The captain moved to his crew.
Wesley was thankful to be left alone with his thoughts. He brushed the hair from her face and watched the rise and fall of her chest. She was indeed brave.
He and Fynn had been tossed and drawn down into the undersea valley, caught by the draft of the falling boulders that plunged into the sea. That either of them had enough breath to survive was luck, that Darla found him and was able to save him, a miracle.
He couldn’t say where his strength came from when he saw her struggling to the surface. He cradled her in his lap. He knew he wouldn’t let her die. He’d never let anything happen to her.
“How much longer until we reach land?”
He looked down into Darla’s eyes. “You woke at the right time. We are coming to the castle landing.”
Noise by the landing, for the most part a quiet area, drew his attention. Soldiers pulled Fynn from a boat and dragged him away. Their next battle would be one of words.
“Bank oars,” Richards commanded. In unison, the two pairs of oars slid in until the handles rested under the gunwales on the far side of the boat. With a gentle bump, they nudged the landing. The sailors secured the lines.
“Your horses are waiting,” a soldier said.
“Horses?” He couldn’t comprehend the man.
“Yes, sir. Lord Ewan is waiting for you in the hall,” the soldier said as he helped them onto the horses, then led them to the castle.
Exhausted, he had to resolve his part in his misguided plan at once. He would laugh at the irony if the realization he nearly completed his plot didn’t shake him to his core.
The hollow clopping of the horse’s hooves as they crossed the castle drawbridge made him sit up tall. He was a Reynolds. He would meet his judgment with dignity. They passed through the entrance. Soldiers stood in formation within the courtyard. He scanned the area, not to escape, but knowing this was the last time he would be in these surroundings as a free man.
After he dismounted, he helped Darla to the ground. He waited a heartbeat for the soldiers to take him away. Instead, they flanked them both and led them into the hall.
His step faltered when he entered the dimly lit room. Storm shutters covered the windows. Few of the abundant torches were used, lending a threatening air to the large chamber. Lord Ewan sat on the dais in the Great Dundhragon Chair, an empty chair next to him. It was a formal gathering.
He brought Darla to her father and tilted his head in a respectful bow. Before he could step back between the soldiers, Maxwell took his arm and pulled him next to him.
Had he misjudged the man? He was honoring his father, not letting him stand alone when Lord Ewan metered out his judgment. He was glad for that.
He looked toward his lordship. He raised his hand and signaled to Magnus who stood next to Maria and Lady Eugena.
Magnus went to a side door. He came back dragging Fynn and pushed him in front of Lord Ewan.
“You know the punishment for entering Dundhragon,” Lord Ewan said.
Fynn said nothing. He scanned the room looking everyone in the eye. Wesley put a protective arm around Darla when the pirate’s evil glance reached them.
His brave, beautiful Darla didn’t flinch.
He held Fynn’s stare, ready for the worst.
Hands on hips, the pirate faced Lord Ewan. He waited a few heartbeats then stepped forward, but the soldiers grabbed him and kept him back. Fynn shook off their hands.
“I have protected my cousin long enough, taken his blame as my own for the sake of his father, who I loved.” He bowed his head and put his hand over his heart. “I have watched in horror as Wesley planned to avenge his father’s downfall. Time after time, I told him to blame me for Collin’s actions. He would not listen. Once Wesley threw his lot in with the pirates, he was lost. There was nothing I could do to dissuade him.”
“We heard everything you said in the grotto,” Darla said.
Fynn stuck out his chest, raised his chin, and met Darla’s icy stare.
“It pains me to tell you. He deceived you as well, pretending to love you. He wanted your father to suffer for betraying Collin and he used you as his tool.”
This was Fynn’s plan all along. Betrayal. And convincing him to act against Lord Ewan, a treasonous act. It was a lesson learned, but was it too late?
“I tried to stop him, but when we were in the depths of the sea and he had one opportunity to redeem himself, he left me there to die. It was lucky I was able to get free on my own.”
Finished, Fynn stood between the soldiers and waited.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Lord Ewan asked.
The pirate looked at him, a smirk playing across his lips. Most of what Fynn accused him of was true, in the beginning. Did it matter he exaggerated the rest? No. There were no degrees of treason.
“No, Lord Ewan.” Fynn bowed his head.
“Wesley,” Lord Ewan said.
He turned and faced Darla.
“Lady Darla. Many things that Fynn said are true, but not everything. He convinced me that Lord Ewan and your father were responsible for my family’s hardship and my father’s death. He convinced me our family was banished wrongfully and that your father was aware of the true circumstances and said nothing.
“Lord Ewan sent him away, not the family. My family’s hardship and my father’s death were his doing, no one else’s.
“In grief, in guilt for not being with my father when he died, Fynn convinced me we needed to avenge his death. I’m ashamed to admit that you were also part of the plan.”
In front of her, he weighed whether to declare his love but decided against it. She told him in so many ways she loved him. Best if he was executed she must not bear a lost love.
“I hope you believe me when I say that our friendship meant more to me than the vendetta.” He bowed his head, not wanting to see the anger and hate in her eyes.
No. He was not a coward. He had to face the consequences of his deception. He took a steadying breath, raised his gaze, and stared into her eyes and saw passion. She reached out and gently touched his face. Leaning toward him their lips a breath apart, she kissed him. His heart pounded. She still loved him. The thought washed over him like a cleansing tide. He turned toward Lord Ewan.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Lord Ewan asked.
Darla stepped forward, but Lord Ewan raised his hand to stop her. Wesley didn’t want her to say anything. His heart soared, knowing she wanted to speak on his behalf.
“Lady Darla. I will listen to your comments, but not at this moment. There is someone else who has asked to speak.” Lord Ewan motioned to Magnus.
The door to the hall opened. Five men walked into the center of the room.
“No,” Fynn shouted, and tried to free himself of his guards, but the soldiers held him in place.
“Welcome, MacAlpin,” Lord Ewan said and indicated the chair next to him.
The pirate’s unprecedented appearance in Dundhragon piqued everyone’s interest except Maxwell. His eyes twinkled with pleasure and excitement.
“I’ll make this short. I am not interested in sailing the seas this far north. I stand by my agreement with Magnus and his father.”
Fynn looked from MacAlpin to Magnus. Both stood as solid and quiet as stone statues. Wesley was almost sorry for his cousin, but not quite.
“One of my loyal crewmen kept me informed. Fynn’s been a busy one, he has. He planned the attack on the Association ships,” MacAlpin counted the crimes on his fingers, “raided the coastal village, and plotted against Maxwell and Lady Darla, to say nothing of plotting against Wesley.
“My dear Lady,” MacAlpin spoke softly to Darla, “I regret your discomfort. A witch hunt is not a pretty sight and is nothing to be toyed with. Anyone who hints at one should be put to death. You can rest easy. The offender has felt my justice. For his part in this, Fynn should be drawn and quartered.”
He faced the gathering.
“Fynn’s grand pl
an? Establishing his own pirate kingdom here. Once my spy informed me, I contacted Magnus and Lord Ewan. All the things Fynn told you are half-truths. Wesley was a victim as much as everyone else. There are many more offenses Fynn’s committed against me. Stealing from me alone is treason by my law, and punishable by death.”
“But, I met with you,” Wesley said in a matter-of-fact manner.
“You would protect him?” The pirate’s eye’s narrowed, and even though he sat casually in the large chair beside Lord Ewan, he appeared threatening.
“I would tell the truth, all of it.” Wesley held his head high.
“Here is my truth. I wanted to meet you for myself. I heard of your privateering for the British crown and how you were instrumental in rescuing the prince from captivity. With such a renowned background, I wanted to meet the object of Fynn’s distaste. I saw at once why he hated you. You are everything he is not.” MacAlpin sat back in the chair and said nothing else. The room remained quiet.
“What say you?” Lord Ewan asked the Pirate King. “How should we judge these men?”
MacAlpin looked from Wesley to Fynn. The Pirate King was not known for his leniency. On the contrary, he was a hard, brutal man who set decrees at every turn as a means of command and control. To date, it had worked to MacAlpin’s advantage.
“I say grief clouded Wesley’s judgment,” MacAlpin said, his eyes on Wesley.
“Wesley step forward,” Lord Ewan said.
He straightened and stepped in front of Lord Ewan. His throat tightened as he tried to tamp down his growing regret for not seeing the truth earlier.
Lord Ewan bent forward. “I grieve with you for your father. He was a good man and a better friend. His misplaced devotion to his nephew caused his downfall. But you cannot go unpunished for your part in Fynn’s plan. For your deception to Graeme Maxwell, you will pay your debt to him as he sees fit.”
Lord Ewan leaned back, the sentence pronounced and over.
Wesley bowed deeply from the waist.
“You are most generous,” he said and returned to his place. Darla grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
He couldn’t believe his good fortune. He had the chance to make things right, perhaps even to restore the family name.
Lord Ewan faced MacAlpin.
“What say you about Fynn or do you need more time?”
“More time will not be necessary. I know this man for who and what he is, a thief and assassin, a man without any moral compass, without any respect for kith or kin. He is for himself. He will die by himself. At. My. Hand.” MacAlpin’s voice rang like thunder through the hall.
Wesley looked on as each word MacAlpin spoke pounded Fynn, making him sink lower and lower until only the two pirates who now held him kept him standing.
Lord Ewan and MacAlpin stood, and in unison turned their backs on Fynn.
Everyone in the hall turned as one and the pirates dragged Fynn away.
“Wesley. Stop them,” Fynn yelled. “Have mercy. Kill me. Don’t let them take me like this. You have no idea what they will do to me.”
The hall doors banged closed. Fynn’s muffled cries echoed as they dragged him away.
MacAlpin came down from the dais, glanced at him and Darla, then turned and followed his men out the door.
Lord Ewan came down from the dais. The hall began to empty. His lordship stopped in front of Wesley.
“Go to Maxwell. You will do all that he says. You are his to command until he is satisfied you have repaid him,” Lord Ewan said, his voice unemotional.
Wesley didn’t move. He waited as Lord Ewan walked out the door.
He turned to speak to Maxwell and scanned the room. He was the only person in the hall.
Chapter Seventeen
For the last two months, Wesley’s heart ached as Lord Ewan and Lady Eugena introduced Darla to suitor after suitor. He could only stand by and watch. He no longer had any hope of redemption. Now he suffered every day and waited to be released from Maxwell’s service. He planned to go as far away from Dundhragon as possible and never return.
“I have something to give to Maxwell.” Wesley entered the family solar. Lord Ewan, Lady Eugena, Maria, Magnus, Maxwell, Keira, Darla, and a man a bit older than him stood chatting.
“Come in, come in. You saved me having to send for you.” Lord Ewan waved to him and he stepped into the private gathering.
“A message arrived from MacAlpin. He confirmed in vivid language Fynn’s death.”
The others around him were grim at the mention of Fynn’s name. But, no one mourned his passing, not even him. His father’s death had been avenged and for that he was glad.
“I was surprised when the Sea Diamond sailed into the channel. Captain Richards mentioned you made saving the boat your priority,” Lord Ewan said.
“Yes, but I didn’t do it alone. Captain Richards and the crew worked with me. Once we repaired the hull and moved her back into the water, the rest of the work went quickly.”
“I had my doubts, but Wesley worked hard and convinced me it could be done,” Maxwell said.
It was worth a try, and it was his path to redemption with Maxwell.
“I’m glad you succeeded. You’ve done well.” Lord Ewan pounded his back.
“You mentioned you had something for me.” Maxwell stood at his side.
Wesley reached in his pocket and pulled out the amber and gold necklace and handed it to him.
Maxwell looked from the necklace to Wesley.
“Where did you get this?”
“He’s been diving every day for weeks, looking for the metal box on the sea floor. I thought the Pirate King retrieved it, but Wesley never lost faith. He found it this morning,” Magnus said, and raised his glass in salute. “Wesley and I have trained together for some time and continued these last months. After a hard training, we swam and he searched for the gems.”
“You lost the gems because of me. I had to find them.” He turned to Darla and handed her the oilskin pouch.
“I found this not far from the metal box. I know it is important to you.”
Maxwell hefted the necklace in his hand. He leaned over and spoke to Lord Ewan and Darla.
This was the first time in months he was near her since his audience with Lord Ewan in the Great Hall. There was so much he wanted to say. She stood next to her father, further from him than if she were in Ellenbeich and he in Dundhragon.
“Your debt to me is paid.” Maxwell’s statement was welcome, but Wesley was too startled to say a word.
“You will pay the next portion of your debt to another.” Lord Ewan made the remark and stared at him as if daring him to object.
He looked from Maxwell to Lord Ewan. Next portion? Pay to another? Who else did he owe?
“Lord Ewan, I understand I’m at your mercy, but I have done everything as ordered. In many cases, I’ve gone above and done more. If my debt is satisfied, then I will leave Dundhragon at once.” He couldn’t stand to be near Darla and watch as she married another.
“Silence,” Lord Ewan’s voice filled the small room. “You put yourself at my mercy and you will do as I command. Am I clear? Maxwell will give you your next instructions.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t trust himself. All the days and weeks he worked to demonstrate his remorse proved to be meaningless. How long did he need to serve? Where would he send him next? MacAlpin? To be at his mercy?
“Your deceitful behavior to me was terrible, but your false-hearted treatment of Darla, unforgivable.” Maxwell poked his chest with an index finger. “Your only path to redemption is spending the rest of your life proving to Darla that you love her, honoring her, as her husband. Each day you will tell her you love her. She is never to doubt your love. Ever.”
Confused, he stared at Maxwell as if the man was mad.
“Sir? Did I hear you correctly?”
“Darla has a unique dowry awarded to her from her Maxwell great-grandmother. Finding a suitor for her is not difficult. Finding
one who wanted her for herself and not her dowry is another story. Worst of all, finding a suitor acceptable to her is impossible. For months, I presented candidate after candidate for her approval,” Lord Ewan said. “But none were acceptable until yesterday. You are the only one Darla is willing to marry.”
“But I thought the gentleman with Darla was her intended,” he said.
Maxwell shook his head. “My cousin from London brings news from England about Darla’s dowry. Her great-grandmother left Darla an estate in England, Glen Kirk. When she marries she must live there. It is strategically positioned near the Scottish border not far from our Scottish Maxwells.
“Prince Edward sent an invitation to the Lord and Lady of Glen Kirk to court. If no one arrives, there is growing concern that the estate will be forfeit to the English crown. In truth, you are the perfect suitor for Darla, which is paramount in my thinking, but you are also an excellent choice to rule Glen Kirk. And lastly, you are a friend of Prince Edward and his English court.”
He looked from one person to another. Each smiled and waited for his answer. At last, he glanced at Darla.
“If you prefer not to accept this arrangement,” Lord Ewan said.
He whipped his head around and faced his lordship. The man’s broad smile encouraged him. He returned his gaze to Darla. The rest of the room faded away leaving just the two of them.
“Yes, I accept.” He took her hand and kissed it. “I would accept without any dowry.”
“Come, everyone. Into the hall,” Keira said. Before she took her husband’s arm, she leaned toward Darla.
“Don’t linger too long.” She hugged Darla. “Come, everyone. Darla and Wesley have much to talk about.”
Keira gathered everyone and herded them out of the room.
He walked with her to the windowed alcove and looked at the sky ablaze with the colors of the sunset. She opened the pouch and took out a silver pendant with the green stone, placed it in her palm, and closed her fingers around the jeweled dragon.
“This is why the pouch was so important,” she said.
“I thought you kept your birth veil in this.” He waited patiently at her side.
The Pirate’s Jewel Page 16