Page 20 of Lion of Thunder (De Lohr Dynasty: Sons of de Lohr #5)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

S he’d heard everything.

Two days of believing Westley had lied to her and run out on her were summarily shattered when she heard her father and Christopher in conversation.

Westley had been given over to Fitz Walter by Olan.

Truly, Elysande hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she hadn’t slept in two days and had barely eaten, and she had been reverting to her life before Westley entered her world. She was returning to that nearly feral creature who liked to dress in old broadcloth and breeches, the one who wanted to learn to fight, and this day had seen her preparing to go out to the troop house and resume her training with Harker. She wanted to forget about Westley de Lohr and all of the sweet lies he’d told her, but her determination to resume her training had come to a halt when she heard her father and Christopher speaking in her father’s solar. Mostly, she’d heard Christopher’s angry tone and her father’s resigned responses.

Westley hadn’t run. He’d been abducted.

By Olan.

With that realization, everything in Elysande was filled with rage. Wild, unadulterated rage. She’d slumped against the wall next to the solar door, listening to her father and Christopher plan how they were going to get Westley back, alive.

Alive.

To think of Westley in such danger drove her to tears. Hot, painful tears, and she had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud. For two long days she’d thought the worst of him, cursing him and hating him so much that she refused to sleep in her bed because he’d been there. It still smelled like him. Instead, she’d slept on the floor and Freddie had slept next to her, trying to give her some comfort. But there was no comfort to be had.

Until now.

Now, she knew she’d been wrong.

Slumped against the wall, she could hear Christopher speaking on the fact that his sons would soon be here with his army and they could rise to Fitz Walter’s threat, but in the same breath, he was lamenting the fact that Hell’s Forge was impenetrable. Evidently, he’d fought there before, and he knew how difficult it was to penetrate. Westley’s life was hanging in the balance, but he couldn’t get to him immediately.

That brought up the subject of Olan.

Christopher blamed Marius for harboring an immoral knight, in love with his daughter and willing to do anything to ensure her marriage was destroyed. As Elysande listened to that, she began to realize that she had been at the core of Olan’s betrayal. He couldn’t have her, so he didn’t want Westley to have her either—so much so that he gave the man over to Christopher’s deadly enemy, who also happened to want her. The more she listened, the more appalled she became.

The common denominator, for the entire situation, was her.

It was horrifying and sickening. She could hear them discussing it further, discussing how to deal with Olan, who was apparently oblivious to the fact that they were onto him. Christopher wanted to wait to confront him until his older sons arrived, but Marius wanted to address it with Olan at that moment. He wanted an immediate confession out of the man.

So did Elysande.

She wanted the truth.

And then she wanted to kill him.

As she stood there and debated what to do, her father called from the solar, summoning the nearest servant. Elysande darted into the shadows, underneath the stairs, as a servant came forth from the passage that led to the stores. Marius sent the man for Olan, so Elysande made the decision to stick around. She wanted to hear the interrogation, too, but she knew if she asked to be part of it, her father wouldn’t allow it. He’d never had much faith in the judgment of women, nor did he ever include her in any business, so she knew she would be denied. Therefore, tucked under the mural stairs in the entryway, she crouched down and prepared for Olan to appear.

Waiting…