de Warenne Dynasty.

The Prize.

Brenda Joyce.

This one's for Aaron Priest and Lucy Childs.

The best team in town! Thanks for getting me back on track and where I belong-writing about bygone times, alpha men and the women who dare to brave all to love them....

PROLOGUE.

July 5, 1798.

The south of Ireland near Askeaton Castle.

GERALD O'NEILL RUSHED INTO the manor house, his once-white shirt crimson, his tan britches and navy coat equally stained. Blood marred his cheek, matted his whiskers. An open gash on his head was bleeding and so were the cuts on his knuckles. His heart beat with alarming force and even now the sounds of battle, the cries of imminent death, rang in his eardrums. "Mary! Mary! Get into the cellar now!" he roared.

Devlin O'Neill could not move, stunned. His father had been gone for more than a month-since the middle of May. He had sent word, though, every few weeks, and while Devlin was only ten years old, he was acutely aware of the war at hand. Farmer and priest, shepherd and squire, peasant and gentry alike had risen up to fight the English devils once and for all, to take back all that was truly theirs-the rich Irish land that had been stolen from them a century ago. There was so much hope-and there was so much fear.

Now his heart seemed to simply stop and he stared at his father, relieved to finally see him again and terribly afraid. He was afraid that Gerald was hurt-and he was afraid of far worse. He started forward with a small cry, but Gerald did not stop moving, going to the bottom of the stairs and bellowing for his wife again. His hand never left the scabbard that sheathed his cutla.s.s, and he carried a musket as well.

Devlin had never seen his eyes so wild. Dear G.o.d.

"Is Father hurt?" a tiny voice whispered beside him, a small hand plucking at his torn linen sleeve.

Devlin didn't even look at his dark-haired younger brother. He could not take his eyes from his father, his mind spinning, racing. The rebels had taken Wexford town early in the rebellion and the entire county had rejoiced. Well, the papist part of it, at least. Other victories had followed-but so had other defeats. Now redcoats were everywhere; Devlin had spied thousands from a ridge just that morning, the most ominous sight he'd ever seen. He'd heard that Wexford had fallen, and a maid had said thousands had died at New Ross. He'd refused to believe it-until now. Now he thought that maybe the whispers of defeat and death were true. Because he saw fear in his father's eyes for the first time in his young life.

"Is Father hurt?" Sean asked again, a tremor in his tone.

Instantly Devlin turned to him. "I don't think so," he said, knowing he had to be brave, at least for Sean. But fear gripped him in a clawlike vise. And then his mother came rushing down the stairs, her infant daughter in her arms.

"Gerald! Thank G.o.d, I've been so worried about you," she cried, as pale as any ghost.

He seized her arm, releasing the scabbard of his sword to do so. "Take the boys and go down to the cellar," Gerald said harshly. "Now, Mary."

She cried out, her blue eyes filled with fear, riveted on his face. "Are you hurt?"

"Just do as I say," he cried, pulling her across the hall.

The baby, Meg, began to wail.

"And keep her quiet, for G.o.d's sake," he said as harshly. But now he was looking over his shoulder at the open doorway, as if expecting to see the British soldiers in pursuit.

Devlin followed his gaze. Smoke could be seen in the clear blue sky and suddenly the sounds of muskets firing could be heard.

Mary pushed the babe against her breast as she opened her blouse, never breaking stride. "What will happen to us, Gerald?" And then, lower, "What will happen to you?"

He opened the door to the cellar, the opening hidden by a centuries-old tapestry. "Everything will be fine," he said harshly. "You and the boys, the babe, all will be fine."

She stared up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm not hurt," he added thickly, and he kissed her briefly on the lips. "Now go downstairs and do not come out until I say so."

Mary nodded and went down. Devlin rushed forward as a cannon boomed, terribly close to the manor. "Father! Let me come with you-I can help. I can shoot-"

Gerald whirled, striking Devlin across the head, and he flew across the stone floor, landing on his rump. "Do as I say," he roared, and as he ran back through the hall, he added, "And take care of your mother, Devlin."

The front door slammed.

Devlin blinked back tears of despair and humiliation and found himself looking at Sean. There was a question in his younger brother's pale gray eyes, which remained wide with fear. Devlin got to his feet, shaking like a puny child. There was no question of what he had to do. He had never disobeyed his father before but he wasn't going to let his father face the redcoats he'd seen earlier alone.

If Father was going to die, then he'd die with him.

Fear made him feel faint. He faced his little brother, breathing hard, willing himself to be a man. "Go down with Mother and Meg. Go now," he ordered quietly. Without waiting to see if he was being obeyed, Devlin rushed through the hall and into his father's library.

"You're going to fight, aren't you?" Sean cried, following him.

Devlin didn't answer. A purpose filled him now. He ran to the gun rack behind his father's ma.s.sive desk and froze in dismay. It was empty. He stared in disbelief.

And then he heard the soldiers.

He heard men shouting and horses whinnying. He heard swords ringing. The cannon boomed again, somewhere close by. Shots from pistols punctuated the musket fire. He slowly turned to Sean and their gazes locked. Sean's face was pinched with fear-the same fear that was making Devlin's heart race so quickly that he could barely breathe.

Sean wet his lips. "They're close, Dev."

He could barely make his mouth form the words, "Go to the cellar." He had to help his father. He couldn't let Father die alone.

"I'm not leaving you alone."

"You need to take care of Mother and Meg," Devlin said, racing to the bench beneath the gun rack. He tore the pillows from the seat and hefted the lid open. He was disbelieving-Father always kept a spare pistol there, but there was nothing but a dagger. A single, stupid, useless p.r.i.c.k of a dagger.

"I'm coming with you," Sean said, his voice broken with tears.

Devlin took the dagger, then reached into the drawer of his father's desk and took a sharp letter opener as well. He handed it to Sean. His brother smiled grimly at him-Devlin couldn't smile back.

And then he saw the rusty antique display of a knight in his armor in the corner of the room. It was said that an infamous ancestor, once favored by an English queen, had worn it. Devlin ran to the statue, Sean on his heels as if attached by a short string. There, he shimmied the sword free from the knight's gauntlet, knocking over the tarnished armor.

Devlin's spirits lifted. The sword was old and rusted, but it was a weapon, by G.o.d. He withdrew it from the hilt, touched the blade and gasped as blood spurted from his fingertip. Then he looked at Sean.

The brothers shared a grin.

The cannon boomed and this time the house shook, gla.s.s shattering in the hall outside. The boys blinked at each other, wide-eyed, their fear renewed.

Devlin wet his lips. "Sean. You have to stay with Mother and Meg."

"No."

He felt like whacking his brother on the head the way Gerald had struck him. But he was also secretly relieved not to have to face the red hordes alone. "Then let's go," Devlin said.

THE BATTLE WAS RAGING just behind the cornfields that swept up to the ruined outer walls of Askeaton Castle. The boys raced through the tall plants, hidden by the stalks, until they had reached the last row of corn. Crouching, Devlin felt ill as he finally viewed the b.l.o.o.d.y panorama.

There seemed to be hundreds-no, thousands-of soldiers in red, by far outnumbering the ragged hordes of Irishmen. The British soldiers were heavily armed with muskets and swords. Most of the Irishmen had pikes. Devlin watched his countrymen being ma.s.sacred, not one by one, but in waves, five by five, six by six, and more. His stomach churned violently. He was only ten but he knew a slaughter when he saw one.

"Father," Sean whispered.

Devlin jerked and followed his brother's gaze. Instantly, he saw a madman on a gray horse, swinging his sword wildly, miraculously slaying first one redcoat and then another. "Come on!" Devlin leapt up, sword raised, and rushed toward the battle.

A British soldier was aiming his musket at a farmer with a pike and dagger. Other soldiers and peasants were intently battling one another. There was so much blood, so much death, the stench of it everywhere. Devlin heaved his sword at the soldier. To his surprise, the blade cleaved through the man completely.

Devlin froze, shocked, as the farmer quickly finished the soldier off. "Thanks, boyo," he said, dropping the dead soldier in the dirt.

A musket fired and the farmer's eyes popped in surprise, blood blossoming on his chest.

"Dev!" Sean shouted in warning.

Devlin turned wildly to face the barrel of a musket, aimed right at him. Instantly he lifted his sword in response. He wondered if he was about to die, as his blade was no match for the gun. Then Sean, the musket in his hands clearly taken from the dead, whacked the soldier from behind, right in the knees. The soldier lost his balance as he fired, missing Devlin by a long shot. Sean hit him over the head, and the man lay still, apparently unconscious.

Devlin straightened, breathing hard, an image of the soldier boy he'd just helped kill in his mind. Sean looked wildly at him.

"We need to go to Father," Devlin decided.

Sean nodded, perilously close to tears.

Devlin turned, searching the ma.s.s of struggling humanity, trying to spot his father on the gray horse. It was impossible now.

And suddenly he realized that the violent struggling was slowing.

He stilled, glancing around wide-eyed, and now he saw hundreds of men in beige and brown tunics, lying still and lifeless across the battlefield. Interspersed among them were dozens of British soldiers, also lifeless, and a few horses. Here and there, someone moaned or cried out weakly for help.

An Englishman was shouting out a command to his company.

Devlin's gaze swept the entire scene again. The battlefield had spread to the banks of the river on one side, the cornfield behind and the manor house in the south. And now the British soldiers were falling into line.

"Quick," Devlin said, and he and Sean darted over dead corpses, racing hard and fast for an edge of the cornfield and the invisibility it would give them. Sean tripped on a b.l.o.o.d.y body. Devlin lifted him to his feet and dragged him behind the first stalk of corn. Panting, they both sank to a crouch. And now, from the slight rise where the cornfield was, he could see that the battle was truly over.

There were so many dead.

Sean huddled close.

Devlin knew his brother was close to crying. He put his arm around him but did not take his gaze from the battlefield. The manor was to his right, perhaps a pasture away, and there were dead littering the courtyard. His gaze shot back to the left. Ahead, not far from where they hid, he saw his father's gray stallion.

Devlin stiffened. The horse was being held by a soldier. His father was not mounted on it.

And suddenly, several mounted British officers appeared, moving toward the gray steed. And Gerald O'Neill, his hands bound, was being shoved forward on foot.

"Father," Sean breathed.

Devlin was afraid to hope.

"Gerald O'Neill, I presume?" the mounted commanding officer asked, his tone filled with mockery and condescension.

"And to whom do I have the honor of this acquaintance?" Gerald said, as mocking, as condescending.

"Lord Captain Harold Hughes, ever His Majesty's n.o.ble servant," the officer returned, smiling coldly. He had a handsome face, blue-black hair and ice-cold blue eyes. "Have you not heard, O'Neill? The Defenders are beaten into a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp. General Lake has successfully stormed your puny headquarters at Vinegar Hill. I do believe the number of rebel dead has been tallied at fifteen thousand. You and your men are a futile lot."

"d.a.m.n Lake and Cornwallis, too," Gerald spat, the latter being the viceroy of Ireland. "We fight until every one of us is dead, Hughes. Or until we have won our land and our freedom."

Devlin wished desperately that his father would not speak so with the British captain. But Hughes merely shrugged indifferently. "Burn everything," he said, as if he were speaking about the weather.

Sean cried out. Devlin froze in shocked dismay.

"Captain, sir," a junior officer said. "Burn everything?"

Hughes smiled at Gerald, who had turned as white as a ghost. "Everything, Smith. Every field, every pasture, every crop, the stable, the livestock-the house."

The lieutenant turned, the orders quickly given. Devlin and Sean exchanged horrified glances. Their mother and Meg remained in the manor house. He didn't know what to do. The urge to shout, "No!" and rush the soldiers was all-consuming.

"Hughes!" Gerald said fiercely, his tone a command. "My wife and my children are inside."

"Really?" Hughes didn't seem impressed. "Maybe their deaths will make others think twice about committing treason," he said.

Gerald's eyes widened.

"Burn everything," Hughes snapped. "And I do mean everything."

Gerald lunged for the mounted captain, but was restrained. Devlin didn't stop to think-he whirled, about to run from the cornfield to the manor. But he had taken only a step or two when he halted in his tracks. For his mother, Mary, stood in the open front door of the house, the baby cradled in her arms. Relief made him stumble. He reached for Sean's hand, daring to breathe. Then he looked back at his father and Captain Hughes.

Hughes's expression had changed. His brows had lifted with interest and he was staring across the several dozen yards separating him and his prisoner from the manor. "Your wife, I presume?"

Gerald heaved violently at his bonds and the three men holding him. "You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You touch her and I'll kill you, one way or another, I swear."

Hughes smiled, his gaze on Mary. As if he hadn't heard Gerald, he murmured, "Well, well. This is a pretty turn of events. Bring the woman to my quarters."

"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Smith whirled his mount toward the manor.

"Hughes! You touch a hair on my wife's head and I'll cut your b.a.l.l.s off one by one," Gerald ground out.

"Really? And this from a man fated to hang-or worse." And he calmly unsheathed his sword. An instant later, one solid blow struck Gerald, severing his head.

Devlin stared-beyond shock-as his father's headless body collapsed slowly to the ground-as his head rolled there, both gray eyes open and still filled with rage.