Phillip stood at the doorway to the stable watching Jack brush Monty vigorously with a wisp of straw. The stable boy stood near in case he was needed.
Phillip said, “Where have you been?”
Jack looked over the horse at his father before using a sponge to wipe the horse’s face and then drying him with a cloth. He turned to the stable boy and nodded. He knew that his father would not walk away until he said what he had come to say.
Phillip waited. “I’ve had a talk with Edward and Arthur. Plans have been made. Everyone is in agreement.”
Jack stood facing his father. “Not everyone.”
Phillip sighed. “We need to talk through this.”
“I will not speak to you or anyone else tonight.” Jack pushed past his father and began his walk up the hill to the castle. Phillip considered his options.
Jack stopped and turned. “Perhaps the curse came true after all, Father. Goodnight.”
Phillip watched his son walk away. Jack needed to know the truth. But so did he. Phillip turned to the stable boy and said, “Saddle my horse.”
Phillip quietly eased open the door to George’s bedroom and tiptoed to his snoring brother. He waited a moment at the side of the bed, hoping that George would wake on his own. He tapped him on the leg and was kicked for his trouble. Chuckling, he reached over to shake his brother.
Slowly opening his eyes, George snarled and rolled over. Phillip sat down in the chair by the fire. “Get dressed, Cupid. We have work to do.”
With that, George sat up in the bed and stretched himself awake.
Jack had just barely dozed off when he thought he heard noises. He hoped he was only dreaming or perhaps heard mice. But the noises got progressively more human, so he opened his eyes. Before he could fully understand what was happening, a heavy hand clamped over his mouth and both hands were grabbed.
George and Phillip stood on either side of Jack’s bed. George said, “You know, the boy has a heart condition.”
Phillip grinned. “I know. I’ve met her.”
Jack looked from uncle to father. He did not like their smiles and wondered if they had been drinking.
“We’ve arranged a little ceremony,” George said, “but it is important that you trust us.”
Phillip leaned in over his son. “We will let you go if you can do that one thing.”
Jack shrugged and nodded, and they released him.
George folded his arms. “The ceremony commences shortly. You don’t have time for silks, but don something warm, won’t you?”
Albert had made many mistakes on this journey. During his time in Moorbrook Village, he sold a few of the hides he’d brought from home. Under the guise of a trapper, he gathered small bits of valuable information from common folk and merchants who didn’t mind sharing a bit of gossip while exchanging coin. But the peddler he had met monthly for the last year had not been seen in the village. Concerned that he would draw too much attention to himself, Albert turned his horses to the woods.
Unusual sounds greeted him the night he arrived at the tree line. Although uneasy, he decided to dismount and creep through the woods to the meeting space. When he arrived at their usual trees, he found horse tracks leading from their spot towards the shoreline. And blood. He found a great deal of fresh blood.
Heart racing, he backtracked as quickly and quietly as possible. Once he found his horses, he realized that he could not ride out into the open or risk being seen. He maneuvered the horses into an unfamiliar section of the woods and prayed.
Refusing to dismount, he had not slept for two days, allowing his horse to determine the journey. He did not know if he was in Lakeland or Derbyshire. Lost, fearful, and alone, Albert knew only one thing.
He needed to get to Derbyshire to tell them that the war was much further along than they knew.
Jack and Enid stood in front of the priest at the altar. George leaned over to Phillip and said, “You’re going to hell, of course.”
Phillip did his best to ignore his brother.
“It’s not like you weren’t already going. But lying to a priest pushes you over the edge a bit, don’t you agree?”
The corner of Phillip’s mouth twitched as he turned to face his brother. “In all these weddings and alliances, how have we never married you off?”
The young couple share a long, passionate kiss that is finally interrupted when the priest cleared his throat. He bowed to Phillip and George and left the church. Jack turned to Phillip. “What next?”
Phillip handed Jack a small bag. “There is enough gold in this bag to last you a long time. You must go south to Summerston. The roads from Derbyshire to Blaekhurst and Lakeland may already be covered with soldiers. Remember everything we’ve told you, and you should remain safe until I can send for you.”
The rain pounded against the castle. Enid took Jack’s hand. They needed to leave. Enid smiled at George and lifted up on her toes to kiss Phillip on the cheek. He nodded to her before pulling Jack into a hug. Jack whispered to his father, “I cannot thank you enough.”
Phillip stepped back. “Nor I you.”
As the couple turned to leave, Phillip called to them. “This way,” he said. He stepped behind the altar and stood in front of the ancient sarcophagus, pushing on the hound at the feet of the stone king. With a loud click and whirring noise, a small panel of the tomb moved to the side.
Phillip turned to Jack. “Walk as quickly as possible down these steps. They lead to a chamber. Walk through the chamber until you find the grate. From there, Enid can get you both through the water to the opposite side of the moat that surrounds the garden. Your horses and safety escort wait for you.” He paused. “Follow the rules of the game, boy, and God will be with you.”
Jack swallowed hard. He and Enid entered the passage. Phillip watched them take the stairs until he could no longer see them and then closed the passage.
George stood on the wall by the sarcophagus. “Do you mind explaining all of this now?”
Phillip wiped a tear from his face. “For now, let’s just say that I am keeping a promise to Jacqueline.”
Author’s notes:
And yet, another marriage! I hope this one satisfies the readers just a bit as you’ve gone through Jack’s sad life. Maybe he will get some happiness out of this.
I realize there are several unexplained details about why Phillip sent them away and why their wedding was so secretive. Those details will come soon, I promise.
In the next chapter, Derbyshire prepares for war. And everybody is in danger.
I hope you’re curious and nervous and looking forward to the next chapter. I’m having more fun writing this than I ever imagined. I haven’t outlined the whole trilogy, but I do know where it’s going now. Boy, I hope you all come along!
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Y’all are the best.
I love how you end this part of the story. It drew us in even more wanting to know more.
Mimi, “Nor I you” turns Jack’s gratitude into Phillip’s confession that helping his son escape also repays a debt carried from Jacqueline. The secret wedding, George’s gallows humor, and the passage hidden inside the sarcophagus give the chapter urgency while preserving its family warmth. Albert’s blood-marked discovery widens the danger beyond the chapel, so Jack and Enid’s happiness feels protected for only a few breaths. Thank you for letting Phillip’s love become decisive action at the exact moment war begins closing the roads.