Missing Lily Read online

  It was probably nothing to worry over, but I wasn’t about to take that for granted. I moved silently across the room and through the dining hall until I could see into the entry hall and the corridor that led to the gallery. A dim light shone from Tobias’s study and I knew very well that Tobias was not at home—or at least, he was not supposed to be at home.

  As I continued to watch, a figure slipped out of the study, swathed in a traveling cloak, still wearing riding gloves and boots. He walked carefully into the entry hall and started climbing the grand staircase. I backed up, but not slowly enough. The man turned toward me, then rushed in my direction. I dashed through the kitchen and up the servants’ stairs, breathing frantically, sure he would catch me at any moment. I reached the door to Rhys’s chamber and fumbled with the handle before stumbling inside.

  “Rhys!” I shrieked, but I could already see him sitting up in bed. I ran to the side of the bed that was opposite of the door. “There’s a man!”

  He sprung up, just as the shadow of the intruder stopped in the open doorway, then turned to flee down the stairs. Rhys chased after him, screaming, “All awake!”

  Only a few moments later, lights came down the hallway, and several people ran downstairs. When I finally regained the feeling that had left my legs, I went out into the hallway and could clearly hear the disturbance in the front hall. I moved down the corridor to the top of the grand staircase and looked down on the scene. Tobias lay on his back, pinned to the ground by Rhys, who crouched over him, pushing a knee into his chest. Nearly all the men in the house stood around them, ready to intervene should Rhys ask, but they stayed on the outskirts of the hall.

  “I should have known it would be you,” Rhys panted, then demanded, “Why are you here, Tobias?”

  Tobias sneered, teeth bared. “This is my home, brother.”

  “You’re no longer welcome here.” Rhys hauled Tobias off the ground, but kept a firm hold on the front of his shirt. “Now, why did you come back?” He shook him.

  A wicked grin mixed with his sneer. “Why did I find a princess in your bed chamber?”

  There was an audible intake of breath from the room at large, and also from behind me. I glanced back to see several maids, looking on curiously, clutching the fronts of their dressing gowns.

  I turned back almost immediately to see Rhys throw Tobias across the room. “You dare make insinuations about Lylin?” he roared, advancing once again and pulling Tobias to his feet only to slam him up against a wall.

  Tobias shoved him away. “It was a question, Rhys. And what’s your answer?”

  Rhys cocked back his fist, saying, “You sniveling piece of—”

  “Lord Fallon.” Everyone’s eyes turned to Captain Newel, who had stepped forward as he spoke.

  Rhys’s fist was frozen, ready to deliver a harsh blow at any moment, but he turned to the captain.

  “What is your answer?” The captain asked.

  I turned to look at Nathaniel, who was staring at Captain Newel like he wanted to flay him.

  My temper flared in indignation. Surely, he was not demanding an answer to such a ridiculous accusation?

  “Was the princess in your chamber, my lord?”

  Nathaniel stepped forward, no doubt to defend me, but I spoke first.

  “Yes, I was.” My clear voice almost echoed as it floated down to the entry and every eye turned to me. I started walking down the stairs as I continued, “I entered because that man pursued me through the house after I saw him skulking about. I entered to warn the lord of the manor that there was an intruder in his home, and he ran out not two seconds later.” I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, but stayed one step up, wanting to keep the height advantage. “Do you have any other questions, Captain?”

  His eyes dropped. “No, Your Highness.”

  “Good. Then I suggest some of you take this opportunity to escort that man from the premises.” I turned, my back ramrod straight, and climbed the stairs once more, but stopped halfway up. “And you might want to search him first. He was in the study down that hall. No doubt he was looking for something.”

  I went directly to my room, shutting the door firmly. I removed my dressing gown and climbed back in bed, resigned to the fact that I would be staring at the ceiling for a long while. It took quite some time for the house to settle and even longer for my indignation to calm. I tried to take solace in the fact that Rhys and Nathaniel had so readily defended me, and that Tobias was gone. Eventually I was able to sleep.

  ***

  Rhys and I managed to slip out on our own in the morning. We weren’t headed anywhere in particular. We just wandered and talked.

  “I’m sorry about last night.”

  I smiled. “Do you know that’s the third time you’ve apologized?”

  “Yes, and I imagine I’ll apologize several more times before the morning ends.”

  “But it wasn’t your fault.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion.”

  “How exactly do you consider yourself responsible for the actions of your brother?”

  “I knew what he was capable of, and I didn’t guard against it.”

  “What happened between you two?” He looked over at me, sadness dusting his features. “After you both left the palace, what happened?”

  He let out a sigh. “He blamed me for Lorraina’s turning him away. And because he blamed me, his behavior became even more volatile, more violent.”

  “Do you think he really loved her?”

  “I know he did.” There was no hesitation in his response. “He loved her as much as he was capable of loving anyone. But I think he still loved himself more.”

  “How do you know he loved her?” His certainty made me curious.

  “After he woke everyone last night, we took your suggestion and searched him. Then I questioned him at length about the letters that we found in his coat.”

  “Letters? Like the one I found in his study?”

  “No, actually. The letters were from your sister.”

  I stopped walking. “They wrote letters?”

  “Yes.”

  “What kind of letters?”

  “Your sister’s letters were friendly and inquisitive. It seems she had a genuine interest in getting to know my brother.” His expression was puzzled.

  “That surprises you?”

  “I’ve never thought of my brother as approachable. Granted, that is probably because I’m used to his hostility toward me, but the idea that he could charm a young lady so thoroughly...”

  “You said last night that he was no longer welcome in the manor. Why?”

  He gave a deep sigh. “His violent outbursts have been escalating ever since we returned from the palace. Then, a week ago, I heard him fly into one of his rages. I found him screaming at Rosamond, who was backed against a wall and looked genuinely terrified.” He looked over at me. “Rosamond has known Tobias his entire life; she’s seen his outbursts time and time again. But I’d never seen her affected like that. And I’d never seen him so out of control.”

  I hated to ask the next question, but I had to know. “Because of Lorraina?”

  His gaze fell to me as he considered. “I honestly don’t know. But it seems likely. And considering everything, I felt I had to cut him off. I couldn’t put my staff in danger that way.”

  “Where did he go?”

  Rhys shrugged. “He likely went to the inn that he is so fond of. He’s spent a good portion of his nights there over the years. He enjoys the unfettered access to wine.”

  “And what if he comes back again?”

  “Honestly...I don’t know. Besides,” he said, pushing my hair behind my ear. “I don’t really want to discuss Tobias right now.” He pulled me closer and my heart jumped into my throat, anticipation racing along my nerves.

  He kissed the left side of my mouth and then the right, and I leaned into him as his lips settled against mine. His kisses started slow and gentle but grew in intensity as I learned to ret
urn them. I wanted to stay in this moment, in this place. I wanted to be here forever.

  “Isn’t that lovely.”

  The moment was shattered by Tobias’s words.

  Our heads whipped in the direction of his abrasive voice and found him lounging against a tree some twenty paces away. Rhys stepped in front of me and I latched onto his arm. I had felt warm and secure not two seconds ago, but Tobias’s presence doused me like freezing water.

  “Leave, Tobias.” Rhys’s voice was tight.

  Tobias pushed away from the tree and ambled toward us, gesturing broadly. “I am only taking a stroll in the morning air.”

  “As lord of these lands, I am telling you to get off.” The fury was barely controlled.

  Tobias’s eyes went wide and wild. “As lord over the land?” His whisper was loud and harsh as he walked deliberately forward. “How dare you brandish your title at me!” He wrenched a sword and a knife from his waist, and my hands clutched desperately at Rhys’s arm.

  “Tobias,” Rhys warned, unsheathing his own blade.

  “Your undeserved title!” Tobias screamed, flailing his arms with such erratic movements that I thought surely he would cut himself. The look in his eyes terrified me. How had we not seen this danger until now? His anger was all-consuming, raging out of control as he stalked toward us.

  “Don’t do this, Tobias!” Rhys moved steadily toward his brother, leaving me standing alone and petrified.

  “You chose this, Rhys!” he screamed like a petulant child. Only he was a grown man with sword and knife instead of pounding fists.

  When they reached one another, weapons poised to strike, I closed my eyes, unable to watch the inevitable clash, only to have them fly open as I gasped in shock. I clutched at my ribs, where pain lanced through my side, and watched as the brothers struggled. Rhys disarmed Tobias and dropped his own sword aside, using brute force to take his brother to the ground as Tobias continued to flail and fight.

  I fell to my knees, trying to breathe in and out as fire scorched my side. Something had torn my flesh, but I couldn’t bring myself to look. Pain made everything hazy.

  Rhys held Tobias pinned to the ground, yelling to be heard. “Don’t make me kill you, Tobias!”

  The air stilled and so did Tobias as he heard the desperation in his brother’s voice. “Please,” Rhys panted. “I don’t want to kill you. Please don’t make me.”

  Tears choked his voice, his pleas shocking Tobias into silence. He lay there, his face twisted in fury, for several moments before he spat out, “Do what you must.”

  Rhys yelled in frustration and shoved away from him, climbing to his feet. Tobias scrambled up and stared at his brother, a hint of confusion leaking into the mask of rage.

  They stood, chests heaving, anger roiling between them until Rhys spoke. “Go.” It was a command not to be ignored.

  Tobias walked backward a few paces, then whistled and turned as his horse walked out of the trees. He swung up and left without looking back.

  “Rhys.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but he turned and ran back to me. He knelt and kissed me in desperation.

  My cry of pain made him pull back. He looked down at my hands clutching my side, the warm blood seeping through my fingers. Horror filled his eyes.

  “No!” He cradled my head and laid me down in the grass. “No. What happened? What has he done?” His panicked voice scared me more than the pain. It must have been bad. He moved my hands away and widened the hole in my dress so that he could see the wound. He pressed his hand over it to staunch the bleeding and put his other hand to my face, forcing me to focus on him. “How?” he asked, his agony mirroring my own.

  I blinked rapidly, my own shallow breathing filling my ears as I whispered, “I think he threw a knife.” It was the only explanation I could fathom.

  “I have to get you to the manor.” He yanked the cravat from his throat and pushed it against my side before pulling me up and into his arms. The pain of moving made me gasp in shock just before everything went dark.

  ***

  A dull pain pulsed as I struggled through the blackness. Then the pain turned biting, piercing, and my eyes flew open as I cried out.

  Rhys’s comforting weight settled over me as he kept me from sitting up, my hands caught up in his. He whispered in my ear, trying to shush my cries. “The doctor is almost finished. Be still.”

  I squeezed his hands in my fists to keep from pulling away from the pain.

  “Almost done,” I heard the voice of the doctor. “Hold her still now.”

  Rhys reached down to hold my legs with one of his arms, and I wondered why until the pain seared through my side once more. My legs writhed reflexively, but Rhys kept me still for the most part.

  “I’m so sorry.” The pain in his voice wrenched at my heart.

  “That’s the last of it,” the doctor said as he dabbed at my side. The pain simmered to a searing but manageable level and tears streaked down my temples into my hair. I tried to breathe deeply, tried to gain control of my body’s reaction, but my entire being quivered in shock.

  Rhys pulled a blanket over me. “I’m going to let Missy tend to you now,” he whispered before pressing his lips to my forehead and departing.

  My faithful maid was immediately by my side, tucking the blanket around me, making sure I was as comfortable as possible.

  “Missy?”

  “My lady?”

  “How bad is it?”

  “The doctor thinks you’ll recover very well.”

  “And Tobias?”

  She studied me for a moment, probably deciding how much to say. “They’re searching for him.”

  “Who?”

  “Every guard but Nathaniel and Jarem.”

  “And when they find him?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, Highness.”

  I nodded, knowing that his assault on me had slated his life to ruin. I did not take any satisfaction in the thought.

  Chapter 23

  THAT AFTERNOON, I was sitting up in bed, considering ringing for help, when my mother entered in a flurry of skirts and anxiety.

  “Lylin.” She rushed over, stopping just short of hugging me. “How are you feeling?”

  My smile was dim. “I’m fine.”

  “Oh, dear girl.” She sat carefully beside me and laid her hand over mine, squeezing it. I could tell she wanted to wrap her arms around me but was grateful she refrained. Instead she clasped her hands in front of her mouth and shook her head. “How could he do this? What kind of man—” She swallowed, unable to continue.

  Seeing my mother close to tears made something inside me break. The burning in my chest was fueled by a heaving breath, which I let out in a sob. But the muscle spasm caused by crying tore at my side and I doubled over, forcing myself to take quick, shallow breaths as I tamped down my emotions. I breathed methodically through my nose as my mother placed her gentle arms around me. I focused on the feel of her fingers as they stroked my hair. I missed Rhys. He hadn’t come to see me since the doctor left. Why hadn’t he come to check on me?

  As that festering question came to the forefront of my mind, I had to push it swiftly aside, or the crying would start again. And it just hurt too much.

  As my emotions quieted, my mother finally spoke. “Has he been caught?”

  “No.”

  I waited for her to say something else, but she just held me and remained silent.

  I tried to fill the quiet. “He seems to have disappeared.”

  Her sigh was weary. “Your father will join the search, then.”

  I heard in her voice that she viewed this as an inevitable and terrible thing. As for me, I wasn’t in a frame of mind to differentiate between the awful, the terrible, and the truly horrific. It all mingled together in a stew of horrible that made my stomach churn.

  “We need to get you home,” she said as she let me go, allowing me to lean into my pillows once more. “Where is Missy? I’ll have her pack your thi
ngs.” She started to rise.

  “Mother,” I said, keeping my voice gentle. “I can’t go anywhere yet.”

  “I need you to come home.” I could see the worry threatening to unravel my mother.

  “I can barely sit up this much. My side feels like it’s on fire. I can hardly move without the pain worsening. Do you really expect me to endure the journey home?”

  She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping, her eyes filled with worry. “I just want you to be safe.”

  “I’m just as safe here as I would be at home.”

  “You wouldn’t have been hurt at all if you had stayed home.”

  “I can’t lock myself away, even if I am a target. You taught me that.”

  She took a deliberate breath. “Yes,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving you here alone. As long as you stay here, so will I.”

  It was just as well. If Rhys did not feel the need to be with me at all, then I would be glad for any company. Besides, I was fairly certain that I could count on her leaving once she realized how well Rosamond would care for me, and how tiresome it would be to do nothing but sit with me all day.

  My father came to check on me once he had the full report from the captain. He inquired after my welfare, his expression concerned, but also holding a suppressed anger. Then he was gone again, and Rhys was gone with him, without saying a word to me. They would meet up with the search party and hopefully return with Tobias in chains. They had to. Otherwise, we would all be stuck in a horrible state of in-between, always waiting, and wondering, and worrying that at any moment Tobias would be there, and that this time, he would succeed. I clutched at my side each time I thought about it and had to consciously remind myself of the guards within, without, and surrounding the manor.

  My mother remained with me, refusing to leave my room and resorting to pacing by mid-afternoon. Her fluttering about made it impossible for me to rest.

  “Please sit down, Mama.”

  “What?” She asked. Clearly her mind had been somewhere else entirely.

  “I asked you to sit down and stop worrying over me.”

  “And who else do I have to worry over?”