Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Hero Fiennes Tiffin was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside. Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Josephine Langford to ask Hero Fiennes Tiffin to help sav...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Recognizing the seal, Michael Kenyon's mouth tightened as he slit open the note. The words were terse and to the point:
Michael: I must speak with you alone. I suggest 7:00 this evening. The ruins at Caerbach are convenient and neutral, but I will meet you at any time and place of your choosing as long as it is soon. Westgate.
"Bloody hell!" Michael snarled after reading the familiar handwriting. Crumpling the note in his hand, he pitched it furiously across his office. "Damn Westgate!"
The messenger said politely, "Is that your reply, my lord?"
Michael's anger burned away quickly, leaving ashes. He dipped a pen into his inkstand, then scrawled: 7:00 tonight, at Caerbach, alone. Kenyon.
He sanded and sealed the note and gave it to the messenger. The man bowed, then left.
Michael stared blankly across his office, feeling the inner tightness that always came before battle. The day of reckoning had come. Deep in his bones, he had known that he would not be able to avoid this confrontation, though God knew he had tried.
He looked at the stack of work on his desk, then shoved it aside. It was impossible to care about projected delivery dates for his new equipment. Wearily he rose, lifted his hat, and strode out of his office. Pausing at Madoc's desk, which was just outside, he said, "I'm leaving for the day. Was there anything you needed to discuss with me?"
Madoc leaned back in his massive chair and linked his fingers across his midriff. "No, everything is fine."
With a faint nod of relief, Kenyon left.
Madoc made a pretense of returning to his work, but inwardly he was thinking about the interesting little episode with the Westgate messenger. He waited until ten minutes had passed and he had seen Kenyon ride away. Then he went into his employer's office—the office that had been his own for four years. Since no other employees were near, he didn't bother to conceal the bitterness of his expression.
Many records were kept in Kenyon's office, so no one would have thought twice at seeing Madoc inside. That had proved very convenient on several occasions.
After Kenyon's oath, there had been a sound of paper being crumpled and thrown. Madoc scanned the floor and quickly located the wadded note in one corner of the office. Smoothing it out, he read it once, then again, unable to believe his luck. This would be perfect, absolutely perfect. God was definitely on his side.
Josephine
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
