Daughters of the Dagger 03 - Amber (22 page)

Lucas was very nervous and afraid that Father Armand would know he was up to something. He greeted the man with a nod, and the priest slipped off the horse and threw his arms around him in a hug.

Lucas stiffened under his touch. The priest whispered into his ear. “I hope you have what I sent you here
to get.”

“So nice to see you as well, Father,” he said and tried to smile though he wanted to punch h
im right now. “It’s in my travel bag,” he whispered back to him, “but there’s too many people around. I’ll get it and meet you outside the cathedral.”

Lucas didn’t give the priest a chance to answer, as he turned quickly meaning to go back up to the room since he’d left in such a hurry he forgot the bag, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Amber standing there
- wearing her habit.

“Amber?” he asked, eyeing her in her black robe and wimple once again. It
was odd seeing her dressed in her habit after what they’d done last night. Especially since she’d told him she no longer wanted to be a nun. “Why are you dressed like that?” he asked.

“She is a novice, and always dresses like that,” said Sister Dulcina, waddling over to greet Amber.

“Not anymore,” Lucas mumbled under his breath. “Sweetheart, where did you get those clothes?” he asked, already fearing her answer.

“I found them in here,” she said, bringing her hand from behind her back and ho
lding up his travel bags. “Did you want to know what else I found in here as well?”

“Amber, stop it,” he said under his breath, stepping forward and retrieving the bag
s from her. He quickly looked inside to make certain the ruby was still there.

“So now you
know that I’ve discovered your little secret,” she continued. “Did you want to be the one to tell your mother, or should I? Lady Veronica, please come join me.”

His mother stepped out from the shadows and came to her side, followed by Helen. Sir Romney and Mirabelle ran up to see what was going on.

“Hello, Father Armand,” said Lady Veronica. “It’s been a long time.”

Father Armand turned as white as a ghost. “Veronica, what are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you we
re in the south of France?”

“
I’ve returned. And I told Lucifer he is my son,” she said. “And I only regret that I didn’t fight harder to take him from you all those years ago when you decided to keep him.”

“We can talk about this later,” said Father Armand, putting his arm on Lucas, intending to leave.

“Nay, why don’t we talk about it now?” Lucas pushed the priest’s arm off of him. “I’d love to know the whole damned story.”

Father Armand climbed atop his horse. “I guess it was a mistake to come here after a
ll.” He reached down and snatched the travel bags from Lucas and turned and took off, riding like the devil out the castle’s gate.

“Damn you. I won’t let
you get away with this,” shouted Lucas, grabbing the reins of his horse from the stableboy and taking off after him.

Amber watched the men riding out of the castle gates and she now felt as if she had done a terrible thing.

“What is going on?” asked the abbess.

“Oh, Sister Dulcina, Lucas needs our help. I still don’t understand everything, but after what I just saw, I think I’ve misjudged him.”

“What do you mean, Sister Amber?”

Amber pulled off her wimple and handed it to
the abbess. “First off, let’s get something straight. My name is just Amber, not Sister Amber.”

“I don’t understand.”

“As of last night, I am no longer a virgin and no longer a nun.”

Sister Dulcina gasped and put her hand to her mouth. But Mirabelle started clapping and so did half the courtyard.

Amber looked over to Lady Veronica next. “I coupled with your son, Lady Veronica, and I am proud to say that I enjoyed it.”

“Sister Amber, please, hold your tongue,” said the abbess
, blessing herself and grasping on to the metal cross hanging around her neck.

“I told you, Abbess, I am no longer a novice, and I will speak as freely as I please. Lady Veronica, I love your son. And while I
know it seems he hates you, ’tis only because he has never known love from anyone and is frightened of the notion. I know if he just took the time to get to know you that he would accept you into his heart. But he is very troubled and confused, and needs our help. Today, inside Lucas’s travel bag I discovered the stolen Regale ruby.”

Gasps went up from the crowd, and Sir Romney stepped forward and pulled his sword from its sheath. “I will find him and bring it back,” he offered.

“He didn’t do it of his own accord,” said Amber. “I know it now. And I have the means to prove it.”

“Then let’s go get them before they get away.” Sir Romney jumped atop his horse. “Helen, tell your guards to follow. We have to stop them and bring the ruby back to the archbishop.”

“I’m coming too,” said Amber, rushing over and mounting a horse.

“Don’t go without me,” said Lady Veronica.

“Give me your hand and you can ride with me.” Amber took the woman’s hand and helped her mount the horse.

“I like you, Amber,” she said. “And I can see why my son would want to be with you. Now, let’s go find him because there is something very important I need to tell him that I should have told him the moment I saw him.”

“What is that?” Amber turned the horse and headed after them.

“I am going to tell him the identity of his father.”

Lucas rode his horse hard, right
on the tail of Father Armand, knowing that if he didn’t catch the man, than all his plans would be ruined. He needed to get him to the cathedral and in front of the archbishop, but he was heading in the opposite direction.

Lucas had spent this
morning confessing every sin he ever had to the archbishop, right after the man caught him trying to steal the Regale ruby. He’d told him about his greed to attain Canterbury Castle and the deal he’d made with Father Armand.

When the archbishop heard Father Armand’s name mentioned, he’d just shook his head and smiled. Lucas was shocked to hear that the archbishop had once been best friends with the priest, and even more surprised to know that for over the last two decades they’d been arch rivals.

Lucas discovered
that when the archbishop kept getting promoted and Father Armand was left as only a parish priest, all the trouble had begun. Father Armand was insanely jealous of the archbishop, and that jealousy was what forced him to turn to the ways of the devil. He wanted to attain the wealth and titles of the man that was once his best friend, no matter who he hurt or betrayed in the process.

So when the archbishop heard it was Father Armand who talked Lucas into
stealing the ruby and promised him a castle and lands that he couldn’t have given him anyway, he’d forgiven Lucas and said he wouldn’t bring him to trial.

Lucas was
thankful for the absolution, but even more furious with Father Armand. He had been a pawn his entire life, being trained to do the man’s bidding just to get back at the archbishop for attaining more wealth and power than he had. But after today, that would all change, because Father Armand was about to be confronted and at very least, his sentence would include being excommunicated from the church. But that was never going to happen if the plan they devised to bring this all out in the open didn’t work.

Lucas was gaining on Father Armand, and just about t
o reach over and grab the travel bags from him when a group of the archbishop’s soldiers rode up and surrounded them. Lucas laid his hand on his lap and stopped his horse.

“Well, good morning,” said Father Armand
to the guards, stopping just in front of them. “What can we do for you, gentlemen?”

“We are the guards of the archbishop,” said one of them.

“I know who you are. I can see the archbishop’s crest on your chests,” growled the priest. “What do you want?”

“There’s been a theft this morning of the Regal
e ruby from the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett,” relayed the guard.

“Really?” asked Father Armand. “What a shame.”

“Do either of you know anything about it?”

“Nay.
I just came into town,” said the priest. “We don’t know anything about it at all.” He looked over to Lucas in a silent warning not to talk.

“T
hen you won’t mind if we check your bags, Father, will you?”

“I am a man of the cloth. You have no right to accuse me of anything.”

“We didn’t accuse you, ’tis our duty. We need to search everyone on the road and find the ruby. Those are our orders from the archbishop himself.”

The priest slowly handed the
attached bags to the guard. “This is not mine, mind you, but the man next to me who owns it. I was only transporting it for him and have no idea what’s inside.”

“I believe that is a lie,” said
Lucas. “I have never seen it before in my life.”

“Well, let’s have a look.” The guard reached inside and pulled out the ruby and held it up for the other men to see.
“We found it,” he said. “Take them both to the bishop anon.”

“You have no
right to treat me this way,” complained the priest as they grabbed the reins of his horse and led him away. “I am a man of the cloth. I am a vassal of God.”

Lucas
stayed silent and just followed the guards, knowing that now their plan was set into motion.

*

Amber followed Sir Romney, stopping when they got to the church. There was a group of the archbishop’s soldiers leading both Lucas and Father Armand up the steps into Canterbury Cathedral.

“Wait!” she cried, jumping from the horse and running up the stairs. “You can’t arrest him. He isn’t guilty.”

“Amber, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Lucas, I know you didn’t want to steal the ruby. I know you were put up to it.”

God’s eyes, she was going to ruin all the plans. He had to stop her from talking.

“Amber, just be quiet. Please.”

“I figured it out, Lucas. I know exactly what’s going on.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her then just so she’d shut up. It worked. She pulled back and looked at him.

“You don’t hate me?” she asked, looking up to him innocently with those big green eyes.

“No, my little dove, I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.”

“Lucas, I can’t let them arrest you and take you away from me.”

“Amber, do me a favor and just go back to the castle.”

“No, I’m not going to leave you.”

“Then just keep your mouth shut and trust me.” He looked deep into her eyes and the begging she saw there made her understand that she needed to do what he asked.

The guards brought both Lucas and Father Armand into the church and Amber followed. It wasn’t long before Sir Romney and Lady Veronica were at her side.

The archbishop was standing
atop the dais, wearing his mitre hat and holding his crosier cane. He descended the steps as the party approached.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Archbishop, we have caught the thieves who stole the Regale ruby.” The guard brought the ruby forward and held it up for him to see.

“Hello
, Father Armand. I should have known you’d try to pull something like this on me,” said the archbishop.

“Simon, you know I wouldn’t do
something like stealing from the church. Especially a priceless ruby. I am a man of the cloth.”

“Yes, that’s true, you wouldn’t.”

“Lucifer is the one who stole it,” shouted the priest. “Arrest him and throw him in the dungeon at once.”

Amber knew
that the priest had been behind the theft. She was sure of it. Yet, Lucas just stood there and didn’t say a word to try to defend himself, and she really didn’t understand why.

“Nay, don’t arrest my son.
” Lady Veronica rushed forward, kneeling in front of the archbishop.

“
Your
son?” The archbishop raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,
Brother, Lucas is my son. He is the baby that I said had died years ago.”

Amber walked forward to hear the conversation better. She was reminded by the woman’s words that she was indeed the sister of the archbishop.

“Lady Veronica, you are addled and everyone knows it. Now someone take her away,” said Father Armand.

“She is my sister, and she shall be able to speak her piece.” The archbishop helped her to her feet. “Continue, Veronica. Tell me why you kept this a secret all these years. You know I wouldn’t have ever judged you.”

“I did it to save the family from embarrassment. I gave away my only child,” she looked at Lucas, “the son that I loved in order to keep you, brother, from possibly losing your position of archbishop.”

“That makes no sense,” he said. “Why would my position be threatened because you had a baby out of wedlock?”

“Because I was tricked into it by a very deceitful man. A man who claims to be holy and honest, but in fact is naught more than a liar and a thief. He wanted you to suffer and that’s why he took me to his bed. He used your own sister against you, trying to bring out your anger and get you to strike out at him so your title would be stripped and he would win after all. He knew that you wouldn’t be allowed to be archbishop because of the shame I had brought to the family name.”

“Who are you talking about, sister? Tell me this man’s name.”

She turned then, and looked at Lucas. Tears fell from her eyes. “I am so sorry, Lucas for everything I did to you. I never meant to hurt you and I only hope someday you can forgive me. But I have to tell you that your father is none other than … ” she turned her head and looked at the priest, “… Father Armand.”