by Jody Hedlund
I learned that her father, Lord Haleigh, Earl of Rockland, had once been an important advisor to King Alfred the Peacemaker. When the king had been on his deathbed and had divided his kingdom between his twin daughters, he’d beseeched Lord Haleigh to reside in Warwick with Queen Margery and advise her. Since Lord Haleigh already had a vast estate near the city of Kensington, he’d moved his young family to Rockland Castle where Gabriella had lived most of her life.
She’d been but a wee lass when her mother died giving birth to a stillborn brother. Crushed at the loss, Lord Haleigh hadn’t remarried. But from how Gabriella spoke about her father, he’d been a devoted and adoring father, pouring out his attention and love upon his one remaining child. When I pressed her to tell me more about how her father died, she always changed the subject.
Of course, with her kind nature, Gabriella never talked about herself for long before she turned the discussion around and asked about my past. With the warnings about the volatile nature of the Great Isle and Queen Margery fresh in my mind, I’d hidden my true identity and told people I was a distant relation to Lord Kennard, that I’d fallen out of favor with my family, and as a result, I’d been relegated to work in the mine for six months as punishment.
To assuage my guilt for deceiving Gabriella, I tried to be honest in relaying all the other information about my family and my past. Leaving out a few minor details about my royalty and the Testing wouldn’t matter, not in the long term when we parted ways.
Our charade seemed to be working, at least with Farthing, Ernie, and the other new slaves who jested with me mercilessly about Gabriella every night when we retired to our hut. And though I kept up the façade with them, I found it increasingly easy to do. The truth was, I enjoyed being with Gabriella. Her presence made me forget about the drudgery of the work and caused time to pass quickly.
The other truth was that the more I got to know her, the more concerned I was for her well-being. I’d tried again to probe into her situation and her unnamed enemy. When I asked her about the duchess’s steward who had leveled the accusations of stealing against her, she’d offered little in her defense. My guess was that the steward had pilfered from the coffer to line his own pockets and had allowed Lady Gabriella to suffer for it.
How could I blame her for keeping secrets from me when I’d done the same to her?
“May I start training today?” she whispered as she stopped to wipe the sheen of perspiration from her brow. “Please? A week has passed.”
I scooped up pieces of rock that had fallen to the ground and dumped them in my basket, bringing the level nearly to the top.
After pretending to be enamored with each other for the past week, what would Curly think if I pulled Gabriella aside today for a few minutes alone? Would he allow it? Or would he come after me the way he had the first day Gabriella and I had started talking? He’d pressed a sharp rock against my back and told me I’d fare much worse if I did anything to hurt Gabi, especially leading her on only to break her heart.
I glanced down the drift to where the leader and his gang of loyal followers worked, not only filling their baskets but also completing quotas for the people in the infirmary.
There was only one way to find out his reaction. We had to sneak off.
“I’ll go first.” I tucked my tools into my rope belt. With my shoulders in a perpetual hunch and my head low to avoid hitting the ceiling, I crept toward the end of the drift, heading for a tunnel that had already been mined for anything of value.
A minute later Gabriella stepped into the passageway. She paused, uncertainty wrinkling her brow. “Do we have enough light here?”
It was dim, with scant illumination from the main drift. While it would be enough to hold any rats at bay, such conditions weren’t ideal for teaching her how to wield a knife.
“We’ll stay on the end closest to the light.”
She searched the shadows, her fear palpable. “We cannot take long, so shall we begin?”
I slipped the knife out of the secretive sheath built into my boot. At the sight of the small but sharp blade, she blanched. She was the gentlest soul I’d ever met. I doubted she’d be able to kill anyone, even if she trained for it and tried.
“Take it by the grip,” I instructed.
Gingerly she touched the ivory but then pulled away, biting her lip.
“Are you sure you must do this?” I asked.
She hesitated, then wrapped her fingers around the knife’s grip. She held it awkwardly, and as I positioned her hand, I realized her training would be slow. Especially since her first and only lesson for today would consist of becoming comfortable touching the weapon.
If nothing else, my lessons would teach her self-defense. With a sharp rock, she might be able to protect herself if she were attacked again by rats.
Her knuckles were almost as white as the ivory handle.
“Loosen your hold a little.”
For several minutes, she practiced moving the knife from hand to hand and getting her fingers into the correct hold.
“Good,” I said as she gripped it tighter. At the crunch of footsteps nearing our passageway, I maneuvered her against the nearest wall and pressed into her, forcing her hand down to her side where the knife would be hidden.
She started to struggle, pushing against my chest.
“Take heed,” I whispered. “Someone is coming.” I nuzzled my nose into her hair and tried to act casual and yet ardent at the same time.
She sucked in a breath and held herself immobile.
I brushed my cheek against hers and was suddenly conscious of the softness and warmth of her skin as well as the silk of her hair.
As the footsteps entered our deserted passageway, she tensed even more. I dropped one of my hands to the knife and slipped it from her grip. I would be able to hide it up my sleeve until I had the chance to return it to my sole.
At a clearing throat behind us, I pretended to startle.
“My lady,” Benedict said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. “Are you in trouble?”
“No trouble, Benedict.” Her voice squeaked.
I quickly backed away, hiding the knife at the same time.
“We were just talking.” She smoothed her hands over her stained skirt, even as a flush climbed up her cheeks. “Were we not?”
“Yes. And now we must return to work.”
As I passed Benedict, I could sense the disapproval in his gaze following me until I was gone. But strangely, all I could think about as I returned to my digging was the brief contact I’d had with Gabriella and the sweetness of holding her, if only for a few seconds.
Chapter
6
Gabriella
“Is she any better this morn?” Molly knelt across from me in the infirmary.
I let my song, one of the psalms, fade to silence before I pressed the cold cloth to Alice’s forehead, willing her my strength and health. But to no avail. Nothing I’d done had helped my dear old servant.
“She still languishes with fever.” I kissed Alice’s cheek, the flesh hanging loose and lifeless.
“I’m sorry, Gabi.” Molly hugged her shawl tightly, covering the stump still bandaged but beginning to heal.
At the rapid rise and fall of Alice’s chest, I sat back on my heels, tears stinging my eyes at the helplessness of my situation. Back at Rockland, I would have had access to the apothecary for fever-reducing remedies. But here . . . in this godforsaken place?
If only we knew what caused the fevers. Some believed the superstitions, blaming wraiths for breathing upon some and not others. I suspected the noxious fumes that existed in parts of the mine had something to do with people falling ill. Regardless, I needed to find a way to bring Alice’s fever down.
My gaze strayed outside to where a few of the overseers were finishing repairs to the suspension bridge so the supply transports could cross more safely. Was it possible I could plead with them for medicine?
Some of the women were laundering
blankets and clothing on our one day off a week. Water bubbled in pots hanging over the central fire pit, lines were strung between the huts, and a few dripping garments flapped in the breeze. After the long winter months, our linens were in sore need of cleaning. But I couldn’t leave Alice’s side. I’d even skipped going down into the mines yesterday so I could tend to her.
I’d been surprised when Vilmar had surfaced at dusk not only with his bucket, but mine and Alice’s, both full. He claimed others had done what they could to help, but Benedict later informed me that Vilmar had done most of the drilling himself, working without a break for hours.
I’d only spoken with Vilmar briefly when he stopped in the infirmary to deliver the food rations he’d earned for us. Later, Curly brought me the news that Vilmar and Ty had gone back down into the mine pits and hadn’t come back up before the hatch had been closed for the night.
No one knew what had possessed Vilmar and his companion to descend or why they hadn’t returned. I’d tossed and turned all night, thinking about what might have happened. And earlier at Mass, I’d offered prayers for him and Ty when I wasn’t praying for Alice.
“Has he come up yet?” I asked.
Molly hesitated, her expression grave. Then she shook her head.
She didn’t need to question who I was referring to. I’d playacted well during the past two weeks, convincing most everyone I had romantic inclinations for Vilmar. The only one I’d been honest with was Benedict. After his disapproval with the first training, I’d informed him that Vilmar and I weren’t sharing affections, that instead he was teaching me self-defense, which was partly true. Although Benedict still frowned upon me going off with the handsome nobleman, he’d agreed to it as long as either he or Alice could act as a chaperone in the connecting passageway.
“Curly and the others are back.”
“And they did not find any signs of them?”
Again, Molly hesitated. “No.”
I couldn’t keep my breath from deflating and my shoulders from sagging. Curly, Farthing, and a few others had descended earlier to search, and my worry had mounted with each passing hour they’d been gone.
I would have been worried no matter who’d gotten lost or trapped in the mines—at least, that’s what I’d been telling myself. But all morning, I’d relived the way Vilmar’s cheek had felt against mine on that first day of training when he’d pressed against me. My heart pattered faster every time I thought about his whisper tickling my ear or his face burrowing into my hair. On the couple of occasions we’d trained again, I’d anticipated having another such moment and was surprised by my mounting disappointment each time he kept his distance.
“What do you think happened?” I didn’t really want an answer, since the possibilities were too discouraging.
“I’m sure they’ll be just fine.” Molly’s tone lacked conviction. “Now, how about if you get some rest while I watch Alice?”
At the mention of rest, the exhaustion I’d been holding at bay hit me with the force of a winter storm. My eyelids drooped, my vision turned hazy, and I wasn’t sure I had the fortitude to push myself up from the ground. Part of me wanted to curl up next to Alice, go to sleep, and never wake up to the nightmare of my new life.
However, I had to stay steadfast. I rose to my feet, refusing to let my body succumb to the weakness and fatigue that had become my constant companions of late.
“Thank you, Molly. You are a dear.”
“You’re the dear. You’re the one always taking care of everyone else and never thinking of yourself.”
I shook my head. “’Tis nothing more than anyone else would do—”
At a commotion from outside, I crossed to the door and exited into the warm sunshine. For a moment the light blinded me, but then as my vision cleared, my pulse halted. Vilmar stood by the hatch with Ty next to him.
Frantically, I scanned their bodies, searching for evidence of any harm. While they appeared pale and weary, they had sustained no bites, blood, or even scratches.
Vilmar was speaking with Curly as well as the others flocking around him. I had the strange urge to run to him and wrap my arms around him. But I refrained and, instead, sagged against the hut.
After several more moments of conversation, Vilmar shifted and glanced around the town. His gaze alighted first on my hut before it moved to the center fire pit and then to the infirmary. Was he searching for me?
My heart gave an unexpected thump of anticipation.
A second later his sights landed upon me, and my pulse thudded harder with a need I didn’t understand.
He broke away from the group and stalked toward me. With his broad shoulders and bulging arms, his strength radiated from each long stride. His long hair had come loose and now flowed in the breeze, the sunlight highlighting hints of light brown mixed in with the dark.
I pushed away from the wall and straightened. Again, I had the urge to cross toward him, throw myself at him, and weep with relief.
As he neared, I clasped my hands together to prevent myself from such a display. Even so, I couldn’t keep my voice from shaking as I spoke. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried.”
He didn’t say anything. But his crystal-blue eyes seemed to say everything. That he cared, that he hadn’t meant to worry me, and that he wanted to see me more than anyone else there.
When he stopped in front of me, his brow narrowed. “Alice?”
“She’s worse.” The words emerged on the edge of a sob, one I rapidly stuffed away. I couldn’t afford to lose control now.
Without averting his gaze from mine, he lowered himself to one knee before me.
My breath snagged. What was he doing?
He stretched out a fisted hand. “This is for you, my lady.” As he unfurled his fingers to reveal a red stone, I gasped along with the others who’d followed Vilmar and now clustered around us.
“A ruby?” I whispered, hardly daring to say the word for fear it might disappear.
He nodded.
“How?”
“Ty found a promising old vein. We traced it to an area that hadn’t been excavated, and then we dug all night.” The crinkling at the corners of his eyes showed his exhaustion, and yet he held his hand out to me, unwavering.
At the silence—almost reverence—of the people around us, I reached out and touched the gem. While it was still encased in rough granite, the deep red gleamed in the sunlight. The coveted jewel could buy so many necessities from the overseers, things Vilmar and Ty could use, especially more food.
“’Tis yours.” I retracted my hand. “I cannot take it.”
“I found it for you. For Alice.”
“For Alice?”
He nodded.
My throat constricted, and hot tears burned the backs of my eyes. How could I turn down this gift? The medicine I could purchase with it might very well save Alice’s life. I touched the stone again, and this time he pressed it into my palm, giving me no choice but to take it.
As I held and marveled over it, he rose. Before he could step away, I threw my arms around him. “Thank you.”
I would have released him, except his arms wrapped around me in return, drawing me close.
Though I knew I should resist further contact, I surrendered to the sweet comfort of his embrace. As I pressed my face into his tunic, I breathed deeply, feeling both his strength and tenderness encompassing me. Somehow I felt safe and cherished in a way I hadn’t experienced since I’d learned of my father’s death.
I didn’t want to leave his hold, could have allowed myself to stay here all day. But at the murmuring of voices around us, I peeled my arms away and stepped back.
Within seconds, the men were slapping Vilmar’s back, congratulating him, and praising him all at once. As more people surrounded and separated us, his beautiful eyes held mine a moment longer, beseeching me.
For what, I knew not. When I offered him a smile of gratitude, his eyes lit and his lips turned up in a return smile. And somehow
I understood that my smile—my happiness—was what he’d wanted in payment, that it was all he would ask for.
I let my smile widen. I could give him nothing less.
Vilmar
I was tired beyond endurance, but I slept fitfully the rest of the day, my dreams filled with Gabriella at each turn. In every instance, I found myself first captured by her stunning gaze, unable to break free. And then in the next moment, she was in my arms, and I couldn’t let her go.
When I awoke with a start, dusk was beginning to settle. Ty was still sleeping, but I knew at my slightest movement, he’d awaken and be alert to my every move. Though I’d been irritated with his constant hovering these past weeks, I was grateful nonetheless for his help in finding the viable vein that led us to the ruby. Without his aid, I would have dug all night for naught.
Be slave of all. The command and foundation of my Testing was never far from my mind. Surely I’d been sent to be a slave in the Gemstone Mountains so I could learn to serve others. And descending into the mine pits to find a rare jewel that could be traded for medicine counted toward that lesson, didn’t it?
Despite trying to convince myself that my motives in searching for the jewel were noble, deep down I knew I’d done it for Gabriella, because I didn’t want to see her suffer the loss of the maidservant she loved.
“I realize I’ve moved outside the bounds of the Testing,” I’d said to Ty as we chipped away the stone, our hands blistered and our backs aching. “But I thank you for your willingness to aid me nevertheless.”
He gave a weary nod, too tired for words.
“Next time we descend, I shall work for your rations.”
“No. No need,” he managed.
Now, his journal along with his pen and ink pot lay abandoned by his side. As I rose to my elbows, I was tempted to read the words he’d carefully penned there—apparently before allowing himself to fall asleep. What had he reported about my activities of the previous night? If only he hadn’t written anything.
Already, I guessed the Lagting would be none too pleased when they read Ty’s account of my going off with Gabriella. Thus, I’d explained to Ty the true nature of my agreement with her. I hadn’t wanted him to think I was trifling with the noblewoman or romantically involved. I certainly couldn’t have him conveying such details in the journal and misinforming the Lagting.
