Scarlet’s heart began to pound as she whispered. “Tristan’s going to die.”
68
Gabriel felt small hands glide up his back from behind.
“Hello, my earl.” Raven’s voice floated into his ear.
Gabriel turned around and found her gray eyes smiling at him.
“Why are you not happy?” she asked.
He exhaled, annoyed. “My father died and everything is in chaos.”
“I know,” she said, smiling. “Isn’t it perfect?”
He looked at her sideways. “Why do you seem pleased?”
“Because now we can be together.” She leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away. Her face clouded in anger as she said, “I thought you’d be grateful.”
“Grateful?” Gabriel’s eyes went wild. “Did you…? Did your family kill my father?”
His heart pounded.
She hushed her voice. “No, my love. Ikilled your father.” Raven smiled. She actually smiled. “I did it so we could be free.”
Gabriel’s mouth fell open. “Are you mad?”
Her eyes turned dark. “Mad? No. I am smart. Now that your father is gone, you no longer have to marry that peasant girl. You will be earl and we can be together.”
Gabriel was completely bewildered. “You aremad.”
She placed her hands on his chest. “Gabriel—”
“Do not touch me, woman!” Gabriel flung her hands away. “You killed my father! You killed the earl!”
“For us!” Raven’s dark hair swung around her head as she gestured about wildly. “Without Tristan or your father forcing your will, you are no longer obligated to marry that girl.”
“But I wantto marry her!”
Raven’s jaw dropped. “What? Why?”
“Because I love her!”
Gabriel realized two things the instant the words left his mouth.
It was the absolute truth.
And he had just made Raven his enemy.
“You what?” She lowered her voice to a deadly decibel. “Gabriel Archer, you do not want to betray me.”
Gabriel squared his jaw. “There is no betrayal here other than you murdering my father. I will never marry you.”
Raven raised a brow. “Then you will never marry anyone.”
“You are truly mad,” he said, bringing his face close to hers, “and you will pay for your crime. I will make sure of it.” Gabriel spun on his heel and left the deceitful witch in the forest.
As soon as he returned to the castle, Gabriel sent a dozen men to arrest Raven for the murder of his father. But the silver-eyed witch was nowhere to be found. His men had returned empty-handed and Gabriel was furious.
How had he let it come to this? How had he not seen the wickedness in Raven’s heart before today?
He would hunt Raven down and punish her, even if it took a lifetime to do so. She was a vile woman with darkness in her heart and she would soon pay for her crime.
In blood.
Days later, Scarlet rode alongside Gabriel, laughing and joking with him until they arrived at the lake and dismounted. Gabriel pulled a blanket out of a pack his horse carried and spread it on the ground.
They sat beside one another, looking out over the great lake stretching before them. They had been coming to the lake together for many weeks and Scarlet was grateful that such a beautiful place existed amidst all the heartache of the last few months.
“How are you today, my Scarlet?” Gabriel asked.
Scarlet thought for a moment. “Well. I miss my mother, but I am happy she is out of pain.” It was the truth.
He nodded.
“How are you?” Scarlet slanted her eyes to Gabriel.
He smiled at her. “Very well.”
He pulled at a loose thread on the blanket and cleared his throat, hesitation and heaviness thickening his voice. “My father is dead. Tristan is gone.” He paused. “You are no longer obligated to marry me. If you wish to leave, I will make sure you are safe. Always.”
Scarlet looked at him with a thudding heart. The idea of not marrying Gabriel made Scarlet feel very, very alone. “Do you wish to be free of our marriage?”
“Not at all,” Gabriel said, looking at her sincerely. “But I do not wish to trap you either.”
Scarlet’s heart settled a bit. “I do not feel trapped. I feel…happy. You have become my friend and my favorite companion. I like being with you.”
Something about Gabriel’s presence, his voice, his laughter…something about Gabriel took away the darkness inside Scarlet. Half of her soul was still dead, but the half that remained was finding a reason to wake up in the morning. A reason not to give up.
Gabriel.
He lifted a brow. “Really?”
She nodded.
He smiled at her. “So you will still marry me?”
“If you still want me,” Scarlet said.
“I want you,” Gabriel said. “Very much.”
Scarlet smiled at him. “Then I am honored to become your wife.” She scrunched her nose. “But I’m afraid the arrangement is unfair for you.”
“How so?”
“You have a girl, do you not? The girl with the dark hair who used to meet you in the forest?”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Were you spying on me?”
Scarlet raised a brow. “My eyes saw things.”
His jaw flexed. “The girl you saw was named Raven. She and I grew up together and she wanted us to marry. I thought I loved her, but I was sorely wrong. I will never marry her.”
Guilt overwhelmed Scarlet. “Because of me?”
“No,” he said. “I will not marry Raven because she is evil.”
Scarlet did not know how to respond to that. She swallowed. “I’m sorry you did not find love with her.”
Gabriel looked out at the water for a moment. “Love is rare.”
“Yes.” Scarlet looked at lake as well. “But always worth pursuing.”