Valencourt pushed the box toward her, a satisfied smirk on his lips. “It’s yours.”
Her mouth dropped open, and Raven shook her head. That much coin would only cause trouble.
“It was obviously meant for your father,” he said. “And he would want you to have it.”
Raven stared at the box of gold with trepidation and swallowed heavily. She glanced at Landyn, who grinned and nodded encouragement. She shifted her stare to Willow. Her eyes were as wide as Raven’s, but a grin tugged the corners of her lips.
“It was a treasure hunt, after all,” Willow whispered.
Christian and Landyn volunteered to help Valencourt and his men move the treasure to carts and wagons to be hauled off to a ship. After some convincing, Marcus was allowed to help, leaving the Hawke sisters sitting on the floor in a circle with the closed box in the center.
Raven couldn’t take her eyes off it. It was meant for their father. And he had left it to them. What would he have done with the treasure?
Willow dusted the dirt from the knee of her leggings. “We can give it away,” she suggested.
Raven agreed. They could, but there would be arguments about who to give it to.
“Imagine the books we could purchase with it,” Sage whispered, her voice almost inaudible and her eyes half-lidded.
Or the swords and armor, Raven thought, staring at the box. It suddenly seemed as if the world were open to them, and they could do what they’d always dreamt of. The problem was Raven had never thought of a future. She had been too concerned with the safety of her sisters.
Willow pulled her knees to her chest and tilted her head at Raven. “What doyouwant to do with it?” she asked.
Surprised, Raven looked up and met her gaze, noticing that she was sincere. “Why are you asking me?”
Willow grinned. “You’re our leader.”
Raven sighed and shook her head. There was one thing she had learned during all this. “We’re a team. There is no leader. We will decide together.”
Willow reached over the box and clasped Raven’s hand. Sage stretched out her hand and placed it over theirs. Raven’s eyes sparkled as she smiled warmly.
They were the Hawkes.
Raven loved her sisters, each so different and yet bound by blood. It didn’t matter what they did with the gold, as long as they were together.
“I know what we’re going to do…” Raven said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A year later
William stood in a grassy field, staring at his last horse. The poor animal hobbled on three legs, holding the fourth off the ground, a gash and blood staining its brown leg. He remembered the day he’d given his other horses to the Hawkes. His heart sank as he thought of what would happen to his farm if they couldn’t get another soon.
Agnes came up to him, holding rags and a bucket of water.
William sadly shook his head. “No. He’ll be no use to us lame. Bring the dagger.”
“No,” Agnes groaned, setting the bucket down.
William knew their fields would stay untended without horses, and the inn would be all that remained to them. The thought of laboriously tilling the land by hand seemed like a daunting feat, yet he couldn’t ignore the fact that it was his only option.
Suddenly, William heard laughter and turned to see his three children sprinting over the hill, playing a game to reach him first.
Jacob, the eldest son, sprinted to William’s side. The girls, Amy and Emily, thirteen and twelve summers, slowed upon seeing the injured horse, their game forgotten.
“Don’t kill him, Father,” Amy pleaded.
William shook his head as he gazed at the horse. “It’s cruel to let him suffer,” William said. “You know that, Amy.”
