The Love of the Wielder (The Wielders Book Two)

Since the moment he tucked Maren into the speeder, Donovan had not been well. Watching Maren leave the palace tore out his heart. It hurt so much that he would not have been surprised if blood had been pouring out of his chest.

It wasn’t. But that was not much consolation.

He hadn’t realized that he didn’t truly believe she would leave until it happened. That had been foolish, of course, but he had been in more denial than he thought.

He spent most of the night after she left trying to decide if he should murder his brother.

He was very tempted. Kieran had nearly killed Maren, and Donovan felt that killing him was within his rights. Not to mention Kieran’s prior attempts to kill Donovan. Kieran was also very dangerous in general, so Donovan would be doing the kingdom a favor by killing him.

He ultimately decided against it. Murder was what Kieran would have done, and Donovan did not want to behave like his brother. He also wasn’t entirely convinced he could do it; his brother was extraordinarily powerful, and he’d only been able to intervene and save Maren by surprising him.

Donovan might have done it anyway in hopes of exposing Kieran for the monster he was, but he would surely be disinherited if he was successful. He wasn't really concerned about that, but if he and his brother were both dead or disinherited, then there would be no heirs to the throne. His father would have to annul his marriage to the Queen, take a younger wife, and have at least two more sons, or the house that had ruled the kingdom since the days of Malen would fall. Donovan cared very little if their house fell, but he did not want to do anything to cause his mother that much harm.

So, once the prospect of murder was decided, he debated if he should report Kieran to their father. He decided against that too in the end. Kieran would have some sort of revenge planned in case he did, most likely. He could ruin Maren’s reputation and jeopardize her marriage to the Duke just with the accusation that she might be a Wielder. Donovan could not allow that.

Unfortunately, the only thing he could do was make it appear that Maren was still at Court, in hopes that Kieran would not try to intercept her. Kieran had people all over the kingdom and might be able to capture her before she arrived at Worthingham. If he did, Donovan would be powerless to stop him. He might not even be able to find her to rescue her.

So, he stayed in his rooms. Thanks to Mr. Gregory, the horse master, and Mrs. Whitley, his housekeeper, the story was put out that Lady Maren was injured in a riding accident and that Donovan was with her. He hoped it would work.

He was extremely relieved to wake up on his second morning without Maren and find the telegram from Alec saying that they’d arrived at Worthingham. Maren was safe. That was the most important thing.

Donovan sent brief notes to his parents informing them that she and Alec had already left, and then took up the only activity of any interest to him: moping.

He stayed in his rooms for two more days. He didn’t dress and he barely ate; it was extremely depressing. Donovan was wracked with guilt for not having been able to prevent Maren from getting hurt, and he missed her terribly. He also felt a bit jealous that she was off at another man’s house, even though he knew that wasn’t fair.

On the third day, he had a full schedule of moping planned until his father arrived at his apartment. Donovan could count on one hand the number of times his father had ever come to his apartment, so he knew that either something dire had happened or his father was coming to drag him out of his rooms.

Because he was the king, he just knocked briefly before strolling into the sitting room. Donovan vowed silently not to do that sort of thing when he became king. It was very annoying.

Donovan was slouched in his favorite chair, brooding. His father looked him up and down and then sat on the sofa beside his chair.

Donovan fought the urge to tell his father that he couldn’t sit there because it was Maren’s spot.

“Were you planning on going into the world today?” his father asked.

“I was not.”

It was mid-morning and Donovan was in his dressing gown. He hadn’t shaved in days and couldn’t remember when he bathed last. So, no, he was not going out.

“I see,” his father said. “Well, there’s quite a bit of talk that you are up here mourning your mistress’s departure.”

Donovan scowled at his father. He had come not because he was concerned about Donovan, but because there was talk.

“Then, for once, the talk is accurate. I am impressed,” he said.

His father sighed. “Donovan, you know this is how this works. You’ve known for a year that she’d be leaving.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”

“I suppose not, but locking yourself in your room isn’t helping.”

“Isn’t helping you or isn’t helping me?” Donovan snapped.

His father looked at him sharply. “Isn’t helping anyone. Including you.”

Donovan did not respond.

“Look, the best way to forget about a woman is with another woman. Go to the city and —“

“No. I won’t,” Donovan insisted.

The idea of being with another woman disgusted him. Anyone who wasn’t Maren would make him feel worse. Besides, he didn’t want to forget about Maren.

“Fine. Mope if you like, but you can’t hide in here anymore. If you don't do it for your reputation, do it for your future wife,” his father said.

Donovan gave his father a quizzical look.

“Do you know how embarrassing it will be for her to hear everyone talk about you not liking her as much as your mistress?”

Donovan sighed. He had not considered that. And his father was right; that is undoubtedly what would happen. Donovan hadn’t met the woman he was supposed to marry, but embarrassing her was probably a bad start to their relationship.

“Fine. I’ll leave.”

“Be seen in the gardens this afternoon and come to the council meeting tomorrow.”

Donovan nodded. That still left plenty of time for moping.

His father rose and went to leave, but turned back to Donovan before he reached the door.

“Please remember to shave before you go out. You look like you work in a mine.”

Donovan begrudgingly returned to something approximating normalcy. He went through the motions and found it was less depressing than staying in his rooms. But the palace was filled with reminders of Maren, so he mostly kept to his office, where she had never been.

He took to a new schedule of eating breakfast alone and then going to the council meeting before moping in his office. Then he’d go back to his apartment for luncheon alone before returning to his office for additional moping. At the end of the day, he made an appearance in the gardens and pretended to be normal and then went to his rooms to have a giant brandy over dinner, also alone.

It was grim, but he found it suited both his guilt and his grief.

On the sixth day, his clerk handed him a telegram when he returned from luncheon to his office. Donovan was very surprised to see it was from Alec.

TO: PRINCE DONOVAN, PALACE

FROM: AD, WORTHINGHAM

D – MY PATIENT HAS NEW ILLNESS. I CONFIRMED. CAUGHT IT FROM YOU IN THE LAST FOUR WEEKS. NO IMMEDIATE DANGER BUT PLANS ON HOLD. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU WANT TO PROCEED. — A

Unlike most telegrams, reading it did not convey much information. It was from Alec. It was about Maren. That was all Donovan was sure about.

The rest didn’t seem to make much sense: Maren was sick but had gotten it from Donovan (which was odd because he didn’t recall being sick), it put her wedding on hold for some reason, and Alec thought Donovan would need to do something about it (which made even less sense because Alec, not Donovan, was a doctor).

Obviously, Alec was trying to tell him something discreetly. Telegrams were not a very private method of communication, so Donovan understood the need to conceal a message. But he thought perhaps Alec had done too good a job.

It almost sounded like he was trying to tell Donovan that Maren was pregnant, only that wasn’t possible.

Except, Donovan could not imagine what else Alec might be telling him; nothing else seemed to fit.

He wanted to send back a series of question and marks and get additional information. But he knew Alec was trying to be discreet, which suggested a delicate situation…and what situation could possibly be more delicate?

So assuming he understood what Alec was trying to say, his next question was, “Are you certain?”

Alec said he confirmed it. He also knew Alec would never send him such a thing unless he was sure—absolutely sure.

Donovan just stared at the telegram for several minutes.

Pregnant?

Maren?

His Maren that wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant?

With his baby?

How was that possible?

He shook his head. The how was far less important than the “what now.”

Well, obviously she could not marry the Duke. But it was just as obvious he could not bring her back to Court.

Gods, Kieran could never find out.

Donovan knew Kieran would absolutely harm Maren and the baby out of spite, even if it convinced him, she wasn’t a Wielder.

Then a very dark thought occurred to him. Might Kieran have fathered the baby? Donovan did not know enough about the timing, but he had not had a chance to talk to Maren about what happened in the storage room. He didn’t think Kieran had harmed her in that way, but he found the idea very disturbing.

Donovan set it aside for the moment; he couldn’t do anything about that.

He would go to her, of course.

Donovan knew she would be beside herself. He thought it likely she was still in a lot of pain from her various injuries. And she was staying in the house of a man she was supposed to marry while pregnant with someone else’s baby. And her parents were coming. She’d probably be panicking.

It was a good thing Alec was with her. He could comfort her and, apparently, perform medical testing for her.

But what if she asked him to perform other medical procedures? Donovan did not want that at all.

Gods, he had to send a telegram immediately.

—

TELEGRAM

TO: AD, WORTHINGHAM

FROM: DM, PALACE

A – BE THERE SOON. DO NOT GIVE CURE. — D

—

After finding out she was pregnant, Maren did not come out of her rooms for the rest of the day. She cried off and on and slept a bit from exhaustion, but was no closer to deciding what to do.

Maren wished she could telegram her parents and tell them not to come, but it was too late. She had received a telegram from her parents that morning saying they were leaving Clifton and would send another when they arrived at Blackstone.

She had absolutely no idea what she was going to tell them. Of course, with one route, she would not need to tell them anything and that would be ideal. Only she still wasn’t sure she could do that, even if it was for the best. And if she decided to have the baby…gods…what could she say?

“Hello, Mother, Father, it turns out I’m pregnant, and I can’t marry the man I’m engaged to or the father and I also can’t go home, so I’m having your grandchild and giving it to the father and his wife and then disappearing forever, so I don’t get murdered and the baby’s psychopath uncle doesn’t find out that I’m its mother.”

It would be ugly. But there was no way to sugarcoat it for them.

Alec arrived around tea time, but she refused to let him in. He did leave a note from his father, though, which she did allow in.

Dear Maren,

I want you to know how very sorry I am that you are distressed. I hope very much that you will let me know if there’s anything you need or if you’d like someone to talk to.

Please know that regardless of how things land between the two of us, I wish you nothing but the best. Whatever decision you make, I will fully support you, either as husband or friend.

I insist only that you do whatever you feel is best and that you remain in the Duchess’s Suite.

My very best regards,

Jonathan

It was so irritatingly, embarrassingly kind that it made her cry all over again.

She was so frustrated. She had barely begun to have a modicum of peace with her situation, only to have it turned upside down the very next moment. It felt monstrously unfair.

She slept fitfully that night. She thought about taking more of the sleeping medication Alec had given her, but wasn’t sure it was safe for the baby. Maren didn’t want to ask because she wanted to avoid talking to Alec and hearing more meaningless platitudes.

The next morning, she stayed in her rooms for breakfast and was going to stay in for luncheon, only Alec arrived with her maid in tow and demanded she dress.

“You can’t stay in here forever, you need some air. Come have luncheon on the terrace,” he said.

She scowled at him.

“Go back to bed after if you like, but you are going to come to luncheon!”

“Fine, on one condition. I do not want to hear you breathe a word about…the situation,” she snarled.

“I’ll agree to that,” he said.

She nodded. “I’ll be there shortly.”

He sat down in one of the armchairs in her sitting room.

“I’ll wait.”

She made Donovan’s growling noise and stomped off into her dressing room.

A worried-looking Jenny helped her dress. Maren thanked her and assured her she had done nothing wrong and that Maren was angry at Alec and not her. Then, when she was finished, she stomped back into her sitting room, where he was still waiting. He offered his arm to her, but she refused it, stomping off to the terrace and leaving him to follow.

She managed to pull together a friendly-adjacent attitude by the time she arrived at the terrace so that Jonathan would not think she was angry at him. She was relying quite a bit on his good will for her current wellbeing and did not want to jeopardize that. So, they managed a pleasant but somewhat strained luncheon, with Maren not really speaking to Alec. She knew she wasn’t being fair to him, but she was annoyed he dragged her outside like a child.

Luncheon was nearly over when Mr. Fredericks, the butler, came out onto the terrace.

“Your Grace, a man claiming to be Prince Donovan has arrived and is requesting, well, demanding, really, to see Lady Maren. He drove himself, though, and I’m not at all sure he is who he says he is. Shall I call the constable?”

Maren felt the rage boil up inside her instantly. She glared at Alec. “What did you do?” she snarled.

“Maren, I had to, you know I had to,” he insisted.

“How dare you?” she cried, furious.

“I was going to tell you, I had no idea he’d get here so fast,” he explained.

The butler cleared his throat, and Maren decided to pause her beratement of Alec until they were not in front of staff.

“No, no, don’t send for the constable, it most likely is the Crown Prince,” Jonathan said.

“Shall I show him in?”

Jonathan looked back and forth between an enraged Maren and a defiant Alec.

“No…someone…one of us will go to the drive directly,” he said.

Mr. Fredericks nodded and left.

Alec made to get up from the table, but Maren stopped him.

“Not you! Not until I’m done with you!” she yelled.

Jonathan rose. “I’ll go.”

Maren looked at him and tried unsuccessfully to look less furious. “I do notwant to see him.”

He looked surprised but nodded. “As you like.”

Once he left, Maren stood from the table, so she could more effectively yell at Alec.

“I told you I didn’t want to see him! I certainly didn’t want to see him until I made up my mind! Do you even realize what sort of position you’ve put me in? How could you? And without even telling me? This is outrageous!”

Alec was not as remorseful as she thought he should be. He yelled back at her. “You have to see him and I know you want to see him and I even know you want to marry him, but you’re too stubborn to admit it. I did this for your own good!”

“You know nothing about what is for my own good! What did you even tell him?” she cried.

“I very discreetly informed him you were pregnant. That’s all he knows. But I had to do it! You are trying to choose between two things you don’t want without even finding out about all your options!” he shouted.

“You had no right to do that!”

“I did it because it had to be done,” he snapped.

“You did it to help out your friend and throw me to the wolves,” she snarled, and then turned to storm away from the table.

He tried to call after her, “Maren —“

“Don’t you dare speak to me again!” she called, not even turning to look at him.

The Duke was the last person Donovan expected to meet him in the drive. He recognized him immediately, the Duke looked roughly the same as he had five years ago when Donovan last saw him, but Donovan found his presence alarming.

Had something happened to Maren? Did the Duke want to fight him for her? Should he have brought a pistol? He couldn’t duel someone without magic using magic; that would be very dishonorable, and borrowing one from the man he would be dueling didn’t seem right either.

“Your Highness,” the Duke said with a pleasant smile and an appropriate bow. “It’s my pleasure to welcome you. I’m glad you’ve come.”

Based on that greeting, Donovan decided he probably would not have to fight for Maren.

He nodded politely. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he said, feeling confused.

“Why don’t you come inside? I’m afraid you arrived a bit earlier than we expected, so your room isn’t ready just yet, but I’d be delighted to take you to the parlor while you wait,” the Duke said.

Donovan supposed that made sense, he had made the drive in a very short amount of time.

“Thank you, but I would very much like to see Lady Maren, will you take me to her?”

The Duke grimaced slightly. “She has stated that she does not wish to receive visitors at the moment.”

Donovan found that very alarming. “Is she all right?”

The Duke nodded. “Perfectly all right as of a few minutes ago.”

“Then I’d like to see her, I’m sure she’ll see me if she knows I’m here.”

Donovan was half-mad to see her and could only imagine that she needed to see him too.

“Ah… I’m afraid I find myself in a somewhat awkward position, Your Highness, and seeing as you’ll find out anyway, I will tell you even though I am not the appropriate person to do so. It appears that Alec sent for you without her knowledge or approval, and she has specifically asked not to see you,” the Duke said.

Donovan couldn’t believe it. There had to be some mistake.

“Where’s Alec?”

“Last I saw, being yelled at by Maren. Otherwise, I assure you, you would have been greeted by someone more familiar to you than myself,” the Duke said.

Donovan was baffled and concerned. He didn’t understand why Maren didn’t want to see him. And he remembered he was talking to the man she was engaged to.

“Are you trying to keep me from seeing her?” Donovan asked, trying to be as menacing as possible.

The Duke was nonplussed. “Not at all. I think it would be good for her to see you. Only she is not convinced of that, and I do not think it wise to force the matter.”

Donovan nodded curtly. The Duke did seem genuine.

“I do apologize, I know this is probably not the reception you were expecting. Would you like to come into the parlor until Alec is available? I am sure he can explain things better than me,” the Duke said.

“Ah…yes, I thank you,” he said and followed the Duke into the house.

He led Donovan to a parlor where they sat, and the Duke sent for tea. It was very awkward. Donovan was very concerned and couldn’t think of anything but Maren.

“Do you know why I’m here?” he asked.

He wasn’t sure how much the other man knew and wanted to find out.

The Duke looked surprised. “I assume because she’s pregnant, but if I’m missing something, please do enlighten me.”

“Do you still mean to marry her?” Donovan glowered.

“If she wishes and if she isn’t having your child,” the Duke said.

“If she isn’t…why wouldn’t she?” Donovan demanded.

The Duke held up a placating hand. “Perhaps you’d best speak to Alec, I want to avoid speaking for her. But I assure you I have no intention of coming between the two of you and, for what it’s worth to you, I do not think she wants to marry me.”

Gods above, then why wouldn’t she see him?

Donovan sat scowling while the Duke sat unbothered, sipping tea and more or less pretending everything was normal.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Alec appeared.

Donovan leapt up at the sight of him. “What’s happened?”

“Ah…well…” Alec glanced at the Duke, who rose.

“I will leave you to discuss this privately. Your Highness, please make yourself at home,” he said.

Donovan thanked him as he left and then waited impatiently for Alec to explain.

“Ah, well. She didn’t want me to send for you, only I decided to anyway. She’s very upset, and she’s convinced that her only options are to either end the pregnancy or have the baby and give it up for you and your future wife to raise,” Alec said.

“What?” Donovan cried. “Neither of those are an option! I’m going to marry her.”

“I know, I told her that. Even my father told her that. She is certain you either can’t or won’t.”

Donovan was baffled and beginning to be angry himself. How could she think such a thing?

“Listen, it isn’t about you. It’s about her. She’s convinced you don’t really want to marry someone like her,” Alec said. “And there’s the business with heirs…”

Donovan ran his fingers through his hair. He had been thrilled on the drive to Worthingham. Somehow a miracle had occurred and heirs were no longer a problem. Why didn’t Maren see that?

“She’s been through a lot in the last week. It’s been difficult for her,” Alec said.

Donovan sighed. He knew that. She was still recovering from Kieran’s attack and living in the house of a man she was supposed to marry but didn’t want to, and now she was pregnant with someone else’s baby. She should be in quite a state, and he knew that. But he hadn’t expected it would make her not want to see him.

“Was she really not going to tell me?”

“I don’t think so, I think she just wanted to make up her mind before telling you. But I knew she couldn’t really decide without hearing from you first…so…”

“Is she very angry with you?” Donovan asked.

Alec shrugged. “Yes and no. But, I’ll work it out with her. It was worse because it was a surprise. I didn’t think you’d arrive until sometime tomorrow, so I thought I still had time to tell her.”

“Ah…well, I was worried,” Donovan said. “I thought perhaps there might be some issue with your father…”

Alec chuckled. “That’s the only part of this where there is no issue.”

“So it appears,” Donovan said, and tried to think what to do.

“She said she would rather not see me?”

Alec nodded.

“Would you take me to her?”

Alec nodded again. “Just maybe don’t mention I was the one who brought you there.”