out of nothing. Unless there was more to this story they weren’t telling her. She knew they kept things from her, but never pushed it because she also understood they were merely trying to keep her safe. But at the same time, she wished they’d let her in on some of those political undercurrents. It was her area of expertise, after all, and she told them time and again she wanted to understand it.
As the first two weeks wore on, she also had the chance to take short walks outside with all three men, and that helped her feel more at ease in her new home. The days and evenings were still warm, and she loved being outdoors where she could listen to birds sing and smell the flowers.
All three men rode horses very well, and once they learned she’d never been on one, they taught her to ride. They couldn’t go far from the castle, but she didn’t mind, as long as she was with them. They also were very skilled at archery, and were teaching her that as well, but it required a great deal of upper arm strength which she’d never had.
In the evenings, and sometimes in the middle of the day or when they first woke, the men made love to her, and Chelsea delighted in the new and varied ways they found to excite her. It became easier each day to forget her old life, and when she did think about it, it was with an odd detachment, as if it had happened to someone else, or had all been a dream.
She also realized that she was falling in love with each of the men. How could she help it? They were everything she’d ever fantasized about, plus so much more. Each of them complemented the other two, so that together they made up the perfect combination of humor, sexiness, and tenderness. Most days she still couldn’t believe this was real, but every one of her senses told her it was.
She had to be the luckiest woman in the world, and no longer wished she’d never disturbed that painting. She was more grateful for having found it and taken it from the basement than she could put into words. Chelsea kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. Everything was perfect.
* * * *
Roland and Leland, his father, sat in a private sitting room with Roland’s uncle and Leland’s brother, King Atheron. Roland was there on a stormy afternoon to share his concerns over Lawrence and Anne. He didn’t believe for a second that their king would give a shit whether two servants were having sex, but he knew his uncle would care about the things Chelsea had overheard the two say to each other.
Chelsea was careful. She always made it look like she hadn’t heard anything, but she reported every word to Roland, Denver, and Archer.
“Lawrence is from Wexler,” said Roland, “near the Wastelands. It all fits.” Wexler was the village where they’d found Brenna’s first maid, Molly, several months ago. Molly had been poisoned by the triplets for refusing their advances. They had then tried to make it appear that Brenna, Jaxon, and Parker had hurt Molly. In reality, the triplets had kidnapped Molly and staged the way her room looked to cast suspicions that Molly had left the castle voluntarily.
“The seal on the fake note that the triplets sent Brenna was Alfred’s,” said Leland. “And the note said Molly was being held by him.”
Atheron nodded. “Yes, yes I know. We sorted all that out. Alfred was the former apothecary who made poison for the triplets. And I’m the one who almost banished him, remember? But I took pity on him and instead of sending him to the Wastelands, I sent him to Wexler to live with his family.”
“And no one has lived in that house for years, according to the neighbors,” said Roland. “But now, Lawrence has been in contact with people in Wexler. That’s what Chelsea overheard him talk to Anne about, more than once.”
“What does Chelsea know about Molly?” asked Leland.
Roland shook his head. “Very little. We’ve kept her sheltered from some of it because she has her own demons to battle.”
Especially on days like this. Storms still upset her, and she paced their rooms during thunderstorms. Two days ago it had stormed nearly the entire night, and the guys had been up with her the whole time because she couldn’t sleep until it stopped.
“That does help her stay objective when she overhears them,” said Atheron. “But I am worried about her safety.”
“She isn’t afraid of them,” said Roland. “She wants to do this for us. She’s had concerns about the two of them since the day she arrived. It’s Denver who needs to get his head out of the sand where his valet is concerned.”
The other men nodded. “Denver doesn’t want to believe the worst of anyone,” said Leland. He’s always been that way. His father and uncle are the same in that respect.”
Roland knew that much to be true. Sedgewick, Parker and Colton’s father, and Denver’s uncle, had been on the Council since Roland was a youth. And he’d been ignoring the obvious inside this castle and the kingdom for the entire time. Parker and Colton weren’t like their father, but Lyndon, Sedgewick’s brother, and Denver, Lyndon’s son, were exactly the same.
“What other concerns do you have about Lawrence and Anne?” asked Atheron.
Roland leaned forward. “Only one, and this concerns Archer. We all know he doesn’t share his deceased brother’s political views, nor have I ever had a reason to question his loyalty to this kingdom. But he and Dalton were close, despite their differences. And I know he has personal effects that belonged to his brother.”
“Do you th
ink Archer is involved with spies from Enfield as Dalton was, after all?” asked Atheron.
Roland shook his head. “No. Not at all. But yesterday, Chelsea found Lawrence in Archer’s room, and he had just opened a dresser drawer. He gave her the excuse that Archer had sent him in to find something, and when Chelsea offered to take it to Archer, Lawrence became very nervous and made some excuse about having forgotten what it was he’d been sent to retrieve. She came to us directly.”
“He has no business in anyone’s room except Denver’s,” said Leland. “Dismiss him.”
Atheron held up a hand. “If we do that, we lose our ability to watch him this closely.” He turned his gaze toward Roland. “Are you sure Chelsea is safe?”
“Your Majesty, I promise you that between the three of us, she is never alone. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
He nodded several times. “All right, then. Keep watching Anne and Lawrence. In the meantime, I’m sending out a contingent of guards to do some reconnaissance in Wexler. I’d like to find out whether Lawrence still has family there, how often he’s been in contact with them, and why. Even before we learned that Dalton had been able to secure a castle guard position for Willoughby, we have known there are guards and others in this castle who still have ties to those living in the Wastelands. Since Wexler is so close, I want to make sure what we’re dealing with before I do anything.”
“That’s a wise plan, Your Majesty,” said Roland. His next question wasn’t one the king had to answer, but Roland knew that asking it couldn’t hurt. “And what of Lyndon’s challenge as head of the Council? Has Sedgewick responded?”
Atheron frowned. “Between you and me, I’m not crazy about Sedgewick in that post, but I also don’t believe Lyndon would do a better job. However, I’ve decided to put that issue in their hands for the time being.”
Roland rose and bowed. “Thank you for listening.”
Roland had guards waiting for him in the corridor to escort him plus Jon, his valet, had come along. As they made their way back to the suite, Roland asked Jon to keep a closer watch on Lawrence. Roland had known Jon since the two were toddlers, and he knew he could trust Jon with his life.
* * * *
Archer frowned as he heard thunder again. Roland was with his father and uncle, the king, and they’d given Chelsea a bullshit excuse for the meeting so she didn’t ask too many questions. But her mind was on other things this morning, regardless. It had been storming now for four straight days, and she hadn’t slept in that long. He wanted all of them together for her right now, and hoped Roland would be back soon.
“Will you show me how to play that card game again?”
Her voice shook, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Denver had made her a drink with what would taste like tequila to her, but she’d only taken a few sips. Archer wasn’t a proponent of plying frightened women with alcohol, but in this instance, he thought she could use any means necessary to get some rest, or at least a few hours of peaceful thoughts.
He handed the glass to her again, and forced a smile to his face as lightning flashed. “If you drink the rest of this, I’ll show you a new game.”
Denver crossed to the windows and pulled the heavy drapes closed. They didn’t block out all the daylight, but they would cut down on the amount of lightning that could be seen. Then he took a seat at the table next to Chelsea. She picked up the glass and Archer closed his hand over hers because her fingers were trembling.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She drank it, but Archer could tell she really didn’t want to. His heart went out to this sweet, beautiful girl. He couldn’t imagine what she’d gone through in that tornado. He had understood why Dalton had been executed, and in his heart he’d agreed with it. But Dalton had been his only brother, and nothing could fill the void that his death had left.
This girl had lost her entire family in one storm, and she’d been out with a young man who they hadn’t wanted her to see while it had happened. That man had hurt her in high school, but then she’d married him because she’d been left all alone. And what he’d done to her afterward was unforgiveable. Chelsea had lost her family, her husband, and the ability to trust anyone again.
But she’d risen from those ashes as well and earned a college degree, and had supported herself through school. When Archer thought about it, what she’d done was phenomenal. It showed her strength of character and her commitment to improving her mind and finding something useful to do with her life.
It also told him that she was a much stronger person than she realized, and he hoped in time the three of them could help her overcome this. At least to the point where she could listen to a storm and not have to relive that night all over again. Then again, did one ever completely let go of such a traumatic event? He hadn’t done so, and he wasn’t sure he ever would be able to.
And she had learned to trust again, unless what he, Denver, and Roland had observed and experienced at her hands these past two weeks was untrue. He knew it was real. Every glance, every touch, and every whispered word from her told him that. She did trust them. And he’d spend the rest of his life trying to help her fight this demon because he understood it all too well.
He pulled out a fresh deck of cards and began to show her how to play a game called High Fives, but he could tell her focus wasn’t on it. The storm was directly overhead now, and although the thunder was muffled, they could certainly hear it. Their suite was on the top floor of this part of the castle. That could be changed. He’d speak to his father about it today. If they moved to a suite down one floor even, the noise from outside wouldn’t be as noticeable.
Chelsea rose and began to pace again, so Archer put the cards away and went to her. She gave him a look filled with regret and terror. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m trying so hard.”
He pulled her close and held her, softly stroking her hair and back. “You have nothing to apologize for. Just let me hold you. It’s okay. The storm can’t hurt us. This castle has stood for thousands of years. We’re safe here.”
He heard her breath hitch in her throat. “I know that. It’s not the fear of the storm harming me. It’s the memories.”
He and Denver exchanged a glance. Archer had never felt so damn helpless in his entire life. Denver joined them, caressing Chelsea’s arm as Archer spoke. “You’re right. I do understand that. When I learned what Dalton had been up to, I wanted to die inside. To know I’d grown up with someone and had shared my entire life with him…and then to learn that he could betray all of us like that…I didn’t know what to do.”
“Did everyone think you had betrayed them, too?”
“Some did. A few still do. But I know the truth in my heart.”
She glanced up at him. “But your brother is still dead. How do you deal with that? I mean, how do you reconcile it?”
She’d just asked the question no one could answer, and once again he realized the depths of her intelligence, and her ability to see into someone’s heart. “I can’t. Not yet, anyway. The same way you can’t reconcile the guilt you feel over your family dying from that storm while you were out with Steve. You blame yourself for their deaths, don’t you?”
She nodded, her big eyes filling with fresh tears.
“You wanted to take their place. I know. I felt the same way when His Majesty came to me that night and said that Dalton would die in the morning, alongside Willoughby. While I understood why he had to die, and while I agreed that a betrayal akin to treason had no other possible outcome, I wanted to turn back time and figure out a way to stop this from ever happening in the first place. I searched my memory over and over, convinced there had to be a key moment in our shared past where I could have intervened and changed the course of future events.”
She wiped her face. “Did you know Dalton was like that?”
“There were so many times I suspected it, yes. But I kept quiet. And that guilt consumes me now. If I’d said something, if I’d talked to him, if I’d gone
to Sedgewick or to His Majesty, maybe it wouldn’t have come to that.”
“But he was a grown man. He made his choice.”
Archer sighed. “I know. But do you understand the guilt?”
“Oh yes. Completely.”
Archer held her again, his eyes closed as he absorbed her scent and the feel of her body against his. She understood. He knew that. And he hoped in some small way that by sharing what was in his heart with her just now, it would help her start to heal. At the very least, she would know that one of them shared a bond with her that no other could understand unless they’d experienced it.
He also knew one other thing that he could not say out loud. Not yet, at least. He was falling in love with her. How could he not do so? She was perfect in every way.
Chapter Eleven
By the time Chelsea had been with them for three weeks, Denver felt like he was living in a dream. He chuckled every time he recalled telling Roland and Archer the night she’d crossed over that he wasn’t sure he could make love to a woman with another man in the mix, because none of them had done so to her without the other two right there.
And he was fine with that, which surprised him every day. He was so head over heels crazy about her that most days he couldn’t stop a goofy grin from spreading across his face, and his words tumbled out like he was simple-minded when he tried to talk to her.
He was the best rider of all three, so as she progressed in her lessons, she sought him out more than the other two for the finer points of controlling a horse, and he was thrilled to have something special he could teach her. Roland was so steadfast and strong in all things, and she and Archer shared a bond because they each had lost family members to tragic circumstances. Denver wanted something all his own to share with her, too, and now he’d found it.
But a shadow was spreading over all four of them with each passing day, and he knew the time had come to act like the prince he was and insist that his valet behave like a servant, not like he ruled the kingdom. Archer had known his valet for decades, and Roland had grown up with Jon. Denver hadn’t known Lawrence before he’d been assigned as his valet, but he needed to find out more about the man now.