Page 35 of Secrets of Capell Manor
All four children followed Marta, and once the room was clear, Devlin wasted no time. He had Roland by the neck and pinned against the wall in seconds. Roland struggled to breathe as his face turned red, then purple. His feet wiggled as he gasped and tried to break free from Devlin’s grip.
“Alden! You can’t let Devlin kill him!” Rosalind exclaimed.
But when she turned to see why Alden hadn’t made a move to stop his friend, she saw that he had grabbed a mug of ale, sat back in his chair with his feet propped up, and was watching the entertainment Devlin was providing with obvious satisfaction.
“I see no reason to let him live. Do you?” he asked Rosalind.
Rosalind ran to Devlin’s side. “Stop! You can’t kill him! Think about it! He’s sent a message to the king. How will it look if you kill the man who claims to have a marriage contract with me?”
Devlin didn’t seem to hear her. If anything, his grip tightened. Roland looked as though he would pass out, and only a shallow wheeze was heard when he tried to breathe.
Rosalind took a chance. She reached out gingerly and placed her hand on his arm. The hard muscles flexed in his arm. If Devlin became angry with her for interfering…
No! He’s not like Edmond. He won’t hurt me!
“Please think about how his death would look. The king trusts you to be impartial. Killing this pathetic excuse for a man won’t help me, and it might shroud your investigation in doubt. Please stop.”
Devlin turned his head toward Rosalind. His grip remained tight, but he asked her gently, “Are you sure this is what you want? I can kill him. If you want me to, I can snap his neck, and he’ll never be a threat to you again.”
As distasteful as Roland was, she didn’t want him dead so she nodded. With that confirmation, Devlin dropped Roland to the floor. He immediately rolled over, coughed, and gagged as he breathed.
Devlin crouched beside the man and whispered in his ear, “My lady just saved your miserable life. Never forget that! You’re only alive because of her, but make no mistake, I will not heed her request a second time. Do you understand?”
Roland nodded and tried to slip across the floor out of Devlin’s reach, but before he could get too far, Alden grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the manor. Devlin followed.
When Devlin and Alden returned to the great hall, Rosalind and Benton were the only ones in the room.
He placed his hands on her upper arms and said in a husky voice, “He is not worth your distress or your worry. I won’t have it.” And he gave her a gentle shake. “I should have killed him.”
Once again, Rosalind possessed a feeling of safety that she’d never felt in the presence of men. Other than her father, Rosalind’s experiences with the masculine sex were less than ideal and often abusive. But with Devlin, she knew he’d alwayskeep her from harm. And she promised herself she’d pray about it later, but she knew without a doubt that he would have killed for her, and that her heart skipped a beat. Feelings of fear and shock when Roland was nearly killed right in the great hall were mixed with feelings of excitement and power!
She took a breath to steady her voice. “I’m glad you didn’t. I think it’s better that he stays alive…for now.”
Devlin dropped his hands from her arms but she wanted him to pull her close and tell her everything would be all right. But she didn’t know that, and he wouldn’t lie to her.
Benton had informed Marta that it was safe to leave the kitchen. She and the children, all happy, sticky, and warm, sat before the fire.
Rosalind had almost forgotten about poor James. The child knew he was only to deliver a message, but instead, Roland hauled him out to the countryside in the dark, and then he almost witnessed Roland’s demise. But the child looked no worse for wear. He obviously enjoyed his adventure and sweet cakes with Marta, and currently, he was giving Grim excellent scratches around his ears.
“James, I’m sure your father is expecting you back. Devlin, do you think Alden can deliver him back to town? He’s the innkeeper, right, James?”
“Yes, milady,” James replied.
Alden nodded and left to saddle his horse, and Devlin and Rosalind joined the children near the fire.
“When will we hear about the bear, Mama Rose?” Luella asked.
“I’m sure Mr. Danby will be happy to tell his story tomorrow. The hour has grown too late for scary tales about bears.”
A loud voice boomed from the door to the foyer. “Yes, tomorrow, sweet child! I will regale you with a tale so frightening that you’ll never venture into the woods again!”
Luella giggled, and Kaylyn yelled from her place on the rug, “You better, Mr. Danby!”
Rosalind was happy to see smiles on their faces. “All right, children. James must return home and you must head to your beds. Hop to it. Let’s go.”
The girls didn’t go without protest. Kaylyn stomped upstairs but Luella stood her ground with her arms crossed. Devlin looked down at the stubborn child and raised an eyebrow at her defiance. She glared back but then raised her tiny arms up to him. Devlin scooped her up and marched up the steps, following Kaylyn to the girl’s bedchamber.
“And you too, Ridley. It’s been a trying day. Marta, you see that Ridley gets to his bed. No sneaking out to the stables.”
