After getting their horses from the local stables, Robert, Lilly and Leonard trekked through Saigon's streets with very little banter. Lilly was extremely uncomfortable around Robert, especially considering what had happened back at her house. However, that didn't stop her from eyeballing him on occasion. Leonard seemed harmless, but Lilly knew better than to take people at face value. And Robert? He was a whole new level of dangerous for Lilly, in more ways than one.
She definitely didn't like it at all.
They pulled up in front of a very expensive hotel called the Hotel Continental. Lilly had heard about this place. It was a big meeting place for the powerful and wealthy. She'd even been offered a permanent room in one of their suites but Lilly had declined. It was far too rich for her to afford.
The trio got off their horses and tethered them up before walking to the entrance of the hotel. A door man greeted them in English and opened the door for them. As the three walked in, Lilly took a look around at the extravagant hotel lobby. The color theme was mostly brown and egg shell white, the floors made of hard wood and the walls and ceiling adorned with colonial-era statues and decorations. Ancient looking vases, both filled with native French Indochinese flowers and not, were placed around the columns in the lobby. Someone was off playing a piano somewhere and Lilly felt herself drawn to the song, but before she could locate the musician, Robert got her attention.
"Mrs. Morgan," he called out to her. "C'mon."
Lilly hesitantly followed Robert and Leonard to the elevator before getting in. She kept her back to the wall and kept her hands on her knife handles, wanting to be ready for anything that these two knuckleheads had up their sleeves. They looked quite calm and collected.
"Penthouse suite, please," Robert declared to the elevator man.
Lilly's eyes widened. "You guys have the penthouse suite?" she asked as the elevator man pressed the button for the top floor.
"Mmhmm," Robert said, looking back at Lilly. "I am rich, remember?"
Lilly chuckled and shook her head. "And how has Darach ar an gCnoc fared in my absence?"
Lilly watched the two rich men exchange glances with one another before Leonard gave him a nod. "It has prospered well. Mr. Morgan has taken it upon himself to make significant financial investments," Robert answered.
Lilly narrowed her eyes and leaned against the back of the elevator, lifting a leg and placing the bottom of her boot on the wall. "Well, he always knew how to get money outta people so I'm not that surprised," she said.
Robert kept his eyes on her, looking briefly at her hands. "You expecting trouble?"
Lilly gave him a gentle smirk. "I always expect trouble, Mr. Lewis."
The man chortled before facing forward. "You are just the cutest little thing..." he remarked with humor.
The elevator dinged after arriving at the penthouse suite and when the doors opened, Lilly arched a brow as the three exited the elevator. The place was huge. Paintings of geishas, dragons, tigers and overlords decorated the bamboo covered walls and Asian styled furniture was placed everywhere in shades of red and green. There was even a black grand piano in the living room over by the large white marble encased fireplace. The floor was hardwood but there were oriental rugs everywhere.
Lilly let out a whistle when she noticed the large terrace and a set of wooden stairs leading up to a second floor with a hallway. The elevator door closed behind her and she pivoted at the hip to look behind her at the elevator man going down.
"You like it?" Mr. Lewis asked as he and Leonard removed their shoes.
Lilly faced them and nodded. "It's alright. I've seen bigger and more extravagent places."
Robert scoffed in amusement. "Is there no impressing you, Mrs. Morgan?" he asked.
Lilly chuckled. "Well, after visiting Buckingham Palace for the thousandth time, being offered ownership of the Kremlin in Russia, and spending a week at a prince's palace in India, I guess I'm a little hard to please," she explained, pulling off her boots. "Now where's this arsenal of weapons you have at your disposal?"
Mr. Lewis pointed up the stairs. "Up the stairs. Ladies first."
Lilly shook her head. "Nu uh. One, I ain't a lady. Two, ya boys go first. I dunna trust either one of yas tah not stab me in the back or somethin' of the like."
Robert cackled loudly. "Oh, come now, Mrs. Morgan. Surely I haven't done anything for you to suspect that I would kill you," he said with a wink.
Lilly snatched up one of her knives and aimed it at Robert. "Let's agree to disagree. Go."
The man raised a brow. "Well, how do I know you won't stab me in the back?"
"If ya know anythin' about me, Mr. Lewis, then ya know that I am god awful at lyin'. So believe me when I say I have no interest in killin' ya. Yet."
Robert smiled softly then he looked at Leonard. "Isn't she something?" he asked before turning and trudging up the stairs. "C'mon, you two. We have hunting to do."
Leonard followed Robert but not before giving Lilly a wary eye. Lilly sheathed her knife and followed the men up the stairs. After going down the hallway and making a left at the corner, Robert led them to one of the master bedrooms and opened the door. They walked in one at a time, Lilly at the end of the train. She gazed around at the room and made a face of approval.
More Asian paintings, oriental rugs, a giant bed with an extravagantly designed bed frame with the mattress covered colored sheets and blankets of various blues, greens and purples, more oriental rugs, another marble fireplace, a giant glass door that led to part of the terrace, a master bathroom, a large walk in closet, nightstands, dressers, and one giant trunk made of oak in front of the big mirror that sat opposite on the wall from the bed.
Lilly hummed before looking at Robert. "Mr. Lewis, I have an...odd request."
"What's that?" he asked.
"May I, um..." she blushed suddenly and looked away. "Aw, hell, nevermind."
"What is it?"
Lilly shook her head. "Forget it. Show me your hunting gear."
Robert nodded before walking over to the giant trunk. After a moment, Robert pressed a button on the trunk lid and the object began making a weird humming noise. Lilly took a step back with her knives out, obviously ready for a fight. The lid popped open and wooden panels with all sorts of guns, knives, swords, bows, and ammo floated out of the trunk. They hovered above the trunk before placing themselves on a different wall.
Lilly's jaw dropped at the sight. "What the fucking fuck?"
Immediately feeling giddy, she sheathed her knives and scurried over to the weapons, examining them all closely. Carbines, pistols, hunting rifles, shotguns, sawed off shotguns, revolvers, repeaters, and many other types of guns that Lilly figured must be newer models. She hadn't had much need for guns in the last few years so her knowledge was outdated.
The swords definitely got her attention and she examined them all before resting her excited blue eyes on the bows. There were some regulars, some longbows, some short ones, but there was a few recurve bows that definitely got her attention. She reached for one and traced her finger along the red wolf carved into the handle, tilting her head to the side. The whole thing was black, except for the handle, which was white save for the red wolf decoration. The words, "Lillian Rose" were etched in red and white cursive along the bow.
"Wow," she gasped in admiration. "Is...this for me?"
"Yes. Take it," Robert said.
Lilly eyed him suspiciously. "Are ya serious?"
"Yes," Robert replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "And I do plan on giving you so many more gifts and surprises. It's all going to make your head spin."
A short laugh escaped Lilly. "Ya already got me god damn head spinnin', how much faster do ya want it tah go?"
Robert laughed before walking over to the panels. "Just take the bow, Lilly," he said, pulling it off the panel before holding it before her. "No strings attached, I promise."
Lilly gripped the handle of the bow and held it in the shooting position, pulling the string back. "Oh gods!" she said in amazement. "This is great, and it's got a nice weight to it."
"Mmhmm," he said with a nod, flipping the panel over to reveal black leather quivers stacked with bows. "And this one," he reached for the one in the middle, a white lily and a red rose embroidered into the fabric. "Is yours, too."
Lilly slipped the strap over her body and giggled, running to the mirror and posing in front of it. "Oh, this suits me just fine, Mr. Lewis," she giggled again and did a twirl. "Thank you, sir. Really, I..." she paused, looking at her new bow happily before slipping it on. "Thank you."
Robert beamed at her with a satisfied smile. "Well, looks like I can impress a lady after all."
Lilly scowled at him and growled. "I told ya, I ain't no lady."
Suddenly the bracelet on Robert's wrist started glowing a bright blue and he looked at it. "Ah, uh," he said, looking a little put out. "I need to uh..."
Leonard rolled his eyes. "Just answer it."
Robert sighed and looked at a very confused looking Lilly. "Okay..." he said before fiddling with one of the blue balls on the bracelet. An oval image in blue sprung out and floated above the bracelet. "Oh, Mr. Nolan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Lilly's eyes went wide and her jaw went slack as she saw a moving picture of none other than Patrick in the oval image. "Greetings, Mr. Lewis. I trust yer trip tah French Indochina so far is...going well?" Patrick said.
Lilly stomped over to the man and grasped his arm, examining the bracelet before looking at Patrick's visage. "Patrick?!"
Patrick blinked in surprise before covering his mouth. "Lilly...oh my God!"
There was a sort of commotion in the background and within seconds, Lilly saw Adair's face pop up out of nowhere. Lilly gulped and put a hand to her mouth before backing away.
"What in the god damn hell?!" Lilly squeaked out.
Robert sighed and twisted the blue bulb around, turning the image to face Lilly. "Lilly?!" Adair said excitedly.
Tears filled Lilly's eyes as she covered her face with both palms. This was all too much to handle, especially seeing her life long friend after three years of being gone. The sobbing started slow as Lilly's chest twitched from her trying to hold back her emotions, but the dam had already broken. She fell to her knees and cried harder than ever with her face still covered.
"Why is Lilly crying, Mr. Lewis? What the hell did you do?!" Adair accused loudly.
Patrick shushed. "Adair, keep it down. Yer going tah wake Alexander."
Lilly continued to cry but she took in a deep breath, looking up at the picture of Patrick and Adair. "Who is Alexander?"
Leonard walked up to the image. "The baby was born?!" he exclaimed happily.
Adair laughed with joy. "Yes, just about an hour ago, Mr. Hughes. And he looks just like his father."
Lilly gaped at the two of them. "Wait, what?"
Adair and Patrick beamed at Lilly. "Yes, Lilly. I am now the Countess of Galway and I just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy."
Lilly got up and ran to Robert, yanking on his arm again to pull the picture closer. "Ya guys got married?! And had a baby?! Is...is that even allowed?!"
With a giggle, Adair wrapped an arm around her husband. "Brigid didn't exactly approve of the marriage, but she didn't stop us either. Would you like to say hello?"
Lilly arched a brow before wiping the tears off her face. "To Brigid? Well, not particularly, no...but can I see the baby?"
"Of course," Patrick and Adair both said.
The image was cut off for a few moments, Lilly seeing nothing but darkness until it was replaced by the image of a sleeping newborn with thick, black hair in a bassinet. Lilly immediately got a case of baby fever.
"Awww, he's gorgeous!" Lilly squealed out happily, stomping her feet and clapping her hands excitedly. "I'm so happy for the both of you, but I'm sorry I missed your wedding."
The image moved to the faces of Patrick and Adair once more. "Ya shoulda been there, Lilly. We all miss ya so very much. Please come home," Patrick begged.
Lilly frowned. "I...I can't."
Robert cleared his throat and brought the image back to face himself. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, here. Mrs. Morgan has had a very long day so far and it's only going to get longer, so unless you both have some important business to discuss..." Robert trailed off.
"Right," Adair said, looking at her husband worriedly. "Um, Mr. Lewis, this conversation should be in private."
"Of course," he said, looking at Lilly. "Are you hungry, Mrs. Morgan?"
"Starved, but I thought we were going hunting?" Lilly asked with a pout.
"And we will, but let me just finish up with Mr. and Mrs. Nolan here first. In the meantime, feel free to raid the kitchen."
Lilly glared at Robert for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and moving the image to face her. "It was good to see you both," she said glumly before walking out of the room.
As she walked down the hallway, Lilly's stomach grumbled. She really was hungry. When she got to the stairs, rubbing her belly, she smirked before grasping the railing and leaped sideways over it, landing on the first floor silently. She strolled through the entry way towards where she thought the kitchen might be and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a very familiar redheaded man sitting on the floor in front of a table drinking whiskey and eating some Vietnamese food.
"...Sean?!" Lilly gasped.
He lifted his head and glanced at the Irish woman with a smile, food hanging out of his mouth. "Hello, deirfiúr," he said. [sister]
Lilly's dam burst once more as she ran to him. He stood up and embraced her in a hug, almost getting knocked off his feet. "Sean!" she exclaimed tearfully. "Oh Sea-haw-haw-hawn... " she wept.
Sean gripped her tightly, careful not to break her new bow. "Oh, Lilly...we all miss ya so fucking much," Sean sniffled. "Please come home."
"I can't," Lilly cried in despair. "Arthur wants a divorce."
Sean huffed and kissed her cheek. "I don't give a damn what that bloody Englishman wants, this ain't feckin' right what he's doin' tah ya!"
Lilly pulled back from the hug and blinked at Sean. "Which Englishman are ya speakin' of? Arthur or Mr. Lewis?"
Sean shut his eyes and sighed. "Both of 'em, Lilly. Fucking both of them are bloomin' eejits!" he snapped while throwing his hands about.
Lilly snorted into her hand and shook her head happily as she gazed at her brother. "Oh, I've missed having you around to share my exact sentiments about everything."
Suddenly there was a loud crash upstairs. "WHAT?!" a loud shout echoed through the suite.
Sean and Lilly both ran into the living room and dashed up the stairs quickly as more shouting was heard. As they got into the hallway, a chair went flying out of the master bedroom and crashed against the wall. They ran to the bedroom and gasped when they saw Robert throw Leonard at their feet.
"Robert, please calm down!" Leonard pleaded with his hands up.
"What the hell happened?" Lilly asked, helping Leonard to his feet.
Robert growled and clenched his fists before pacing back and forth. He looked pissed. He was breathing heavily and Lilly noticed he was much like a panther in his movements. A tense ball of energy just waiting to be released. She saw how rigid his frame was, his muscles bulging under his white suit shirt. His broad shoulders were twitching as he walked back and forth, slowing his breathing down.
"Mr. Lewis?" Sean asked with a clearing of his throat.
Robert eyed Sean before slowing down his pacing and holding his hands out, his body now relaxed. "Yes, Mr. MacGuire?"
"What happened?"
Robert huffed a deep breath and wiped his face with his hands, letting out a loud groan. "Just...I..." he stopped, throwing his hands down. "There's been a new development."
"What new development?"
Robert motioned for Sean to come over and he did. As Robert put an arm around Sean, he whispered something into the Irishman's ear. Sean's eyes lit up and he gaped at the Englishman.
"Oh, you are pullin' my leg, man," Sean said incredulously before glancing at Lilly with a big grin, then focusing back on Robert. "It certainly explains a lot, don't it?"
Lilly's eyes narrowed as she took a step into the room. "What is going on?"
Robert and Sean both looked at her with conflicted expressions. "Lilly," Robert began. "I just found out something big. Really big. And quite frankly, I don't think you can handle hearing it, at least not today. So please, for now, don't ask."
Lilly clasped her hands behind her back and hummed as she started thinking. She clicked her tongue and straightened her back. "Okay," she answered sweetly.
Robert's jaw dropped. "Really?"
"Yes. I am extremely volatile today thanks to Vu's stupid concoction that he gave me for my hangover, so...if it's that big of a deal, then wait until the stuff is out of my system before you tell me. Because right now," she took a sharp intake of breath, "I'm just really hungry and I want to go hunting."
Robert crossed the room to stand before Lilly, a shocked expression painted on his face. "Lilly, you..." he suddenly chuckled with a big smile. "You...I was expecting you to get mad. I know how you get about secrets."
Lilly smiled softly and pat him on the shoulder. "Arthur and I always had secrets kept from one another. There were many factors that ended our relationship but keeping secrets was sure as shit one of them. You, however, told me that you have a secret and would prefer to wait on telling me. That, Mr. Lewis," she said with a bright smile while gently running a fingertip down the bridge of his nose, "is something Arthur and I never got right."
Robert cleared his throat and lowered his head. "Oh. Heh. I see. So," he lifted his head and grasped her chin, "as long as I tell you that I have secrets and promise to tell you eventually, that's okay with you?"
Lilly gazed into his eyes and took a deep but relaxed breath. "That would be fine for anyone that I'm close to. But you?" she suddenly snapped, grabbing his hand and twisting it hard. "I havena decided yet, but you certainly know enough about me."
"Ah!" Robert growled, pulling his hand away and waving it about before whistling and chuckling nervously. "Easy there, tiger." He put his hand down and grinned at her. "I know things about you because Arthur and I drink with each other. A lot. When he drinks, I get a very unfiltered version of his accounts on the past, trust me. Like, for example, why he has a painting of a grouping of pine trees in a circle."
Lilly blinked. "Oh fuck, he told ya about our first time together?!"
"Yep," Robert laughed. "Said the whole experience was like a sexual awakening for him." He smirked and yanked Lilly to him before breathing her in. She almost melted into him instantly. "He also said you smell like apples..."
"Robert!" Leonard snapped. "Seriously, man! Control yourself!"
"Yeah!" Sean pointed at Robert, looking as if he was thinking really hard about something. "Arthur is like a brother to me. Get yer damn hands off his wife!"
Robert shook his head as he looked into Lilly's eyes. "Buzzkilling vultures, the both of them."
Lilly bit her lower lip and moaned softly. "Absolutely."
Lilly felt Robert shiver and he took a sharp breath. "Lillian, I..."
"Robert?!" Leonard snapped, taking a few steps towards them. "She is Arthur's wife, not yours."
Robert leaned his head back and nodded. "Yes, I know..." he said forlornly before looking at Sean and Leonard. "Boys, grab a gun. Let's go hunt."
Sean and Leonard both took their pick of rifles while Robert grabbed a pair of revolvers and a rifle for himself. Lilly smirked and pivoted at the hip, resting her hand on it. "You're one of them gun nuts, ain't ya?" she asked.
Robert laughed as he flipped a panel over. "You have no idea," he replied, grabbing a gun belt with holsters. "Now go grab some food, we'll be down in a minute."
Lilly grinned happily before heading out the door and down the hall.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Once Lilly left, Robert narrowed his eyes and turned, pointing at Leonard. "We got a lot to talk about, Leo," he said, emphasizing the man's name.
Leonard sighed as he gripped his rifle. "I know. I should've told you."
"And Lilly deserves to know about it, but..." Robert rubbed his face and sighed. "We got bigger problems to worry about right now. We need to bring her back to Ireland and get that dark magic shit out of her."
"That's...going to be difficult," Leonard grumbled, massaging the back of his neck.
"Why?"
"For one thing, we don't know how long Lilly has been infected with this magic, and if it's been longer than we think, black magic has intertwined itself with her Irish magic so that..." Leonard sighed and lowered his head. "It is now part of her, all the way done to her very essence. If we try to remove it without the proper equipment, magic and time to prepare, it could kill her. And with The Morrigan currently imprisoned, we can't bring her back."
Robert frowned before strapping on his gun belt and putting his revolvers in their holsters. "How long do we need to prepare for? And what kind of equipment and magic?"
Leonard tapped his chin. "I'll ask Brigid to bring some materials from Tír na nÓg. You contact Cernunnos and bring him up to date on the situation. We're definitely going to need the tree for this. He can get this set up by the time the tournament is over and done with."
Robert gave him a curt nod. "Very well," he said, slinging his rifle over his body before grasping the blue bead on his bracelet. "Cernunnos."
After a few moments, a magical image appeared above the bracelet, showing Cernunnos' face. "Hello, Mr. Lewis."
"Hey, Cernunnos. Listen, we, uh...we've got a problem and we need your help."