So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(83)

As Rupert and Stefan rowed them ashore, she turned to face her sisters. They were waving and Maeve was crying. Poor Maeve.

“I won’t be able to hold this form for much longer,” Brody told her. “But I wanted to assure you that no matter how it might look, Leo is on your side.”

“All right.” With tears in her eyes, Brigitta waved at her sisters.

“We have to make it look authentic,” Brody added. “So when—”

“I missed you!” Brigitta called out to her sisters as the dinghy drew close to the pier.

“Brigitta!” her sisters cried out. “Sister Fallyn!”

Luciana’s father tossed a rope to Rupert, and he tied the dinghy off.

Sorcha and Maeve grabbed Brigitta to help her off the small boat, then pulled her into an embrace. Sister Fallyn followed, and soon they were all laughing and hugging.

“I was so afraid for you.” Luciana broke into tears as she held Brigitta close.

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine,” Brigitta assured her.

“I know.” Luciana wiped her cheeks. “I swear I cry at the drop of a hat these days. Let me show you the twins.”

Mother Ginessa proudly displayed one with a shock of red hair. “This is Eric.”

“And this is Eviana.” Gwennore showed off a sleeping baby with soft features and even softer black hair on the crown of her head.

“Oh, they’re beautiful.” Brigitta admired them and was so busy talking that she barely noticed Rupert and Stefan meeting Leo. But she stopped in midsentence when the troop of soldiers suddenly came charging down the pier.

Leo pointed at Rupert. “Arrest him!”

“What?” Brigitta gasped and started toward them.

Luciana grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”

“But—” Brigitta watched in horror as the soldiers ran after Rupert.

Stefan tried to stop them, but four of the soldiers jumped on him and pinned him down. At the end of the pier, a soldier caught Rupert by the arm. He planted a fist in the soldier’s face, knocking him out. Five more soldiers grabbed Rupert and wrenched his arms behind his back.

“No!” Brigitta cried.

Sister Fallyn fell to her knees, a hand pressed to her chest.

The troop’s captain marched up to Rupert and punched him in the jaw. “I’ve been trying to capture you for months!”

Rupert glared at him and spit out a mouthful of blood.

“Don’t hurt him,” Brigitta pleaded with tears in her eyes, but Luciana hushed her.

“Rupert, you are charged with piracy,” Leo announced. “The sentence is death.”





Chapter Twenty-One

“Why are ye doing this?” Brigitta cried as she watched the troop of soldiers dragging Rupert and Stefan toward the village. “Where are ye taking them?”

“Come with me.” Luciana led her toward the barge.

“No!” Brigitta pulled away so she could follow Rupert.

Luciana grabbed her and leaned close to whisper in her ear, “The arrest was playacting. No one will be hurt.”

“What?” Brigitta asked.

Luciana sighed. “Brody was supposed to warn you.”

Sister Fallyn scrambled to her feet and joined them. “Will Stefan be all right?”

Mother Ginessa frowned at her. “Ye’re concerned for that pirate?”

The nun blushed. “I-I’m thinking about marrying him.”

All of Brigitta’s sisters gasped.

Mother Ginessa’s eyes widened with shock. “We need to talk.”

“Did ye fall in love?” Maeve asked.

“Aye, we want to hear all about it,” Sorcha demanded.

“We’ll leave you here for the moment,” Luciana told them, then led Brigitta onto the barge. “So Rupert is the tall and handsome man I predicted with the Telling Stones?”

“Aye.”

With a thoughtful look, Luciana opened the cabin door and motioned for Brigitta to enter.

Inside, Brigitta was impressed by how comfortable it was. There were deeply padded armchairs and settees, a table with six chairs, and a long sideboard covered with trays of food and pitchers of wine.

“Are you hungry?” Luciana asked as she closed the door. “Help yourself.”

“I want to know what’s happening to Rupert and Stefan. Where are ye taking them?”

“It’s all part of the plan, so don’t worry.” Luciana eased into an armchair. “Nevis and his most trusted soldiers are taking them to a secluded cabin in the woods.”

“Who is Nevis?” Brigitta planted her hands on her hips. “Is he the bastard who punched my Rupert in the face?”

Luciana’s mouth twitched. “I see Brody is right. You’re quite smitten with this Rupert. But there’s no need to be angry with Nevis. He’s a good man. He’s Leo’s best friend and a captain in the army.”

Brigitta snorted, but Luciana ignored it and continued, “At the cabin, one of Nevis’s men will don Rupert’s disguise. Then Nevis will have one of his troops escort the false Rupert to Ebton Palace, where he will be kept in a private room in the dungeon. From there, the story will be that Rupert attempted an escape and was accidentally killed while being recaptured. His disguise will be posted publicly as proof that the infamous pirate Rupert is dead.”