“Clare?” she spoke on a soft breath, afraid to yell and confirm what she feared. “Clare!” a little louder.
Bertram startled her coming forward. He stood over the bed and gave her friend a shake. He looked at Lily and shook his head.
“Was she sick?” Lily asked, shaken and overcome with sadness. It was too much. It was all too much.
Bertram shrugged his broad shoulders. “She might have been. I canna recall. But the boy—”
The boy…
Lily remembered him talking aboutthe boythe first night they had him in the shed when he had fallen into delirium. Wasthe boylittle Eddie? He had said,Always the boy…did he mean they had gone to Sevenoaks in the first place because of little Eddie?
He turned his dark gaze on the babe. “He is well. Is it not a mystery that some become afflicted, and some dinna? Like ye.” He didn’t wait for her to answer but sat on the edge of the bed and patted his knee to receive the babe.
“It was always about him, was it not?” she asked, needing to hear it. “Us going to Sevenoaks?”
He laughed and nodded. “Ye dinna think I would have settled in such a dull, little village fer as long as I did, did ye? Louis wanted me to get rid of Clare and her bastard back then but I grew weary of doin’ his dirty work and refused. He sent me back this time to see what had become of them, but I was struck with the pestilence before I arrived.”
“And infected all my friends.”
“Oh, do stop,” he mocked her, “before I shed a tear. At least one of us would, eh, Lil?” His smile faded and he patted his knee again. “Now, let him come to me.”
“I will not.” She gritted her teeth and looked him square in the eyes. She knew where to cut a vital vein and kill him.There was no time for thinking about it now. She clenched her fingers around the edge of her sleeve, holding back her knife.
“Give him to me, Lily. ‘Tis time this is done.”
Her heart drummed like a war chant inside her. Her blood singed her veins. “No, Bertram. You will not have him. Now, get out.”
She didn’t think he’d go. But he started for the door. Passing her, he stopped and pushed her out of his way. He was upon little Eddie in no time.
She was about to take a step, but she stopped and cast him a horrified look.
She had to keep a clear head. Eddie’s life depended on it. She couldn’t let her emotions rule her.
She looked at her target, remembering her lessons with Elias. She took a step forward, arriving at the correct distance for the blade to fall into him. She wanted to do the most damage and aimed for his thigh.
But little Eddie was too close to fling the weapon so low. She’d have to get close to the savage. Aye, the villagers were correct to call Bertram that.
“Do not kill him!” she cried out.
Bertram’s face lit up. “Ah, finally, some true passion!”
This was what he wanted. What he’d always wanted—for her to weep and show fear.
She had told Elias to use her in this way to get back Clare and her babe. She knew what he wanted. “Please, Bertram! I will do as you ask, only let me hold him.” She wiped her eyes, though there were no tears there.
He smiled triumphantly again and pushed little Eddie toward her.
She caught the boy and picked him up to hold him close to her. She whispered low in his ear. “Get ready to jump and run. Ready?”
He nodded. She turned him away and released her knife at the same time. Her heartbeat slowed, along with his movements.
She flung her blade and missed.
Bertram stared at the hilt of the blade sticking out of the wall just to the right of him, and then he turned to her. “Ye bitch.”
“Eddie, run!” she pushed the boy toward the door and began to turn back to Bertram.
But the savage reached her first. He took her by her hair and forced her to her knees. “Now, ye get no more mercy from me.” He dragged her to the door. “I willna fall fer yer bewitchin’ schemes again. No! Now, ye will be the one to call the boy to ye! Do it! Call him!”