Page 36 of Secrets of Capell Manor
Marta assured her that Ridley would do as she asked, and she turned to the stairs. When Rosalind reached the girl’s room, her heart melted, and her eyes welled up with tears. Kaylyn was already tucked into bed with Grim and the dog waited for his second “pup” to join them. Luella stood in front of Devlin and he’d just dropped her gown over her shoulders and was guiding one arm through one of the holes. He looked out of sorts trying to dress one very wiggly four-year-old, but he got the job done.
Once in her gown, Luella climbed into bed with her sister and crawled under the covers. Grim squeezed between each child. Rosalind knew he’d move to the rug in front of the fire once the girls were asleep, but for now, he’d stay by their sides.
Devlin told each girl goodnight and he’d see them in the morning. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind. We got up here and the girls just started getting ready for bed and Luella had her gown on backwards and so…”
“You did a fine job getting them to bed, Sir Devlin. I would have had to threaten extra chores at least five times by now before I got them dressed.”
Devlin smiled almost shyly, then he looked at her closely. “You need rest too. You have shadows under your eyes.”
Rosalind pulled the covers up and kissed each child on her forehead. She walked over to the mirror on the wall, and said agreeably, “I do look ghastly. No, you won’t have any arguments from me about bedtime.”
Devlin followed Rosalind to the door of her chamber. She stopped and looked at Devlin, unsure how she could put what she needed to say into words.
“You continue to surprise me, Sir Devlin.”
Devlin cocked his head to the side slightly, “For what, my lady?”
“In the short time that you have been here, you have made my children feel safe. Maybe for the first time ever. And for the first time in a long time, they see that men, even fierce warriors, can be good. It gives me hope, for even if I cannot keep them as my own for much longer, I know that they have seen that there are men who are strong and honorable. Men who fight for what’s right.”
Devlin lowered his head and said gruffly, “I don’t deserve your kind words, Lady Rosalind, for I fear I am not the man you think I am. I have done terrible things.”
“I choose not to believe that. I won’t. If you have done terrible things then it was because you had to, by order. And for that, you cannot hold yourself accountable.” She paused to catch her breath. “I trust what I see… and what I feel, and the man before me now is honorable. And whatever happens in the future, I know that you will act from a position of truth and justice. This I know, Devlin.”
She took his head in her hands and lifted until she could see into his dark eyes. Rosalind placed a soft, chaste kiss on his full lips. “Good night, Sir Devlin,” she whispered.
Then she entered her room and closed the door behind her.
Chapter Eleven
Devlin returned to the great hall and sat in his chair by the fire.
What just happened?
He could hardly believe it—she kissed him. That single moment left his thoughts jumbled, but it wasn’t just the kiss that unsettled him. She believed him to be a good man. He had never considered himself good. Loyal, perhaps, but good? No. Even as his mind churned with heavy matters—the fate of Lord Edmond, the mystery of who had hidden his body, Rosalind’s uncertain future, and the children’s safety—he found himself returning, again and again, to the softness of her lips, the warmth of that kiss, and how his heart still pounded deep in his chest.
When Alden returned. Devlin didn’t greet him or even acknowledge his presence. Alden stared into the flames and had just started to doze when Devlin finally spoke. “She kissed me.”
His friend sat up in his chair, his feet dropped back to the floor, and he looked at his friend. “What? What do you mean she kissed you?”
“She said I surprised her, and she thought I was honorable and just. I disagreed, of course, but she insisted. And then she kissed me.”
Alden let out a hearty laugh, leaned over, and slapped his friend across his back. “Finally. A woman who doesn’t run away screaming when she sees you!”
“How could she, Alden? She doesn’t know me. She’s heard of things I’ve done, and what people know or hear about doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of my deeds.”
“So what does she say when you remind her of who you are?”
Devlin sighed, “She says she doesn’t believe all the rumors. She says if I did do what people say, then it was because I had to, not because I wanted to.”
Alden looked thoughtful. “She is mostly right.”
“What do you mean, ‘mostly’ right?”
“I mean, my friend that she is right when she says you’ve done what you had to do. You had orders. But I think you can agree that you love to fight. You want to battle an opponent, and you want to win—there is a part of you that is bloodthirsty—a part of you that enjoys the fight and sometimes the kill.”
Devlin did not disagree, and that scared him. “She would do well to stay away from me, then,” he said sadly. “And the children.”
Alden’s head tilted slightly and in a low voice he said, “Oh, the opposite, my friend. The lone wolf doesn’t fare well forever. No matter how fierce, the wolf needs a mate and a pack. He won’t last long on his own. Lady Rosalind needs you. She needs someone who’ll fight for her. She needs someone who’ll protect her children at all costs. That person just may be you, Devlin.”
