“No. You’ll be here fighting your own mental war—trusting everything will be fine while he is away.” Smiling encouragingly, she kept us moving forward, through the doors and out into the gardens.
Silently, we started down no particular path, letting the beauty of the plants around us fill the space that our silence left. It was a warm day and there were many people outside, but it was like they were in another world. They didn’t know what dangers could be lurking right around the corner. Every man I saw made me question whether or not he was a Black Knight, or some random person, out enjoying the light and air. Eventually, we reached one of the magnificent fountains and sat down on a bench beside it, content to remain away from Court and its inhabitants for a while.
It was there that Tristan found us, some time later, his face tired and drawn, but happy.
“There ye are! I’ve been looking all over for the two of ye. How was yer day?” Striding over, he beamed at me, kissing my hand and wrapping it in his grasp as he sat beside me.
“Oh, you know. I insulted some royalty and got a lecture from Abella about it.” Laughing slightly, I felt a blush creep over my face. I’d promised to do my best while we were here and something told me I’d crossed that line by a large distance.
“I did not lecture you,” she said sternly, glaring at me. “I simply told you that you shouldn’t have said what you did.”
“Ye mean to Lady Chastity?” Chuckling, he shook his head. “I thought that sounded like something ye’d say. Did her eyes look like they were going to fall out of her head when ye said it?”
“You mean you already heard about it?” I asked, surprised. “I thought it wouldn’t get around until tonight, during the ball gossip.”
“I’d be surprised if there was a soul who hadn’t heard about it yet, lass.” Eyes shining, he watched me, his nose twitching with suppressed merriment. “Ye made the servants’ day, and many of the ladies, too, from the sounds of it. They’ve been singing yer praises since I came to look for ye.”
“What?” Abella’s voice mirrored my own shock.
“Mind ye, I imagine they only told me how much they liked ye. They’ll be properly upset when required. However, Lady Chastity has had a reputation of saying more than she should, savvy? She’s none too many friends here, despite the show she puts on. There’s a reason she only comes to the palace when there’s a party.”
“You don’t think the King will ask us to leave, then?” I asked, hesitantly.
“The King? No. He’ll probably be upset he wasn’t there to witness the spectacle for himself.” Sighing, his happiness diminished some, a cloud covering his features. “It’ll be best he doesn’t ask ye to go. Ye’ll be safer here, while I’m away.”
“How did the meeting go?” I questioned anxiously, scooting closer.
Shaking his head, he stood, pulling me up after him. “Walk with me?”
“I’ll go get things ready for tonight.” Abella, taking her cue to leave, curtsied slightly and left, not looking back even once as she went on her way.
“When are we going to tell her everything?” I asked Tristan, frowning as he guided me in the opposite direction, toward a hedge grouping.
“When the time is right, I suppose. She’s a strong lass, to go along with things she knows nothing about. Very trusting.”
“And the plan for you to leave?” I inquired again, pushing the girl from my thoughts. “What’s going on?”
“It’s not so much a plan as it is a raid,” he replied carefully, staring forward. His fingers tightened around mine, tugging me closer, and his voice softened. “Randall has men joining up, aye? We’ll wait for them to all be together before we attack. If all goes as it should, we’ll be back just as ye’re heading for home, in the city.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
He shook his head again, glancing over at me. “It will, lass. It has to. I’ll not have ye left alone for longer than is necessary.” He paused, whatever he was about to say seemingly stuck in his throat.
“What is it?” Encouragingly, I squeezed his hand, smiling.
“I’ve asked the Grand Master to relieve me of duty,” he finally said, the confession whooshing out of him on a long breath of air. “Randall won’t be our problem after this. Ye’re going to have a baby—I’m ready to put my days of pirating behind me. We’ll move wherever ye want and start our family.”
“Tristan!” Shocked, I stopped dead in my tracks, gaping at him. “You didn’t have to do that. I know how important the Order is to you, to your family.”
“Being a father is more important,” he replied evenly. “It’s true, my relatives have aligned themselves with the Order for hundreds of years. That’s not a life I’d want for my son, though, should it be a boy. I couldn’t bear it, thinking of him doing all the things I’ve had to. It’s time we became simpler folk, relying only on ourselves to make it by. I know we can do it, Sam. Will ye stand by me?”
“Of course I will,” I responded immediately. “There’s not anything that could stop me from supporting you. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life, save the fact that I love ye.” Smiling softly, he pulled me against him, resting his forehead against mine. “I’m ready to be a father, Sam,” he said quietly. “Nothing will make me happier than ye and the babe, in a house of our own, not bothered by anything.”
Kissing me lightly, his lips brushed over mine with a tenderness I’d rarely seen in him. It was as if his heart were displayed for all to see, clearly bonded to me.
“We’ll leave before dawn,” he murmured against my lips, one hand caressing my jaw while the other pressed against the small of my back. “Be safe, savvy? I have a bad feeling about this fight and I can’t quite figure out why.”
“You’re the one who needs to stay safe.” Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, trying to memorize what it felt like to be held by him. The thought of having to spend weeks apart made my heart race with anticipation, mirroring the ill thoughts he had about the time away from each other. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
It was all I could do to hope that he would return quickly and unhurt.
“Stop fidgeting!” Abella chastised me for probably the twentieth time that day, watching me stand at the window as she sat in her chair with some needlework. “Staring out the window won’t tell you anything and you know it.”
Frowning, I glanced at her, hating she was right. However, I wasn’t feeling sick today and I was ready to find out some news.
It had been two and a half weeks since Tristan left with a ship full of Templar Knights, bound for England and Thomas Randall. Abella and I had stayed at Court as the king requested, making excuses for my husband’s absence and being as charming as possible, until it was time to come home. I’d expected to hear immediately what was going on, but not a word had been spoken to me about the mission from anyone. Abella still remained in the dark as to what was really going on, but she knew it was something important and dangerous. Each night, she lit a candle for him and put it in the window, a soft prayer leaving her lips. I was more grateful for that than I could ever have expressed.
After spending all of that time together, never parting except to sleep, we’d become the fast friends I’d hoped for. She was younger, but matched my age mentally, and I soon found myself regarding her as a kind of sister. We would help each other dress now and decide what to do for the day together.
Yesterday had been a very nasty case of morning sickness. There was no denying it now—I was pregnant. All of the symptoms were there, which I was grateful for. It gave me comfort to know that my body was still going through a wonderful change.
But Tristan had not come home.
Had something gone wrong in London? It wasn’t that far away, so I didn’t think the time was being spent traveling. Was he hurt? Had Thomas gotten away and they were chasing him? All these questions and more swirled through my mind day in and day out. But,
today would be different.
“Do you want to go to the market with me?” I asked Abella, moving from the window. “Tristan took me to a nice one at the old Temple before. I’d like to look at some of their stuff again.”
“Are you feeling well enough to go?” She spoke skeptically, giving me the once over. “You could hardly stand yesterday.”
“Fit as a fiddle,” I replied, smiling. Truthfully, I did feel somewhat worn out from being so sick, but I desperately wanted news of what was going on. If the Order wouldn’t come to tell me, I would go drag it out of them.
She thought it over for a moment, looking at me like a mother would a small child, and then nodded, putting her work aside. “Fine, but we’re taking the carriage. I’ll go let them know we want to go out.”
“Wonderful!” Clapping my hands together, I tried to reign in my excitement. Hopefully, the news I wanted was good.
The city passed in a blur as we rode to the Temple, my mind on the secret entrance to the Order’s headquarters. Tristan had tapped a special sequence on the wall, but could I remember it?
Finally, we arrived at our destination and I set out, slowly passing each cart and examining their wares. When we came to the table I recognized from before, there was a different man, who smiled and asked if I’d like to see any of the silks he had for sale.
“Actually, I believe there is a painting inside that my husband is interested in,” I replied, unable to remember the rhythm I needed. “Could I possibly see that?”
“Of course, Madame,” he said cordially. “Please, look all you want.”
Frustrated with myself, I went into the back room, making a beeline for the hidden door. Tapping on it, I waited for it to open, but nothing happened. As I’d suspected, I needed the code to get it.
Abella, who was watching with mild curiosity, raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. “Shopping?” She may have sounded miffed, but she was smiling, catching on that there was something more here. “Anything else you need to inspect?”
“No.” Pushing past her, I went back outside to the booth tender, smiling as nicely as possible. “I need to get inside,” I said under my breath.
Confusion flashed in his eyes, his brow furrowing. “You were just inside.”
“Not inside the shop, inside the Temple,” I whispered furiously.
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, Madame.”
“Oh, good grief!” Throwing my hands up, I turned around, shaking my head. He obviously wasn’t my way in.
And that’s when I saw him.
He was standing at the gate, watching me evenly, a smile on his face, his long black hair concealing some of his features. He looked dirty and ragged, like a beggar, the hat on his head full of holes, but Thomas Randall’s face was one I would have known anywhere.
The world stopped spinning in that instant, everything zooming in to focus on just him, the thud of my heart ringing in my ears. It was as if the breath I desperately needed to live was stuck inside me, my throat closing tightly under the scrutiny of his gaze. Then, with a pop, it all went back to normal, my mind imagining the sound of his boots crunching through the gravel as he started toward me.
“Abella,” I said sharply, grabbing her by the wrist as she stood beside me. “We’re leaving. Now.”
There was no way out of the courtyard except for the gate he hovered in front of. If we were going to escape, we would have to go right past him and into the city.
“Is something wrong?” Abella asked in alarm as I practically dragged her across the ground.
I couldn’t even answer her. The wrong man had returned to me, the villain instead of the hero. Where was Tristan? What did I do? Fear tore at my entire being; both for the man I loved and myself. There wasn’t any time to stop and think things through, though. It was time to pick fight or flight, and I was ready to run for my life.
There was another man I recognized already in the Temple courtyard, his hat pulled low over his face. Panic threatened to overtake me, but I shoved it down, instead relying on the adrenaline I felt underneath it.
“We can’t take the carriage back to the house,” I told her quietly, slowing as we approached the gate. “Someone is watching us. Randall.”
Her eyes grew wide and I felt her step falter before she pressed forward with renewed vigor. “Monsieur O’Rourke?”
“I don’t know,” I replied evenly, trying not to cry. “We don’t have time to find out now.”
Looking back toward the table I knew was ran by the Order, I wondered why the Templars weren’t pouring out to take control of their enemy. Had they not realized who he was? I couldn’t exactly scream for help, not when no one was attacking me. Everyone would think I was crazy, Randall would run, and I wasn’t willing to get close enough to him to let him touch even a millimeter of me.
Going back to the exit in front of us, I spied a cart getting ready to pass through from the other side. Timing it just right, we slipped through as it blocked us from the pirate’s view, hurrying down the street in the opposite direction of home. The streets were packed and hard to maneuver—a blessing in our time of need.
“We have to lose them in the crowd,” I explained quickly. “Stay right with me. We’re going to run now.”
To her credit, Abella didn’t even look faint at the prospect. Her jaw set tightly as she nodded, her hands grabbing her skirts out of the way as we both increased our speed, darting down the street.
People yelled at us as we passed, bumping into them without apologizing. Rude gestures were flung our way, but I couldn’t even care. My chest felt like it was ready to explode from being overworked, but my fear led me on, my feet slapping against the cobblestone roads mercilessly.
Ducking under an archway and onto the path on the other side, I looked over my shoulder, a scream lodged in my throat. Randall was still there, his face stony as he shoved a man pulling a wagon to the ground, knocking the items that were being transported into the street. Despite the raucous he made, his eyes never seemed to leave me, their darkness reaching out and touching me with icy fingers.
Trembling, I turned my attention back to my own route, taking Abella’s hand and moving in the opposite direction we’d been heading. Slipping some, we shoved through a crowd of people watching a street performer, ignoring the exclamations of indignation and anger still. My feet were begging for me to stop, my fancy shoes flapping helplessly against my heels with every step.
Desperately, I tried to think of where we could go that would be safe. Home would have been preferable—a safe house, under the protection and care of the Order—but I didn’t want to lead Randall and his men there. The door wouldn’t hold them long and we needed to get word to someone we needed help.
Tall houses and shops all melded into one as we continued on, gasping for air, sprinting away from those who would harm us. The streets seemed never ending, our flight taking us down whatever path emerged in front of us. It felt like we’d been fleeing for hours, my body crying out for rest. Frustrated by my own lack of strength, I pushed on, trying to ignore the red color of Abella’s face as she too struggled. The fine food and sedimentary lifestyle of living among royals had made us groggy and slow. In that moment, I would have given anything to be in the shape I’d earned during my time as a pirate. The months sailing from Oak Isle and spent trying to be a proper lady had softened me too much; I didn’t even know if I could win a fight against Randall again.
Daring to look back once more, I barely caught sight of the horrid hat Randall was wearing. It turned every which way, frozen in a sea of people. Relief coursed through me at the sight—he’d lost our trail.
Slipping down a side alley, I persisted in driving the two of us at full speed, wanting to capitalize on our newfound disappearance. Practically carrying her down the street, we passed through another part of the old city wall, the river visible ahead of us.
“Stop!” she gasped. “I can’t run any longer.”
Collapsing against
the side of the building, I nodded, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. It felt a little like I was going to throw up from all the exertion, my face covered in sweat. The bones of my corset were poking into me painfully, my skirt torn near the bottom. Abella looked much the same, dirt covering her hem, her cherry-colored skin covered in a sheen of moisture.
“There,” I said, the sound barely a whisper in my dry mouth. Pointing to another alley between buildings, I stood up straight, basically dragging my feet across the ground until we were safely concealed in the space.
Staring out over the crowd, I felt another wave of relief. Randall was nowhere to be seen. Wanting to make sure we’d truly lost him, I scanned the area for another half hour, feeling secure in our hiding spot. All I saw were the normal city folk, though, going about their business. We’d lost the pirate at last.
“Come on,” I croaked, stepping out from our hiding spot and into the mass. “Let’s go home.”
“I know a shortcut,” she said wearily, fanning herself with her hand. “I’ll show you.”
Finally, bodies aching, we made it back to our house, halfway wondering if we’d imagined the whole thing. The façade was as welcoming as ever, smoke curling from the chimney and bright flowers in the windows. It was as if we hadn’t even spent the last little while scared for our lives.
Swallowing hard, I looked both ways down the street, noting how much emptier it was than the paths we’d just traveled.
“Get inside, quickly,” I urged her. “Lock all the doors and windows.”
Nodding, she dashed through the doorway, almost knocking over the cook in the process.
“Come inside, we’re in danger,” I said quickly, helping the woman up. “All of the doors and windows must be locked.”
Carried Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book Two) Page 15
