“Mel was so angry.”
“Angry?” Luke echoed. “She was not angry when we returned from the caves.”
“You wouldn’t know. You went with Nessa. And Mel told me everything.” Urien laughed, his cackle echoing off the dungeon walls. “She loves me! She will always love me!”
Luke backed to the door of the cell. He paused in the entryway, gazing back at Urien.
Urien laughed and laughed. Luke would never have her love. She was his. She would always be his!
“She doesn’t love you, Urien. She only loves herself,” Luke said before closing the door behind him and leaving Urien in the dark.
Urien was a defeated man now. Alone. But why? Why would he kidnap Mel to take her to those caves? He stared out over the lands. He had not slept the entire eve. He could not sleep.
Nessa filled his thoughts. She didn’t love him, he told himself. He had heard her words himself. But she had to know the truth about how he felt, even if she didn’t love him. He silently cursed that day he had taken the girls to those caves. It all went back to those damned caves. Why would Mel have told Urien about the caves? And why would she be so angry?
Suddenly, he sat up straight in the bed as a reason came to mind.
Luke sought Mel out. He found her in the Great Hall, laughing with another knight. She put her hand on Sir Curtis’s chest with a deep chuckle as Luke approached. But her flirtatiousness didn’t bother him. Servants moved about the Great Hall, preparing the tables for the morning meal.
When the knight saw him, he straightened and nodded to Luke, stepping away from Mel. Mel turned and greeted Luke with a smile to stop a heart, any other heart but Luke’s.
“A word with you, Lady Mel,” Luke commanded.
“Of course.”
He led the way to the hearth. The warmth of the fire washed over him, but did not reach his soul.
“Now you want to talk?” Mel asked, glancing back at the knight.
“Remember when we put our hands on the stain in the cave of St. Agnes?”
She scowled slightly in thought. “You mean when we were young? How could I forget? It was so romantic, so --”
“Did you see Nessa and I put our hands on the stain?”
Mel clamped her lips together; surprise widened her blue eyes.
“I want the truth, Mel,” Luke warned.
Her lips thinned and her blue eyes snapped with fire.
“You’d might as well admit it. I have already guessed the truth.”
She looked up at him. “Then why ask me?”
“Because I want to hear it from your lips.”
“Yes. I did. But that was so long ago --”
“Were you angry when you saw it?”
Mel shrugged casually, looking around as if in thought. “I suppose I was. A little.”
“A little?” Luke echoed.
“It was supposed to be a special time between you and me. You were supposed to pledge your undying love to me. Instead, I saw you put your hand on the stain with my sister!”
Luke had his answer. She had been furious. “Did you seek revenge?”
