The Gorgon (33 page)

Genisa shook her head sharply,
bordering on tears as once again, Ian failed to take her seriously. Why did the
man have to be so damn composed and stubborn? "Good Heavens, Ian, if
you've ever loved me, you'll go and find Stephan and tell him what's happened.
There is no time to lose with this meaningless chatter!"

His warm manner and calm
expression faded. Genisa met his gaze steadily, realizing he looked very much
off-guard as the meaning of her words sank deep.

"What... what do you
mean?" he whispered. "If I have ever..?"

She swallowed hard, laboring to
ease both her panic and his awkwardness. "Please, Ian, I did not mean to
sound trivial. I... I was simply attempting to motivate you. Summer is in
trouble and…."

"If I have ever
loved
you?"
he repeated, ignoring focus of her apprehensive message. "Where did you
ever get an idea like that?"

Genisa continued to gaze into his
eyes, feeling guilty that she had carelessly broached a subject she and Stephan
had agreed long ago to be off limits. Staring into Ian's face, she could see
more than ever that it was true. It had always been true.

"You did, darling," she
whispered, her respiration calming dramatically at compassion for Ian's plight.
Completely off the subject of Summer's imprisonment, she touched Ian's hand
gently. "From the moment we met, I could see it in your eyes and feel it
within your heart. But fear not, Ian; your secret is safe with me. No one shall
ever know by my lips or by Stephan's."

He visibly blanched. "My
brother... does he...?"

She nodded faintly, her soft
fingers silencing his lips. "It matters naught. He's never faulted you
your feelings," as Ian fidgeted and cleared his throat nervously,
completely removed from the commonly controlled man she had come to know and
love, Genisa realized now was not the appropriate time to continue the
exploration of such personal sentiment. When, or if, the time ever presented
itself again, perhaps she and Ian could clear the air between them.

But not now. There was a more
pressing crisis at hand. "Go now," Genisa removed her fingers,
seeking to divert the knight's unsettled attention. "Find Stephan. Tell
him Summer's been taken to the vault and he must go to her immediately."

Ian continued to gaze at her a
long moment, wanting to linger within her presence, wanting to put as much
distance as he could between them. In faith, he wasn't at all sure what he was
feeling; but the fact of the matter remained that Genisa knew his well-kept
mystery. And so did his brother.  A secret fantasy that wasn't his own any
longer and he somehow felt ashamed.

Turning on his heel, Ian went in
search of his brother to tell the man of their sister's apparent confinement
and wondering if he shouldn't apologize for his treacherous feelings in the
same breath, expressing his sorrow for having coveted his brother's wife.

Or he could pretend the
conversation never took place. For the sake of his heart, Ian liked that idea
best of all.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Stephan saw Bose's figure before
he ever saw the face. He knew he would be coming and in faith, Stephan was
glad. He could not handle the situation alone. He needed help.

"Get her out of the vault,
Stephan.
Now
."

Bose was still several feet away
as he issued the order. Stephan pushed himself from his leisurely position
against the wall, moving forward to greet the man within the bowels of Chaldon's
darkened labyrinth.

"Ian and Lance are with her
and she is perfectly safe and comfortable," as Bose came into the weak
light, Stephan was not surprised to note his menacing expression. In fact,
Stephan had never seen a more deadly countenance and he hastened to calm the
man before he exploded into a fury of fists and steel.

Bose's jaw ticked as he replied.
"I would hardly call the stanky intestines of Chaldon's dungeon a safe and
comfortable atmosphere. You will release her immediately."

Stephan nodded in agreement,
putting his hands against the man's chest as he made attempt to move past him.
"Of course I agree with you, but we must confront the overall problem, not
simply my sister's captivity. Calm yourself, Bose, so that we might rationally
discuss this situation."

Bose was beyond rational thought.
He was very nearly to the limits of his control and struggling further not to
wrap his hands around Stephan's neck as the man sought to delay his retrieval
of Summer. From the very moment a du Bonne soldier had entered his encampment
spouting word of Lady Summer's captivity in the vault, Bose had defaulted his
round to Ian du Bonne and made immediate haste for Chaldon's keep with nothing
but murder on his mind.

What Bose did not know, of
course, was that Ian had forfeited his round to de Moray several minutes earlier
after receiving word of his sister's fate from the hysterical Genisa. As
Stephan sent a soldier running for de Moray's tent, the du Bonne brothers were
already moving for the castle to make sense of the situation before Bose
arrived and tore the place to shreds.

Shreds or worse; the ramblings of
a breathless soldier was the extent of Bose's knowledge on Summer's
imprisonment. He did not know where her father was and he frankly did not care;
all that mattered was that he collect Summer and leave Chaldon immediately. If
the brothers du Bonne supported his endeavor, then he would be forever in their
debt. And if they interfered with his intentions, he would kill them on the
spot.

Considering he had no desire to
kill Summer's eldest brother, he forced himself to calm at the man's request.
But it was a difficult battle. Looking into the Stephan's eyes, Bose drew in a
deep breath for strength and patience.

"There is nothing left to
rationally discuss, Stephan. Your father passed beyond the boundaries of rationality
and common sense when he ordered his daughter to the vault for a reason that
has as of yet eluded me."

Stephan met Bose's gaze, emitting
a heavy sigh before turning away, pacing aimlessly toward the moldering stone
wall. "Get hold of yourself, man. There is far more to this story than my
father's reasoning to banish Summer to the vault."

Bose could have marched past him
at that moment and torn the place apart in search of Summer. But something in
Stephan's tone forced him to pause

"Tell me, then. And be quick
about it."

Stephan kicked at the wall
distractedly, composing his ideals and praying the notification of such news
would not send Bose over the edge. Drawing a deep breath, he turned to confront
the onyx-black eyes.

"My father betrothed Summer
last night."

"I know, Stephan. I was
there."

Stephan shook his head. "I
am not speaking of his verbal consent to you." God's Blood, he could
hardly stand to look the man in the face as he spoke. He felt as if he were
about to destroy de Moray's entire world. "'Twould seem that after my
father had a chance to mull over his oral agreement with you, he changed his
mind and decided to officially pledge my sister to Breck Kerry."

Bose's features did not change
expression. When he managed to speak, however, his tone was hoarse. "Who
told you this?"

"Summer did," Stephan
said softly, feeling the man's pain as it radiated forth from his piercing
black eyes. "When she refused to obey his directive, father ordered her to
the vault."

Bose continued to stare at him.
Several moments passed with virtually no movement or reaction when Stephan
began to notice the tick in Bose's cheek growing stronger. And his complexion,
so recently tinged a furious red, seemed to drain of all color leaving him pale
and wax-like. As Stephan braced himself for an eruption of anguish and temper,
Bose seemed quite unwilling to summon the energy. In fact, if Stephan hadn't
known better, he would have sworn the man to be verging on a smile.

"Then you are telling me, in
essence, that your father has broken his word to me?"

Stephan nodded faintly. "So
it would seem."

"And you have not confronted
him with this information?"

"He's still in the lodges,
viewing the conclusion of the joust."

Bose shifted on his thick legs,
his eyes like smoldering coals within his ashen face. "Surely he has come
to realize that you, as well as me, have yielded our bouts and fled the field.
Surely he suspects we have gone to free Summer from her captivity."

Stephan looked entirely serious.
"My father believes only that which he is willing to accept. He believes
my brothers and I to be loyal to him, therefore, I am positive he has faith in
our willingness to enforce his decision. In fact, he's threatened to disown us
several times for the slightest of infraction and based upon the fear that we
are disinclined to relinquish our inheritance, he has no reason to believe that
we have come to the vault for any reason other than to comfort Summer until she
is released. And to prevent you from doing anything foolish."

"Is that what you intend to
do? Stop me?"

"Nay. But my father will
believe so. He will demand so."

Allowing Stephan's statement to
digest, Bose sighed heavily in the first real display of sentiment. "God's
Beard, Stephan. Is your father truly such a tyrant that he would manipulate the
lives of others at his whim?"

Stephan shrugged faintly.
"Not really. But he is a fool. A weak-minded, irresponsible fool who
believes the world to be within his grasp."

Bose's gaze was steady in the
weak torchlight, moving from thoughts of Edward du Bonne to the true motivation
behind the man's altered mind. Not an entirely shocking reason, he realized
bitterly. "I had no idea Breck's interest in Summer would include
challenging me for her hand. Do you suppose he confronted your father and convinced
him that Summer would be better off as Lady Kerry?"

"Possibly. Father was
terribly drunk last night, as you know. It's possible that Breck managed to
convince him to disregard his verbal consent to you in favor of Breck's
offer."

"And I would suspect that
Breck's proposal was more of an attempt at revenge against me. I dealt the man
a righteous pounding last eve for touching your sister and, naturally, I would
assume he is eager to seek retaliation."

Stephan slanted him a glance, a
blond eyebrow cocked in thought. "We know that Breck is ruthless and
unscrupulous on the tournament field. 'Twould seem his tactics do not stop on
the turf of battle, but rather dictate his entire existence."

"An eye for an eye."

"Or in this case, stealing
what is most precious to you simply to retaliate for a proper punishment
dealt."

Bose drew in a deep breath,
steadying himself as the information of Summer's betrothal sank deep. In faith,
he found he wasn't particularly surprised; based on his observations of the
baron, such a change of heart had not been out of the realm of possibility and
he found himself cursing his lack of initiative not to have insisted the verbal
consent be immediately put to paper. Breck's vicious attempts at vengeance
aside, there was truthfully no one to blame but himself for the circumstance.

"Do you suppose your father
has written the contract already?" he asked quietly.

Again, Stephan shrugged vaguely,
feeling distinctly weary and drained now that the shock of volatile emotions
was beginning to wear thin. "Where my father is concerned, anything is
possible. Summer, unfortunately, was far too hysterical to further elaborate on
what I have told you." Receiving no immediate reply, he eyed Bose a
moment; the man was oddly calm in the face of such monumental upheaval. Stephan
focused on him intently. "You seem remarkably composed with the turn of
events, Bose. Might I ask what you are contemplating?"

Bose did not reply for a moment,
seemingly lost in thought. After a lengthy pause, he lifted his broad shoulders
in a resigned gesture. "The subject is in little need of further
deliberation. I must do as I must."

Not strangely, that statement
unnerved Stephan. Pushing himself off the wall, he eyed the massive knight with
a good deal of apprehension. ""What does this mean?"

Bose continued to stare at the
cold stone floor in a moment of pensive reflection. When he lifted his gaze
again, some of the color had returned to his cheeks. "It means that Summer
is mine, no matter if your father or Breck Kerry says otherwise. I am leaving
today and she is going with me."

Stephan had suspected his answer;
therefore, he wasn't particularly hostile in response. Maintaining a steady
gaze, he paused before Bose and regarded the man carefully After a lull in
which he rapidly pondered all possible options, he found himself emitting a
heartfelt sigh of his own true emotion.

"Although I should prevent
you from doing such a thing, I find in my heart that I cannot," his voice
was hushed murmur. "I know how my sister feels about you and when I look
in your eyes, I can see that you care deeply for her as well. Summer has known
very little happiness, Bose. With you, she is far more joyful and content than
I have ever known her to be and for that, I shall be ever grateful. All I ask is
that you be kind to her, always. She is a terribly fragile soul."