Page 41 of A Second Chance for Carys
“Say one more word to my daughter and I will hit you. Hard,” she hissed. “People with mangled jaws can’t talk, can they? Nor can they use their mouths to rape unconscious men,” she added, so low only he and Margaret heard. “Maybe Ishouldhit you, and make sure no one else has to suffer because of you.”
The smaller woman blanched, understanding that this was no idle threat, and he could not blame her. Every inch the protective mother, Carys was bristling with anger, and magnificent with it. James’ body surged. Had they been alone, he would have swept her into his arms and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe to express his admiration. As they weren’t, he merely nodded at her.
Matthew stepped forward in turn, his face a mask of barely controlled fury. “Word of warning. If you ever dare show your face at Sheridan Manor ever again,Iwill personally deal with you. And I can guarantee you will regret ever bothering James, or talking to my wife the way you just did. Are we clear?”
There was such intent in his voice that Margaret took fright. She turned to him with wide, pleading eyes. James glared backat her. How dare she suppose he would take her defense after all she’d done to him? Never had he come so close to hating anyone.
“Don’t think for a moment I will help you,” he said between his teeth. “If you don’t want to travel home on your own, you will apologize to her ladyship immediately.”
Margaret lowered her gaze to the ground and turned to face Branwen, “I’m sorry for talking about your husband rutting on top of you. I imagine it was nothing like that.”
It was not the most gracious apology James had ever heard but he didn’t have the will to insist. He just wanted to be on his way so as to return as quickly as possible.
“Would you rather I asked a guard to escort the woman back home?” Matthew asked, placing a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of support. “I can easily do that.”
James was sorely tempted to wash his hands of the whole affair and accept the offer. Not only did he not want to leave Carys, but he couldn’t wait to be rid of his sister-in-law. Then he thought of Joanne. Despite what Margaret had done, she was her sister. He owed it to his late wife to ensure her safety. That way he could come back home with a clear conscience and put everything behind him.
“No,” he said, hoisting himself onto his horse before temptation overwhelmed him. He just had to do this. No one else would be able to convince Henry to take the woman on. “I thank you for the offer, but I will do my duty.”
Chapter Eleven
It the end, it was close to two months before James could make it back to Sheridan Manor. Traveling with an unstable woman like Margaret had been even more taxing than he had anticipated. It took forever to talk her into getting back on the horse every time they stopped and she was not confident enough in the saddle for them to canter or even trot. Once, she had even fled during the night. As she had left on foot rather than stealing the horse she could barely control, it had been relatively easy to get her back, but still, that had meant another day’s delay.
When they had finally reached her village, Henry had been nowhere to be found. His wife had informed them he’d gone to the fair in a town all the way on the coast and would likely not be back for another fortnight or so. Determined to impress upon his nephew by marriage the importance of not allowing his mother anywhere near Sheridan Manor again, James had elected to wait. Upon his return, as expected, the young man had been reluctant to agree it was his responsibility to look after his mother and it had taken James days he could ill afford to make him see reason.
Against all odds, it had been Henry’s wife who had finally convinced him that they could take care of her. What had possessed the woman to agree to have such a mother-in-law under her roof, James could not fathom, but he had not wasted time wondering about her motivations, as it meant he was finally free to go.
All in all, it had been a nightmare and he’d sworn as he left that he would never set foot in that part of the world again.
His life was now at Sheridan Manor. He wanted no other. Work had been his refuge when he’d lost his wife and having Matthew had made him feel as if he’d not lost all the family he ever had. Now, with the promise of a baby coming, he felt more than ever that it was the place for him to be.
A baby—and a woman he wanted.
Carys, who had promised to wait for him.
As soon as he saw the dear, familiar shape of Sheridan Manor in the distance, he urged his mount into a canter, then into a full gallop. It felt good to have something to look forward to, and someone he wanted to be reunited with.
Matthew was the first person he saw when he brought his lathered horse to a halt in the bailey a moment later.
“James.” The young man looked mighty relieved to see him. “You’re back just in time.”
In time for what? Heart beating hard, James jumped down from the saddle. The joy he’d felt coursing through his veins as his stallion’s hooves had pounded the ground vanished in the blink of an eye. What did he mean? Surely Branwen’s travails had not started yet? She was not supposed to give birth for another two months. Dear God, please, let there not be a problem with the babe. He knew all too well being born too early was a death sentence for a child. It had been for his first daughter.
“In time for what? Is it the baby?”
“No, thank God, Branwen is fine.” A small smile, the same he always gave when talking about his wife, curved Matthew’s lips. “But I was considering going to Wales and I didn’t want to leave Sheridan Manor without a man I trust within the walls.”
“You want to leave now?” James could hardly hide his surprise. With his wife so near her term, leaving should be the last thing Matthew was considering.
There was a sigh, proving he had not taken the decision lightly. “I know I should not even entertain the notion at this time, but I received a letter from Connor yesterday. After months of searching, he’s finally captured Gruffydd ap Hywel, the rebel who almost killed him shortly after his marriage to Esyllt. He wants me to be there when he metes out his punishment, and I will admit it would please me also. The man has escaped retribution for far too long. It is time he paid for what he did to my brother’s family, in good part through my fault.”
James nodded. Now he understood Matthew’s quandary, because he’d been told about the events of the past year. Indeed the Welshman deserved to die ten thousand deaths for what he had done, abducting an innocent child, then forcing her mother to hand over her husband so that the rebels could kill him in the most gruesome manner. The decisions Matthew had made at the time, before he’d come to trust his new sister-in-law, had cost Connor and Esyllt much suffering and months apart and he wanted to atone for it in every way he could. It was understandable.
But the moment was ill chosen.
“Are you going to go then?”
“Branwen is urging me to, even if she cannot travel herself. She wants to see her friend avenged as soon as possible and I feel I need to be there. But I would not have left while you were away. Now with you around, I know the place will be well guarded.”
