Page 27 of Forgotten Secrets (Secrets of the Heart 4)

“The . . . job,” Bedivere said under his breath, his eyes glancing over to the guards once again.

“You can’t be serious!” said Percival. “You want me to give him that message? If I do that, I’ll be the next one on your list, I guarantee it.”

“Tell him I think he got some bad information and that I won’t go through with it.”

“And what about Mother? You’d risk her life because of a girl? After all, we both know it’s the reason you are hesitating to fulfill your commitment.”

Bedivere paced back and forth. Percival made sense. He couldn’t take the chance that his mother would be killed because of him refusing to do a job. He looked out over the battlements and then back to his brother.

“Before you go to Whitmore, stop by at the cottage. Tell Aunt Joan and Uncle Theobald to take our siblings and go into hiding.”

“What are you saying? How do you expect them to disappear and not have Whitmore notice?”

“You said they have friends in the village. Mayhap, they can help them.”

“Mayhap, but what happens when Whitmore finds out?”

“It shouldn’t matter. I already earned their freedom. He can’t stop them from leaving.”

“And what about Mother?”

Bedivere rubbed his hand over his face. He didn’t want to make this choice. He wouldn’t let his mother die, but neither would he kill Morag’s father and uncles when he didn’t believe they were guilty of plotting against the king.

“Tell him it was one kill for every person I saved. This is three, and that’s not fair.”

“So am I telling him you’ll do one but not three? Or am I telling him that you’ll not do any at all?”

“We’ll make him believe I’ll do one more like we’d agreed upon. But let him choose which one of the three is my next mark.”

“So you’re really going to go through with it?”

“Nay, you fool, I’m not! But Whitmore doesn’t need to know that. If he thinks I’ll do away with one of the three, it’ll buy us some time until I figure out how to save Mother. Once I figure out that part, we’ll join the rest of our family and head to Scotland.”

“Bedivere, what is happening to you? I’ve never known you to run from your troubles.”

“I’m not running from anything. I’m just going to remove my family from this unfortunate situation once and for all.”

“All right then. I’ll go and give the message, but I think that wench has done something to make you want to run.”

In a way, Bedivere thought the same thing, but he wouldn’t admit it. He felt himself falling hard for Morag but he knew it could never work between them. Once she found out from her sister about his past, Morag would hate him, fear him, and want nothing to do with him ever again. That thought alone was enough to make him want to run. But no matter how fast or far he ran, he would never be able to escape his horrible past.

* * *

Enteringthe secret garden just as the sky started to lighten on the horizon, Morag hurried to the cottage, hoping to find Mazelina there.

“Mazelina, I’m here,” she said, barging into the house without knocking, not thinking until afterwards that the old woman might want her privacy. “Mazelina?” She looked over at the bed, but the woman wasn’t there.

Curious, she moved through the house looking for evidence of the woman’s personal items, clothes, or perhaps even food on the table or in the cupboards, but found nothing. Mazelina wasn’t here. Morag had waited too long to return and now she’d been abandoned.

Sadly, she turned to go but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the old woman standing by the door.

“Mazelina, I didna see ye outside nor did I hear ye come into the house.”

“So you returned?” asked the old woman, holding her hands folded in front of her as she stood still.

“Aye, I am here for my trainin’. I am sorry I missed a few days but I’ve been busy.”

“I know. With Sir Bedivere.”

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