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Gavriel finishes signing the papers. He stretches his arms above his head and rolls his head from side to side to try and release the tension in his body. His muscles protest but he stretches a little further not allowing the pain to restrict him. A cough splutters in his throat but he keeps it almost silent all too aware of the one watching him.
"Surely there is more that we can do. We could send for experts in this area, we could..."
"Dawn." His tone halts her immediately. "I am an expert in this area. I have also consulted a great many healers and other so called experts and they have been able to tell me nothing new. I am not bringing anyone else into this."
"You are giving up too easily!"
"I have exhausted all that I can. I am not giving up. I intend to last much longer than those men give me credit for. If I am careful and wise about what I do then I will see our son turn ten."
"You do not deserve this," Dawn softly says.
Gavriel snorts and reaches out to take one of her hands. "We both know that is not true. I brought this upon myself with all of my actions. I swallowed the poison and I made others resort to poisoning me also." His eyes peer pointedly into hers making sure she gets the point. Dawn flinches.
"You are leaving me at the mercy of your family."
"Not by choice and I have done everything I could over these last few years to make this place safer for you. My mother and father are far away from here and watched over by men loyal to me. I am in possession of too many of their secrets for them to dare come back and those secrets will become yours after my death."
"What about Gethin? You know that he is power hungry and he will not respect me once you have gone. Your people will prefer him over me."
"You can deal with Gethin. And I have chosen men to be around that will be loyal to you regardless of what he offers them. Our son is the rightful heir to the Ricell lands."
Dawn pulls her hand out of his grasp and rises to her feet. She looks down at her husband with a worried look. "Have you spoken with Logan? Perhaps he can help lengthen your life."
"I am not going to beg for help from a man I imprisoned only six years ago." Gavriel exhales deeply, keeping his temper in check. "I deserve this, more than you are probably aware. I want you to tell our son the truth if I die before he has strong memories of me. Tell him that I could be cruel and manipulative and that I made many mistakes. He will hear it from others so I would rather he hear it from your lips first."
"I will tell him. But I will also tell him that you had goodness in you and that you loved him greatly. I will not lie but I will not make you a monster in his bedtime stories," Dawn promises.
Gavriel nods and then he says something he has deliberated long and hard on. "If you do not wish to fight against Gethin and watch your own - and ours son's - back for the rest of your life I do understand if you choose to run upon my death and hide. I am not going to hold that against you. I believe Zara would take you in and protect you if needs be."
"Thank you," Dawn whispers. Gavriel swallows roughly.
"There are men still watching over Milly and Gideon. If you ever wish to contact them you simply need to ask. I have not and I do not intend to use them against my father but Gideon does have a right to compete against Gethin when he is old enough. Milly should be made aware of that upon my death."
"I will tell her but I believe she will be on the same page as I. I do not want to lose my son to this position when it comes at such great a cost. Surely we can leave now, being away from the stress and the poison of this place may give you more years to spend with him. We could be happy elsewhere."
"No. Until my death we stay here, is that understood?"
"Yes. But I think you are making a fatal mistake."
Gavriel watches his wife leave the room and he sighs. The cough he has held back splutters from his lungs. Her wish to leave may not have to wait too much longer. He was being deceptive when he said he should be able to see his son's tenth year. It is ironic that what killed his brother so quickly and efficiently is dragging him down slowly with great difficultly. He stares down at the papers and his finger traces the line of his signature. His hand clenches, restraining itself from crumbling up the words so neatly scribed. Dawn will leave but Gethin cannot be the new Lord Ricell.
I, Gavriel Ricell, Lord of Ricell in good mental health do bequeath all that I own to Lady Zara Tikva (formerly Ricell). My lands, my fortune and the care of my wife and son are to be transferred directly to her upon my passing. If something were to happen to her before my death or after it, the next in line for my belongings is her husband Lord Philippe Tikva. Under no circumstances does my wealth or title fall to my parents or to my brother Gethin Ricell or my half-brother Gideon (son of Millie).
Signed: Gavriel Ricell.
Two witnesses' signatures follow his, men who have proved their loyalty to him over and over again.
He knows Gethin or Gideon may find a way around it but they will have to fight Zara for it. She can make the decision on whether either one of them is worthy. It is only one of several documents that he has laid out upon the event of his death. Some lay out more the legal and technical issues involved in his will. Others are of a personal nature, letters to his sister, to his sister's husband, his brother and half-brother and last but not least his wife and child. His apology to Dawn is the one that blotted his fingers with ink as he struggled and contemplated over what to say. The end result is messy and honest. She may not mourn him after reading it but she owes his truthfulness at least in death.
He steals himself and then takes a long drink of a tonic he has made up of a variety of herbs and plants. The taste is bitter and foul and makes his eyes water but it may lengthen his time with his family, if only just a little. Then he shifts through the papers until he comes to one that he has not yet signed.
I, Gavriel Ricell, bequeath my journals and my books to my son Davin and my collection of poisons and antidotes. These are to be given when he has reached a mature level of wisdom.
He shifts it in his hands as he deliberates. His jaw tightens, his mouth clenches and his eyebrows dip downwards. Does he truly want his son to follow in his footsteps? But then... without this knowledge he could come to harm. He picks up the quill and dips it into the consuming blank ink. It drops from the nib as his hand hesitates over the pot. He dips it again. This time his actions are decisive and sure as he scrawls his name at the bottom. He blots away the excess ink and adds it to the other papers.
A knock on the door breaks his concentration and he speaks, "Come in."
"Yes my Lord." She enters and looks down at the papers. "Are these the papers I must keep for safe keeping?"
"Yes. Did anyone see you?"
"No, my lord." She watches him as he places the pages in several envelopes and seals them closed with a disc of wax and his stamp. He then writes the names across them. He holds it out to her.
"You know of your instructions. These must remain in your safekeeping until my death and then you deliver them to the intended recipients."
"Yes my Lord." She perches on his desk and studies him. "Correct me if I am wrong, you have not told your wife just how ill you are."
"That is none of your business. Do not speak out of turn again." Gavriel replies harshly. A minute passes before he speaks again. "I trust Gideon is still safe and well looked after."
"Yes. She has not questioned that an old lady would give her so much money. The boy has a permanent home now and all that he needs. My people are watching just in case your father ever tries to make contact. Maria has become Millie's best friend so she can protect them at a moment's notice."
"Good. You may leave now."
She slinks away. Gavriel rises to his feet and leaves his study, locking the door quickly behind him. A smile grows on his face as his son ambles in from the outside with mud on his cheek and covering his hands. The boy beams upon seeing his father. He is quick on his feet for such a young age and Gavriel still cannot get over that the boy can be so fast after only a few months of toddling about. He catches the boy before he can stumble and swings him up. The governess curtseys and disappears to another room acknowledging that she is not needed for the time being. Gavriel ruffles Davin's bright red locks and the boy squirms in his arms.
"Playing in the mud again I see," he teases the boy who simply grins in reply.
Gavriel pretends to drop the boy and immediately the boy shouts, "Papa!" Gavriel laughs and holds the boy in close even though Davin has clutched onto his jacket with tight fists to avoid the sensation of falling. Davin buries his head in his father's shoulder, successfully leaving a trail of mud. Gavriel carries him upstairs. A maid appears as he stops outside his bedroom door.
"My son needs to be bathed before dinner," Gavriel tells her.
She holds her arms out for the young Lord and Gavriel, somewhat unwillingly, hands his son over. The maid smiles at Davin and tuts quietly under her breath at the mess he has gotten into. She takes him into the bedroom's ensuite. Gavriel turns to go and feels his head suddenly go heavy and his vision blur. His hand strikes out and makes contact with the wall. He swallows quickly and waits for the overwhelming feeling to pass.
He does know how long he stands there waiting but eventually his sight restores to full quality and his head lightens. He is left exhausted. Gavriel lifts his head and exhales. He expects her to say something but instead she embraces him and lays her head against his chest. A small smile touches his lips as he knows what her action is about. Part of it is that caring side he fell in love with. The other part is her listening to how steady his heartbeat is. He places his arms around her.
"So how does it sound?"
"Like a foolish, insufferable, stubborn heart. But there is a heartbeat, surprising really that so many people believe that you do not have one," Dawn replies with slight humour. "Please let me contact just one more person. Then once they have made their assessment and tried a treatment I will never mention it again and I will allow you to do what you believe is best."
What goes around, comes back around (I think that's the expression...) This is the last chapter with Gavriel and Dawn and I hope you've found it interesting seeing where and how they are. Who would like to see someone whose name begins with...A...In the next chapter?