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“Crispin.” Tears streamed down her face, but she held her head high in pure defiance. “Forgive me. I tried to escape.” She hiccoughed and the tears fell harder.
“Enough sentiment. Let us take this loving reunion to the great hall and show our guests what happens to traitors to the crown.” Francis hauled Ruby to her feet by her arm. Bound by the wrists, she writhed against his hold with no success.
Crispin stepped forward to intervene, but the guard held his arm with one hand while the blade dug into his flesh. The warm trickle of blood revealed the seriousness of the man’s intent to use it should he find it necessary.
“Come along.” Francis pulled Ruby out of the room and down the corridor.
The guard dragged Crispin along behind them. As they made their way to face judgment before Francis’s honored guests, Crispin kept his gaze solely on Ruby. He cursed himself for a fool. Had he retrieved her himself, they could have escaped. Now they would face his brother’s wrath and not even his mother’s tearful pleas for mercy could save them. He missed his one opportunity to save them all, and for what, by bowing to his need to sate his hunger for vengeance.
He could not bear to think of Marian or Henry. They were probably killed the moment they resisted. Tortured to gain information and then slaughtered. He could not mourn them for soon he would also meet the same fate. His brother would use them as an example, a warning, to any who defy him or question his rule.
When they reached the great hall, the room fell silent. Crispin felt every eye turn in their direction as Francis dropped Ruby on the floor at his feet.
She rose to her knees and faced him, hatred marring her lovely face.
The guard pushed Crispin to his knees beside her. He longed to reach for her and offer comfort, but when he grasped her hand in his, Francis kicked it away.
A murmur rose through the crowd. Crispin’s gaze flickered to his mother who rose to her feet. All the color drained from her cheeks, leaving them ashen and her eyes hollow.
“What is the meaning of his?” Vivienne demanded, rounding the table.
“My brother is an outlaw, a traitor to the crown. He came to steal away my betrothed.” Francis’s harsh scowl fell upon them. “I must punish them according to the law.”
“You lying bastard!” Crispin’s shout echoed off the rafters. He attempted to rise, but the guard backhanded him, making his head spin. He collapsed to the floor. When he lifted his head, he spit, and a mouthful of blood stained his brother’s boot.
Behind them, the door swung open with a loud bang and shouting filled the room.
Crispin turned to see a group of guards carrying two figures. They dumped the first beside him.Henry. Then the other.Ivy.Crispin’s brow rose in surprise. Before he could say a word, Francis clapped his hands with joy.
A fury unlike any he experienced in his life settled like a storm cloud around him, engulfing him, raging through his body. An overflowing river hellbent on destroying everything in its path. Francis finally had them exactly where he wanted them. On their knees before the world, awaiting their punishment.
If he thought Crispin would beg to spare his life, he was wrong. Francis would die if he persisted in this farce, and Crispin would welcome death himself if it ensured his brother joined him.
Chapter Twenty
The tension ebbed offCrispin in waves. Ruby stole a glance at him without turning her face away from the vengeful beast claiming to be the rightful heir of Meradin. Her loathing for Francis increased with every moment spent in his company. Her hope of being free of his grasp died the moment the guard seized her outside the gate.
Ruby glared at the imposing man standing to the right of Crispin. The guard straightened after delivering a blow to her husband. He had been the one who captured her. She glared at him, but he remained focused intently on his master. She never wished for her bow or her blade more than in that moment. A smirk played on his lips as his vacant, soulless eyes fixed on her.
Crispin’s jaw tensed the moment they dropped Henry behind him. Seeing Ivy carried in against her will along with Henry solidified the dire situation in which they found themselves. There was truly no hope of escape. With every eye trained on them spread prostrate before Francis and no possibility of mercy, hopeless dread settled in the pit of her stomach.
“Distinguished guests, forgive the intrusion.” Francis raised his voice to carry across the room. “It seems the prodigal son has returned.”
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
