Devastation: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (25 page)

“Sir,” I said in acknowledgement of his
greeting.

We followed Mr. Pactel inside where he led
the way to his study.

Sara and her husband already waited within.
Pale Sara sat in a chair, her hands demurely folded in her lap. She
didn’t look up when we entered but kept her gaze on her hands.

“I admit to skepticism when Mr. Coalre told
me you meant to speak on his son’s behalf,” Mr. Pactel said as we
took our seats.

“I would prefer to continue this
conversation without Mr. Coalre or Lord Ruhall,” I said. Mr. Coalre
objected loudly; and Alec frowned at me, not in anger but
speculation.

“Please,” I said softly, meeting Alec’s
gaze. He nodded and stood. Mr. Coalre had no choice but to follow
Alec out the door. Mr. Pactel eyed me expectantly but I didn’t
address him. I turned to Sara.

“Silence brought me unfounded hatred from
the men in your family. Silence brought me abuse at the hands of
Tennen and then Mr. Medunge. I only kept silent because I thought I
protected you. Now, I fear what silence will bring me next if I
continue to keep company with it.”

She lifted her gaze and met mine. Tears ran
down her cheeks.

“I won’t speak for Tennen,” I said to her.
“I have much to say against him. He is malicious and views women
with contempt, much like his father.

“I asked you here to give you a choice,
Sara. A choice to save yourself and your other son. Splane hasn’t
yet fully adopted his father’s or Tennen’s attitude.”

Pain reflected in her gaze as she understood
what I meant to do.

“I won’t keep silent any longer.”

I turned to Mr. Pactel and started at the
beginning of my tale. I spared no detail of what I’d witnessed so
many months ago or of the torment Tennen unleashed upon me with
Splane’s help. Mr. Pactel listened to each encounter with a stoic
expression that cracked only once. He frowned as I recalled
Edmund’s mention of Mr. Coalre’s visit to establish the same deal
with the new baker as he’d had with the old.

When I finished, Sara turned to me.

“I didn’t know. I am so sorry.”

Mr. Pactel made a sound of disbelief and
leaned forward in his chair.

“Miss Hovtel said you were there when the
prior baker attempted to rape her. Were your eyes closed?” he asked
sharply. “For if they were open, how could you not know?”

She paled further at his words but didn’t
take her gaze from me.

“I didn’t know Tennen and Splane chased you
and hurt you. I didn’t know Tennen waited in the house for you.”
She faced Mr. Pactel. “I didn’t know why we needed to go to the
baker that morning. I thought it was for me. For more bread. It
broke my heart that my son meant to send me. When I saw Benella, I
was first so relieved it wasn’t me.” She turned to me, her
expression full of remorse and apology. “Then you started to fight.
I wanted to step forward but...Patrick stopped me. I was so
afraid.”

“I believe you,” I said. Fear of her husband
had stolen her courage to stand up for herself. How could she ever
stand up for me? I didn’t blame her for her inaction; I pitied
her.

“You would have me see her as innocent?” Mr.
Pactel asked me.

His words brought back what Rose had once
told me...that I would call the guilty innocent. I’d thought she’d
meant Alec, but now I understood. My silence had protected Mr.
Medunge, Mr. Coalre, and Tennen.

“Coerced and controlled by her husband, she
kept her silence, just as I kept mine. I believe we are both
innocent of any crime. Our guilt lies in our fear and compassion.
Consider that as you judge those who are guilty of much greater
crimes.”

Mr. Pactel sat silent for a long while,
studying Sara.

“Your husband will be sentenced to work in
the mines for one year for his crimes against you. With my ruling,
he forfeits his rights to any material wealth. Your son, Tennen,
will work five years and also forfeit any material wealth. What is
theirs is yours as recompense.

“You can choose to remain in this room as I
sentence your husband or you can leave.”

She stood. Trembling, she straightened her
shoulders.

“Before the Head, I sever my marriage to
Patrick Coalre.” Then, she turned and walked out the door.

Through the open door, Mr. Pactel asked that
the guard fetch Mr. Coalre and Lord Ruhall.

I stood.

“I would prefer to leave for the
sentencing.”

He nodded and led me through a side door
into a very small sitting room.

“I will have Lord Ruhall join you as soon as
I’ve spoken with him.”

Minutes after he closed the door, I heard
the murmur of low voices. Then, the smith began to yell and curse.
The sounds of a struggle reached me before the room went very
quiet. It remained so for a long while. The abruptness of the door
opening to my left brought me to my feet. Alec paused in the
doorway as he caught the fear and panic in my eyes. After a moment,
he stepped in and continued toward me.

“We can leave now,” he said softly.

I studied his face. The slight downturn of
his mouth and the thin line of his lips held me in place.

“You’re angry.”

He sighed and gently took my hand in
his.

“You should have told me.”

“It wasn’t my truth to tell.”

“It was. Because you were the one to suffer
the most. I would have protected you and brought the smith and his
son to the Head’s attention sooner. Instead, I paid the pair to
pick apples.” He didn’t mask his disgust.

“I needed to give them a chance to choose to
reform like Rose did for you.”

“You are not Rose. You are fragile, easily
hurt.”

The bruises on my wrist told the truth of
his words. Why had I suffered through the abuse I had? Was my
lesson to learn not to trust or give second chances? I thought not
and held firm to my belief that we were meant to make mistakes and
learn from them. Perhaps I only needed to learn to be more wary of
who to trust and who might deserve second chances.

With his hand warming my back, he guided me
from the room.

Tam hopped into the driver’s seat as soon as
we emerged into the late afternoon light. Alec helped me into the
carriage. Once we settled into our seats, he called to Tam. The
carriage lurched forward.

“When Kara told me you went for a walk, I
became worried. Rightfully so, it seems. Why did you leave without
someone?” Alec asked gently once we crossed the bridge.

A half snort escaped me, and I looked out
the window.

“I did leave with someone. I left with Bryn.
She had asked me to walk with her.” I shook my head. “I was foolish
to go. We upset each other, and she left me near where you found
me.”

“What upset you?”

“Her selfishness,” I said, meeting his gaze.
“She told me she was glad we were marrying. Then proceeded to
outline how you could hire Edmund, pay him an enormous annual wage,
and allow them a suite of rooms at the manor. When I said no, she
accused me of being selfish and that Blye would have been better
suited as your wife.”

He remained silent, studying my face, then
looked out the window for a time. The tense clench of his jaw
showed his emotion.

“Tam,” he called.

“Sir.”

“Take us to the bakery in Konrall.”

A jolt of concern struck me.

“Edmund had no knowledge of our
conversation.”

“I guessed as much,” he said.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Tell Edmund what his wife has caused.”

I sighed and nodded. Keeping silent served
no purpose.

When the carriage stopped before the bakery,
I took a steadying breath. Alec disembarked first, then reached to
help me descend. Down the road, Splane carried items from the
smithy to the wagon, filling it with all manner of tools and
metal.

“What will they do?” I asked quietly.

“Sell what they can and start anew
elsewhere,” he said, glancing in the direction of the smithy.

Tam hopped down from the driver’s seat and
took the horses by the lead.

“I’m going to see if there’s something we
can use.”

Alec nodded and led me inside. He kept my
hand on his arm, and I was glad for the support. I didn’t want to
face Bryn.

“Welcome, Lord Ruhall,” Bryn said with an
eager smile. She didn’t glance at me.

“Bryn, Tennen attacked your sister after you
left her this morning,” Alec said without preamble.

Her gaze flicked to me before returning to
Alec. She remained silent, watching him expectantly. Edmund
appeared from the kitchen.

“Good afternoon,” he said pleasantly. His
welcoming smile faltered when he saw Alec’s displeased expression.
“Can I help you?”

Alec repeated his statement, and Edmund’s
eyes flew to me.

“Were you injured? Would you like to
sit?”

“Thank you, Edmund. I’m fine, now. Alec came
upon us before I suffered anything serious.” Alec’s fingers
twitched over mine, and I gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

“We came because I hold your wife
responsible,” Alec said with a good deal of anger.

Bryn’s mouth dropped open, and her face
paled.

“After Benella told Bryn that she would not
hire you and allow her sister and you to live at the manor, Bryn
grew angry and left Benella alone on the road.”

“I’ve walked that road twice a day for weeks
without incident,” Bryn said in quick defense.

“But Tennen didn’t hold a grudge against
you,” Alec said, lowering his eyes to her belly. A small gasp
escaped her, and her eyes began to water. “You knew he disliked
Benella, and I suspect you also knew he’d attacked her before. Long
before your family moved to the Water.”

Alec turned to Edmund.

“My feelings toward your wife do not extend
to you. I believe Bryn has manipulated you as much as she has
Benella. No man should suffer a manipulative wife who carries
another man’s child.”

Bryn flinched and paled as she understood
what Alec was suggesting. With panic, she looked toward Edmund.
Edmund’s cheeks flushed, and he wouldn’t look at her.

“But that choice is yours alone,” Alec
said.

“No,” Bryn said wretchedly, finally finding
her voice. She rushed the few steps to Edmund’s side and clung to
his arm. “Don’t sever our marriage. I only spoke to her for you.
You work so hard. You deserve so much more than this.”

I looked away from the display.

“This?” Edmund said. “I’m proud to be a
baker. I am a damn good one. If you’re not proud of that, if you
don’t want to build a future with me, here, in this bakery, if you
don’t want to work beside me and share the success earned by our
own labors, you should marry another.”

His footsteps marked his retreat. I looked
up and saw Bryn standing there, shaken. She stared at the door to
the kitchen, not even noting us.

“Decide, Bryn,” I said quietly. “Who do you
want to be? A loved wife or a lonely woman always wanting more than
she has?”

Her gaze turned to me, and I saw the flash
of anger there. Then her shoulders slumped, and the emotion
disappeared. Like Edmund, she turned away from us and fled into the
dreaded sitting room off the store.

* * * *

I sat in the library, pretending to read the
book I held. Neither Father nor Alec disturbed my contemplations
under this pretext. Today’s events needed consideration. Not
Tennen’s attack or the Coalre family’s departure or even Bryn’s
numerous hurtful rejections. No, the events that held my mind
revolved around Alec, who currently paced quietly in his study.

How he’d reacted when he’d found Tennen on
me, the enraged expression on his face, the way he’d struck
Tennen...that was the beastly way he would have acted while
enchanted, the way I’d wanted him to act when he’d found the baker
atop me. He’d never changed. Not really. And I had refused to see
that for so long. He had held my heart as the beast; and though I’d
tried to deny it, he held my heart still. He wasn’t perfect, but
I’d never wanted perfect like my sisters had. I’d wanted real. I
wanted someone who could love me as I was and who I could love as
he was.

The crackle of the fire almost drowned out
the distant sound of Alec’s footfalls as he paced.

How many times had I hurt him with my
denial? The lonely beast, punished for fifty years, was still there
despite the clothes and title. And he hadn’t lied when he’d said he
needed me. I’d thought he just meant my body or perhaps even my
assistance. But it wasn’t any one thing he needed from me; he
needed all of me. My love. My company. My compassion. My cool head.
Living with Alec wouldn’t be easy, but I already knew that. It
would be an adventure filled with love and consideration. I had
been a fool to wait so long to accept what he offered me. I
wouldn’t wait a moment longer. Our life together would start
now.

I softly closed the book and stood. Father
looked up at me, and I gave him a reassuring smile as I started
toward the study. Alec caught sight of me and stopped his pacing.
He waited patiently with worry furrowing his brow until I stood
before him.

I reached up and gently ran my finger along
the crease.

“Why are you worried?”

His gaze searched mine, then he took my hand
in both of his. He traced the mottled bruise circling my wrist. The
gentle touch and the anguish in his gaze made my stomach twist. He
closed his eyes and pressed his lips to my palm. I rested my other
hand against his cheek, trying to comfort him. He held me like that
for so long, I thought he wouldn’t speak of his concern.

“I worry that I’ve done you a greater wrong
than those sentenced today,” he said, opening his eyes. “Last
night, when we danced and I saw your conflict, I wanted to grant
you your wish to go your own way, but I couldn’t. I’m too selfish
to let you go. I want you as my wife; yet, you fear what that
entails. A selfless man might offer to give you time, might promise
not to touch you after we speak our vows. I’m not a selfless man.
My need for you might be what finally drives you away. And I can’t
stand the thought of losing you.”