Page 83 of Ties of Legacy

Elliot’s tremors returned, except maybe it wasn’t him trembling but Avery doing so, the shaking running up the hand he still had protectively on her arm.

“Elliot?” Corbett also stepped out of the trees, smiling when he saw Elliot on his feet and appearing unharmed. But the moment his eyes fell on Rene, lightning shot across his face.

“Clarence!” he thundered, stepping toward him. “I’ve told you?—”

“That my dead brother was still alive?” Rene asked acidly before the earlier unsettling smile crept back over his face. “But the truth has been revealed, and now my nephew is in charge. He’s just been telling me that he intends to give me a second chance and welcome me back into the family. Isn’t that right, Elliot?”

Several more men appeared at Corbett’s back, a rumble spreading through them as they spotted Rene.

“Elliot?” Corbett asked. “What is he talking about?” He looked mostly confused, but Avery caught a whisper of uncertainty at the back of his eyes, and it made her heart twist.

He was wondering if he’d misjudged Elliot, and she couldn’t bear to see Elliot lose the trust of his father’s steward because of a monster like Rene. She would explain everything, and...

But the lamp had disappeared from Rene’s hands. He had hidden it away somewhere on his person, and Avery could imagine how delusional she would sound if she started babbling about Elliot being tied to a lamp. It might have been a little more convincing coming from him, but he said nothing.

With every moment that he remained silent, Corbett’s concern visibly grew while Rene’s satisfied smile stretched wider. Avery stared pleadingly up at Elliot, willing him to say something—do something.

But if he saw her, he gave no indication of it. His eyes were trained on Corbett, as if he held answers Elliot had been seeking.

Finally he shook himself and turned to Rene. “You can use that lamp to threaten me, Rene, and there’s little I can do to stop you. But you can’t use it to access my father’s wealth or power.”

Rene’s smile didn’t falter. “I think you’ll find I’m the one in control now, nephew. Unless you’d like to explain the situation to all these men?” He seemed certain Elliot wouldn’t want to expose his weakness to so many.

But Elliot didn’t flinch. He raised his voice to be heard clearly by everyone present. “All of you can bear witness to my declaration. I hereby gift my manor at Bolivere, its associated wealth, and the authority that comes with it to Corbett, my current steward.”

Silence greeted his words, but he gave a satisfied smile and turned back to Rene. “So as you see,” he finished, “it doesn’t matter how you threaten me. I can’t give you what isn’t mine.”

Avery gaped at him. He looked…happy. Or perhaps that wasn’t quite right. He looked lighter, as if he’d finally released a heavy burden. Could that mean he was truly pleased about what he’d done?

“Nonsense!” Rene blustered, his anger betraying his fear. “You can’t do that. If you don’t want your inheritance, it passes to the next heir. The manor and the family fortune are mine.”

Elliot raised an eyebrow. “I think you’ll find this has nothing to do with inheritance. I’ve already accepted my inheritance, and I can produce any number of witnesses who will attest that I ate at my father’s table last night and slept in the master room at themanor. And now, having received my inheritance, it’s mine to do with as I will. Including gifting it to my worthy friend, Corbett.”

“Are you serious?” Corbett finally found his voice. “You can’t be.”

Elliot’s determined expression didn’t change for Corbett any more than it had for Rene. “I’ve never been more serious. The person who has been protecting Bolivere in my father’s place isn’t me, Corbett, it’s you. Unlike me, you’ve earned your place as leader of this town, and you should have the house and resources that go with the position.”

One of the men gave a cheer, and the others joined in, silencing the protests Rene was still trying to make. In the face of their response, he must have realized Bolivere would accept Elliot’s declaration. His face turned ugly.

“You should have taken my offer when you had the chance, nephew,” he said. “Because I believe in repaying one dirty move with another.”

Before Avery realized his intentions, he dashed into the trees, racing away from Corbett and his men. She pushed Elliot in his direction, finally breaking Elliot’s grasp of her arm.

“Quick!” she gasped. “Run after him. It’s your only…” Her voice trailed off as Elliot remained in place, smiling down at her.

She grabbed both his arms, ready to steady him if he stumbled and fell. But he remained straight, his face calm and his color normal.

“What’s happening?” she cried, utterly confused. He had reacted so strongly in the cave, how could he still look so healthy now? The sounds of Rene crashing through the underbrush were growing fainter and fainter.

Corbett signaled several of the men, and they took off after Rene. Avery didn’t even see them go, her full focus on Elliot.

“I felt it,” he murmured to her. “When I turned my inheritance over to Corbett, I felt something inside me shift. I guess we didn’t need a bargain after all, just a sacrifice.”

Avery swallowed, her mouth dry. “You mean…your tie to the lamp is gone? It’s really gone? You’re not going to be affected no matter how far Rene goes?”

Elliot nodded, his smile growing bigger and brighter. “I think so. I feel fine so far.”

“But that means…” Avery trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say. The maelstrom of emotions inside her were far too contradictory.

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