Page 53 of A Second Chance for Carys
She would do what it took to protect her family and the people she loved.
“Is it really worth taking the risk of such a tale reaching the king’s ears, my lord? Only you can tell. But I would think very carefully if I were you, because your uncle will have little choice but to heed Branwen’s words when she stakes her claim, supported by her husband, brother to one of his most loyal knights. Are you so confident he will not believe her when she says you wanted to show her how much more manly than the king himself you were?”
“He would have to believe I raped her first!”
Carys didn’t let that bother her. Unfortunately, a man who acted the way he had acted toward her daughter could not be new to the crime. No, she could well imagine the charge of rape had been laid at the earl’s door before. The real question was not whether Edward would believe it, but whether he would think it worthy of punishment. From what she’d heard, he was not exactly the scrupulous sort himself when it came to women.
Feeling sick to her soul at the depravity of men, she straightened her spine.
“He will have no choice but to believe her, because she has everything she needs to back her claim.” Thanks to her, Branwen would be in possession of the earl’s undershirt, which they would make sure to tear and bloody before it was presented to the king. “The garment you discarded before pouncing on her, for one.”
She glanced to the pile of clothes meaningfully. But, far from being worried at the realization that his undershirt was missing, the earl scoffed. “A man doesn’t need to get naked to take hispleasure with a woman. Are you still a virgin that you do not know this, old crone?”
“Perhaps the shirt alone will not be enough,” she conceded, not allowing the insult to rankle her. “But that will not be her only proof.” Carys smiled grimly when she remembered Margaret using her knowledge of James’ body to make him believe they had slept together. It had been what had made him take her claim seriously. Despicable as it was, it was worth using the same weapon. She arched a brow and nodded in the direction of the earl’s groin. “How would she know how small your appendage is if you had not raped her? Or are you telling me it is common knowledge at court?”
Fury exploded in the man’s eyes. Had it been wise to add that last provocation? Probably not. But she had not been able to resist, knowing that someone like him would hate to be mocked in his virility. One had to strike where it hurt, and she did not have any sword. More’s the pity. Then she would have been able to punish him the way she wanted, and make sure he did not assault anyone else ever again. He snatched the sheet to cover his offended manhood when she’d feared he would launch himself at her in retaliation.
It was then Carys understood that she had won.
It seemed that, against all odds, the man had some vestige of honor left. If he had not, he would just have killed her for her slight. Of course, the fact that he hadn’t struck her might not have anything to with honor. She had claimed everyone at Sheridan Manor was in accord as to what version of events to present to the king when he arrived. With her out of the way, they would still present their grievances, and add her murder to the list. He was cornered and he knew it.
“You would lie and blackmail me?” he rasped once he was covered.
There was no hesitation. She would have done far worse for Branwen and James and he was a fool to even doubt it.
“Yes, because they are the only weapons I have. Were I a knight instead of an untrained woman, believe me, I would silence you in a more permanent way for raping my daughter.”
“Wait, I didn’t?—”
“Only because someone stronger stopped you before you could,” she spat, unable to believe he thought the fact that he had been prevented from actually raping his victim would be an argument in his favor. “And you had every intention of doing so. You frightened her out of her wits, which is bad enough, and her being with child and so close to her term! She fainted from sheer terror because of what you did. Or did you not see that?” For a moment Branwen would have thought herself back to her old life, before Matthew, when men thought they could dispose of her body. It was unbearable. “You nearly sent her husband mad with anguish. You put her babe in danger. What you did is unforgivable. Believe me, if I had James Mortimer’s strength, you would be dead by now.”
Carys had thought herself powerless but, in that moment, she saw that he believed her. The mighty Earl of Lancaster, nephew to the King of England, thought her a force to be reckoned with.
She pressed her advantage.
“So now the choice is yours: either you kill an innocent man, someone so below your notice you won’t even derive any satisfaction from his murder, or you risk the ire of your uncle, who happens to be the most powerful man in all England, Scotland and Wales, a man who subjugated two proud nations and created a whole dynasty.” God knew she hated the man, but if ever there was a time to list King Edward’s achievements, this was it. “How do you think he will take the humiliation of being told in front of his men that you think him unable to performin bed? Do you think he will really give you the benefit of the doubt?”
Here she was relying on the fact that the young pup had already roused his uncle’s hackles with his arrogance. For all she knew, the two men trusted one another implicitly. Heart beating, she waited. It quickly became obvious, however, that she had been right to gamble on him having riled the king in the past. The earl’s face became a stony mask, as if he knew he would not so easily talk himself out of the hole she had dug for him.
Finally, he uttered the words she had been hoping to hear. “What do you want?”
“My daughter will be excused from seeing the king when he arrives. She will plead an indisposition, on account of her being with child.” Her voice was as hard as steel, betraying her determination. But she would not have Branwen setting eyes on her aggressor ever again or meeting the equally lecherous Edward. Matthew would have to welcome him, of course, and he might well want to air his grievances about the man’s nephew once he was in front of him, but she was confident she could talk some sense into him before the confrontation.
“Agreed.” The earl saw the benefit in this for him and sounded only too glad to grant her this wish. If Branwen didn’t see the king, she would not be able to accuse him of having raped her.
“And, secondly, you will release James Mortimer. Now. Tonight. He will leave the castle before dawn, you have my word on it, and not come back until the royal retinue has left. With him gone, and Branwen safely tucked away in her bedchamber, no one will breathe a word of what happened to the king during his stay at Sheridan Manor. You will be safe.”
The young man stared at her a long moment, weighing her determination. She stared right back, unblinking. Never had she felt more ready to stand her ground.
“Eventually, he surrendered,” Carys told James, who had watched her with wide eyes during her whole story. “I left the room in possession of the key that would free you, and his promise no one would stop me from entering or exiting the dungeon.”
“So you saved my life?” His voice was full of awe.
“There was no reason for you to be killed in the first place, so it is little achievement,” she retorted promptly. Why should he be punished for doing no more than defend an innocent woman from rape? He had done nothing wrong.
“I beg to differ. You are one amazing woman, Carys.”
“I don’t know about that.” But she felt amazing, and other things besides, when she was with him.
