Page 68 of The Herald's Heart
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Talon’s side of the bed was empty when she woke late the following morning. She shivered beneath the covers reliving those lonely moments huddled naked and cold behind the stones on the beach with dusk looming. All her fears returned in a rush. Someone had tried to kill them. Was it the same someone who’d murdered the earl? Was she the target because she searched for proof of her identity? Or was Talon the target because he was the earl’s only obvious heir? Talon’s presence chased those fears to the darkest corners. On the beach, she’d wished for his return, and once he’d come back, she’d not wanted to leave his side. ’Twas foolish, she knew, to rely so greatly on him, but she could not persuade herself to behave otherwise.
Now she was alone again. Had he decided their coupling was unwise? She knew it was, and in the giddy rush of yesterday’s survival, she had not cared. Sharing his bed had put both their souls at risk. As terrifying as the thought of eternity in hell might be, would a lifetime with Talon be worth it? If she let herself continue on her present course, she would lose sight of the justice she sought, and that would condemn her to a living hell. She might gain Rosewood Castle, but at what cost? No, she must tell him that she could not lie with him again. Then she would confess and seek absolution for her sins.
Eager to settle things with Talon, Larkin rose, dressed, and raced to the hall.
Talon was nowhere in sight. Father Timoras, however, entered the hall just as she was about to search the bailey. They met in the doorway.
“Good day.” The priest’s disapproval simmered beneath the polite words.
Larkin refused to allow his frowns to increase her suffering. Talon would not be happy with her decision, but it was the right one and she must make him see that. She turned her sunniest smile on the priest. “Good day to you as well, Father Timoras. Have you seen Sir Talon?”
“Nay, lady. Not since he sought out Cleve just before sunrise. Honestly, the way Sir Talon neglects his responsibilities is shameful. He was absent all day yesterday and now again today.”
Larkin winced. Talon had made up some story for his long absence yesterday. He’d told her he hoped whoever had barred the door would make a mistake and show surprise at seeing them. “Know you what he wanted of Cleve?”
The priest sighed. “I am too busy to keep track of all Sir Talon’s comings and goings, but I believe he mentioned the caves. Now I really must be about my work.”
The caves! Where they were nearly drowned. “Wait, Father.”
Timoras turned at her demand. “Yes,” he said and rolled his eyes.
“Did anyone go with Sir Talon? Sir Amis perhaps?”
“There was a third man talking with Sir Talon and Cleve, but I cannot say for certain that the man was Sir Amis. Sir Talon blocked my view.” He turned abruptly and walked away.
“Thank you, Father Timoras.”
But her thanks fell on deaf ears. She took no time to worry herself over the priest’s manner. She had to find Talon.
Half the day later, she resigned herself to failure. She’d located Cleve, who told her that he had orders to keep her inside Hawksedge Keep, even if he had to restrain her. Sir Talon wanted to ensure her safety while he plotted how to catch the person trying to kill her. The knight had a good plan and Sir Amis to help him. He didn’t need Lady Larkin distracting him, no matter how good her intentions. So would my lady please, for once, make Cleve’s job just a bit easier and wait calmly in the solar?
Larkin waited, but she was far from calm. When she finally heard the hidden door open across from the solar, her nerves were stretched taut.
She hurried to the hallway, but the men were already descending the main stairs. Amis and Talon marched straight and tall down to the great hall. But the shorter, heavier man between them slumped, dragging his feet. Larkin shivered. They’d caught him. Talon had returned successful from his search for a killer. She grabbed a wrap to ward off the sudden chill and hurried after the men.
By the time she reached the great hall, their voices were raised in argument.
“I swear to you, ’tis all I was doing in those caves,” whined a voice she remembered so well that it froze her to the marrow.
Talon had his back to her, blocking her view of the speaker. He snorted. “Why would you go to such trouble to conceal meetings with a tavern wench from Hawking Sedge? No one would think twice about the girl earning a few pennies on her back, nor would they care that ’twas Baron Le Hourde who paid her.”
Sir Amis stood stonily on the other side of the man. “Aye, sir, while I may not approve of Talon’s methods in this case, your tale is a weak one at best. Tell us the truth and ’twill go easier with you.”
Larkin was close enough now to see the man lift his head, although she still could not see his face. She heard quite clearly the pitiful tone the man used. She knew the voice, but the last time she heard it, the speaker had sneered and laughed with arrogant contempt. She shook her head. This was Baron Le Hourde, the man to whom the now-dead earl had given her home. She’d never met him; how could she know his voice? The answer was mind-numbingly clear.
“You must swear never to tell a soul.” The voice actually trembled.
“You are hardly in a position to bargain,” Talon reminded him.
Larkin stepped cautiously around the men. She wanted a look at this baron, the man who held the deed to Rosewood Castle. She also wanted to know why Talon’s supposed friend Amis was treating Le Hourde so kindly?
“I ... I can’t say her name. She is a nun, and ’twould shame her if our meetings became known.”
“Ha, you would have us believe that you have a noble holy woman as mistress,” Talon sneered. “The only woman of such rank in the area is the abbess, and I doubt much that she would betray her vows for any man.”
“I swear ’tis true.” The baron spoke more aggressively and made to rise. “The woman is capable of the foulest deeds.”
