“I do not understand how he could forgive such a thing,” she said. “He discovered that which you were attempting to keep from him. And my brother… when you came to Eynsford, you left him alone. Did you not think he would wander and strike again? Did that not occur to you?”
McCloud sighed heavily, with great emotion. “What was I to do?” he asked. “Bring him with me? Mat does not function well outside of his world at Durley. He would have been a miserable fit of a man. I had no choice to leave him behind when I set out for Eynsford.”
“You should have caged him!” Vesper shouted. “Did you hear what they were calling him, Papa? The Angel of Death. Did you know that? Did you know what terrible things he was called?”
McCloud was struggling to keep above the guilt and regret that was grasping at him. “I heard,” he muttered. “I knew. But I will be truthful – I did not expect to find him in town this day. Even when the mob gathered, it did not occur to me that it was for him.”
Vesper was beside herself with frustration. All of it was too much to take for a young woman who’d had so little excitement in her life. “If you did not restrain him before you left, then you should have known he would leave,” she said. “Now he has killed again? All of that blood he has spilled is on your conscience, Papa. It is your soul these deeds have stained.”
McCloud knew that. He was a condemned man and he had resigned himself to that long ago. “It is as you say,” he said. “There is no use speaking on what has already been done. I cannot change anything. What matters now is what the future will bring. You must return to Val… reconcile with him. He is a good man, Vesper. He is everything I am not. Go back to him now and I shall leave you alone. You will not see me again.”
Vesper considered that. She genuinely did not want to see her father again, not after the havoc he’d brought to her life in just the short time they’d been reunited. Maybe he was right; maybe there was the possibility that Val would forgive her for not having told him what she knew. Was he worth the attempt? With every breath she drew, she believed he was.
Perhaps her father was right for once.
“Very well,” she said, taking a deep breath and endeavoring to calm herself. “I will return to Val to see if anything can be salvaged. But you will keep your word – return to Durley and stay there. Do not speak to me or contact me. I do not ever wish to see you again.”
McCloud was grieved to hear those words but he knew it was for the best. “You will not, I swear it,” he said, depressed. “But allow me to return with you to see to your brother, at least. I must see what has become of him.”
“You know what has become of him.”
“Val promised me he would see to him. He will spare your brother, I know it.”
Vesper didn’t say a word. With a lingering glance at her father, one full of disgust, she turned and headed back the way she had come, back to the square where hundreds of people were still milling about.
The crowd hadn’t disbursed but it had grown eerily quiet. Vesper skirted the group, straining to catch a glimpse of Val where she last saw him, over on the north side of the square. It seemed very densely packed over on that side as people crowded in to see the murderer who had been captured.
The Angel of Death she’d heard the people call her brother. She was grateful that no one knew who she was as she moved through the crowd lest she be attacked for being related to the murderer they were all so fearful of. It would be great irony for her to be caught up in her foolish brother’s punishment.
The closer she drew to the last place she saw Val, the more her stomach twisted into knots. She began to second guess herself, wondering if this was a wise thing to do. Did her father tell her the truth when he said that Val was still concerned for her even after what had happened? Or was it a lie designed to manipulate her? She didn’t want to face Val only to be condemned. She’d run away from him for a reason – so she wouldn’t have to face him. Was it cowardly of her? It was. But she didn’t care. Better a coward than to see hate in Val’s eyes when he looked at her.
Vesper must have slowed her pace when her indecision began to overwhelm her because McCloud grasped her by the arm, pulling her through the crowd, forcing her into Val’s presence. When they finally entered a dense portion of the mob, McCloud began pushing people out of the way, dragging his daughter behind him. Soon enough, they were through the thick of it but they ran headlong into St. Lo’s hired men. They were kept back just as the crowd was, away from the prisoner and the scene beyond. McCloud could see Val standing several feet away.
“De Nerra!” he shouted over the crowd.
Val’s head snapped in his direction and he caught sight of McCloud and Vesper at the edge of the crowd. Leaving St. Lo, he quickly made his way over to them, telling St. Lo’s men to let them through. McCloud had a tight grip on Vesper as he pulled her with him.
“I found her,” he declared the obvious. “She did not want to come but I told her that she must.”
Val’s gaze was on Vesper. Her head was down and she was clearly reluctant, even as her father dragged her along. “Thank you,” he said to McCloud. Seeing that Vesper was pulling against her father, or digging her heels in at the very least, he spoke softly and calmly to her. “Vesper, I will tell your father to release you if you promise not to run. Will you do that? Will you promise to remain?”
Vesper couldn’t even look at him; guilt was consuming her, but she managed to nod. “Aye.”
Her tone was barely above a whisper. Val spoke to McCloud. “Release her, if you will.”
McCloud did so against his better judgement. He still wasn’t entirely sure Vesper would keep her promise. He waited a few seconds for her to start running again but she didn’t. She remained rooted to the spot, her head lowered in a gesture reminiscent of a beaten dog. But that was as much concern as McCloud could spare. He began looking around for his son, his primary concern at the moment.
“Where is Mat?” he asked eagerly. “Did they take him away?”
Val knew his question would come and he thought he could muster some pity for McCloud, but he couldn’t. He had absolutely no pity for a man who would knowingly get himself into such a predicament and allow a son to murder unimpeded. He wasn’t even tactful in his reply.
“Do you know what Infangenethef is?” he asked.
McCloud hesitated before shaking his head. “Nay.”
“It means that I have the authority to render judgement over any and all crime committed within my jurisdiction.”
McCloud knew this had to do with his son. “I know, Val. I know that you must punish my son for what he has done. Where is he?”
Val pointed to a heap of something covered up by a dirty horse blanket they’d taken from the livery across the square. “He is there,” he said. “Based on your son’s confession and the testimony of witnesses, a judgement was rendered and the sentence carried out. Before you think me unfair, be grateful that you are not beneath that cover, also, as an accomplice to your son’s deeds.”
McCloud’s eyes widened, his jaw going slack. His dark eyes fell on the dirty horse blanket and he could see a hand poking out beneath it. With a wail that set Val’s hair on end, McCloud rushed to the covered corpse and threw the blanket back, weeping loudly at the sight of his son’s headless body.
His cries were enough to mute the crowd into an uncertain buzz. It was an unearthly howl, grief in the purest sense. The hushed villagers watched as McCloud collected the corpse of his son, still warm, and held it to his chest as he wept. Mat’s head was on the other side of the body, getting rolled around as McCloud sobbed.
Val watched the scene without emotion but Vesper couldn’t look. She kept her head turned away, hearing her father’s cries, knowing that it was a pain of his own making. Still, it didn’t make it any easier to listen to. She very much wanted to leave.
“You had my father bring me back,” she said to Val, her voice hoarse with emotion. “Please say what you need to say so I can leave
this place.”
Val looked at her, seeing her distress. He moved slightly, blocking her view of her father and brother. “You did not give me a chance to say anything before you went running off,” he said quietly. “Will you not at least look at me when I speak to you?”
“I cannot.”
“Why?”
She let out an ironic choke. “Because I cannot see your hatred for me. Please say what you must and let me go.”
Val sighed heavily. “I do not hate you,” he said. “But I want to know why you did not tell me any of this. Did you truly believe you could resolve it?”
Vesper nodded, her lower lip trembling. “I was going to try.”
“But… your brother has committed serious crimes,” he said softly, pleading with her. “I admire the fact that you thought you could resolve the situation, but did you not understand how serious it is?”
She wiped quickly at her eyes, flicking away the tears angrily. “Of course I understood how serious it is,” she hissed. “But I thought I could stop it because I was afraid… afraid of the damage it would do to my reputation if and when the activities became public. I was trying to save myself, Val. Do you understand that?”
In truth, he did. “Aye, I do,” he replied. “But… you could have told me. I could have helped you.”
She sighed sharply, frustrated by his statement. “Is that really true?” she nearly demanded. “I have known you a matter of two days. How would it seem if I suddenly came out and told you that my father and brother had been starving so my idiotic brother had taken to murdering people to steal their food? You do not know me and know that I am as reasonable and honorable as a woman can be. You would have thought I was mad for telling you such things. Worse still, you might have thought I was even in league with them. Of course I could not tell you; I did not know you well enough. And I did not want to ruin what we had building between us.”
It made perfect, utter sense to Val. “I suppose I do see your point,” he said reluctantly. “I suppose I cannot blame you for not telling me. But you do see how shocking this was to me – to discover all of this. And McCloud… God’s Bones, what has happened to that man I knew?”
It was a rhetorical question, perhaps not really seeking an answer, but Vesper chose to answer it. “I do not know,” she said. “You can imagine my horror when he told me.”
“I believe I can.”
Silence fell between them, a painful silence that left them both wondering if there was anything else to say on the matter. Vesper finally sighed faintly, a sound of misery.
“Will you please permit me to leave now?” she asked.
Val looked at her; her lowered head, her slumped shoulders. It was killing him that she refused to look him in the eye.
“I told you that I do not hate you,” he murmured. “Will you please look at me?”
She shook her head. “Nay,” she responded, the tears coming once more. “Please do not make me.”
Val’s heart was breaking. “Then what can I do?” he asked. “Is it because of your brother? I had no choice, Vesper. The man was guilty. It is my duty to render judgement and carry out sentencing, which is what I did. I will not apologize for doing my duty.”
Vesper shook her head, peeping an eye open to see her father several feet away as the man cradled a headless corpse. She quickly shut her eyes again. “You do not have to,” she said. “I understand that you did what you had to do. As for my brother, I have no love for him. He was a wicked man and my father never disciplined him, not even when he… suffice it to say that my brother has caused me years of misery. If it is wicked to be relieved for another’s death, then I am wicked. I am relieved.”
Val had to admit he was glad to hear that. At least she bore no grudge against him. “Then what can I do to make things right again? I understand you had no part in this. I understand this was your father’s doing. Will you please look at me now?”
Vesper opened her eyes but she stopped short of looking at him. “Please,” she whispered, “you must understand that I discovered something about myself over the past two days. I never believed that I could feel for someone the way I feel for you. You make me… happy. So very happy. But I feel as if I have betrayed all of that by being part of a family who murders and lies. You asked to court me, Val; I cannot allow it. You do not deserve to be related to a family of murderers. As the Itinerant Justice, that would be most shameful if people discovered your association. Do you not understand that? It is for your own good that I must do this.”
He was shocked to hear this. “You will let me decide what is in my best interest,” he said. “I am unconcerned with being related to the House of d’Avignon. The name still stands for something, something good, at least to most people who remember your father and grandfather, and their honor as knights.”
Tears were running down Vesper’s face as she quickly wiped them away. He just didn’t seem to understand that she was only thinking of him. “But someday, it will not. Word of this will spread and it would be most shameful for you.”
Val couldn’t help it. He reached out and grabbed her by the arms, giving her a shake so her head rolled back and he finally found himself looking into those beautiful hazel eyes.
“Listen to me,” he said. “I have never felt for anyone as I feel for you. I do not give my affections frequently or easily, and I have done both with you. I know that I was shocked earlier when I discovered what you knew of your father and brother, but that has been forgotten. I still intend to court you and, God willing, marry you someday. This incident with your brother and father… it is over now. Justice has been rendered and I will deal with McCloud appropriately. But that is wholly separate from my feelings or intentions towards you. Is that clear enough?”
Vesper shook her head, turning her gaze sideways so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I cannot let you.”
“Is it because you do not feel for me as I feel for you? I thought you did. You were clear that you did. How has that changed, Vesper? I have not done anything wrong and neither have you.”
She tried to lift her hand to wipe at her watery eyes but the way he was holding her arms made that impossible. She finally gave up. “I care for you too much; that is why I must spare you.”
“You will let me decide my own risks. And you are well worth anything I have to endure. Please believe me, Vesper.”
His last few words were pleading with her, a man who had lowered his guard and was now vulnerable. Vesper could hear it in his voice and it was enough to give her a small measure of hope. Was it true? Did he really feel as if she wasn’t a liability to his work and reputation? Her heart, so shattered by the recent turn of events, began to feel stronger. But she still wasn’t convinced. She swallowed away the last of her tears.
“Will you do something for me, then?” she asked.
He didn’t hesitate. “Anything.”
“Let me return to Eynsford. Let me put some distance and time between us, and let us both think very hard on whether or not we still wish to pursue this relationship. Something has happened to it, Val; something dark and terrible. It has been damaged. Please…let us both decide if it can be mended.”
“I know it can be mended.”
She lifted her hands, putting them on his chest in a pleading manner. “Much has happened today and you are full of emotion,” she said earnestly. “You are, mayhap, not thinking as clearly as you should. Let me return to Eynsford and you return to Selborne. Ponder what a relationship with me will really entail, the sister of a murder. If, after a time, you still feel the same way, then send for me.”
Val could see that she was probably correct. Today had been an important event in his life. He was still riding high on the emotion of it. Perhaps he would go home and, after thinking carefully about everything, decide that he wanted to put it, and Vesper, behind him. But he felt so strongly for her that he couldn’t imagine that would be the case. He was fairly certain that he loved her, even after knowing her such a
short time, but he would not say so.
Perhaps she was right – perhaps they both needed time to think.
He thought of the necklace he’d given her, tucked into the belt at his waist. Reaching down, he pulled it out, holding it up between them.
“I will return to Selborne as you ask, and I will think,” he said quietly. “But I already know what my decision will be. That has not changed. In a week’s time, I will send a messenger to Eynsford with this necklace. If your decision is to permit me to continue courting you, then you will keep it. If you have decided against it, then simply send it back and I will trouble you no more. Agreed?”
It was a fair enough arrangement. Vesper’s gaze drifted over the magnificent necklace before looking him in the eye.
“Agreed.”
Val’s focus fixed on her for a moment before taking the necklace and tucking it into his coin purse for safe keeping. Once he’d done that, he looked at her again. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he was fearful to tell her. His mind was muddled by everything that had happened that day.
“I will have some of St. Lo’s men return you to Eynsford,” he said. “It should take about four days so I will pay them well to ensure you sleep in a good bed nightly and are well protected. Are… are you sure I cannot accompany you?”
Vesper almost agreed but she reconsidered. It would defeat the purpose that they had already established; of deciding whether or not this courtship was damaged beyond repair. Everything had happened so fast that they both needed time to think.
Only time would tell.
“I believe it would be best if you did not,” she said. “But thank you for being generous enough to hire men to return me to Eynsford. I am grateful.”