“I told him that he wouldn’t be much good to Ellery if he didn’t rest and heal. While he remains weak, he’s useless to us and especiallyher. I emphasized that last part.”
“Smart.”
When they both looked pointedly at me, I glared at them before focusing on Tucker. “Unlike him, youdoknow our history. You know what I did and why he can’t forgive me. Why are you making things worse?”
Tucker shifted his attention back to writing on the pouches. “Maybe he can’t forget, but he’ll forgive.”
“Can you forgive me? You hate me too. You didn’t want to take me to him because you thought I was a monster.”
“No… not a monster, and I don’t hate you. Well… maybe I didn’t like you much when everything first happened. But I now understand why you did what you did, the choices you’ve made, and why you’ve kept your secrets from him. I would have kept them too.”
I didn’t know how to respond.
“However,” Tucker continued, “Iamamazed you stole from Ryker in the first place, given his reputation as the Scourge of the Ghouls.”
“I didn’t know it washimin the carriage when I decided to rob it. If I had known, things would have been alotdifferent.”
Tucker chuckled as he created a new pouch. During the past week, we’d spent a lot of time cutting up old feedbags, clothes, rags, towels, and anything else we could use to hold money. We’d also collected some twine, but most of the pouches were tied shut with vines from the forest.
“Oh, I believe you,” Tucker said. “I bet you almost shit yourself when you realized what you’d done.”
I wouldn’t have put it quite as elegantly as him, but… “I did.”
“I would have loved to see the look on your face when your mother volunteered you to help him search for the Hooded Robber. I’m sure you were less than thrilled.”
“I got drunk because I didn’t know what to say.”
“That sounds appropriate.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“We all have.”
“As bad as me?”
Ianto stopped stuffing pouches as he looked on in expectation of Tucker’s answer.
CHAPTEREIGHTY-SEVEN
Ellery
“Yes, but in different ways,”Tucker said.
“His father….” My voice trailed off as I looked toward Ryker’s shelter. “I should have told him about his father.”
Tucker’s amusement vanished. “Yes, but now that I knowallthe reasons why you ended things with him, I can understand why you didn’t. The duke is a terrifying man with a lot of power, and he threatened your family.
“Many would have caved to him. Ryker doesn’t understand like I do. While he can sympathize with our plights and has suffered greatly in his lifetime, he doesn’t understand what it’s like to love something deeply. He’s never gotten up every morning to work a land that’s his and gone to bed every night filled with pride.
“He doesn’t know what it’s like to have all that ripped away from you… or to have someone promise to take it away. It’s understandable that you panicked. Not only that, but you were also seeking to protect him from his father’s wrath. I don’t like that you hurt my friend, and make no mistake about it, Ellery, hewashurt, but after everything I’ve learned, I understand why you did it.”
I couldn’t speak while I processed his words and his understanding. I’dneverexpected it.
“I know I hurt him,” I whispered. “It was the last thing Ieverwanted to do, but I never expected anything to develop between us or for it to spiral so far out of control. By then, I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“I get it.”
I ducked my head as tears burned my eyes. I’d believed Tucker could never forgive me, but his words filled me with joy. He was Ryker’s best friend; the two were as close, if not closer, than brothers. I was glad he didn’t hate me.
