Incognito

32

The fire was finally beginning to quench. Brooks left the ballroom and raced upstairs. He had no sight of his brother or any of Richard's men. He was not going to stand in charred remains while his betrothed and father were unnecessarily locked up. He took the stairs to his bedroom two at a time and pulled out the key so hurriedly he fumbled and dropped it twice. When he opened the room he lost his head.

"Where are the duke and Beth?" he demanded of the king.

His majesty put the book he was reading down on the bed next to his daughter. "They have been gone for some time. Almost as long as you. Is it sage enough that I will not get assassinated the second I step from the room? I do not foresee myself running a kingdom from a young earl's bedroom."

Brooks grimaces. "We must find the gang first. Do you know where Elizabeth vanished to?"

The king shook his head remorsefully. "Left before I ever arrived. Your father on the other hand has gone in search of a Mr. Roslin. My assumption is that Elizabeth is looking for you."

Brooks nods and bows. "Thank you, your majesty. I sincerely apologize for locking you up but I am very concerned for your safety."

He laughs. "Do not fret. This is more fun than my wife lets me have."

Brooks chuckles and relocks the door. He stumbles down the hallways searching longingly for Beth. He is ready to forsake his mission when one of his father's stewards runs up the hall.

"I have located Miss Elizabeth and she looks a fright." Brooks jogs to keep up with the tall lad as he is delivered to a dirty Beth picking cobwebs out of her hair. He sprints to her, an arm pulling her waist to him. She giggles and looks into his eyes. "We must get some secret passageways in our castle."

His lips rush to her mouth like a parched man and he kisses her fervently. she laughs against his lips and breaks the kiss sooner than he hoped it would last. "I have not found my sister."

He nods and straightens her dress. She shoos off the staring steward. As they begin their search, Brooks leans into her hair. "We need to get married soon. Really soon."

Color rises up under her powder and she bashfully closes her eyes revealing sparkling and glowing eyelids. His angel replies, "Apparently I need to escape the prisons you lock me in more often, Sir Holden."

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Angelica could feel herself shaking as she crawled to her brother. His breath was slow, quiet, and ragged. He wheezed out a big breath of air when he saw Angelica. She sat next to him and grabbed his hand and clung to it as if her life depended on it. "Darcy, you can't leave me." Tears fell onto the cloth of his hard chest.

Achingly, he reaches up to touch her cheek. "Do not cry over boys. They are not worthy of your tears." 

Her throat began to close and it was hard to swallow. "I need you," she hiccuped. "I cannot live without my big brother."

"'Gelica, listen to me," he wheezed. Angelica could not hold back the tears. "Take care of Eliza. No more hiding. You have to face the world and show them who my strong, beautiful Angelica Roslin is. It is you and Eliza against the world."

"You too, Darcy. You, me, and Elizabeth against the world."

Darcy closed his eyes. "Sure thing."

"No," Angelica sobs. She grabs Darcy's face. "Stay here. I can't do anything without you."

Darcy laughs a high, strong chuckle. "You already know more than I ever have. I love you, Angelica. Tell Eliza..." 

Darcy's head lulled to the side. Angelica felt a scream rip from her chest. Arms closed around her as she fell down a dark hole. "No, no! Don't leave! Tell Elizabeth what, Darcy?"

Darcy never answered her. Angelica sags into Zac's chest, frozen in shock. Darcy's last breath played in her ears over and over. She shook uncontrollably. Zac held her as she silently died inside. When he kissed her head, she stood up and walked away. But there was nowhere to go, nothing to do. Her hands fell empty by her side as she surveyed the destruction. Her brother lay covered in so much blood she could not tell what wound had stripped him of his life. Her father lay, speared unintentionally by a duke's prodigal son. His unloving eyes turned toward her and she found that before now she could not even recall what color his eyes were; she had looked in them as infrequently as possible. 

The duke was heavily breathing as if in sleep against the floor. Richard's disgusting form lay sprawled on the floor and his hand twitched. Angelica longed to run a knife through his heart, but Zac stepped forward and bound his arms in the ropes used for Angelica. When he finished he stood and his eyes met Angelica's. His vivid dark green eyes pierced Angelica's heart. She could see why the girl swooned over him easily.

"It is okay to be broken sometimes. You don't always have to be strong."

When he opened his arms, Angelica practically flew into them. She snuggled into the warmth and breathed deep as he gently rubbed her back.

"This was my mother's room. She used to sit at her vanity as she read her Bible and stared at her reflection. My parents had an odd relationship. They loved each other but they were never in love. Now I know it was because she was in love with your father."

Angelica turned her head to look at the dead man she once called a father. "How could anyone love him? He had no love in his heart for anyone."

"Both of our mothers loved him so there must have been good in his heart. He must have had a little love for you, Mia. Don't hate so much you cannot let him go."

Angelica stands up straight and puts her hand on his chest. New blood soaked her fingers and she supposed it was from Zac's back. He grins sheepishly as she stares in horror at him. "I told you I needed patching up, rebellious woman."

She gives him a small smile and shakes her head.

"Ugh, just kiss already," Richard groans.

Angelica is startled to see him but what startles her more is the knife he is twisting into Zac's side.

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Zacary's side burned as the knife twisted deeper into his gut. He grasped at his side but he was so light-headed that he couldn't find Richard. He was seething in anger because the man had escaped his bondage without anyone's knowledge. He was mad at himself for being so transfixed with the mia that he had become oblivious. Richard could have stabbed Mia and not him. 

A scream escaped from the mia's lips that took her by surprise. When he searched her heart, he found that it was okay if he died. He was a horrible man who led a selfish, foolish, unworthy life. He never became a knight or a soldier, he never went to battle for a king. He did not have a family to provide for. He was dying an honorable death which was more than he could ask for after wasting his life at parties and with girls getting drunk on wine. he only wished that Angelica did not have to watch him die.

Zac doubled over in pain and heard a sickening crack that he assumed was Richard taking advantage of the mia. He tried to stand but fell to his knees overwhelmed with dizziness. Alarming noises of thuds and cracks startled Zac and he fought his body to get up and protect Angelica.

He suddenly woke up, unaware that he had ever blacked out, with Brooks and Beth peering at him. His hip was alive with fiery pain and his back was sore and stiff. His lips were parched and his hands were cold and chapped like they had never before touched water. His eyes fell closed when Beth shrieked and removed her fingers from his lids. All he could do is croak, "Mia?"

"She is fine. She and Prosper are asleep on Momma's bed." Brooks was a blur when Zac peered at him. He was unsure of everything but pain as Brooks applied pressure to his hip.

"I'm alive?" he murmured in awe.

Beth pushed his hair off his damp forehead. "Yes, Zac, you are alive." She sniffles and Zac suddenly remembers that her brother and father have died and her sister and niece were back in her life all in one dramatic day. The drama was too much for Zac. He drifted back to sleep even as Beth begged him to stay awake.