Page 26 of Secrets of Capell Manor
“I am going to tell you what I expect of you, Roland Kirkeby. Listen well. The day after tomorrow, I will ride to your estate. You have until then to prove to me that a betrothal contract existed. Unless proven, I will assume it never existed.”
Roland started to protest.
“Shut it! As is your right, you can send a message to the king’s clerk and request verification of your so-called agreement with Lord Capell. Delivery of a message and then a reply will take several days, so let me make this clear. You are not to set foot on the Capell estate until the circumstances of Capell’s disappearance are discovered and we know if there is any truth to your assertions. Understood?”
Roland nodded weakly.
“Alden, please assist Roland outside. I’m not sure he can make it on his own.”
Alden grabbed his arm, and walked him—dragged him, actually—toward the foyer and the door. When everyone in the room heard the large entrance door open and shut, Rosalind and Benton let out a collective sigh; poor Marta fell back into her chair. No one spoke for a moment, but finally, Rosalind broke the silence.
“Children, it’s late. Let’s get ready for bed. Ridley, take the girls upstairs,” she announced.
Surprisingly, there were no protests or complaints. Normally, the children would have picked up their wooden toys, but not tonight. Ridley grabbed the hand of each girl, and they turned to leave.
“But I want Grim to stay with us,” Luella said pitifully as she walked toward the stairs.
Devlin knew there was a catch. Grim, hearing his name, turned to Devlin as if to ask if he could go. With a wave of his hand, Devlin sent him with the children.
When the children rounded the corner, and their steps were no longer heard, Devlin addressed Rosalind. “It is late, milady. But I must know more about Kirkeby and his dealings with Lord Edmond. The evening has been shall we say, eventful, but the matter is urgent.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll tell you what I know.” Rosalind moved back to her chair and sat.
“Did Lord Edmond promise you in marriage to that oaf?” Devlin asked bluntly.
Rosalind inhaled audibly. “Yes, I do believe he did.”
Devlin’s temper threatened to explode. “Why wasn’t I told? Kirkeby could have information about Edmond’s disappearanceor even have the motive to kill Edmond. I feel like I am running in circles. I need the truth, and I need it now!”
She inhaled again and began her tale in a soft voice. Her voice trembled as she gazed at the floor. “I think you realize by now that Lord Capell was a despot in this household, a sot, and cruel towards the children and myself. But what I am about to tell you brings me so much shame to say. I never truly believed the depravity of my uncle until that night with Roland. I cannot understand how anyone, much less the brother to my dear father, would do what he did.” A single tear slid, unchecked, down her face. “Uncle planned a night of gambling and drinking here at the manor. This was not uncommon. He often had men from the village and others that lived closer to the border here for drinking and whoring and who knows what else.
“On the nights when there were men here, the children and I stayed upstairs in the solar and then we all slept together in my room, even Ridley. Marta and Benton stayed downstairs and monitored the stairwell and the great hall to ensure no one wandered around the manor. That night, we heard the usual yelling and swearing. We had fallen asleep, but we were all woken up when Roland stormed into my chamber. He was so drunk he could barely walk, and his speech was slurred. But, he kept saying he won me fair and square, and he was going to take what now belonged to him.”
Devlin could hardly sit still in his chair.
Why did I call Grim off? How could I have let that bastard walk out of here?
His head throbbed, and a red-hot rage built in his chest.
“I yelled at Ridley and told him to get the girls and run. I knew if he could get them out, they would go to their hiding place. No one knew where it was, and they would be safe. I threw off the bedcovers and jumped from the bed. That drew Roland’s attention solely to me, and Ridley had the girls out the door inseconds.” Rosalind stopped. She was still looking down at the floor, and her chest rose and fell. She swallowed hard.
Devlin sat for a moment in silence and then asked in a quiet, calm voice. “What…what did he do then, Rosalind?”
Her gaze flickered and met his. “When the children ran, he looked at me. He looked at me, and he smiled. I thought for a second about the evil in that smile, and I tried to run. But he moved so fast. I couldn’t get away. I tried to get out the door to the girls’ room, but he hit me hard.” Rosalind’s hand rose to her cheek, and she caressed her face softly, lost in the memory, and once again looked at the floor.
Devlin’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest. His jaw clenched while he waited for her to continue.
“I must have blacked out because when my eyes opened, he was on the bed. He was on top of me, ripping my nightdress from my shoulders. I screamed once, and he slapped my face.” Rosalind was visibly shaking now, and she looked up at him then.
“Did he rape you, Rosalind?”
She shook her head furiously. “No, that bastard did not.”
Devlin didn’t realize he had been holding his breath, and he exhaled.
“Benton came in just in the nick of time, and he yelled at him to get off of me, and he grabbed the poker from the fireplace. It was enough of a diversion, and I was able to get out from under his hold.”
“There is no way that Benton could beat him in a fight,” Devlin commented. “What happened?”
