A Choice of Secrets. Barb Hendee
“Nicole, really,” Erik said from behind, sounding annoyed now. “This isn’t like you. I have men waiting on me.”
Without stopping, I walked through the meadow out back and all the way to my beehives. There was no one else here and no sound but the buzzing of my bees.
Turning to face him, I said, “Chloe is with child.”
His eyes searched my face as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.
“It’s true,” I added.
“That can’t be. She and Christophe barely speak.”
“It’s not Christophe’s child.”
At that, he went still. “What?”
“It’s Julian Belledini’s.”
The color drained from his already pale face and he closed the distance between us, grabbing my wrist. “Why would you say that? Are you repeating gossip? Do you know what damage such rumors can do?”
His grip hurt and Erik had never hurt me, but his words hurt more. “Repeating gossip? I would do anything to protect Chloe! You know I’d strike the first person to whisper such gossip. I heard this from Chloe herself when she told Julian. I was in her closet and she didn’t know I was there. I heard her telling Julian.”
Erik let go of me and stepped back. He put both hands on the top of his head. “This is true? She’s with Belledini’s child?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say when she told him?”
“He spurned her…politely. I think he was after the type of dowry Father offered to Christophe, but that prospect is over now. Should Father believe Julian seduced her, he would blame them both and there would be no dowry at all. So Julian has abandoned her.” I heard the panic in my voice rising. “I believe she will go ahead with the marriage to Christophe.”
Erik’s eyes shifted back and forth.
Stepping forward, this time I was the one who grabbed his arm. “Erik, what do we do? If we say nothing and the child is a boy, we’ll be placing a Belledini as the heir to Whale’s Keep. But if we expose Chloe’s secret, she will be shamed beyond imagining.”
His gaze dropped to my hand on his arm. “Does anyone else know?”
“No.”
“Are you certain Julian has abandoned her, that he has no intention of attempting to marry her himself?”
“He told her to marry Christophe and then walked out of the room.” After pausing, I repeated, “What do we do?”
“I need to speak with Julian.”
“With Julian?” I gasped.
“Intentions spoken in haste don’t always last, and I need to know for myself what he plans to do. Then, I’ll know what to do.”
This seemed risky, to let Julian know that we knew. If he thought the secret was out, he might be less discreet. But after a moment, I began to understand Erik’s reasoning. Once Julian thought on the idea of Chloe marrying another, it was possible he might change his mind. We needed to know his true intentions before we could try to help Chloe.
Erik was still thinking. “It’s best I do this somewhere outside of the lodge, outside the gates.” He looked down at me. “Go and tell Julian that I need him to meet me at the end of the first path on the river. Tell him I’m thinking of adding a ferry across, in case we end up needing to make a quick evacuation, and that I want his advice. He likes it when Father or I ask his advice.”
“The river? Do you need someplace that isolated?”
“Yes. Go and tell him now. I’ll go on ahead and I’ll be waiting for him.”
Something in his voice worried me, but I didn’t know what. It was the cold way he’d said I’ll be waiting for him. But I had little choice now. I’d employed Erik’s help and I trusted him to help Chloe.
* * * *
Julian was not hard to find. During the day, he could normally be found at the barracks playing cards. I’d heard rumors that he owed several of our guards a good deal of money.
Once again, at the door of the barracks, I caught the eye of Corporal Devon and he came to the entryway.
“Would you please find Julian Belledini for me?” I asked. “Lord Erik needs to see him.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Corporal Devon was not gone long and returned with Julian—the sight of whom made my stomach turn. His handsome face and wavy blond hair did not affect me. But still, I adopted my best expression of politeness.
“Lady Nicole?” Julian said, sounding tenuous.
I’d never once sought him out.
“Forgive my intrusion,” I said. “But Lord Erik has gone to the river. He’s considering the best way to arrange a ferry across, in case an evacuation is needed, and he was hoping for your insights. Could you go and meet him at the end of the first path?”
“A ferry?”
“Yes. He would be indebted for your advice.”
This was rather a brilliant stroke on my part, as I had a feeling Julian liked to have others indebted to him.
With a slight bow, he answered. “I’ll leave directly. I had a losing hand anyway.”
* * * *
I don’t know what possessed me to follow Julian from a distance. I was not the type of woman who spied on others and until recently, I’d never had to keep a secret. But something caused me to need to know what transpired between him and my brother.
So, I let Julian walk ahead of me through the sprawling village, out the community gates, and down the dirt road leading to the river. In truth, I did not often come outside the wall surrounding the village and the lodge, but on occasion, Mother and I had come out to hunt mushrooms or wild herbs or even to travel to other villages when fever struck and healers were needed.
I knew the various paths to the river, so when Julian stepped from the road into the trees onto the first path—and out of view—I didn’t worry. I had no wish for him to see me following, so I let him get a little ways ahead before jogging down the road and heading into the trees myself.
Not far ahead, the rushing of the current could be heard.
Slowly, I crept up behind a tree to watch Julian walk toward the bank to meet Erik, who was waiting. From where I stood, I could hear them both.
“You’re thinking of installing a ferry?” Julian asked. “The current is too swift here. There are several better spots upriver, but those spots are nearer to the first bridge. Are you certain a ferry is even needed?”
Erik didn’t answer and merely studied Julian’s face.
“I hear that you’ve impregnated my sister and abandoned her,” Erik said.
Julian’s eyes widened and he nearly stumbled backward. “Is that what she told you?”
“What do you plan to do about it?” Erik asked.
For a long moment, Julian didn’t answer and appeared to be gathering himself. Clearly, he’d not expected Chloe to breathe a word of this—but there was no way he could know that she hadn’t.
“There is nothing I can do,” he finally answered. “Should your father learn the truth, I’d be condemning Chloe to a life of penury, and I won’t do that.”
How noble he made himself sound. He was a selfish creature who’d tried to worm his way into my family by making Chloe fall in love with him. But now that she couldn’t bring him a dowry of land and money, he’d discarded her like an unwanted toy.
“So,