Chapter 26: A broken heart
When Jewel closed the door, she saw Kelly crying into her pillow on the bed "Kelly? Kelly, what's wrong?"
Kelly looked away from her pillow, jumped up and ran into Jewel's arms "Mom!"
"Sweetheart, what happened?"
"I thought I was going to die," Kelly sobbed.
Jewel placed her hands around Kelly's face "Honey, what happened? Come on, let's sit back down on the bed. Now take a deep breath and tell me."
Kelly took a deep breath then sighed "Ok. I was walking back to my room with a book in my hand. I thought I heard a noise down the hallway, so I went to check then I heard someone call my name. A man jumped out and dragged me into a room as he covered my mouth. I was so scared."
Jewel felt her blood boil "Did he hurt you in any way?"
"No, but I thought he was going to. Mom, he started saying weird things. Things to tell you."
"Like what?" Jewel asked curiously.
"Something about how all of your brother's deeds would not go unpunished. That they don't care who they have to hurt, to just ask you."
Jewel felt her anger rise even more "What else?"
"That the innocent have died by uncle William's hand and that the tables shall be turned. Mom, he also said...he said that you lit his fire and that it was too bad the others felt the burning pain. Then he said some sort of rhyme or something. He said 'I lost a friend of burning skin and you shall lose someone of kin.' He said you'd figure it out, at least you better for my sake and yours."
Jewel didn't say anything, only looked at the floor.
"Mom? Are you mad at me?"
Jewel snapped out of her daze "No, Kelly. Never at you. I'm mad at myself for leaving you here. This is the second time they've snuck in this place and out without being detected. It doesn't make sense."
"You think it was one of dad's men?"
Jewel nodded "Had to have been by the comments he was making towards you, the bastard."
Kelly leaned her head on Jewel's shoulder "I'm scared mom. Why is dad so cruel?"
Jewel put her arm around her daughter and kissed her forehead "I don't know why he is the way he is honey, but know it's not because of you and I know you're scared, but it'll be all right. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. I'm going to have a guard outside your room 24/7, at least till we get this straightened out. And no arguements, I don't want to take any more chances when it comes to your safety. Clear?"
"Clear." Kelly sighed "But how will it be all right, mom?"
Jewel smiled "I don't know. It's a mystery."
There was a knock at the door "Jewel? Kelly?"
"Who is it?" asked Jewel.
"It's me, Michael. May I come in?"
Jewel looked at Kelly who gave her a nod "Come on in, Michael."
Bordon walked in and shut the door behind him.
Jewel looked closer "Oh my god. Michael, what's wrong? You look upset."
"Um...Jewel, may we talk alone?"
"Michael, I'm not leaving Kelly alone right now."
Bordon loked at Kelly and noticed she had been crying "Bloody hell. Forgive me. What happened?"
Kelly looked at her mother "It's ok, mom. I'll have Miss Norris, the maid, to sit with me until you get a guard."
"Kelly."
"It's ok, mom. Really. She's just across the hall. She's supposed to come by in a few minutes anyway and change the sheets and everything."
Jewel kissed Kelly's forehead "I love you, kid."
"Love you too."
Jewel looked at Bordon "Ok, let's go to my room and talk."
Both were silent as they walked to Jewel's room. After they entered, Bordon removed his jacket and unbuttoned his vest as he sat down on Jewel's bed and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Rough day?" Jewel questioned cocking an eyebrow.
"Rough doesn't even begin to describe it."
Jewel sat behind Bordon on the bed and started to massage his shoulders.
"Mmm, bloody hell."
Jewel smiled "Feels good doesn't it? I am an excellent masseuse. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked as she started to kiss Bordon's neck.
"Indeed."
Bordon leaned behind and started to kiss Jewel passionately. She put her hand on Bordon's cheek as he reached his hand behind her neck deepening the kiss and moved in closer. Without any warning, he ended the kiss, then put his face into his cupped hands as he leaned over the bed. Jewel, had never seen him like this.
"Michael, what's wrong? Is it me?"
"God, no, not you, Jewel. We...we just did something very horrible today and it's killing me. The pain and the anger...was just...horrible," Bordon said sobbing a little.
"What happened? Tell me everything."
Bordon looked at Jewel with a tear coming down his face and nodded "All right. I'll tell you. Your brother and I went to go talk to Wilkins and we found the name of 'the Ghost'. His name is Benjamin Martin. We found out that his wife's sister had a plantation, so we went there, but didn't find anybody except house slaves...which the Colonel killed, then we torched the house. We then saw Martin and we rode after him.
"Did you catch him?" asked Jewel.
"No, but we did catch a couple of rebels. We...we tortured them for information...or rather I did. After we got what we needed, we left and went riding along the santee to find the rebels families."
Jewel closed her eyes tight "Anyone of them get killed."
Bordon let out a shivering sigh "Yes. A woman and her young boy were killed because they didn't tell the Colonel what he wanted to know. But in honesty, we thought the young boy had a gun and the Colonel shot him. It turned out to be a wooden toy pistol. I swear, Jewel, I thought it was real too."
Jewel placed her hand over her mouth and sighed.
"It gets worse. We went to Pembroke because your brother believed that the village of Pembroke knew where Martin and possibly even O'Connor was. He gathered everyone in the church and said that whoever came forward may be forgiven their treason. One man stepped and told the Colonel where Martin was. After that, things got really bad."
Jewel shook her head "Let me guess, he set the town on fire to make an example right?"
Bordon looked at Jewel with sad eyes and shook his head "No."
Jewel's face dropped in shock "Are you...are you saying that he...set the church on fire? Where the hell did...oh my god." She closed her eyes and felt tears well up in her eyes "Please tell me...tell me that he didn't. Please tell me that my brother, my own flesh and blood, did not give orders to set a church on fire with people still inside. That he burned them alive. Tell me, Michael! Tell me he didn't!"
Bordon looked away from Jewel.
Jewel felt her tears come out of her eyes and pushed off the bed in anger "Good god, Michael! Kelly, had friends that lived in that village! There were children there and he killed them all?"
"He made Wilkins throw the first torch. He reminded, Wilkins, of what he said a while back about where his loyalities lie. God, Jewel, it was horrible. I can still hear their screams and their cries," Bordon began to sob "I didn't stand up to him and I should have. None of us did."
Jewel shook her head in shock, frustration, anger, and sadness. What has her brother become? How could he be such a monster? How did he turn into the thing that they both hated...their father. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask Bordon, but she wanted to hear it from him "Michael, I need to ask you a question. Do you know how this whole Martin and my brother thing got started?"
Bordon wasn't sure what to say, but knew if he told the truth then she'll blame her brother, but if he lied and made her think that martin started it, then Jewel might hate Martin so much that she'll want to go after him full charge at killing him. Not to mention that he was already in deep water for telling her about the rebel torture, the mother/son murder, and the church burning. Little did he know that Jewel knew the answer to her question and it was a test towards honesty to her.
"Michael?"
Bordon snapped out of his thoughts "Um...no. I just know that Martin started it, but I wasn't there to witness it."
Jewel shook her head in disappointment "So, my brother is responsible for a town being burned and you couldn't stop him. Where is my brother?"
Bordon sighed "His quarters."
Jewel nodded in anger then stalked to the door "With his whore no doubt."
Bordon watched Jewel storm out of the room "Oh boy.