Deadly Secrets by M J Marlow (good short books .txt) 📖

its head down so she could whisper something in its ear. The stallion seemed to nod in agreement. It did not move as she walked around him and examined him, running her hands gently over his body. He was nearly as large as Titan had been, she thought sadly. His body was shivering with the energy he held in check and she knew he would be fast. She threw her arms around his neck and smiled as he leaned against her. Her eyes were shining as she turned to her grandfather, who had risen to his feet. “It would appear he is agreeable to the friendship,” she told him with a pleased smile on her face. Her head was aching now and she felt the exhaustion of trying to stay strong hit her. “I need rest now. May I be allowed to retire, Grandfather?” Anton snapped to attention and barked out orders in his strange language. Elis found herself being escorted to a wagon by several women and put to bed. She was too tired to argue with them as they saw her bathed and put into a night slip. She slid into the darkness and let herself rest. Tomorrow was soon enough for her to deal with what had happened to her life. “Did you see that, Your Majesty?” the man who had brought the stallion out said in amazement. “She handled the stallion as if it were a kitten. The princess has the touch.” He looked at his liege in confusion. “You would let her wed that Englishman?” “I said he could court her,” Anton reminded his man. “I did not say he could have her.” He chuckled with pleasure. “We are going to see to it that he is balked at every turn. He will give up and she can then be wed to a Rom who is worthy of her.” His eyes went dark with remembered pain. “My son made the mistake of marrying out of our kind and he lost his wife, his life, and very nearly his children. I will not allow that to happen to his daughter.” “She will fight you…” “She is Rom,” Anton said proudly. “Of course she will fight me.” He looked over to where his grandson and Magda were walking off hand in hand. “Her brother has accepted his place among us; she will as well.” He turned and beckoned to the youngest man in his retinue. “Our granddaughter Natasha is yours if you can win her, Barnabas.” He handed him one of the rings off his hand. “You will ride ahead and inform the lady Patricia that we are coming and remain there to begin your own courtship.” “As you will, Your Majesty,” Barnabas Havlicek bowed his head. He ran for his horse and took off without another word. Anton nodded in satisfaction. Soon all of his heirs would be in one place where he could keep them safe from those who would end his line. He thought of them then: Natasha, quiet and commanding as his mother had been; Alexei, arrogant and assured, as he himself was; and darling little Elissa, who was the fiery one with a generous heart and a fearless nature. Yes, those three would see the people safely into the future. Elis came awake as a sound disturbed her sleep. A shadow near the door moved closer and she saw the man with his dead eye. She could not move as he approached the bed. As he got nearer his eye changed and the scar vanished. She was not in a bed now but pressed down on the floor while her father and brother struggled to help her. But they could not and she was being touched in ways that terrified her. She did not like being frightened, it meant she was not in control. She bit him and kicked out at him and he slapped her so hard her ears were ringing. And then he ripped off her clothing and came at her. Before he could hurt her, he was flying. Alexei stood over her, his eyes blazing with rage as he held the poker. “You will not hurt my sister!” the twelve year old boy hissed as he dared them to come closer. Elis tried to cry out in warning but she was in too much pain and her voice was a mere whisper. She watched as another man hit her brother and Alexei fell to his knees with a cry of pain. Then they gave him something to drink while their father cursed and tried to get to them. Alexei’s eyes went blank and he dropped the poker. The man he had hurt picked it up and snarled at him. “Foul brat!” he said coldly as he held on to it and glared at the helpless boy. “You spoiled my fun! Well,” he laughed as he looked over at Janos, “we can return to it in a moment. Once you and your insufferable father have been dealt with.” He whirled and the poker hit Papa in the head. Elis screamed as she saw all the blood, watched her father crumple to the floor. “What have you done?” the cold man demanded from where he was watching out the window. He turned on the man and slapped him across the face. “We needed him alive, Garner!” He looked at Elis. “We’ll have to make do with the girl now.” He came towards Elis and she whimpered as he yanked her up onto her feet. “You are coming with me, Elissa. My wife shall make a lady out of you and you will be the woman your mother should have been.” “NO!” Elis screamed and found enough strength to scratch him across the face. He slapped her and shoved her to the third man. “Hold her Morgan while I get the sedative.” He looked over at Alexei. “Put the poker in the boy’s hand. Make it look like he murdered his father. He’ll spend the rest of his life in a sanitarium trying to convince the doctors he was innocent.” “No!” Elis sobbed as she sat up on the bunk, shaken by the nightmare. That was the most she had ever remembered of that night and still she could not see the face of the man who had been giving the orders. She wrapped her arms around her shivering body as the door opened and Magda came in. She took one look at Elis’ pale face and shaking body and knew what had happened. She got out the brandy and poured some into a small glass. “I still can’t see his face, Magda, but I saw everything else.” She took a sip and let the warmth calm her. “He was so angry when the man who was hurting me killed Papa. He said he needed Papa alive.” “How did the man hurt you, Elissa?” Magda asked gently as the door opened and Anton stepped in. He waited out of sight, listening. “He – he was touching me, Magda,” Elis shuddered; “like I saw Mama and Papa touching once before they realized I was there and sent me away. Alexei made him stop before her could…” She lowered her head to her knees and sobbed. “He was raping me, Magda, and I was too young to realize what he was doing to me. But Alexei knew and he made him stop!” Magda stroked her back and crooned to her in the Romany tongue and she calmed down. “He hit the man with the fireplace poker and the man killed Papa because of it.” She was sobbing now. He should have let the man hurt me if it meant Papa would be alive!” “You don’t mean that, Princess…” “My Papa is dead because Alexei stopped the man from hurting me, Magda,” Elis broke in, looking up at the woman with tears streaming down her face. “How could I not mean it? He took my Papa instead of my virginity. He meant more to me than something I can only lose once.” “Magda,” Anton said as he stepped into sight. “Why don’t you see to your clan? We’ll be leaving in an hour.” Magda bowed her head and left the wagon. Elis watched her grandfather as he came to sit next to her. “You have suffered far more than a child your age should ever have to, Elissa, but it is almost over. We will know the truth soon.” “The truth?” “The man who was in charge of the attack,” he said as he put his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head; “what did he say to you after your Papa was killed.” “He said his wife would make me the woman my mother was meant to be,” she said to him. She was shaking again. “He was going to leave Alexei standing over Papa with that poker so people would think… He only wanted Papa. He didn’t care what happened to Mama, or Alexei, or I.” She shook her head and leaned against her grandfather. “How can people be so vile, Grandfather?” “Come ride with me, Elissa,” Anton said as he got up and pulled her to her feet. “You have yet to ride the wind with Shadows Dance as your companion, and I am in need of some air.” He realized she was not dressed. “I will be waiting outside for you.” Twenty minutes later she was on the back of her new stallion. He shivered with excitement at the thought of being allowed to run, and she could not blame him. She loved being on the back of a fast horse and she had a feeling this one was going to be magnificent. She and her grandfather rode to the front of the line of wagons where her brother and Magda were waiting on matching chestnut stallions. Magda bowed her head and then raised her arm and called out an order. They headed out and an hour later, Elis recognized her aunt’s property from the crest of a hill. Anton nodded to her and Alexei and they rode off with just his entourage following. The clan would remain where they were to wait. “If anything happens,” Anton said as he helped Elis down a half hour later, “they are there to help you. Remember that, child.” He held his arm out to her and she placed her hand there and looked up at him a moment. He was looking very angry and she wondered what he was up to. “Elissa!” Patricia cried as she came out of the conservatory with Natasha and Elizabeth. Elis had only a brief flash of anguish at the sight of her pretty sister in a wheelchair before she was being enveloped in Patricia’s embrace. Something was wrong. Patricia never ever did anything this demonstrative. “You’re home!” She held Elis back and looked at the men with her. Elis saw her eyes go cold. “Your Majesty,” she said in a voice dripping with disdain. “I had no idea you would be here.” She smiled a bit at Alexei. “Nephew. It has been a long time since we’ve seen you here.” “Lady Kensington,” Anton said stiffly. “Charming as ever I see.” He looked over at Natasha. “What has happened to my grandchild?” “She was very ill recently,” Patricia lied. “It has left her weak. We’ve had to hire a nanny for the child.” A woman was coming down the stairs wearing a dark dress and an apron and cap. She took Elizabeth out of Natasha’s arms and carried the child away. Natasha looked as if her life was ending and Elis went to her and put her arms around her sister. “Having Elissa here will cheer her up, I’m certain.” “Lies,” Natasha whispered into Elis’ ear as she clung to her younger sister. “She is going to hurt…” “Natasha, darling,” Patricia said as she came over to the girls. “It’s time for