All the Things You Never Knew (30 page)

* * * “This is the Marquess’s death lair, then?”
It was barely visible in the dark.
Avangelene and Laguna stood, watching from afar as the old

marquess came to meet his son by the front gate.
Laguna nodded. “Seems so.”
“Let’s go.”
They left their horses hidden in the forest and hurried to follow

the marquess.

The gate was not guarded, making it easy for them to slip through.
“I love the security here,” Laguna said, following after Avangelene as they trotted up the stairs.
“I sense he has more protection from the inside then the outside,” Avangelene said, pulling Laguna’s arm and hurrying to the side of the house when light spilled out from the open door.
“We have to find a way inside now since we can’t just barge in like some kinsmen.”
That brought a smile to Avangelene’s face as she looks at the duke and she answered, “Perhaps we could find a way.”
And they did.
As the door closes, two guards came out and Avangelene made the move for them to knock them out and steal their costume.
“You look a bit too tiny to be a bodyguard,” Laguna said to Avangelene with a light chuckle as he put on the helmet of the guard.
“Shut up,” she just said, and went in through the door.
Avangelene wasted no time once they’re inside. She went to the nearest guard and asked him in her most manly voice to direct them to where the marquess went.
Laguna had to try hard not to laugh, although she did pass and was able to lead them away. He wonders if the guards even realize the shortness in Avangelene’s height compare to the others. He had to admit she’s quite…fascinating and remarkably talented. He was wrong to even call her dull in the first place, for she certainly is not and is full of surprises.
“Duke,” she said, stopping in her tracks and turning to Laguna. “Do you think you can knock out a few guards while I go in to check on the marquess?”
He shrugged. “I could try.”
“Thanks.”
She stripped off the guard disguise and pulled Laguna’s face to hers as if to kiss him, but instead flick his nose and whispered, “I owe you,
Duke
,” and then moving back, gave him a wave and turned on her heels.
Laguna stood speechless for a moment but then grin, taking off his own disguise.
Someday he’s just going to teach this little vixen that she’ll get burn if she plays with fire.

Bridlington

The battle with Lansing’s army came to another end and the Heartilys sighed and sat silently in the sitting room, not quite sure of what to do

next.

Gabriel and his brother had returned disappointingly from losing track of Lansing’s men and were unable to help Lady Rose.
“Leon’s going to be so angry when he returns to find Lady Rose gone,” Namine finally said. “Oh, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you out with me, Lavender. I should’ve known Nix wouldn’t be a good guardian.”
“Hey, don’t blame me now,” Phoenix snapped. “I was going up to the attic to get pistols for us. If somebody hadn’t moved the box where they were kept the last time, I would’ve returned faster.”
“If you guys would have just stay put in the house, all would have been fine,” Gabriel argued. “You ladies just never listen.”
“We’re so sorry, Gabe. We didn’t think this would happen,” Lavender said wearily. “Oh, I feel so guilty.”
“You should be,” said her twin brother. “You just got our sisterin-law kidnapped.”
This was the first time in history that Lavender didn’t argue back with her brother.
“I didn’t even know Lady Rose was here,” said Jack. “I would’ve told one of you guys to return to the house. Do you know what Leon is capable of doing if Lady Rose gets but a scratch on her body?”
“The worst he could do is sacrificing his life for hers, that’s for sure,” said Aidan. “He had always loved her, right?”
“Right,” his siblings seemed to agree.
“I can’t believe there are eleven of us and we can’t even protect Lady Rose,” said Blake.
“Damn, I’ll be pissed if I was Leon returning home to find my bride-to-be gone,” said Sheik.
“He’s going to marry the chit?” Edward asked, surprised.
“I knew he would,” Jack grinned. “Boy, this is all going very badly.”
“Lansing’s bloody men better take her to Leicester in time for Leon to save her,” said Gabriel. “It would be hard if he comes back with her father and then have to go back for her. Lansing’s security would be twice as strict.”
Namine sighed and stood up to poke the fire before answering, “We can only hope so.”

Leicester

Avangelene listened at the door of the room to where the old marquess and his son were talking, and gestured for the duke to be quiet when he rejoined her.

“I took care of the guards,” he said. “I locked them in this one room full of spikes that I happen to come across.”
“Well done,” Avangelene answered quickly before returning her attention to the door.
“What are they saying?”
“Something about Leon’s jewel.”
“What is all these jewel nonsense anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Avangelene said. “But that marquess believes it’s some key to heaven.”
“It’s causing so much–” The duke stopped and looked at her as she pales and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Avangelene gasped and jump back as she heard what the old marquess had said.
“They’ve got Leon back in here with Lord Longsword,” Avangelene answered.
“Again?”
“They sent some guards to our estate to capture Lady Rose so they can use her against Leon.”
“I’m sure your brothers at home took care of that.”
“I hope so. What if they–”
“Are you okay? You look as if you’ve saw a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” Avangelene answered.
“You don’t look okay.”
“They got Lady Rose here, too.”
“Now that’s not good.”
“I have to go find her, Duke,” Avangelene said. “You go help Leon and them.”
“Did they say where Leon and Longsword were kept?”
“Death chamber,” Avangelene answered, moving away from the door. “You have to find the death chamber.”
“Death chamber?” The duke arches a brow and rubbed his chin in thoughts. “I think I know where it is.”

“I see you negotiated well with the old man,” Longsword said sarcastically as Leon was brought down to join him in chains on the wall.

Leon waited until the guards were out of earshot and answered, “I have another plan already.”
“And what is it, pray tell? You already failed this first one.”
“I wasn’t knocked out from behind like last time,” Leon said. “I can get us out.”
“And how are you going to do that when we are chained to a bloody wall?”
“These chains are longer than the one back in Islington. I just need to reach and–”
With a click his hand came loose and he turns quickly to undo the other side before falling on his hands to unlock his feet.
“How did you do that?” Longsword asked amazed by how fast Leon released himself.
“This.” Leon held up a pick and came to free Longsword. “I dug it out of Avangelene’s room before we left. I saw her use it once to pick the attic door. It seems easy. I don’t know where she got it from but you simply have to stick it in and the switch would release.”
“I don’t ever want her as a wife, then,” Longsword said. “I fear she’ll be too much.”
“You can rest assure, for I won’t let you marry her anyway,” Leon answered, unlocking Longsword’s feet.
Longsword rubbed his wrists and shook out his foot while Leon looks around to determine where they should go next.
“You go and find Viscount Herring just in case I fail,” Leon ordered for Longsword to do. “I’ll find that old marquess and settle things.”
“You won’t be so dumb to let him trick you back in here if I let you go alone, would you?” Longsword teased, before turning to the other direction.
“I’ve softened too much, no,” Leon replied.
“I’ll meet you by the front when I find the viscount.”
“Sounds good.”
With that, they parted through the chamber and fought off the guards that brought them in.
Leon took one of them captive and forced the guard to show him the way to the marquess. It wasn’t long before they came to a door and the guard begged for release.
“So this is it.”
Ignoring the guard’s plead, Leon kicked open the door and stepped in, pulling the guard along.
“Well, well, well…this is interesting,” the old marquess said, standing up from his desk as he saw Leon.
There was nobody else in the room but him.
“You escaped faster than I would’ve thought.”
“You have my jewel now,” Leon said. “I don’t see why you can’t just hand the viscount over.”
The old man cackled and came around his desk to them.
“You think one tiny jewel could be exchanged for the life of a person?”
“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
The man shrilled in laughter again and shook his head. “Foolish, foolish boy. We both know there are twelve jewels. You only gave me one. You think that’s fair?”
“Mine was the only one you wanted, wasn’t it?”
“It’s the first one, yes,” the old man replied. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the last.”
“Why do you want them anyway?” This was the question that Leon had always wanted to seek the answer to.
“Didn’t your old man ever tell you of its value? With all twelve together, they will open the door to the Cave of Treasure and bring wealth to the holder of the jewels.”
Was that really all?
“You’re being fooled by a legend,” Leon said. “There’s no such thing.”
“Then you shouldn’t hesitate to give them to me. I’ll release the viscount if you do.”
“How am I to trust that you will let Lord Herring go when you lied to me earlier?”
“Because I
will
let him go,” the marquess said.
Leon merely laughs and pulled out the hidden pistol in his coat, pointing it at the marquess.
“You shouldn’t be pointing that thing at me,” said the marquess. “You don’t know what I’m capable of doing.”
“Then let Lord Herring go.”
“You want him? You shall have him then. Let go of my guard there and he shall go get him for you.”
Leon didn’t know whether to trust the marquess or not but he swung the guard off toward the door and the marquess order for the viscount to be brought in as he had said.
“I don’t know why you want to trade your jewel for that Lord Herring when there’s someone more important here that you could save.”
Someone more important?
“I assure you that there’s no one here,” said Leon. “Longsword has made it out already.”
“Not the worthless little earl,” the marquess laughed.
Leon was starting to grow agitated by the marquess’s laughter. He acts as if everything was a little joke.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
The door opens as the marquess said that and two guards came pushing Lord Herring into the room.
“Look who’s here for you, Willy,” the marquess said, walking over to lift up the viscount’s droopy head and then pushed him off to Leon.
“Lord Herring–What did you do to him?” Leon fumed as he caught the viscount.
“Just a little beating there and here with a few drugs,” said the marquess. “He will live to see another day or two.”
“You despicable old devil!” Leon set the viscount down on the chair and lurch forward with his pistol again. “I’ve had enough of your deception.”
“Put that down now!” bellowed another voice through the door.
Leon saw that it was the marquess’s son and he was coming in slowly, pulling along somebody behind him.
“Marcus.” The marquess moved forward and stood by his son.
Leon’s heart nearly stop when he saw who it was that Marcus had pulled in.
“Rose!” Rage swept over him as he saw her state and almost broke out into a killing spree.
A cloth was tied over her mouth and her hair fell down over her face and shoulders.
She was crying and struggling, trying to flee to Leon but was held back tight.
How did they get her? His siblings were supposed to watch her.
The marquess rubbed his hands together and gave Leon a devious smile. “Surprised, aren’t you? Well, here’s that important person. You must wonder how we got her. Your stupid siblings must have been out beaten by the men that I sent out.”
He sent out another army to attack them?
“Don’t you dare lay one finger on her!” Leon roared, urging forward, but was stop with the point of Marcus’s pistol and the spears of the two guards.
“Take one more step and your lady here dies!” Marcus said, moving the pistol to Rose’s chest.
She was whimpering and trying to say something but can’t.
“Marcus, be a real man and not use a lady as bait,” Leon said, walking slowly towards them.
“Put down your pistol or I’ll shoot her,” Marcus threatened again.
Rose’s eyes widened and she shook her head, telling him not to do it.
“Please let her go,” Leon said, not having much choice. “I’ll do anything.”
“Then put down your gun,” Marcus ordered again.
Leon looked at Rose and slowly crouched down to set his gun on the floor.
The marquess and his son both laugh and aimed now two pistols at Leon.
“Say good-bye, my boy.”
Rose managed to get the cloth off her mouth and cried out, “No,” before the guns went off, and Leon closed his eyes to accept his fate.

Rose thought it was the end of her love when Marcus and his father’s gun went off at Leon and almost fainted until she realizes that it wasn’t theirs but somebody else’s.

“Don’t you ever dare to raise your gun at my brother again!” growled an angry female voice from the door.
She had her hair secured with a yellow ribbon and was dressed in a brown waistcoat with dark breeches and hessians, crossing the room furiously and firing at the guards.
This has got to be the older sister of the Heartilys, Miss Avangelene.
The old marquess gave out a groan and clutched to his hand as it spills out blood and Marcus did the same, pulling Rose with him as he tries to run for the door.
Another man came in, who Rose realizes as the Duke of Hargate, and he took care of knocking Marcus back but was distracted as four guards came in at him.
“Let me go, Marcus!” she cried, trying to bite his arm to free her.
“Stop, you whore!” he snapped, striking her across the face. “You’re coming with me.”
“Leon! Leon! Help me!” she called, but was dragged out by Marcus and his father.

Leon thought it will be the end of him but thank goodness his sister came in time to stop the marquess. He hadn’t expected her, or Hargate to barge in and help.

How did they even know he was here?
“Leon, are you all right?” Avangelene asked, rushing to his side. “Heartily.” Hargate came, too, and stood by them. “Where’s

Longsword?”
“He’s…somewhere,” Leon answered, clutching his shoulder. It’s
either the marquess or his bastard son that had their shot fired at him.
“Quick! We have to get Lansing before he escapes.”
“Will do!”
The three of them dashed out just in time to catch Longsword
fending off some guards that were heading towards them. “Go back in there and get Lord Herring,” Leon ordered
Longsword, and ran to where he saw the marquess and his son
disappear around the corner with Rose.
He was not going to let them touch a hair on his wife!