Secrets - Book 7 - The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter 17

Late afternoon, a cart with a coffin upon it arrived in the courtyard. Ruskin found the three young ladies in the small hall. "Lady Corissa; please come; we have news —sad news, for you."

Corissa was thankful she had known about Gregori's death before these four men stood before her with their stammering confessions. She later told Jobyna that she might have found forgiveness hard to give had she not been forewarned of Gregori's death.

"Lady Corissa; my name is Tab. I bear sad news. Your brother hanged himself last night." The lad looked at Corissa's tear-stained face. He lowered his eyes and said, "I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

Corissa bowed her head. She had no idea why she should have to forgive Tab.

Another soldier stepped to Corissa. He knelt on one knee, saying, "My name is Sigwald." The man faltered. All the way from Frencberg to Chanoine he'd told himself, this was going to be easy; the discipline was soppy, soft, like eating cake but rancid cake. Their king was too kind-hearted and the punishment was sentimental trivia. Now, Sigwald felt unsure. He couldn't meet Corissa's eyes as he said, "Gregori died because I disobeyed King Luke's orders. I... I... he did hang himself, Lady Corissa, but it... it... some of it, not all of it mind, but some of it... was my fault." Looking up into her eyes, his own eyes suddenly brimmed. He did not understand his emotions. "I hope you forgive me. It was me who put an extra piece of chain on Gregori's wrist." He looked downwards as he said, "He wanted to die, and, and I helped him do it. I didn't do it, don't think that, but I made it easier for him to do it." Drawing in a deep breath, Sigwald looked back into her eyes as he said with more conviction than he had before, "If you can find it in your heart, then forgive me."

Rodmond waited for Sigwald to stumble away from Corissa and he approached. He was not going to be affected by this! He was a man and a real soldier! Looking at her eyes, he said, "Your brother died, Lady Corissa, see. He died. He wanted to die. I saw him die." His eyes locked into hers and he felt a faint stab of pain at her falling tears. This was the young lady who had come to their king and prevented the murders. It was not a soldier who discovered the plot and reported it, but this girl. She had snitched on her brother to save their king.

Corissa blinked and returned her gaze to Rodmond's. Tears flooded down her cheeks.

"He... he... your brother... he planned to kill our king, you know that. See. Course you know. You told the king." He looked away as he said, "He died. I saw him." The big man felt uncomfortable; he had missed the point the king had commanded him to make. "Yeah. I told him how he could do it but he didn't. He couldn't. So, I kept telling him, advising him, you know. Yeah. It were my fault for... for telling him how.

"I... I'm supposed to ask you to forgive me," he concluded, gruffly.

Corissa said, "You're right, Rodmond. That's why I came to see King Luke, to tell him of my brother's plot. That's why I prayed for Gregori to be stopped. I knew it could cost his life." She looked at the other two men and said, "I forgive you all. I don't blame you. I don't blame Frencolia for Elliad's raids. That's where Gregori was wrong. He was blinded by bitterness. I will not be bitter." She burst into tears before looking at the men, one to the next, and saying, "I forgive you; all of you!" She took the handkerchief tendered by Ellice and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I have been blaming myself..." She would have turned away, but Odel shuffled forward.

"Me too, Lady Corissa. I'm to blame for it, too. But, you're not. Don't feel to blame 'cos you're not!" He looked at the others, feeling his confession was the worst. "I was angry with Gregori. When he were lying there dead, I kicked him." He looked across at the cart, confessing, "You'll see marks on his face. It were because of me. That's how bad I am. I kicked a dead man who couldn't do nothing back. Cowardly if y' like. I didn't do nothing to save our king's life and then I took it out on that there young criminal once he were dead. Cowardly. I'm a coward. If you can find it somewhere in your heart, Lady, I ask you to forgive me."