Lucerne leaned forward and began to whisper.
~~~
Cree stepped to the side as Ann Gerwan entered the room with a flourish, her eyes on him.
“I am glad you summoned me, my lord, there is much for us to discuss,” she said with a respectful nod.
“You are right about that. There is much for us to discuss.” He stretched his hand out. “And I’ve asked Kirk McClusky to join us.”
Lady Ann turned, her eyes grew wide, and she looked ready to run, and she did… right into Kirk’s arms. Tears followed as the two hugged.
“Enough,” Cree bellowed as he walked toward them.
They broke apart but remained holding hands.
“Your reunion is heartfelt but I am more concerned with the product of your union…Dawn.”
“I went to see her, my lord,” Lady Ann confessed tearfully. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t stop myself. I was curious about the daughter I gave away so that she might live, and I was concerned for her safety.”
“Why?” Cree snapped.
Lady Ann blushed profusely. “She is your mistress and no good can come of that. I failed her once; I did not want to fail her again or the lass who took her place. They are both innocents and I do not want to see them suffer because of Kirk’s and my indiscretion.”
“Love,” Kirk corrected. “This dilemma is all because we fell in love. You should have come to me, Ann.”
She pressed a gentle hand to his cheek. “And what would you have done? Gone to war for me?” She shook her head. “I did what needed to be done. I protected our daughter.”
“You should have told me,” Kirk said. “You should have sent her to me.”
Lady Ann placed her hand on his chest and he moved her closer to him. “I am sorry. I did what I thought best.”
“It is I who should beg your forgiveness for not having taken you away from that fool.”
“Enough,” Cree bellowed again. “Reminisce later. Now we concentrate on Dawn.” He looked to Ann. “I will not wed a peasant.”
Lady Ann gasped and Kirk angrily said, “That wasn’t necessary, Cree.”
“I told you before and I will say it again so that Lady Ann is well aware of it. Dawn is my first and only concern. What becomes of anyone besides Dawn matters not to me. You both will do well to remember that.”
“What of Lucerne?” Lady Ann asked. “She has been a good daughter and none of this is her fault.”
“I will offer her a home here in Dowell,” Cree said.
“As a peasant?” Lady Ann asked incredulously.
“Dawn is a peasant. I do not see you worrying about her status.”
“She can go with Kirk and have a good life,” Lady Ann said, as if it solved the problem.
“Dawn isn’t going anywhere,” Cree said adamantly. “She will remain here with me and I will wed here.”
Lady Ann gasped again. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am very serious; it will be done,” Cree warned. “You will either cooperate or suffer the consequences.”
“Is that a threat?” Lady Ann demanded.
“You are no fool, Lady Ann, you know full well it is a threat.”
“Let’s calm down and discuss this,” Kirk said attempting to be the voice of reason.
“If there was time, we could discuss it,” Cree said, “but thanks to the King there is no time. This is the way it will be and nothing is going to change that. Now we can work together to make this easier on everyone or I will handle it myself and let those suffer as they may.”
Lady Ann clung to Kirk and he in turn glared at Cree. “Truly, Cree, can’t you be a little more understanding of this delicate situation?”
Before Cree could respond, there was a pounding at the door and it flew open, and Sloan rushed in. Cree sent him a potent scowl.
Sorry, my lord,” Sloan apologized, “but there is an emergency with Dawn.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Dawn stared wide-eyed at Lucerne.
“You don’t believe me,” Lucerne said disappointed. “I need someone to believe me, someone to help me, someone that doesn’t think I’m crazy when I tell them that I am being poisoned.”
Dawn didn’t know what to think. The woman had been so irrational at times that it was difficult to believe anything she said. And to think that someone was poisoning her was a bit farfetched, yet she had to agree with Lucerne when she had said ‘things are never what they seem.’
Dawn shrugged, though kept her shoulders up and cocked her head in question.
“Why?”
Dawn nodded.
“I wish I knew. I think that is why no one believes me. Why would anyone want to poison me? I had confided my fear to my mother but she has always thought that I was overwrought and paid me no heed. Roy believed me. He was one of my father’s warriors, one of the better and more skillful ones.” Lucerne wiped another tear away. “We fell in love and when I told Roy that I thought I was being poisoned, he began making plans for us to leave. And then the news came that I was to wed Cree,” —she shivered—“we hurried our plans along and the day before we were to make our escape, Roy was killed in an accident or so my father says. I believe he discovered our plans and had Roy killed.