Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

H e'd heard enough.

It was bad enough that Sinclair couldn't grab Elisiana when she walked past him into the hall. Payne had discreetly stopped him and rightfully so. To have touched her, to have made his presence known so soon, wouldn't have been prudent. So he'd stood back in the shadows and listened to Adriano's reasons for betrothing her to Adolph and so much more.

So very much more.

A great deal had become clear to him, but the truth was that he didn't care about any of that. Elisiana was within his grasp and his arms were fairly aching to hold her.

She was all he wanted.

Now he'd revealed himself, and as Elisiana stood up, weeping, Santiago grasped her so she couldn't run to Sinclair. That was a wise move given the situation, but Elisiana was pulling against her cousin. She wanted to hold Sinclair as badly as he wanted to hold her.

But there was business to attend to first.

He had to get it out before Elisiana came to him and overwhelmed his senses.

"My name is Sinclair de Reyne," he said, addressing Adriano. "I am a trainer at Blackchurch. I have also been a master knight of Kenilworth. I am a trainer of men, my lord, but I have also been a sword for hire. I come with the finest recommendations from men of the highest order. I hold the title Lord Brexent, but I also hold another title, a much older one. My mother was a descendant of the kings of Bernicia and through her, I have inherited the title of Lord Ebchester. I believe that I am an excellent match for your daughter and I can pay your debt to your brother-in-law immediately."

Adriano was greatly confused. " You? " he said. "I do not know you. Where did you come from?"

"Blackchurch, my lord," Sinclair said. "When your daughter ran off those months ago, she ended up near Blackchurch. That is how I met her. That is how… how I fell in love with her. You have raised a remarkable woman, my lord. It would be a great honor to be her husband."

" That! " Santiago nearly shouted, standing up and pointing at Sinclair. "That is the kind of man Lisi deserves, Adriano. Can you not see that she loves him too?"

To prove his point, Elisiana yanked away from Santiago's grip and raced to Sinclair, throwing herself at him. He swept her up in his powerful embrace, holding her tightly as her father tried to figure out what in the hell was going on. Scowling in confusion, he looked at Aristeo, who was watching his sister with a smile on his face. Realizing he was in the minority of whatever was happening, he began to wave his arms around.

"Wait!" he said. "Lisi, step away from that man. I have questions!"

Elisiana wasn't going to move away from Sinclair. They were holding each other tightly with no intention of letting go. "I will not step away, Papa," she said. "You'll have to use a knife to cut me away from him because I am not moving."

Adriano stared at her a moment before turning his attention to Santiago. "Is that what you have done?" he asked incredulously as he pointed to Sinclair and Elisiana. "You have brought this… this knight with you? This knight who wants to marry her? I do not even know who he is!"

Santiago shrugged. "He told you who he is," he said. "What part of his explanation did you not understand?"

Santiago was taunting him. Adriano had well understood the words. De Reyne was from Blackchurch. He wanted to marry his daughter. Elisiana clearly knew the man.

But what was he doing here?

"I understand none of it," Adriano said with exasperation. "None of it! What is he doing here?"

"You have already answered that question," Santiago said. "I brought him. He came to me and told me what had happened with Lisi, so I had to see for myself, and I see that he was right. You are forcing my Lisi into a miserable marriage. Shame on you, Adriano. For shame."

Adriano rolled his eyes. "God's Bloody Bones," he muttered, slapping a palm to his forehead. "This is ridiculous. You had no right to get involved in this, Santi. No right at all."

"But I have a right."

Yet one more person entered the hall, and this one brought an armed escort in with him. All eyes turned to see Robert entering the great hall, his focus on Elisiana in the arms of Sinclair. He pointed to her, wagging a finger.

"Get away from that man, Elisiana," he said steadily. "You belong to me. I decide whom you shall wed."

Santiago, Adriano, and Aristeo looked at the man as if he'd lost his mind. "What is the meaning of this, Robert?" Adriano demanded. "Leave your men outside. Weapons are not permitted in my hall."

Robert came to a halt but didn't order his men away. His gaze was still on Elisiana. "Unfortunately, I suspect that I am going to need them, so they will remain," he said. "I've come with news, Adriano. Bad news."

The mood of the hall began to turn into something dark. Robert's appearance wasn't unexpected, but it was strange. He seemed strange. Adriano, puzzled and angry, stepped off the dais and headed toward his brother-in-law.

"What news?" he said. "What are you talking about?"

Robert finally looked at him. "I received your missive about Lisi returning home," he said. "The unfortunate truth of the matter is that Adolph would not wait for her. You know he had another woman that he wanted, a woman beneath his station. That is why I pushed for the betrothal with Elisiana in the first place, so that he would not have to marry beneath his station. But with Elisiana running off, Adolph took it upon himself to marry the merchant's daughter. He has been married for months, only I did not tell you because I was certain Elisiana would never return home and the contract would be dissolved, and you needn't know what Adolph had done. But now… now she has returned and we find ourselves in an interesting situation."

Adriano's jaw dropped. "Adolph has already married ?"

Robert nodded. "He has," he said. "Against my wishes, of course. But he did."

Adriano's jaw closed as the news began to settle. "Then there is no more contract," he said. "Adolph saw to that."

Robert lifted a finger. "Untrue," he said. "You still owe me money. Even though Adolph married another, the contract still belongs to me because it is for a debt. And I intend to collect that debt."

"And I will pay," Sinclair said, even as Adriano tried to silence him. "Whatever the debt is, I will pay it, my lord."

Robert looked at him with some disdain. "You cannot pay what I am asking," he said. "Release her. I will not tell you again."

Sinclair didn't move. "What are you asking?"

"I will not discuss this with you."

"You will have to because I intend to marry Elisiana. Whether or not your debt is paid, she belongs to me."

"You are taking your life in your hands, sir," Robert said. "I suggest you do as I say."

Sinclair shook his head. "I will not."

"Then I will force you to."

"You can try."

Robert didn't say a word. He motioned to the man next to him, a tall and willowy fellow, who tossed back his cloak and produced an enormous broadsword. When Robert pointed toward Sinclair, the command was obvious.

Kill him.

Shocked, everyone began to shuffle away from the tall man with the big sword. Everyone but Sinclair, that was. He was forced to push Elisiana away from him and unsheathe his own broadsword, a wicked-looking thing that reflected the light of the great hall.

"Robert!" Adriano said. "What is the meaning of this?"

Robert was watching his swordsman advance on Sinclair. "I should think that would be obvious," he said. "I came here to collect payment for my debt. I will not let anyone stand in my way."

Adriano was nearly beside himself. "This is my home," he said. "I forbid you to violate my hall like this. Get out and take your men with you!"

"Not without my prize."

"There is no prize!"

Robert didn't respond, and Adriano began looking around desperately for a servant to send after his soldiers. He needed help with whatever was happening.

But help was already here.

Back by the entry door, Payne and Anteaus swooped in on Robert's escort and did away with five of them before the rest could even unsheathe their weapons. It was chaos back by the door as Robert realized his men were being set upon. Anteaus had managed to get the attention of some of Adriano's men out in the bailey, and they came running. Soon, soldiers were flooding in through the main entry door, dragging Robert's men out and kicking bodies to the ground.

As this was going on, Adriano managed to get hold of his daughter and pull her back toward the dais, away from the fighting. Santiago, always armed, unsheathed his own weapon, a smaller and more elegant piece, and pointed it at Robert.

"Call off your knight or you will be the next to die," he declared in a voice that didn't sound anything like the congenial pirate he was known to be. "You know who I am, de Norbury. Unless you want all of your properties burned to the ground, you will surrender your claim to Lisi and leave. I will not tell you again."

Robert, who had so recently been in control, now found himself in a bad position. He was without his armed escort thanks to the men in the back of the hall and how his French swordman was advancing on the man who had offered for Elisiana.

He was on his own.

"She belongs to me," he said, fear in his voice. "You cannot harass me, de Fernandez. I have a bigger army than you do!"

Santiago began to laugh as if he'd just heard something incredibly funny. "You think so, do you?" he said. "Well, you shall find out. And just so your defeat will be complete, I suggest you let your knight engage the man who wants very much to marry Elisiana. That way, the matter shall be decided decisively."

Robert's nervous gaze moved between Santiago and his French swordsman. "I should warn you that he is a specially trained swordsman from France," he said. "If you want him to fight the man who wishes to marry Elisiana, so be it. And when he wins, you will regret your words. Lisi will be mine."

Santiago's laughter faded and his dark eyes took on a deadly gleam. "I will not regret anything," he said. "But you will because the man your knight is about to attack is a Blackchurch trainer. He was also a master knight at Kenilworth Castle. He trained men like your Frenchman, so I think this will be a lesson to you, mi amigo . A lesson in losing."

That seemed to wipe some of the confidence off Robert's face. By the time he returned his attention to his Frenchman, the fight had already started.

And, quite possibly, was already lost.