She fell to her knees on the hard stone ground, fingering the charred spots before her. Her finger burned at the contact and she instantly retracted her hand. Whatever had been in that potion had not been harmless. She watched with horror as the flesh on the tip of her finger changed from yellow, to green, to black, the skin peeling back as if she had a flesh eating disease.
Leaping from the ground, she went and stuck her hand in the small basin of water atop her dresser, scrubbing furiously at the spot lest the poison cause any more damage. Relief washed over her when she realized that she had been smart to stop Rosalind from partaking of the tea. She was almost positive that the potion was poisonous.
But what did it all mean? Had Roreck tried to have her kill Rosalind? The thought made her physically ill. She wasn't sure what was going on anymore, or who, if anyone, was safe.
Chapter 24
Evil Unveiled
If Gavin had been dissatisfied with his life before the festival, he was downright unhappy now. Life at Herfordshire Castle continued as normal, but Gavin felt anything but the same. He hadn't seen Gwendolyn since she halfheartedly bid him goodbye at the stables. He wasn't sure how she did it, but the little imp had weaseled into his heart, a heart he had believed was impenetrable.
He realized there was something different about her from the beginning, but it wasn't until the night they spent in the forest waiting for the stranger to appear, that something changed between them indefinitely. She was vulnerable and insecure and so beautiful. He couldn't comprehend how somebody as lively and caring as she could ever doubt her own worth.
The most unsettling part of the night had been when, for the briefest of moments, he had seen himself through her eyes, and he didn't see a lowly defender who had let everyone down. Nay, he had seen a man who deserved to love and be loved, the same as her. The revelation had been as unwelcome as it had been unexpected. Fear gripped his heart when he realized that he was starting to love her and that loving her had the potential to bring him further heartache.
His attempts at drinking away the fear were futile. He couldn't escape the longing he felt for her no matter how much ale he partook of. As a beacon of hope niggled its way into his heart, he had to decide if he would allow it to take root or if he'd let the ever-present fear consume it, smothering it's flame forever.
He had decided to give love a chance and regretted it the minute she proclaimed she couldn't trust him. Mayhap the hope he had felt was only a false one, rooted in something that could never be. It had been a mistake to allow himself to hope and to dream, even for the briefest of moments, for his heart registered more pain at her rejection than it had ever felt before.
He cursed his vile luck as he let Talbot drag him through the gardens. Spending the day watching the beast only added to his already foul mood. The irritation at seeing each other again was mutual. Talbot smothered several plants with his large paws as he pulled Gavin further towards the outskirts of the gardens. Gavin kept his eyes downcast to avoid the withering glares the gardener was sending his way.
Off in the distance, Gavin saw a lone figure sitting on a bench, a dark hood draped over her head. His heart skipped a beat and his pace quickened, hoping it was Gwendolyn. As he neared, he came to a halt. The woman sitting on the bench was most definitely not Gwendolyn—she was much too tall and her bearing was nothing like Gwen's.
He hesitated to approach, not in the mood to socialize, but Talbot had other ideas. The dog picked up on the foreign scent immediately and began wagging his tail excitedly. He let out a yelp, and the woman turned, revealing a face he had hoped to never set eyes on again.
“I've been waiting for you.” Ice blue eyes watched him shrewdly as a mysterious smile slowly crept on Clarice's face. “Come, sit with me a moment.”
Gavin was frozen in place, unwilling to do as she said. “Nay, I have other things I need to be doing at the moment.”
She tilted her head back and laughed, the hood slipping from her head, revealing long tresses of white-blonde hair. He shuddered. How had he ever found her beautiful before?
“Do not attempt to humor me with your false claims of importance. We both know that you have nothing more worthy to do here than to walk the king's dog. And,” she slipped one graceful hand out of her cloak, which Talbot instantly began sniffing, “from the looks of it, the beast actually likes me.”
That little betrayer! The stupid dog had a worse sense of character than anyone he had ever met, human or beast. He would definitely have to talk to King Terric about finding a replacement. Pulling back on Talbot's leash, he attempted to separate him from Clarice, but Talbot only snarled at him before turning once more to her.
“See, there's nothing to be afraid of. I need to speak with you for only a moment then I promise I will disappear from your life completely, if you wish, that is.”
“Of course that's what I wish,” he snapped. “Hadn't I made that clear at our last encounter?”
“Perfectly,” she cooed icily.
“Then speak your mind and leave me in peace. I'm running out of patience.”
He watched as Clarice reached into the fold of her cloak and retrieved a small vile of golden liquid. “I brought you a gift.”
“I don't want your gift,” he spat.
She ignored him. “Roreck concocted it just for you. It's painless and swift, much more humane than I would have chosen to do it.”
Gavin's confusion was mounting. “Who the hell is Roreck and what sort of madness are you prattling on about?”
Clarice rose to her full height as fire flashed in her icy eyes. Shoving the vile at him she hissed, “Do you want to go painlessly or would you like me to make you suffer?”
Gavin reached forth and hit the vile from her hand, sending it flying to the ground where it shattered on a large rock. “Neither.”
Clarice curled her hands into fists and groaned. “Why did you do that?”
Gavin gave a sardonic laugh. “Because I didn't like either of your options, obviously.”
“Roreck is not going to pleased that you refused his potion. But nonetheless, you leave me no other choice.”
“Who is Roreck?” He asked once more, his patience wearing thin.
“Oh, I forget you haven't had the pleasure to meet him. He's the man I left you for the day before we were to wed.”
Gavin's jaw tensed.
Clarice laughed.
“Well, if I'm being truthful, I never truly left you for him. I had him all along.”
“What do you mean?”
She came close to him, tracing one long finger down the side of his face, in the irritating way she had. “Dear, sweet, gullible, Gavin. You were only a pawn to me from the beginning. I was never in love with you. I was only using you.”
He reached up and swatted her hand angrily away from his face. Was it true?
She continued, “When I told you I was leaving you for another man, you were supposed to beg me to stay. You were supposed to promise me you'd do anything to keep me. That's when I was going to tell you to kill the king and queen.”
“Queen Rosalind and King Terric?” Gavin gasped in shock.
“Of course, you fool. Why else would I have needed a defender from Herfordshire Castle? I needed someone with access to the king and queen, someone nobody would suspect.”
“But why would you want them dead? I don't understand.”
“Of course you don't. You couldn't possibly understand what it's like being the illegitimate child of a man who refuses to care for you or for your mother. You can't possibly understand what it feels like to live in poverty and to be treated as an outcast, a pariah in the village. It wasn't until my Uncle Asher became lead trajector that he had some money he could spare to aid my mother and myself. Life had changed drastically for us the last several years until...”
“Until the king and queen discovered your uncle's betrayal,” he finished for her. He was having a hard time processing what she was telling him. He had no idea that she
came from such a bitter background or that she was the niece of the man he had executed.
“When I met Roreck, I knew that vengeance could be mine. He's the brother of Alexandir Goff, the assassin, and is perhaps even more bitter than I. He has vowed to avenge his brother's death, if it's the last thing he does. We came up with the plan for me to woo a defender to manipulate into doing our bidding. But unfortunately for us, we picked the wrong one. I never would have pegged you as stupid enough to quit your post to follow me around Darth so I could paint landscapes.” She laughed at him once more. “That was just my excuse to leave you after the wedding. Besides, I don't even paint. But never mind all that. I don't want you to feel badly now, for I have come up with an even better plan.”
Gavin hung onto every evil word she spoke. He felt foolish for being so easily duped by her charms. He had been completely oblivious to the person she truly was, to her true motives in wanting to marry him. But one thing was for sure, despite the heartache he had felt at her betrayal, he was immensely grateful that he had gotten away from her when he did and had discontinued being a pawn in her evil scheme. He refused to allow her to control him anymore.
Her eyes took on a faraway look as she continued speaking. Gavin listened intently, hoping that he could figure out a way to save the king and queen.
“I have decided not to kill King Terric.” Gavin exhaled in relief. “Only the queen will have to go. As soon as she is out of the way, I will be there to help mend King Terric's heart. I will become queen of the Southwest.”
Gavin seized her wrists tightly in his hands, pulling her forcefully against him. “Nay. I will not allow you to kill the queen. I will kill you myself first.”
“You may be able kill me, but you will never be able stop Roreck. He's within the castle walls already.”
Gavin shook her hard, rage boiling inside of him. He couldn't believe he had ever held any tender emotion for the wicked woman before him. She had used him for her own gain, not caring that she had played with his emotions or trampled his heart. And now she was admitting that she wasn't above killing to get her way. He had to decide what to do with her, and he had to think fast. For if what she was saying was true, Queen Rosalind could be dead soon.
Deciding he had no time to lose, he began racing back to the castle, pulling her behind him. He could feel her protesting as she tried to wrench her hands free from his grip, but he wasn't about to let go. His pace increased as he began running, worry creasing his brow. He could hear Talbot barking in the background as he raced to catch up with them. The dratted beast raced on ahead, then suddenly stopped a few feet in front of Gavin. He couldn't stop in time, tripping over Talbot as he let go of Clarice's hand in an attempt to catch his fall.
It was no use. He hit the hard ground with a thump. He quickly turned to find Clarice. She was on all fours, crawling towards him with pure hate marring her face.
“If only you had followed the plan,” she cried, “the king and queen would be dead. You have complicated things for the last time.”
Gavin sprang to his feet just as she approached, but it was too late. Clarice reached forth and clasped her hand around his calf. A sharp pain instantly caused him to fall to his knees. He groaned, rolling over to see that her hand was still holding onto his bare calf. Apparently his hose had ripped when he fell, exposing several inches of bare flesh, flesh that was now scorching beneath her touch. He pawed at her hands, desperate to get them off of him, anxious for the burning pain to cease.
His head started swimming as his eyes drifted shut. What was happening to him? The strength left his arms, but it didn't keep him from his efforts. He pulled at her hands, but with each attempt, he became weaker and weaker. Panic gripped him as he realized that it was a losing battle. He was much too weak to be able to stop her. He felt his heartbeat slow as the last of his strength dissipated. Slumping back onto the ground, he finally gave up his fight. He would be dead soon, and so would the queen.
Chapter 25
More Than Enough
Clarice rose, smiling with satisfaction. Gavin was dead. She unfolded her hand and looked down at the small shard of glass in her palm. She had laced it with poison before coming in search of Gavin, just in case. She was grateful she'd had the foresight to do it, for there was no doubt in her mind that he would have killed her, or at the very least, sent her to the castle dungeon had she not killed him first.
She carefully disposed of the glass, throwing it into the nearby pond and watching it sink to the bottom before brushing her hands on her skirt and fleeing. She had to get to Roreck. She had lied to Gavin when she told him that he was already inside of the castle.
'Twas only partially true that Roreck could read minds, though his gift was not as accurate or as precise as he claimed. He couldn't really reach into people's minds and foresee their thoughts on a whim, but on occasion he was gifted to be able to see things in his own mind, things about other people that they didn't wish to have known. And only this morning he had been able to see that Gwendolyn had failed in her attempts to feed Rosalind the poison. Now, they had to make good on their threats.
Gwendolyn must die, as well as the others.
One down, two to go, Clarice thought victoriously as she raced to find Roreck and discuss with him what their next course of action would be. He would be even more pleased than she that Gavin was finally out of the picture.
***
Gwendolyn turned when she heard her door creek open. She was expecting to see her mother or a chambermaid, but instead was startled to see Talbot had nudged his way inside her chambers. She paused briefly, half expecting Gavin to follow behind him, but it soon became apparent that Talbot was by himself.
“Get out, you filthy swine,” she yelled at him as she attempted to show him out the door. But Talbot wouldn't budge. He whined incessantly as his head dipped into the folds of her skirt, smearing slobber across it as his jaw clamped down on the material.
“What are you doing? Let go.” But Talbot didn't listen to her commands; he only attempted to drag her towards the door.
“Are you trying to show me something?” she asked impatiently when he refused to give up. The dog instantly released her skirt and gave her a look with his brown, soulful eyes that seemed to say she had finally caught on to him.
She reluctantly followed him into the corridor, unsure if it was wise to be near the beast that was almost as large as she, especially considering their not so favorable past, but something compelled her on. As soon as they exited the castle, Talbot began running. Gwendolyn had to sprint to keep up with him, as he seemed overly anxious to get to wherever he was going. They circled around to the gardens where Gwendolyn soon fell behind as Talbot leaped over the hedge bushes while she had to go around them.
“Wait up, you big buffoon,” she called out to him, but he didn't stop.
She was beginning to doubt her decision to follow him at all when they reached the very edge of the garden. Her eyes followed him as he approached a spot where a man lay on the ground.
A man? Her heart stilled. As she neared she could see that it wasn't just any man, it was Gavin.
She raced to his side, dropping to the ground next to his lifeless body. “Gavin,” she said as she put her hands to his face, shaking his head back and forth.
“Gavin,” she said once more when she failed to get a response. His skin was cold, and he appeared as if he were dead.
A knot of fear unlike any she had ever known formed in her soul. He couldn't be dead, she thought as scalding tears formed in her eyes. Instantly, the contract she had unknowingly made with Roreck flashed in her mind. If she failed to deliver the potion to Rosalind, he vowed to kill the person that she loved most.
Looking down on Gavin's face, she traced his strong jaw with her hand. Though his eyes were closed, she could vividly remember the way his chocolate gaze would melt into her own. She traced the scar on his cheekbone, the scar he had obtained during his first walarute encounter and shuddered. Nay, thi
s couldn't be. Not her strong, brave Gavin who had successfully protected her from one of the most vicious beasts of the forest.
At the time that Roreck had hurled his threat at her, she hadn't been sure who he was referring too. Who did she love the most? But as she looked down at Gavin's familiar face, it hit her like a lightning bolt—'Twas him.
Her hands shook as she desperately began ripping his tunic from his chest. Warm tears cascaded from her eyes, splashing into pools on his skin as she placed one hand over his heart. She forced herself to still her breathing as she paused and prayed that he was still alive. A relief unlike any she had ever known flooded over her as she felt a very faint, slow beating under her palm. He was alive!
Her hands moved all over his body, anxious to know what had happened to him. Had Roreck attempted to kill him then left him for dead? She couldn't find any wounds on his upper body so her eyes scanned his legs. That's when she noticed the ripped hose, leaving his bare skin exposed. She quickly moved down to his leg and gasped.
The skin had turned black, the flesh slowly eating away exposing muscle and sinew. It looked exactly like the tip of her finger, albeit much, much worse. He had been infected with the poison, and it was slowly spreading throughout his body. She ripped his hose off up to his thigh to assess the damage. It didn't look good at all. She had to do something fast, or he would die. But what?
Gwendolyn started gasping for breath as the air around her seemed to thin and then vanish. In all of her training as a healer she had never once encountered anything like this. She had no knowledge of a cure. She was hyperventilating so hard she thought she was going to pass out. If Gavin were to die, she just assume she die as well.
She laid her head on his chest and sobbed. Why couldn't she have realized that she loved him before it was too late? Why couldn't she have forgotten about her obsessive need for a gift? It had led to nothing but heartache for so many people she cared about, including herself.
To Capture Her Heart Page 16