Page 65 of To Love

“We spoke to Lila.”

The priest’s posture changed completely. He sat up, and forward, his expression revealing nothing. But Alden had learned enough from Elara to know they’d not been misled by the maid.

He was, indeed, guilty.

“We have no wish to see anyone come to harm,” he continued. “The opposite is true, in fact. Lady Elara will protect her, and wishes to do so, but we cannot do so if you will not admit your part.”

Father Percival’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening the maid’s well-being?”

Alden had deliberately stopped short of doing so. “I am saying . . .” He treaded carefully. “If we return to Castle Blackwood without full knowledge of what transpired, Lila will be forced to continue to answer questions as we search for any possible accomplices.”

“You do her no favors by refusing to speak with us,” Darien added.

Roland added the coup de grâce. “Either way, your secrets will be revealed.”

They waited. Percival hung his head, and Alden knew it was done.

“I was being blackmailed. The maid is . . . my granddaughter. I fostered a child before becoming a priest.”

The men exchanged surprised glances. Gareth pressed on. “Blackmailed by who?” Gareth asked.

“Does Lila know? Roland asked.

The priest shook his head, though his actions explained why he’d given the maid help despite the possible repercussions of doing so. “Bishop Oswald.”

All knew the name well. He was one of King Stephen’s staunchest supporters. A man deeply entrenched in politics and power.

“The Bishop of Malvern,” Gareth said aloud. “Does he know of our order?”

The priest looked up, his eyes tired. His expression, woeful. “He knows as broadly as any that there are highly skilled men who support the empress, ‘without markings.’”

While it was true they concealed their training grounds, rumblings of their existence, as evidenced in the open battles in which they’d engaged, had circulated.

“His directive was simple. I was to use any influence at my disposal to disrupt the empress’s secret force of men. Doing so, and providing the bishop evidence of it, without revealing you completely has not been easy.”

“Forgive us if we do not offer sympathy for your plight.” Roland did not hold back. “You killed creatures of God.”

“That fire,” he said, shaking his head and hanging it even more than before. “I’d not been able to find a way to prove to the bishop I did his bidding for some time, and he threatened exposure. Knowing there was a meeting the following day between royalists and Empress Matilda’s supporters in Harthaven, I took extreme action, which prevented Lord Stirling from attending. Without him, the Harthaven negotiations fell apart, as I suspected they might.”

“You set fire to our stables,” Gareth ground out, “to prevent Stirling from attending a meeting?”

“Not just any meeting. Harthaven was poised to be a pivotal moment in the power struggle between Empress Matilda and King Stephen. Lord Stirling’s presence was crucial because of his influence and strategic prowess. Had he attended, he could have brokered a favorable agreement that would bolster Matilda’s position and rally more support to her cause. The absence of Stirling due to the fire at the stables meant that Matilda’s supporters were left without his guidance and leadership. I do not believe you understand how much influence Stirling wields outside of Blackwood.”

Alden certainly did not. “He despises court politics,” he said, thinking of how often he spurned Elara because of it.

A shadow of disapproval crossed Percival’s features. “He may despise them, but Lord Stirling participates in them nonetheless. He did not find himself in such an influential position at Blackwood by accidental means.”

“You placated the bishop to keep your secret safe?” Darien stood and began to pace the area. “Who else did you recruit besides your granddaughter?”

“No one,” he said, though Alden wasn’t certain the priest could be believed. “On my vow to the Almighty, a God who loves me despite my failings, as he does us all, there is none other.”

Not one of them was impressed with Father Percival’s vow.

“Swear instead on the woman who you embroiled in this scheme.” Darien finally stopped circling the fire.

“I swear on Lila’s life. One I would do anything to protect.”

“And yet, you put her in danger by involving her in your plot?” Roland asked. “If your secret had come out, you’d have been stripped of your vestments and title. But she’d have come to no harm.”