Born to Bite (23 page)

“Which is precisely why I said no,” Lucian responded just as grimly. “You’d be distracted. I need you both to have your heads on straight so you don’t miss anything, and to be alert in case there’s another attempt to kill one of you.”

Armand blinked in surprise. “One of us? You mean Eshe. It’s always my life mate or wife who has died.”

“Usually after marrying you and giving birth to your child, or in Annie’s case, marrying your son and being pregnant,” Lucian said and then pointed out dryly, “Eshe hasn’t married or, I presume, got pregnant, and this time you were present and would have died too so something has changed.”

“I suppose,” Armand muttered, wondering what that could be. His life had gone along in the same pattern for so long the days had begun to blend into one another…until Eshe’s arrival in it. In fact, her appearance in his life was the only change there’d been. But while the murders had all only ever included his wives before this, and his son’s wife, Annie, he
would
have died in that fire with Eshe had he not woken when he had. An interesting development.

“Why didn’t you come to me with your suspicions after Rosamund died?” Lucian asked abruptly, distracting him from his thoughts.

Armand scowled briefly, but then shook his head and sighed. “Because all I had were suspicions.”

“Strong enough suspicions to make you withdraw from the family…I presume to protect them?”

“Yes,” Armand admitted with a sigh. “But they were still just suspicions, and when I looked into it myself, that’s all I ended up with. I didn’t even pick up on the earring thing with Althea. William never mentioned that to me.”

“He probably didn’t want to upset you with such gruesome detail,” Lucian said thoughtfully.

“Probably,” Armand agreed, and then said what had been bothering him since he’d learned that Annie’s death was probably related to all this as well. “But if I’d gone to you anyway Nicholas’s Annie might still be alive.”

“Yes,” Lucian agreed bluntly, and then added, “But then if she had come to me with whatever suspicions led her to investigate, then she might still be alive despite your silence. You both did the same thing.” He shrugged. “It worked out for the best anyway. Nicholas has a new life mate and isn’t now having to choose between his dead Annie and his very living Jo. That would have been a pickle.”

“God, you’re a heartless prick at times,” Armand said with amazed disgust and then asked curiously, “His life mate’s name is Jo?”

Lucian nodded. “Josephine Willan. Her sister is Sam, Mortimer’s life mate.”

Armand nodded; he’d met Mortimer a time or two. Nicholas had sometimes stopped to drop off photos of Jeanne Louise on his way through town en route to handle a case. Sometimes other enforcers had been with him. Mortimer had been one of them.

“Where is Jo while Nicholas is locked up at the enforcer house?” he asked, a bit concerned that if she was alone and unprotected she might join the growing ranks of dead women in his immediate family.

“I had her locked up with him.”

“Why?” Armand asked with amazement.

“Marguerite thought it would help Nicholas pass the time. Besides, it keeps her from getting herself in trouble trying to break him out,” he added with amusement. He raised an eyebrow at Armand. “Are we done now?”

Armand nodded silently. While he didn’t like the fact that Lucian was pairing Eshe with Bricker rather than him, he understood the reason. They
did
get distracted when together. Besides, his being nearly killed
was
a new development, and it was possible he had been the target rather than Eshe since she’d only questioned William. If so, perhaps whoever was behind the attack would come after him again. He’d rather Eshe was safely away with Bricker if that happened.

“John and Agnes Maunsell,” Bricker murmured. “If they aren’t really suspects, what are we hoping to learn from them?”

“Anything we can,” Eshe said dryly, glancing out the passenger side window of the SUV as they turned onto the road the Maunsell farm was on. It was the vehicle Anders had driven down in. He and Armand had gone to see Cedrick in Armand’s pickup, so Anders had suggested they use the SUV rather than their motorcycles. Of course, Bricker had insisted on driving. Eshe hadn’t minded, though, so had merely shrugged and climbed in the passenger side.

“If they’re in,” Bricker commented dryly, and then a moment later as the dark farm came into view, added, “which it doesn’t appear like they are.
Again
.”

“Turn in anyway. We can at least knock to be sure,” Eshe said with a sigh, but didn’t really think they were likely to find anyone at home. The house didn’t have a single light on anywhere, and both the van and car they’d noticed here their first time out were notably absent. Eshe feared they’d missed them again until she spotted the man who had come to a halt in the yard halfway between the barn and the house.

“Do you think that’s him?” Bricker asked as he brought the van to a stop in front of the house.

Eshe shrugged. She hadn’t a clue. She’d never met the couple before, but said, “If not, he can at least tell us where John and Agnes are and when we can find them in.”

“True,” Bricker murmured as he turned off the engine.

Eshe opened her door and slid out, her eyes immediately seeking the man in the yard. He still stood exactly where she’d first seen him, but after a brief hesitation, he continued across the yard toward them, eyeing them speculatively as he came. Eshe looked him over in return and as he drew nearer decided this was definitely John Maunsell. He had similar features to one of the women in the miniature portraits in Armand’s desk. It must have been Susanna.

Like his sister, John Maunsell was fair-haired. He was also tall, with the bulk of the warrior he must have been when he was turned. But it was his face that held her attention longest. The man had silver-green eyes and the face of an angel. Seriously, God had been in a good mood the day he’d fashioned this fellow, she decided. He had fairy-tale good looks and she wouldn’t have been surprised to find him gracing the pages of a fashion magazine or used as the model for the prince in
Sleeping Beauty
or
Snow White
. It made her feel sorry for the local girls in this community. They probably fell all over themselves to try to get his attention. Actually, she realized, it was probably hell for him.

“It is.”

Eshe blinked at that comment from the man as he paused before them, and he grimaced apologetically.

“Sorry. You weren’t guarding your thoughts.”

Eshe forced a smile as she realized that he had read her thoughts about his looks. While it was somewhat rude of him to comment on them, it was a good reminder to her to keep her guards up so that her thoughts remained private. It was something that was more difficult to do when you’d found a life mate, though no one really knew why.

“John Maunsell?” Bricker asked, moving around the SUV to join Eshe.

“Yes.” He nodded and accepted Bricker’s hand as the younger enforcer introduced himself. John then turned to Eshe. Before she could speak, however, he said, “And you’re Armand’s new life mate, Eshe d’Aureus.”

When she winced, he smiled faintly and said, “I’m afraid your presence and name have been making the rounds on the tongue of every gossip between here and Armand’s farm.” He tilted his head and eyed her briefly before deciding, “Although I’d say you are even more lovely than Cedrick said they are claiming.”

Eshe smiled wryly at the compliment. She wasn’t especially lovely. She was just statuesque and not ugly and had learned how best to showcase herself over the centuries. Still, the compliment was nice and she smiled and said, “Silver-tongued as well as silver-eyed, I see.”

It was Bricker who asked, “Cedrick told you about Eshe?”

“Yes. He was delighted to have heard the gossip first,” John said wryly, and then asked, “Isn’t Armand with you?”

“No.” Eshe glanced to Bricker and then back before saying, “We actually came alone. We had some questions we hoped you could answer for us about your sister Susanna.”

He nodded, not seeming terribly surprised, and she suspected he assumed her questions were based in the fact that she was Armand’s new life mate, with an understandable curiosity about his first mate.

“Shall we go inside then?” John suggested, gesturing toward the house. “Agnes has gone into the city for a movie, but I’ll answer whatever questions I can.”

“Thank you,” Eshe murmured, allowing him to usher them toward the house.

“Would either of you like something to drink?” John asked as he led them inside and began flicking on lights.

“Not for me, thanks,” Eshe murmured as they were shown into a living room on the left. The room was decorated in modern furniture in neutral shades of brown. Eshe glanced around and then settled onto the leather sofa and sank into its soft cushions.

“Me neither. We just ate not long ago. A big breakfast,” Bricker explained, dropping onto the other end of the couch.

Host duties out of the way, John nodded and settled in the closest chair and then raised his eyebrows in question as he glanced from her to Bricker and back. “So what is it you wanted to ask about my sister Susanna?”

“Actually, it isn’t really about Susanna so much as about how and when she died,” Eshe murmured, sitting forward.

“Oh.” John sighed. He glanced away, was silent for a minute, and then peered back at her and said, “May I ask why?”

Eshe exchanged a glance with Bricker, her mind working quickly, and then simply said, “It’s got to do with Council business.”

John stared at her for another moment as if expecting more, and then apparently realizing that was all they were willing to say, he nodded. “Right. Well…it was about a week after little Nicky was born.” He paused and smiled wryly. “I guess he isn’t little anymore.”

“No,” Eshe agreed quietly. Little Nicky Argeneau was now over five hundred years old. Armand’s son had long ago grown up into the adult Nicholas.

“Has there been any word from him?” John asked suddenly, his eager glance sliding from her to Bricker and back again. “Any sightings even that would tell us if he’s okay?”

“He’s—” Bricker began, and she cut him off.

“No. I’m afraid not.” It was a flat-out lie, of course. But it wouldn’t make this man feel any better to know that Nicholas was presently locked up at the enforcer house waiting to see if he would be executed or not.

“Oh. I was hoping someone may have at least seen him.” John looked away unhappily.

“I’m sorry,” Eshe said quietly, and then prompted, “About Susanna’s death?”

John nodded. “As I said, it was about a week after Nicky was born. Armand was away at court; he left the day after the birth. His brother Jean Claude and his wife, Marguerite, had been to visit for a couple days to see the baby, but they had left at nightfall to start their journey home. The moment they were out of the bailey, I mounted up and headed into the village for dinner.” He paused to explain, “I still ate then, I hadn’t been turned very long and I liked my tucker. Unfortunately, the cook at the castle wasn’t very good and…” He paused and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I was getting off topic.”

“That’s all right,” Eshe assured him, and then brought him back to the topic by asking, “So Armand was away at court?”

“Yes. As I say, he left the day after Susanna gave birth. He should have left sooner. The king sent at least three orders for him to present himself, but he wouldn’t leave Susanna until the baby was born.” John grimaced. “Fortunately, she had Nicholas before the king got mad enough to send soldiers, but I imagine Armand had to do some fancy mind bending with the king to get back in his favor for not rushing to court at once when ordered.”

Eshe nodded, unsurprised by this corroboration of Armand and Marguerite’s stories. “So you went to the village for dinner?”

“Yes. I was probably there for a couple of hours…maybe as many as three or four. I liked to drink as a mortal and hadn’t quite accepted that alcohol had no effect on me anymore,” he admitted with a grimace, and then continued, “At any rate, it was late in the evening when I returned, probably after midnight. Most of the soldiers and servants were mortal and abed. Only the men from the wall were about and they were all in the bailey watching the stables burn.”

“Just watching?” she asked with a frown.

“Yes.” John nodded. “Apparently they’d tried forming a bucket brigade to the well to try to douse it, but by the time they’d noticed the stables were on fire, it was too late for a bucket brigade to help much. Of course, they’d been concentrating on watching for anyone approaching the wall, as was their job, and hadn’t noticed that the stables in the bailey were on fire until it was fully ablaze.”

Bricker asked, “Did you ever discover how the fire started?”

He appeared surprised by the question, but shook his head. “I suppose a torch was dropped in the hay, or a lantern knocked over.” He shrugged. “We didn’t exactly have forensics or anything back then, and as you know, fires were common.”

Eshe nodded her head. She wasn’t surprised he knew she was old enough to recall. She often could tell if an immortal was young or old. It seemed to be an instinct among them. As for fires, they had been very common back then. Dried rushes and hay were a very deadly combination when mixed with an open flame, which was all they’d had to use for light.

“How did they know Susanna was in there?” Bricker asked curiously, and Eshe found herself concentrating on John’s thoughts as he answered, listening with both her mind and ears as he spoke.

“They didn’t,” John answered. “They only knew someone had been trapped inside. They said they could hear the shrieking as they approached. When they told me that I assumed—as most of them did—that it was one of the stable boys caught napping in the straw as they liked to do. But the fire was burning too hot when they told me that. No one would have survived running in there to try to get them out. At least that’s what I thought at the time,” he murmured, guilt lining his face. “I realize now that while I might have been badly burned, I probably would have survived long enough to get her out and enough blood would have seen both of us right again. But I was a new turn then. I didn’t know, and I didn’t know it was Susanna. I—”