All the Things You Never Knew

by Angealica Hewley

  “It’s only to save you,” she whispered. “Please, forgive me…”

  “Damn you all to hell! Get out of here!” Leon roared. The pain he felt was no longer there. They can kill him now for all he cared.

  Rose had deceived him. Used him. For her own pleasure.

  God, he was stupid! Really stupid.

  He shouldn’t have trusted her. He should have been more cautious of the things she might do. Now she’s here mocking him and drilling his insides.

  How could she? Why would she? He never did betrayed her. What doesn’t she get?

  “We will leave you to rot then,” said Lansing as he spits at Leon and then turn back out to follow Rose.

  You will get it again once I get out of here, Leon said to himself. He will totally make sure next time that Lansing would never walk nor speak to another soul again.

  “Until your stupid siblings and friends bring me the jewels, you will be tortured and chained to face death slowly,” said the despicable old man. “Just pray that they will come soon.” And with that, he left after his son, shutting the lights off and leaving Leon in the dark.

  “Once I get out of here, I will kill you all!” Leon bellowed in anger before collapsing back against the wall.

  Rose…She probably set him up for this. He should have known she wouldn’t forgive him that easily. After this, he would never forgive her either.

  London

  “You can be one vicious lady,” Lord Lansing said, giving Rose’s hand a squeeze as they arrive back at Dawson’s Estate.

  “Told you I can torture his derriere for you,” Rose replied, feigning enjoyment. She really wishes to whip the life out of this nefarious lord.

  “Well, can you do one more thing for me?”

  “Anything, darling,” Rose said with a fake smile. “Anything for you.”

  “Please help me get that garnet stone for my father.”

  “And what is so important about it? Where is it now, do you know? Who has it?”

  “That bastard Heartily does, but I’m not sure where. Do you think you can go to his friends and see if they know, or his bastard siblings for all that matters?”

  Rose would never ever do anything else for this devil man but she nodded just to end it and push the carriage door open as it came to a complete stop. “I will do my best to get it, Marcus.”

  Lord Lansing bends down to kiss her hand, and then help her descend down the steps of the carriage as the footman puts it out.

  “Until tomorrow then?”

  “Yes,” she nodded. “Till tomorrow.”

  The marquess bended to give her a light kiss on the lips and then off back inside the carriage.

  Rose stood and watched until the carriage was out of sight, and then she rushed inside the house as the maid opened the door and into her room, changing as fast as she could to go meet the earl.

  “Oh, where is my hair ribbon?” Rose was digging in one of her drawer until her eyes caught something sparkling under her bed.

  “What is this?” She kneeled down and lifted the cover to find a pocket-size dagger and picked it up to examine.

  A design she couldn’t quite make out was carved on the sheath while a lion’s head was carved down by the grip with a red stone in its mouth.

  A red stone!

  Could this be the stone that the marquess wanted?

  Curious, Rose pulled the dagger out of the sheath to find the initial of L.H carved on the blade.

  L.H…Leon Heartily!

  This was Leon’s dagger. The stone must be the one inside the lion’s mouth.

  Yes! Rose jumped up excitedly, clutching the dagger to her chest. However did it end up here, she doesn’t know. Leon might have accidently dropped it. She has to get to the earl and get him to go rescue Leon.

  Rose quickly changed into a light blue cotton dress and put on a new slipper before she ran off out the door once more.

  “Leon, we’re coming for you,” she said, and raced off down the road, not wanting anyone to catch sight of her.

  Marcus smiled to himself as the carriage pulled away. He knew everything Lady Rose did was just a game to fool him. He isn’t as stupid as she thought. He would have believed her if that bastard old flame of hers hadn’t spoke up.

  They had something together.

  Something new.

  They had…

  Marcus clenched his hands into a fist as the truth hits.

  They had consummated their relationship before he had the chance. That bastard Leon had taken Rose before he did.

  No! Rose’s virtue was to be his.

  Hell with that little whore!

  He knows she’s going to come back to him soon. Lady Rose might

  have act like she doesn’t give a damn about her lovey-dovey Leon earlier, but she will be back with help to rescue him. Marcus just knows. As soon as he gets better, he will take and strip her off of everything. Leon would not want her anymore. No one would want her. He will be sure of that.

  For now, he must get back home and plan things out with his father.

  These Heartilys are going down.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Heartily Manor

  “ Your brother is in our captive…if you don’t bring me all the stones

  to the Sacred Cave of Treasures, then be prepare to say good bye to your dear brother…”

  Jack Heartily crumpled up the piece of paper in his hand and threw it on the ground.

  “That’s…it?” asked Edward as he bends down to pick up the paper by his older brother’s feet.

  “Leon is captured, all right,” Jack said, clenching his fists together. “That marquess got him.”

  “And he wants our stone in exchange for Leon’s life?” Phoenix inquired, looking down at the diamond bracelet on her wrist. “What should we do?”

  “There’s not much we can do,” said Chance. “He knows we’re back in Bridlington already.”

  “How did Leon get captured anyway?” asked Blake. “Does it have to do with…?”

  “Lady Rose Caralina Dawson,” Namine put in, holding up a card. “I got these wedding invitations from the letterman this morning. There was one for each of us.”

  “What?” Gabriel snatched it from her and opens it up. “Lady Rose…that’s the daughter of Viscount Herring.”

  “The old lover of our brother!” Lavender exclaimed. “Sweet!”

  “No wonder he said he didn’t want the wife of the marquess to become a widow,” said Jack, recalling the conversation he had with his brother. “I understand it now.”

  “She betrayed him, I bet!” Sheik put in. “She probably set him up for the marquess!”

  “She wouldn’t do such a thing, would she?” Aidan couldn’t quite believe it. “She loved Leon.”

  “And Leon broke her heart the day we all left,” said Jack. “It’s possible that she set him up.”

  “But we don’t know for sure,” said Avangelene. “Leon did break her heart, but we can’t say she used him for revenge.”

  “We must do something to go save him,” Jack said, sitting down on the couch and propping a hand behind his head. “We must think of something.”

  “Our jewels are the only things they wanted,” said Phoenix. “What else is there to save Big Brother?”

  “He would never want us to sacrifice the jewels for his life, that’s for sure,” said Aidan. “He told us how important they were already.”

  “I think half of us should go out to help Leon,” Avangelene put in. “The other half should stay here and be on the lookout if the marquess is to send in anymore messages, or worst, attack us. The Marquess of Lansing has many guards and troops in his control. They are all welltrained and great in military combat. Drake and Simeon and I almost couldn’t…” She stopped herself, leaving her siblings in confusion. “Anyway, you get the idea.”

  “I don’t know how you know that, but all right,” Jack said, getting back up on a sitting position. “Why don’t Blake, Chance, Gabriel and Shei
k stay here with Namine and you girls while Edward and Aidan go with me to Islington to see where we might find Leon?”

  “Can’t I go, too?” asked Avangelene. “I know where–”

  “Avangelene, someone has to cook for us since Aidan’s going,” said Sheik. “I won’t be able to be on the lookout with an empty stomach.”

  Everyone burst into laughter and Avangelene sighed. “Fine, but you guys do need me to help with–”

  “Don’t worry, little sis,” said Jack. “We will get Leon back. Stay here and be safe. I bet these little rascals need you more than us on this.”

  “Hey, watch it, Jacky. We are not babies anymore,” said Sheik.

  “But you still need a mama to cook for you or you won’t be able to be on the lookout,” Phoenix teased.

  “Shut up, you’re the baby who causes trouble for mama to deal with!” Sheik snapped back.

  “There we go again,” Jack sighed. “We really can’t be together in one household at the same time.”

  “The babies of the family. They are a pain,” said Edward.

  “Gabriel, you’re the fight breaker,” said Aidan. “Break them up.”

  “I pass. Blake, you do it. I’m on lookout duty. Good bye.” Gabriel gave a yawn and trotted out of the room.

  “So this is it,” said Jack, ignoring the racket from his little brother and sister. “We will head out to London on the morrow. Best be preparing.”

  Edward and Aidan nodded, and both slip out to set their things right for tomorrow’s trip.

  “Avange, I know that you want to go with us for whatever reason, but it’s best for you to stay because we need someone mature around here,” Jack said, before taking his leave to his room.

  “It’s all good, brother,” she smiled slyly to herself. “All very good.”

  Hargate Inn

  “There you are, Lady Rose,” the Earl of Longsword greeted Rose as she arrived at the inn. “How are you–”

  “May I get a cup of water and some ale, please?” she asked as she enters into the room.

  “Most definitely,” the earl said with a bow. “Come this way.”

  Rose followed him into the salon where another man was lying on the couch with the Times over his face.

  “Here you go, Lady Rose,” Longsword said, handing her a bottle of ale from the cupboard along with a glass of water.

  She gurgled up the water and ran to the open window to spit it out.

  “Sorry,” she apologized for her unlady-like manner. The imprint of the marquess’s mouth on hers sends a feeling of disgust through her. “I have to get this nasty… feeling out of my mouth.”

  “I see.”

  Rose emptied the cup out the window and pour out a glass of ale to sanitize her mouth once more.

  “That sure is one big disgusting feel,” came the voice of the man on the couch.

  He had rose up from the couch now with mussed dark hair and a charming smile spread across his face.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  “Apology accepted,” the man smiled again, getting up on his feet now to look at her. “Lady Rose Caralina Dawson.”

  He knows her name.

  “Yes,” she curtsied. “And who are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  The man gave out a laugh and looked at the Earl before proceeding to introduce himself. “My name is Laguna Black, the Duke of Hargate.”

  The Duke of Hargate?

  “Oh, sorry, Your Grace,” she gave him another curtsy. “I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

  “It’s all good,” he smiled. She can see that he’s a smiley duke. Quite charming, too.

  But then it hit her that he was the Duke of Hargate that had taken Lord Lansing to the brothel.

  If Rose hadn’t changed her mind on the marquess, she would have thrown a fit at His Grace, but then there’s really no point now.

  Besides, he probably did it to help Leon.

  Stupid foolish man they were, but yet it worked.

  “So,” the earl cleared his throat. “I assume you found out where Leon’s held.”

  “Why, of course,” Rose replied, almost forgetting the reason why she was here. “God, I’m so sorry. I–it was painful. I hurt him and…I don’t think he will ever want to see me again.”

  “Don’t tell me you threw in a game of deception and fooled the slow wit of our dear friend,” said the duke. “He isn’t very good with games like that.”

  “Yes. I see that now,” Rose sighed.

  “Don’t worry,” said Lord Longsword. “We will explain things to him. He may not trust in you, but he will believe in us.”

  “If you say so,” Rose nodded. She really hoped he was right. “Also,” she added. “I have to tell you something.”

  “Yes, m’lady?” said the earl.

  “Marcus…Lord Lansing is not the real marquess.”

  “What?” Both of the men seemed shocked to hear.

  “His father, the real marquess, is still alive. Marcus is not really the marquess.”

  “Are you saying they had deceived society all this time, making the ton believed that the real marquess is dead? Absurdly ridiculous,” the earl answered.

  “It could be,” Rose said with a nod.

  “Maybe to cover himself from being discovered for his crime of killing Heartily’s parents,” the duke said.

  “Could be it,” Lord Longsword agreed.

  “All right,” said His Grace. “Where is Heartily? We must take action now. If I’m correct, the time limit in the stupid letter is almost up.”

  “He’s pretty close to here,” Rose answered. “About half an hour or so.”

  “How’s the setting of the place?” the earl asked. “Would we be able to get in there easily?”

  Rose scratched her head nervously and shook her head. “I didn’t really think about that.”

  That caused the duke to laugh. “You’re a lady. You’re not supposed to.”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Well, just lead us over there and Hargate and I will handle the rest,” said Lord Longsword.

  Rose nodded, and then reached into the pocket of her cloak to pull out the dagger that she had found.

  “My Lord, Your Grace, I almost forgot.” She walked over and handed the dagger to Lord Longsword.

  He raised a questioning eyebrow. “This is…?”

  “I believe it’s Leon’s.” she said. “The red stone in the center must be the garnet jewel the marquess wanted.”

  “The garnet jewel of the Sacred Cave of Treasure?” asked the duke as he strolls over to look.

  “I think so,” said Rose.

  “Where did you find it?” Longsword asked, taking the dagger out of its sheath to examine it.

  “In my room,” she answered. “Leon must have dropped it when he came over the other night before he got captured.”

  “You two are naughty,” laughed His Grace. “Very naughty.”

  Rose blushed and shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Well, we can’t waste time,” said Longsword. “We must go save Heartily.”

  Hargate nodded and turned to Rose. “Miss Rosy Cary Dawson, are you ready to go save your fiancé? I’ve heard that you two are getting married.”

  Rose loved the way the duke calls her Rosy Cary. He must really be a true friend of Leon besides Lord Longsword.

  A radiant grin shone across Rose’s face and she answered proudly, “Indeed, I am!”

  Laughter from the duke and earl filled the room with her enthusiasm and they nodded.

  “Heartily, here we come!”

  Islington

  “So this is the place, isn’t it?”

  The Duke of Hargate step up to the gate of the ‘House of Doom,’ as the marquess had put it to Rose.

  They had gotten out to Islington just before nightfall and were examining the mansion before them for a route to enter without being notice.

  “Well, this is more complex then I have thought,” said Hargate as h
e saw two guards coming out to guard the door.

  “Duck down, will you,” said Lord Longsword to His Grace. “If they see you, we will be killed.”

  “I think I have a plan,” said Rose, as she pushes the gate open.

  “What are you doing?” asked the Earl of Longsword, pulling her back. “It’s dangerous now.”

  “I’m going to divert their attention,” she explained. “Once that’s done, you guys go ahead and find an entrance somewhere. I will get in and distract Lord Lansing and his father if they are to be present.”

  “Be careful,” said Hargate. “Leon would thrash the life out of us if you are to be harm in any way.”

  “I will be all right,” Rose assured them. “Take care. Good luck.”

  They nodded the same to her and Rose trotted off to meet the guards.

  Longsword and Hargate watched as Rose said something to the guards and they escorted her inside.

  “This is our chance then,” said Longsword as he jumps over the gate.

  “Thank you, Lady Rose,” Hargate chimed as he followed. “Now where do we go?”

  “As Lady Rose explained on the trip here, he’s down in the dungeon. Maybe we can find a low window somewhere that might allow us easier access to–”

  “To the dungeon,” Hargate said, rushing off around the corner as he spotted a shimmer of light.

  “Yes,” Longsword nodded. “To the–Hey! Where are you going?”

  “Lights. Come!” Hargate called to him.

  Longsword caught up to him, hiding behind a bush before a low window shining off a glimmering light.

  “Could that be where Heartily is held?” asked Longsword as he peeks over Hargate’s shoulders.

  “Possibly.”

  “That’s Lansing and his father,” Longsword pointed out as he focuses on the two figures walking inside.

  “Then I assume that woman in there is to be Lady Rosy,” Hargate replied as a female swiftly came in with a curtsy.

  “She’s fast,” Longsword answered. “Now where are they going?”

  “It seems Lady Rosy–no, Mrs. Heartily, that’s more like it. She seems to be taking them elsewhere to make it easier for us to enter.”