The Pawn

by Aston, Alexa

  Nicholas kissed Ellyn’s cheek and bid her good day before heading to the stables. He saddled Sunset and had Mary’s son also ready a horse. Bethany liked the young man and Nicholas would have him drive Bethany and Mary back to Northmere. He then saddled another horse. His last present to Kate. He would surprise her with it after his sister left.

  Waiting for him in the bailey were eight soldiers. He’d spoken to each of them last night. They would ride with him to the manor house and serve as an escort for Bethany as she returned to the castle. From now on, the women in his household would always be accompanied by a full guard, no matter where they traveled. Nicholas could no longer guarantee they could move freely and safely about Northmere.

  After an hour’s ride, they arrived at Kate’s, along the way passing three of the additional men he’d sent yesterday. Henfrey hurried out to greet him.

  Handing him the reins, Nicholas told the squire to lead both horses to the rear of the manor house and secure them.

  “Not a word to the countess,” he warned. “And once you hear the group of soldiers departing with my sister, make yourself scarce.”

  Henfrey’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Is this horse for Lady Katelyn? Oh, she will be most happy, my lord.”

  He nodded and watched the boy lead the horses away. He turned to the men still on horseback.

  “You’ll be leaving shortly.” Looking to Mary’s son, he said, “Hitch your horse to the cart and be ready to depart.”

  “Aye, my lord.”

  Nicholas went inside the manor house. Dorinda greeted him and said, “The ladies are in the solar, my lord.”

  “Let Mary know to prepare to leave for Northmere.”

  He went to the solar and stood in the open doorway a moment, observing Kate guiding Bethany’s hand as she drew on parchment. His sister concentrated on her task, her brow furrowing.

  “That’s very good, Bethany,” Kate praised. “You will have to give this to your brother.”

  “What am I getting?” he asked and entered the room.

  Bethany ran to meet him and took his hand, leading him back to the table.

  “I draw for you.”

  “Is that me?” he asked. “And you? And . . . Kit?”

  She nodded. “I draw Katelyn, too. She go here.” Bethany pointed to a blank spot.

  “You can add me to your drawing the next time you come to visit,” Kate said. “I’ll keep it in a safe place until you return.”

  “Good.” Bethany whispered into Kate’s ear and she nodded. Looking at Nicholas, Bethany said, “I sing for you.”

  Nicholas felt tears sting his eyes. “That would be lovely.”

  His sister looked back at Kate hesitantly. “I . . . need help.”

  “You know the song, Bethany. We practiced it several times.”

  “Sing a little. With me.”

  “All right,” Kate agreed. “I will start and sing a few lines but then you’ll have to finish the rest on your own.”

  Bethany nodded enthusiastically.

  The two began singing. True to her word, Kate’s voice began fading until she finally ceased singing and allowed Bethany to complete the song.

  When his sister finished, she looked at Nicholas hopefully. “You like it?”

  He enveloped her in his arms. “I adored it. You need to sing more often. Every day,” he suggested.

  “We go home?” she asked.

  “Aye. You and Mary are going to drive in the cart and I will stay and visit with Kate for a bit.”

  Panic filled Bethany’s eyes. “Bryce?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I asked Bryce to leave Northmere. I’ve told everyone that he’s not allowed back. That means the gatekeeper will not let him inside the castle walls. You’ll be free to go wherever you want and never see him. The farmers and soldiers also know he can’t come anymore so you and Mary will be able to walk outside the gates, as well.”

  “No more Bryce?” Bethany asked, disbelief on her face. “Ever?”

  “Ever,” Nicholas promised.

  “Good. Bryce so mean.”

  “He is. That’s why he can no longer live with us.”

  His sister hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Nicholas. I go home now.” She ran into the corridor. “Mary, no more Bryce!” she hollered with enthusiasm.

  “It was a good decision,” Kate said.

  Nicholas turned to her. “I’ve needed to make it. I appreciate you spurring me into action.” He paused. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for Bethany. She sang all the time when she was a small child. To hear her voice again is like a miracle. You’ve worked wonders for her, Kate.”

  “With Bryce gone, I think you’ll see even more progress.” She went and scooped a napping Kit from the bed. “Time for you to go home, as well, little fur face.”

  They went downstairs and Kate returned the kitten to Bethany.

  “You come see me, Kate-lyn?” Bethany asked hopefully. “And Kit?”

  “You’ll need to come back here first and finish your picture.”

  They stepped through the doorway and Kate stumbled back, bumping into Nicholas. He righted her.

  “What are so many men doing here?” she asked.

  “I passed one of my patrols as I approached the manor house. I send them out regularly, day and night, to ride the estate and the surrounding roads to the border. I thought they could escort Bethany home so that I could stay a few hours with you.”

  “There are so many. They startled me.”

  “I would rather err on the side of too many men than have too few.” He decided not to tell her about the extra knights he’d stationed to watch over her for now.

  They bid Bethany farewell and Nicholas said, “It’s a pleasant day. Would you care to go for a ride?”

  He saw conflicted emotions cross Kate’s face. They hadn’t ridden together since she had expressed a desire for them to refrain from kissing. He knew she would be reluctant to ride next to him, their bodies pressed together, and yet he knew they both derived pleasure from it.

  “Why don’t we stroll instead?” she suggested.

  Taking her hand, he placed it through the crook of his arm. “Let’s head to the north today.”

  Nicholas led her to the side of the manor house and then they turned the corner. Kate froze in her tracks, her fingers tightening on him. He saw Henfrey had disappeared, as requested. Only the two horses stood in sight.

  She turned to him, her eyes questioning him, no words coming from her parted lips.

  “She’s yours,” he confirmed.

  “Oh, Nicholas.” Kate kissed his cheek quickly and lifted her skirts in order to run toward the horses.

  He stood and drank in the beauty of the moment as she approached the solid black animal and lifted her hand, palm up, in order to allow the animal to sniff her fingers. Then she stroked it lovingly as she spoke to the creature. Finally, she looped her arms about the horse’s neck, a mixture of joy and contentment on her features.

  Nicholas ventured toward her. “You like her?”

  Kate beamed at him. “I adore her. What’s her name?”

  “This is Ebony. She’s a palfrey, a little over two years of age.”

  “Her coat is gorgeous.”

  “It reminds me of your dark hair,” he said. “And you will look fine riding her.”

  “Can we go riding now?” she asked, trying to contain her excitement and failing.

  “I thought you wished to walk,” he teased.

  “Nicholas!”

  “Let me assist you.”

  He helped her into the saddle and loosened the reins. Handing them to her, he did the same for Sunset and mounted the horse.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she proclaimed.

  They started at a walk in order for Ebony to get used to a new rider. It made conversation easy between them, as Nicholas kept Sunset and Ebony side-by-side. After a quarter of an hour, they increased their
speed to a canter. Eventually, Kate told him that she wanted to gallop. Nicholas allowed Sunset his head and the horse took off, pulling ahead of Ebony. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Kate riding behind him, her cheeks flushed with happiness, her long, thick braid bouncing merrily in the air. He promised himself he would never forget the way she looked in this moment.

  As he turned back to face ahead, something below him gave way. Before he could figure out what was wrong, he went sailing over Sunset’s head and landed hard on the ground, his horse galloping away.

  “Nicholas!”

  As he lay on his back, he heard Kate scream his name. A wave of nausea hit him. He struggled to inhale and found he couldn’t breathe. His head throbbed unmercifully.

  “Nicholas!”

  Kate was beside him. He felt her lightly touching him. Heard her sobs.

  Then everything faded into darkness.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Katelyn knelt at Nicholas’ side, trying to squelch the panic racing through her. She touched his face. Gently shook his shoulder, calling his name. She angrily wiped away the tears that would do him no good and rolled him to his side to see if her suspicions were confirmed. Moving her fingers along his head, she found a huge knot in the center of the back of his head. He’d landed hard, with no time to break his fall. That might have actually kept him from snapping a wrist or arm, throwing it out to brace himself. It was his head that had received the worst of the impact.

  Once more, she moved her hands along his limbs and believed nothing was broken. Still, he remained unconscious, his pallor gray.

  What was she to do?

  He was much too heavy to lift onto Sunset’s back. The horse had run away at first but now circled around and stood nearby, as if he awaited further instructions. Ebony had joined him.

  Katelyn decided she must ride for help. Fortunately, she’d paid attention to where they rode today, thanks to the fact that she’d been atop her own horse. When she’d ridden with Nicholas at her back, she’d had a tendency to concentrate more on the feel of him than where they went.

  She brushed away the hair that had fallen across his brow, thinking she’d never seen him so still, as if in death. Pushing that thought aside, she clutched his cotehardie and leaned over until their noses practically touched.

  “Don’t you dare die on me, Nicholas,” she ordered. “I won’t allow it. Do you hear me?”

  He lay unmoving, causing a sob to escape from her.

  Katelyn brushed her lips against his tenderly. “I love you, you foolish man. You cannot die. Do you understand? I will never forgive you if you do so.”

  She placed her palm against his face and closed her eyes briefly, sending a desperate prayer to the Virgin to save Nicholas’ life. Then she kissed him once more and stood.

  Going to Sunset, it surprised her that the horse wore no saddle. Only the bridle remained, the reins dangling from it. Katelyn had no time to puzzle over this and said to the animal, “I must ride for help. Stay here, Sunset. Keep watch over him. Please.” She stroked the horse once and turned to Ebony. “You, my fine lady, need to get me where I am going as fast as you can.”

  She thrust herself into the saddle and took off toward the manor house. Though she wanted to look back, she kept herself from doing so. Katelyn was afraid if she saw Nicholas all alone, it might be her last memory of him, lying helpless in the dirt.

  Swiftly, she rode across the land, a constant prayer hovering on her lips in time to the beat of the horse’s hooves. She spied two more riders and urged Ebony on. As she approached, she recognized them as the knights Nicholas had assigned to patrol the area around her manor.

  Both men rode quickly toward her. Pulling up on the reins, she drew in a few calming breaths so she could make herself understood as they reached her.

  “Lord Nicholas fell from his horse. He is unconscious. I don’t think he has any broken bones but he has a nasty knot that’s swelling large on the back of his head.”

  “Show us the way,” Sir Albert said.

  Katelyn wheeled Ebony and rode to where she’d left Nicholas. All three riders rushed to him. Albert reached him first.

  After assessing his condition, the knight said, “I don’t want to lash him facedown to his horse. Bouncing along might aggravate his head wound. I think we should tie him to his horse, sitting up. Gerald and I are too large to ride behind him to keep him upright, though. Do you think you could hold him, my lady?”

  “I will do whatever it takes to get him back safely to the manor house,” Katelyn told the knight.

  “Then let’s give it a try,” Gerald said. He had Albert help raise Nicholas to his feet and the two men moved him over to a waiting Sunset.

  “Where is the saddle?” Albert asked, clearly dumbfounded. “We need it to secure him.”

  “Sunset galloped off after Lord Nicholas was thrown,” she explained. “He returned without it.”

  “Then we must attach him to your horse, my lady,” Albert said.

  The knights brought Nicholas to Ebony. Katelyn took Gerald’s place, wrapping her arms about Nicholas’ waist as Gerald ran to his own horse and opened the satchel attached to it, pulling out a few lengths of rope.

  “If we need more, we can get it from Albert.”

  It took the two men a few minutes and much maneuvering, but they managed to get Nicholas onto Ebony’s back. Albert lashed his wrists to the pommel and Gerald fixed rope about his waist and brought it under Ebony’s belly and back a few times before wrapping it around the pommel and tying it off.

  “Let’s get you in place, Lady Katelyn,” Albert suggested. “And don’t worry—I’ll take the reins and we’ll walk the horse. You’re there to keep Lord Nicholas steady.”

  Gerald helped her up and Katelyn brought her arms about Nicholas, whose head hung, his chin resting against his chest. It worried her that he still hadn’t awakened but she tamped down her fears. She would need to concentrate on the task at hand and keep him fixed in the saddle.

  Gerald tied Sunset to the back of his horse as Albert took Ebony’s reins. Together, the trio began walking their horses. She tried not to think about what was wrong with Nicholas. Getting him to a bed and sending for a healer was what was important. She leaned her cheek against his broad back and held tightly to him.

  After what seemed like hours, she heard shouting and heard men running. Opening her eyes, she saw several soldiers appear. She didn’t care where they’d come from. She only wanted them to take care of the man she loved.

  Katelyn had buried her feelings until now but she could no longer keep pretending to herself. Nicholas Mandeville, Earl of Northmere, was the most remarkable person of her acquaintance. She relished every moment spent in his company. She loved his intelligence and teasing manner. His kindness and handsome face. The way he cared about his people. Even though she still planned to ask for an annulment from him, she would love this nobleman until her last breath.

  “Let go, my lady. We have him,” a soldier said gently.

  Reluctantly, she withdrew her arms from Nicholas and allowed the man to help her dismount. Daggers were produced and used to slice through the rope binding Nicholas to Ebony. As they handed him down gently, she spotted Henfrey.

  “Henfrey!”

  He raced toward her.

  “Ride as fast as you can to Northmere. Bring back the castle’s healer. Tell no one what has happened. Do you understand?”

  “Aye, my lady,” Henfrey said.

  “Take Ebony,” she commanded. “There’s no time for you to saddle your horse.”

  The squire climbed onto Ebony’s back and took off as if the Devil Himself chased after him.

  Katelyn followed the men into the manor house and instructed them to take Nicholas to the solar. They placed him on the bed. She ushered them back downstairs and gathered every soldier in sight.

  “You are not to speak of what has happened,” she said solemnly. “We do not want word getting out to the Scots, especially when we don’
t know the extent of the earl’s injuries. Keep to your duties. Patrol as scheduled. I’ve sent for the healer and will tell you what I know once she has examined Lord Nicholas.”

  They nodded their approval and separated, going back to their posts and mounting their horses.

  “Sir Albert, since Henfrey is gone for a few hours, will you remain inside the manor?”

  “Of course, my lady.”

  Katelyn saw Dorinda and Lucy awaited her and asked them to bring clean towels and boiled water to the solar. She returned upstairs and went to the bed. Nicholas still looked pale. She decided to remove his clothing and see if he had any wounds she could tend to. First, she took off his boots, struggling for some minutes. Then she slipped off his pants, followed by his cotehardie. She had to pull him to a sitting position to ease it over his head and then gently lay him back down.

  Some bruises had begun to discolor his skin but she saw nothing that needed her immediate attention. She couldn’t help but stare at his naked form for a moment. Though her experience started and ended with Cedric on their wedding night in seeing a man unclothed, she doubted many lived up to this kind of perfection. Nicholas’ arms and legs were sculpted in muscle. His broad chest was covered in a fine matting of light golden hair that tapered below his waist. His manhood nestled in a bunch of dark curls.

  Though she longed to run her hands along every inch of him, Katelyn did not want to violate his privacy any more than she had. Fortunately, the men who’d brought him upstairs had thought to pull the bedclothes back before placing him on the bed. She covered him with them and sat in a chair that she pulled close to the bed. Katelyn slipped her hand under the covers and found Nicholas’ hand. She brought it out and held it in her lap.

  “Please don’t die,” she whispered.

  Dorinda and Lucy appeared with buckets of the boiled water and towels. They wanted to stay but she told them she would rather they go. Katelyn tilted his head to the side and bathed around the huge lump that had swollen to the size of her fist. It frightened her to see it so large and wondered if it would take his life. The longer he remained unconscious, the more her anxiety grew. She left him on his side, hoping that might bring some relief to him, not lying directly on the bump. Taking his hand again, she stared at his beautiful face.