Twilight of a Queen (49 page)

Tears shimmering in her eyes, Meg peered at Ariane. “You are so good, Ariane. You cannot possibly understand.”

“Yes, I can, my dear. Far better than you can imagine. Do you realize that I once had the
Book of Shadows
in my possession?”

“N-no.”

“Oh, I was not as good at translating the text as you. But I managed enough to be able to work a rather lethal bit of magic. My sister Gabrielle was being held hostage by a witch-hunter. I tried to produce a diversion by setting off a small explosion. Instead, I succeeded in burning down an entire inn and harming a good many innocent bystanders.”

Meg regarded her, wide-eyed. “You did?”

“So you see, you are not the only one who has ever
been lured by the dark ways. Strength is not acquired through never being tempted. Each time you stumble, every mistake that you make and what you learn from it, that is what will give you the wisdom you need to be the Lady of Faire Isle.”

Ariane smiled ruefully. “I myself am still struggling, still learning. It is a lifetime process.”

She placed her hands on the girl’s slender shoulders. “Please don’t give up on yourself, Meg. I assure you that I have not. But I can choose another successor. If that is what you really want?”

Meg looked up at Ariane, her tears spilling down her cheeks.

“No.” She said and flung herself into Ariane’s arms. A gentle wind blew through the clearing. As Ariane held Meg close, she watched as the Dark Queen’s candle flickered and went out.

JANE STOOD AT THE EDGE OF THE ROCKY SHORE, GAZING OUT
across the channel toward England, but no longer with the fear and desperation she had once known.

Xavier slipped his arm protectively about her waist to steady her upon the rocks. “So Jane, your England is safe. They managed to defeat the armada without the aid of the French.”

“Perhaps because England had the aid of a more powerful ally,” Jane murmured.

The channel was so calm today. It was difficult to imagine the fierceness of the storm that had been the destruction of the Spanish fleet.

“I daresay they will be finding traces of wrecked galleons along the Irish coast for years to come,” Xavier said. “I have heard that many of the Spanish sailors who managed to struggle to shore were beaten to death by wild Irish clans.”

Xavier added after a moment. “Poor devils.”

Jane gazed up at him in surprise. “But I thought you hated the Spanish.”

Xavier shrugged. “I guess the rank and file were merely seamen like Jambe, Pietro, or myself. Not overly concerned with kings, religion, or politics. The poor bastards sailed for the love of the sea. They were just looking for a little adventure and hoping perhaps to make their fortune upon the way.”

“Jambe has certainly made his. He earned his share of the prize money by sailing with Drake.”

“That he did.” Xavier grimaced. “To say nothing of the fact that he also got that blasted bird of his back. Miri returned the Sea Beggar to him. Apparently, the parrot told her that he did not wish to seem ungrateful, but the Beggar prefers Jambe’s company to hers.”

“The parrot can talk that well?” Jane asked in astonishment.

“Apparently he can—to Miri.” Xavier laughed. His expression sobered as he added. “My sister had something to give me as well. She—she has been reading through the journals our father kept for her. She discovered the reason the chevalier never returned to France.”

“Oh?” Jane asked anxiously. She could not tell from Xavier’s expression if that was good or bad.

“It seems that the chevalier was rather distraught after
the Spanish raid on the French settlement. If Miri should ever receive his journals, he wanted her to know how much he loved her and her sisters, but he could never come back until he found his—his son.”

“Oh, Xavier!”

“Yes, well, that was it. Just that one mention of me, just those two words.
My son.”
His mouth twisted ruefully. “But somehow, it is enough.”

Jane could only imagine how much that revelation meant to Xavier. His eyes had misted, but he was clearly embarrassed and behaving so gruffly about it, Jane allowed him to change the subject back to Jambe.

“The old pirate is in fine fettle. Not only does he have his bird and his gold, but he will be able to boast forever that he was one of the men who stood with Drake against the mighty Spanish armada.”

Jane thought she detected a note of wistfulness in Xavier’s voice. “Do you regret that you did not leave Paris to sail with Drake instead of remaining to defend Meg against the Dark Queen?”

Xavier shook his head. “I only regret that I was fool enough to let myself be trapped by that witch. I should have protected you better.”

“I am stronger than you think, Xavier.”

“I never underestimated your strength or courage, Jane. Like most of these women on Faire Isle, I sometimes doubt if you have need of me or any man,” he joked, but there was no mistaking the wistfulness in his eyes this time. “I hear that you have received another letter.”

“Yes.”

“From that miserable cousin of yours, I suppose?”

“No, strangely enough this one came from an old friend that I had nearly forgotten. During the attack of the armada, Philip expected the English Catholics to turn against their queen. But very few of them did. This has left Elizabeth disposed to be generous toward her Catholic subjects, even the exiled ones. Her Majesty has offered me a pardon.”

“I see.” Xavier’s hand fell away from her waist. “And of course, you wish to accept it and return home.”

“Once that is all I would have desired. I was devastated to be branded as a traitor and witch. I am neither. But I have come to realize three things. One, that I am a daughter of the earth after all. Two, that I don’t belong in England anymore.”

“And the third thing, Jane?”

She draped her arms about his neck. “That my home is wherever you are.”

It touched her heart to see how moved Xavier was by her words, and how much, despite all his bravado and bluster, this man needed her reassurance.

“You know I don’t have much to offer you. But Ariane’s husband might be willing to invest in a small ship. I appear to have intrigued him with all my tales of the New World.”

Xavier drew her closer, teasing as he always did to cover his deeper emotions. “So Jane, would you be willing to set sail with me and become a pirate?”

She smiled up at him. “Of all the prospects I considered for my future, I confess that is one I never thought of.”

“Why not? Your time on Faire Isle must have taught you that women are capable of anything. Have you never heard of Grace O’Malley, the Irish pirate queen?”

“Yes, but
she
was bred to the sea from her earliest years. I have a tendency to become unwell when the waves get too rough and I fear that every time you managed to steal another ship’s cargo, I would be begging you to return it.”

“My beautiful conscience,” Xavier said, his eyes gleaming with tender amusement as he kissed her.

She drew back, regarding him seriously. “Whatever the future holds, Xavier, I never want to be the one who denies you your dreams, who holds you back from all those wondrous new lands and uncharted seas you dreamed of sailing.”

“Foolish woman, you still don’t understand, do you?” he said huskily as he kissed her again.

“I have already found my far horizons in your eyes.”