Sweet Revenge Ch. 11

"You bastard," Stuart hissed, noticing the other man's even greater prowess with his right hand. "You tricked me."

Richard's low chuckle held no amusement as he sliced Stuart's arm above the elbow. "I think one cut for each bruise you gave Karina would be fitting justice, don't you think? She had hundreds when I found her under your tender care."

Stuart screamed in agony as Richard opened another long gash across his abdomen. He shot panicked glances into the shadows, suddenly desperate to find an escape. Richard sliced his cheek open to regain his attention.

"No escape for you, Rawlins. This is to the death, remember?"

Stuart howled with frustrated rage and launched a last desperate attack, hoping he could slash his way free from his tormentor. Richard countered his strokes, and with one mighty swipe, he flung Stuart's sword across the room. It landed near some crates with a loud clang. Stuart would have run to retrieve it, but he came to an abrupt stop when Richard pressed his blade against his throat.

Stuart's eyes were wide with terror. He sank to his knees, sobbing like a child. "Please," he gasped. "I beg mercy, please don't kill me."

Richard stood panting over him, filled with disgust. "Have you heard enough?" he asked quietly.

Stuart glanced up, confused by the question. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and he swung around to see several men emerging from behind some nearby crates. William Sinclair led them, followed by three men he didn't recognize. Stuart gave a startled gasp as his younger brother emerged last.

"What is going on? Who are you?" Stuart's panicked gazed settled on each of the unknown men, trying to determine whether he knew them. They were all strangers to him.

"I am Lord Henry, and these are Lord Thatcher and Lord Devlin. We are all judges, appointed by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. The circumstances in this case, where the subjects of three of Her Majesty's most loyal families were involved in a scandalous web of murder, rape, kidnapping and deceit, are quite unusual. Not wishing for the innocent victims to suffer undue harm, the Queen granted us special powers to conduct a private investigation and pass sentence on those guilty of these crimes."

His gaze settled like a heavy weight onto Stuart's head. "We have all just heard you confess your guilt, Lord Rawlins. Our judgment is unanimous. For your crimes, we sentence you to be hung by the neck until dead."

"No, please," Stuart wailed. He threw himself at Lord Henry's feet and began to grovel. "Please, I was lying. I didn't do any of those things. Please, I'm innocent!"

Lord Henry gestured with his hand and several soldiers appeared. "Lock him up. His execution will be carried out tomorrow morning at dawn."

The soldiers dragged Stuart out of the warehouse. They shoved him into a prison coach, but his pleas could be heard until the conveyance rolled away into the night. Lord Henry turned to face Lord Matthew Rawlins, and he grimaced.

"I am sorry that you had to witness that, Lord Rawlins. I felt that for the sake of impartiality, a member of the accused's family should bear witness to the proceedings."

Lord Rawlins heaved a sigh and massaged his forehead as if a persistent ache had begun behind his eyes. "It was difficult to watch, but I am glad to finally know what really happened to my parents. They supposedly drowned in a boating accident, but my uncle was always convinced that Stuart had something to do with their deaths. He took me under his care and sent Stuart away to a boarding school. He was determined to protect me in case his suspicions were correct. Given what we learned today, I owe my uncle a debt of gratitude for saving my life."

"Indeed," Lord Henry said quietly. "Please give my respects to your uncle. I hope to see him in London during the coming season."

"I will." With a final nod to each of them, Lord Rawlins made a dignified exit.

"Well, that leaves only one loose end to our case," Lord Henry said. He turned to face Richard, and he gave him a stern look. "Lord Bryant, to the charge of kidnapping Karina Sinclair, how do you plead?"

Richard met his gaze calmly. "Guilty, your honor."

Lord Henry turned to William and raised one brow. "As the girl's father, do you have anything you want to say to the court before we pass sentence on this man, sir?"

William looked at Richard for a long moment before turning back to face the judge. "Yes, your honor. Due to the seriousness of Lord Bryant's crimes against my daughter, I ask that you pass a life sentence on him." He faced Richard again and saw how tense the younger man was. William's face remained stern, but the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I ask that you sentence him to a lifetime as my daughter's husband...if she will have him, of course."

Lord Henry was having a hard time keeping his own lips in a straight line, but he gave it his best effort. He exchanged glances with the other two judges and saw their subtle nods. "Very well, we sentence Lord Bryant to a lifetime of marriage to Karina Sinclair Rawlins. We command you to marry the girl as soon as it is legally possible to do so."

Richard turned to William and clasped his hand in friendship. His face was beaming with joy. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret entrusting your daughter into my care."

"I had better not, Bryant. If I hear of you mistreating her in any way, I will call you out for a duel!" His eyes were twinkling with humor. "Of course, I will remember to use pistols and not swords!"

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Epilogue

Richard and Karina's wedding was a quiet but happy affair. Surrounded by only their closest family and friends, the couple exchanged vows that bound them together for life. In the week leading up to the wedding, Richard and William had developed a strong friendship, and all the bitterness and anger from past mistakes was abandoned. The two men were united in their purpose of ensuring Karina's happiness.

Karina was radiant. Her swollen belly did nothing to detract from her beauty, and everyone agreed that she was the loveliest bride they had ever seen.

Richard and Karina had to wait to celebrate their honeymoon. Their son, Brendon William Bryant came into the world, squalling and pink and four weeks early. He looked like a tiny miniature of his father, and Richard beamed with pride. The sight of his son nursing at Karina's soft breast filled him with joy, and he sent silent prayers of thanks into the heavens.

William and Elizabeth couldn't bear to be apart from Karina for long. They decided to move back to England, and Karina was ecstatic to have them nearby. Fatima returned to the village, promising to visit again in a few months.

Life settled into a relaxed routine. Richard was happy to be home, managing the estate he had missed. Karina took on the role of wife and mother with ease. She managed the household with gentle efficiency, and the servants loved her.

While the days were full and happy, Richard and Karina lived for their nights together. It was in their bedroom, behind a locked door, that Richard became her Sheik and Karina became his sweet haremgirl.

*

Author's note: I hope you have enjoyed this story. I am not sure what my next project will be...perhaps I will revisit the characters in Trailing Home. I feel an urge to write the stories of how Liam's older brothers met and married their spouses. We'll see how much time I have this summer. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying playful days and long, steamy nights with your lover. Life is too short not to be someone's sweet...

Haremgirl:)