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“Oh, I’m afraid I can,” I inform him, “and furthermore, I award your lands, fortune and castle to a person you saw fit to bring to the realm against her will, enslave her and use for your own personal gratification. From this moment forth they belong to a woman I know simply as Kes. Such was the extent of injury caused by you, she can’t remember the rest of her name or from what land she comes. She is the commander of my own private guard, the Khaleeni, and from this day forth will also hold the title Lady of Donnybrook Castle.”

I’m not sure who looks more shocked at this announcement, Montrose or Kes. I give her a small smile but all she manages in response is a slight inclination of her head.

“And now to Lords Glindenbrooke, Montrose, Sutton and Bottomleigh, for the crime of conspiracy against the crown you are to be stripped of your titles and imprisoned in the castle dungeons for an unspecified amount of time. On completion ofyour imprisonment you shall leave the realm of Ardvalla, never to set foot in your homeland again. To do so will result in a kill on sight order.”

At this stage it would seem the assembled crowd are past gasping and are in a perpetual state of shock.

I continue, “Lord Greythorne, for the crimes of leading a conspiracy against the crown and threatening war, you shall be stripped of your title. Your lands are forfeit to the crown and you are to be hanged tomorrow as the sun sets at the gallows on Traitor’s Hill.”

It seems I was wrong about the crowd being out of gasps as a shocked gasp reverberates around the hall like the vibration from a large drum, and some of the ladies even cry out in distress. It’s been a long time since anyone was sent to the gallows in Ardvalla and I am loath to do it, but I think of Aurora and her baby and I can’t think of anyone who deserves to hang more than Greythorne.

He looks at me with pure venom in his eyes and opens his mouth to say something when Aaran starts to rise from his seat. Greythorne shuts his mouth and contents himself with spewing his hatred for me from his eyes. Aaran slowly sits back down but doesn’t take his eyes off Greythorne, and judging by the antipathy radiating off him, I wonder if Greythorne will even make it to the gallows.

“That concludes the official duties for this evening,” I declare, as I pause to take a deep breath for the last announcement of the night, “all that remains now is for me to declare that my husband, Prince Ronan of Ellerban and its rightful king, shall be crowned king of Ardvalla a week from today.”

A low murmur moves through the hall.

“And on that day, his two commanders, Aaran of The Dark Forest and Barra of Anillean will be officially declared myroyal consorts. This means they will stand in for the king in all things in the event of his absence. I therefore declare from that day forth, any Ardvallan woman who so wishes, may engage in a relationship or marriage with a man from outside the realm as long as he is a man of good character and proves his seed is good. Furthermore, she may engage in a relationship with others, if she so wishes, as long as it causes no hurt to her marriage. Full responsibility is to be taken by all parties involved for any children who may result from these unions.”

Silence.

“Now, I invite you to join me in the celebration of my marriage. Please, eat, drink and be merry.”

I give a wave of my hand and the Khaleeni remove Greythorne and his collaborators from the Hall. I take my seat and know instantly from the stiffness of the prince’s posture that Greythorne’s words about Prince Mikil have hit a nerve.

I place my hand on his arm. “Ronan,” I say in a soft voice, “are you all right? You seem troubled.”

He takes my hand and kisses the back of it. “What Greythorne said about my brother, I can’t help wondering if it’s true.”

A pang of guilt thrums low in my abdomen. I probably should have told him what I knew prior to tonight’s banquet, but he’d been so peaceful since we returned from the hunting lodge that I hadn’t wanted to cause him upset again so soon. Also, I needed him to be as strong as possible for this evening and didn’t want to risk him breaking down again before I could publicly present him as my husband. I’d known there was a chance someone would blurt out about Prince Mikil declaring himself king, but I had played the odds of it not happening. This was the one thing I played this night and didn’t win. I just hope it doesn’t cost me too much in terms of losing the prince’s trust.

I tighten my fingers around his hand. “I believe it is.”

His head turns in shock to look at me and I inwardly cringe at the hurt in his voice when he speaks. “You knew about it?” he asks and there’s a hint of accusation in his tone. “You knew about it and didn’t tell me?”

I look at him and feel the guilt grow like a dark fungus that threatens to choke me from the inside out as I see fresh pain and confusion in his eyes. “I only recently became aware of this information, Ronan,” I explain, keeping my voice calm and steady. “There is much we need to discuss, but first we must get through this banquet.”

He is silent for a few moments, but when he speaks it’s in a voice that will hear no argument. “I will finish this glass of wine, Elinor, and then we are leaving. We shall return to your chambers and you will tell me what you know.”

I simply take a hearty drink of my wine and nod. I quickly glance at Aaran and he gives a slight nod too, letting me know he heard what the prince said and understands what he must do.

The minstrels have just started their entertainment when I rise from my throne and declare that I must leave. I invite all my guests to stay and enjoy the festivities. I then take the prince’s arm and walk down the center of the hall, flanked by Aaran and Barra. I can’t help noticing the envious glances of more than one Ardvallan lady as I pass. I might have enjoyed them more if my heart wasn’t in my throat at the prospects of the conversation I must now have with the prince. The one small consolation I have is the fact Aaran and Barra will be at my side as I do so.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The door to my chambers has barely closed behind us when the prince demands to know what I know. I go straight to the table beside the fire, which has a decanter of Ardvallan whiskey on it, and fill four glasses with the amber liquid.

I hand a glass to the prince and Aaron and Barra lift theirs from the table. I'm so nervous I can barely hold my glass, but somehow I manage to take a sip and am grateful for the momentary distraction of the liquid burning its way down my throat. The prince doesn't take a drink but stands in silence, waiting for me to speak.

“As you know, on the night I abducted you,” I start to explain, my voice breathy from nervousness, “I also found Aaran and Barra in the Dark Forest. You may recall on our journey back to Ardvalla you wished for them to be seen by a healer in Ellerban and I refused you this wish, explaining how I believed their injuries were inflicted by someone from Ellerban and it was important for us to leave.”

The prince nods and I can see from his expression he is already nervous at what I'm going to say.

“I'm afraid I wasn't completely honest with you at that time, as I knew exactly who had inflicted the terrible injuries upon them.”

His eyes go wide in surprise and anticipation.

“I witnessed Prince Mikil himself inflicting those injuries on Aaran and Barra.”