The Ashes of House Harcourt

Tristan Blackwood's grip was so strong that I tasted blood.

Everything inside me trembled with pain, but I only closed my eyes and didn't struggle at all.

He held on until blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. Then he suddenly let go.

His eyes were bloodshot, and even his voice carried a trace of pain.

"Elowen, I'm only taking Sabine as a second wife so my brother's line won't die out!

"Don't worry. Even if you're both lawful wives, I'll never let her rise above you!

"In this house, you'll come first and she'll come second. I promise you, once she's carrying an heir, I won't set foot in her room again. All right?"

He looked at me, full of hope.

All I felt was regret.

He'd been so close to snapping my neck.

Then I would have gotten my wish and joined my father and brothers, who had died so horribly.

Perhaps the indifference in my eyes stung him, because Tristan's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Elowen, how many times do I have to say it before you understand?

"Your father and brothers committed treason. They colluded with the enemy! Even if I'd stepped in, I could never have saved them!

"I know you resent me, and I've done everything I can to protect your dignity. How long are you going to keep this up before you're satisfied?

"We grew up together, and we've been devoted to each other since the day we married. Do you really have to make things this ugly?"

I wiped the blood from my lips, unable to hold back a mocking smile.

A childhood romance couldn't compete with a newly widowed sister-in-law.

For all our devotion, he'd stood by and watched House Harcourt be falsely accused and executed down to the last man.

He really had protected my dignity.

When I married into House Blackwood, my bridal procession stretched for miles, and the whole capital talked about it.

On our wedding night, he held me with trembling hands and promised I'd be the only woman in his life, forever.

Yet this same man, not even two years into our marriage, began taking his widowed sister-in-law's side at every turn.

At first, I thought he only looked after Sabine Vale because he pitied her.

Then I accidentally walked in on the two of them tangled together in her bed.

I stormed in without a second thought and slapped Sabine hard across the face.

When Tristan saw her swollen, red cheek, he flew into a rage.

He kicked me away and pulled her into his arms, his eyes full of tenderness.

But when he turned back to me, his gaze was ice.

"Elowen, with jealousy like yours, how are you fit to be the lady of House Blackwood?"

My mouth was full of blood, but I hated him so much I ground my teeth.

"Tristan, you're sleeping with your own brother's widow. How dare you call me jealous?"

He only gave me a cold look.

"Men take more than one woman all the time. Besides, I'm not even taking a mistress. I only want to give Sabine a child so her future will be secure. What's wrong with that?"

Every word was a knife to the heart.

I was shaking with rage. Back in my room, I bit my finger open and wrote a letter in blood, hoping my father and brothers would get justice for me.

But justice never came. Instead, I received news that my father and brothers had been falsely accused and thrown in prison.

The night before the execution, I knelt outside Sabine's door, crying until my voice was hoarse, begging Tristan to spare my family.

The only answer was the sound of the two of them enjoying each other without restraint.

Only after my knees were covered in blood did Tristan finally appear, his arm around Sabine.

He looked down at me, his eyes full of scorn.

"Elowen, you used to be General Harcourt's spoiled, willful daughter. Now you're the daughter of a traitor!

"Maybe it's for the best. At least now you can't use your status to bully Sabine."

Ignoring my screams, he had someone knock me unconscious and carry me back to my room.

When I woke, it was already broad daylight.

I stumbled all the way to the execution ground, and all I found were pieces of flesh scattered across the ground.

Every member of House Harcourt had been executed by slow slicing.

After that day, all the fight went out of me.

Just as he wanted, I became sensible and understanding.

He'd probably never guess that all I wanted now was to die.

In three days, I would be allowed to collect my family's remains.

Once my father and brothers were buried, I would disappear from Tristan's life for good.