Page 57 of Betrayal from Beyond
“Oh.” Kara’s impatience melted away. “Of course.”
After dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he went upstairs to Gyda’s rooms. He thought he might have to wait, but she called for him to enter on his first knock.
He found she had changed her clothes, but left her hair in the wild braids. It felt utterly suitable for the journey they meant to embark upon.
“Is Hawkins ready to talk, then?” She was closing the lid of an elaborately carved wooden box. It was covered with Norse runes, knotwork, and depictions of dragons. The top was inlaid with a metal warrior’s shield.
“Soon.” He nodded toward the box. “I remember when you bought that in the market in Birka.”
“I’ve kept it empty all this time. I was saving it to hold something special.”
As he approached, she draped the traditional beads she’d been wearing earlier across the front of the box.
“Please don’t be offended,” she said quietly. “I love the beads. I will keep them forever, along with the traditional gown, but I don’t believe I will ever wear them again.”
Niall shook his head. “Do what you must, Gyda. You could never offend us.”
She bit her lip. “Charles loved it. I wish you had seen his eyes light up when I walked into the museum tonight.”
“I am sure he admired the gown, but it was the woman inside it who made him light up.”
Her face crumpled. He opened his arms, and she walked into them and buried her face in his chest. He knew she shed tears, but she conquered them quickly. “I loved him, Niall.” Blinking and red-eyed, she looked up at him. “Isn’t that a hell of a thing? Who would have predicted it, if they had seen the pair of us competing for the barmaids’ attentions in Oslo?”
“Love happens where it will,” he said. “And it was very clear that he felt the same way about you.”
“It would have been tricky. Difficult. His family would have hated the idea of us together.” Her expression hardened. “We might have had only a slim chance at happiness, but that bitch of a woman stole even that.” She stepped out of his embrace. “I’m ready to hear what Hawkins has to say, but I want to move quickly. I know you count Wooten as a friend, but we have to stay ahead of him in this.”
“Stratton will be calling for justice. Now that she’s killed the son of a duke, the quiet part of this investigation will be finished.”
“Wooten will wish to keep her, interrogate her about her nefarious plans to harm the nation, but I don’t care about anyof that. She’s a destroyer, Niall. She offers nothing to the world save chaos and destruction. I won’t have it. I meant it when I said I mean to finish her.”
Niall’s jaw tightened. Gyda’s heart was broken, and he ached for her. But she had come within seconds of dying tonight, and Kara had been not far behind. “And I meant it when I agreed with you.”
“Then let’s go.”
They found Kara pacing outside the parlor. Turner waited nearby.
She looked up with relief when they arrived. “Oh, good.” She took Gyda’s hand. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s hear what he has to say.”
They entered to find Preston seated. The slender man who must be Tom Hawkins stood at the window, staring outside.
“He’s agreed to answer your questions,” Preston said. “But I fear he doesn’t know much of use.”
“Let’s find out,” Niall said. He saw Kara draw a breath, but Hawkins spoke before she could.
“Who is that boy?” Hawkins glanced back. “The pair of you are only just married. He cannot be yours.”
Kara crossed to look out. Niall followed. He was surprised to see that the sun was up. Harold was out in the wintry morning. He must have been on his way to the laboratory, but he had stopped to examine the first green shoots of a border of snow drops.
“Heisours,” Kara countered. “Harold is my ward.”
“Your ward? Has he other family?”
“No.”
Turning, Hawkins looked intently between them. “The thing is, I think he might. He bears a strong resemblance to a boy I used to know. A small sprig of a street child.” He looked outthe window again. “An uncanny resemblance, it is. I think there must be a sibling out there, somehow.”
