• • •
Lark placed his hands on either side of her and gripped the wood of the counter until his knuckles turned white. He dared not touch her, instinctively knowing that if he did, he would lose control. He searched her wide, expectant eyes with their little flecks of gold flashing, daring him to make a move.
“I forgot to add that I want you.” Her eyes glinted with pent-up desire. His mouth was so close to hers. All he needed to do was move forward an inch…
His need intensified. “My passion for you has never gone away,” he murmured, his lips nearly touching hers. “It is always there, reminding me of the times we were together. I can sense you feel the same.”
She made no reply, so he leaned closer. “Don’t you, Anna?”
A small noise escaped her, almost too quiet to register, a tiny, soft whimper.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured, and her eyelids dropped and her lips parted in anticipation. If he kissed her now, he wouldn’t be able to stop. “Later,” he whispered. Then he pushed away from the counter and turned to leave as quickly as he had come at her.
• • •
Anna felt the heat rising in her core, spreading deliciously lower. Finally, she thought. When no kiss was forthcoming, she opened her eyes. He was hastening to the door. Before she knew what she was doing, she grabbed the biggest, stickiest chunk of dough she could find and threw it at him as hard as she could. He had just taken a step outside the door when the clump hit him soundly on the back of his head. Before he could turn around, Anna fled through the opposite door leading to the inner halls and rooms of the castle.
• • •
Lark pitched forward into the courtyard, the dough’s thwack echoing in his skull. With a sucking noise, he pulled away as much amorphous goo as he could before turning around to confront her. The tail of her braid was all that remained of her as she flew from the kitchen.
Lark shook his head. Her aim was as true today as it had been on the day he met her. He strode to the fountain and, without hesitating, dunked his head. The cold water braced him, clearing his mind and cooling his racing blood.
When he turned around, he ran right into Trian. “I’m glad you’re here, Trian,” he said, draping his arm around the man’s shoulder. “It’ll save me the time of hunting you down. Come, let’s find Baldric. I require your assistance.”
“He’s directly above us,” Trian explained, pointing to the roof of the south tower. Together, they strode off to discuss Lark’s scheme.
Chapter Sixty-Two—Schemes
Anna raced through the passageway, passing a not-so-surprised Doreen. In her chamber, it took only a moment for her to change into her riding breeches before rushing back down the stairs. She reached the courtyard, making sure that Lark was not in sight. Keeping close to the wall of the fortress, she made the short dash to the stable and saddled Tullian.
But Will blocked her escape. “Come, Will, let me pass.”
“I’m sorry, m’lady, I can’t do that,” he stated calmly. Fearing that Lark had seen her and was right now coming to intercept her, she pleaded again for Will to move.
“Oh, I’ll move, but only after you promise me that you’re not putting yourself in any danger.”
Anna mounted Tullian and smiled at her friend. “I swear, Will, no heroic adventures today. I just really need to ride, right now, and as fast as I can.”
Satisfied, Will stepped aside. “Hey!” he shouted in surprise when she grabbed his lopsided cap in passing. He stood there with a fat grin on his face, scratching his head as Anna slammed the misshapen hat on her head and called out her thanks before spurring Tullian through the western gate.
As horse and rider exited the shadows of the passageway, Anna turned in to the daylight, directing her steed to the bridge. They cantered hard, Tullian’s hooves slamming down on the thick, wood planks spanning the river.
• • •
From the top of the tower, three men heard what sounded like thunder on a cloudless day. They looked down and saw Tullian and Anna coming off the bridge. Then, horse and rider raced headlong through the pastures below. Once-quiet groups of sheep were stirred into action by the blur that streaked through their ranks. To the men watching from so high above, the trotting animals broke from Anna’s path as if she and Tullian were a ship and the dividing herds the wake created by their passing.
Baldric, Trian, and Lark gripped the parapet as Anna approached a low stone wall. Lark’s pulse quickened as she slowed to take measure of the remaining distance. Then Tullian surged forward again. Lark’s heart jumped to his throat as Tully’s front legs leapt up, and the great steed soared over the hurdle. It was so perfectly timed that rider and horse appeared fused together.
Lark regarded the worried faces of his friends. An instant later, Anna and Tully made another jump. He felt as if all was right in the world again. Anna had known all along; she was who she was. He could either accept her wild spirit or live miserably without her. He would not repeat his father’s error. Grinning, he stepped away and called to his friends to follow him.
They dragged their eyes from the tableau below. “You should go after her,” Trian advised. “Aren’t you worried that she might kill her herself riding like that?”
“I’d be more concerned if she wasn’t riding so recklessly,” Lark responded casually.
He walked back to the edge of parapet and studied Anna’s diminishing form. She and Tullian came to a sudden stop. A few moments later, Tully reared up, and horse and rider charged up the hill, heading south. Thinking about her expectant lips in the kitchen, lips that he had left unsatisfied, he grinned. “Come. Let me tell you my plan.”
• • •
Tully was enjoying this ride as much as she. As they charged up the hill, she realized how happy she was at that moment. She had not felt this free in years, not since her days at Chevring so long ago, when she’d gone riding alone.
She tried to ferret out the source of her happiness and discovered that she was no longer angry. The hatred she had felt for Roger had kept her alive for so long. But that same hatred had been a poison eating away at her heart.
Thinking back to the first week with Lark, Anna realized now that she had confused hope for happiness. When he’d left, he took her hopes with him. All that had remained was anger. Anger at Roger. Anger over the death of her parents. Anger at Lark. And, if she was being honest, anger at herself for letting so many others determine her fate.
She giggled remembering the smacking noise the clump of dough had made when it hit Lark’s head. “Okay, Tully-boy, let’s go,” she urged, wanting more speed. Tully let out a long whinny in answer. They reached the top of the rise, and she pulled Tullian to a stop once more. She patted his strong neck and looked for a new destination.
To the south, Anna spied the opening of the first of the three valleys. Along its western edge, past the high golden grasses, a pastel cloud had descended from the azure sky and settled on the ground. “Wild lavender, Tully, and autumn blooming. It will be nice to have an extra supply for the winter months.” She spent the rest of the morning gathering her favorite bloom.
By the time Anna rode through the main gate of the curtain wall, her thoughts had turned to the evening’s Harvest Festival. All of her friends would be there. And everyone else who had been in their once-secret group, bringing their families as well. Lord Baldric and Lady Elnoura had arrived a week before, bringing Ailwen and Tomas. With Warin and Trian already in residence at Stolweg, what Anna had planned as a simple celebration was now a party for more than one hundred guests. And now, Lark was here, too.
Her sister was in heaven, Anna mused, doing that which she loved best: ordering people about. Claire had commandeered the event, and Anna was only too happy to relinquish control. As she rode through the gate, she felt truly blessed that her sister was alive. They had become closer than she could have imagined. Tullian trotted through the courtyard and into the stable.
• • •
He gazed at Anna as she expertly removed the blooms that were secured to every free space on her saddle. Then she tied the ends together and slung the bouquets over her shoulders and around her neck. Pulling her steed’s forehead down so that it touched hers, she whispered words that only her horse could hear. Tullian gave a loud sneeze and then tried to graze on the flowers hanging around Anna’s neck. This only made the horse sneeze again. Anna laughed, and the beautiful sound of it made Lark’s heart leap. She pulled off the ridiculous hat, tossing it to Will with an elated “Thank you.”
“M’lady, if my cap is the cause of your happiness, I would rather you keep it.”
Anna smiled as she had never smiled before. “You keep talking to the ladies like that, Will, and come tonight’s dance, your parents will be forced to speak with me about your nuptials.” Her teasing had him turning as red as bee balm. Then, like a young girl, she turned and almost skipped out the stable doors.
Lark came out of Rabbit’s stall and stood next to Will. “I, er, forgot you were here,” Will said, clearing his throat. “Do you still want me to saddle Rabbit?”
“It’s no longer necessary,” Lark answered, grabbing a cloth to help with Tully’s rubdown.
“May I speak to you, m’lord?” Will asked. “Not as a stable hand, but man to man?”
Lark cast a glance at Will, suppressed a grin, and answered as gravely as Will had spoken, “Go ahead, Will.”
Will led Tully into his stall and closed the gate. He straightened his shoulders and faced Lark. “I was the first here to befriend Lady Anna, and to trust her, too.” He paused. “I don’t suppose anyone has told you about what she did for me?”
Lark nodded. “She took your punishment upon herself.”
“Aye,” Will confirmed. “Then you know I would give my life to protect her from pain. And from heartbreak. I’ve—”
“Will, I’m not here to—” Lark tried to interrupt.
“Let me finish, sir,” Will insisted, and Lark nodded. “As I was saying, I’ve seen Lady Anna unsure of herself. I’ve seen her haunted, and have been there when she was hopeful. She’s been both healer and warrior to us. And, she has been my friend for almost four years. Most times, she’s been like an older sister to me. Never once in all that time have I seen her truly happy. Not until just now. I think you’re responsible for part of that new joy.”
Studying Lark a little too shrewdly for his young years, Will added, “You don’t need it. Probably don’t want it. But for what it’s worth, you have my blessing.”
“Will, except for Claire, the family that Anna grew up with is gone,” Lark said. “So you’re wrong, I do need, and want, your blessing. Funny that I didn’t think of it myself.”
Will’s eyes widened.
“I also need your help,” Lark admitted. “Are you game?”
“If it will keep Lady Anna smiling as she just was, I’ll run through the courtyard with naught but this cap on my head.”
Lark let out a good laugh. “Nothing so drastic, I promise.” He put his arm around Will’s shoulder, and as they walked to the keep, Lark told Will about his plan.
Chapter Sixty-Three—Dancing Shoes
Anna found Claire in the great hall. As she suspected, her sister was busy ordering everyone about. “You’re in charge, Doreen,” Claire was saying as Anna stepped up behind her. “Make sure that Gilles puts them exactly where you tell him to. And don’t you dare lift a finger to help, not in your condition. Grainne, do you—” She stopped, her mouth open midquestion, and Anna grinned at her. “What have you been up to, Anna? You’re a walking garden.”
“I was out riding and spied a field of lavender,” Anna replied. “What have you been up to?”
“Well, you were gone,” Claire responded sheepishly, “and we needed to make a few final touches, for tonight’s party. And I—”
“What would I do without you, Claire?” Anna interrupted. “You’ve always been better at organizing than I could ever hope to be.”
Claire reached out her arms to embrace Anna but could not get close enough for all the lavender. It was a tradition in their family that each woman chose a signature flower. Anna’s was lavender, of course. And their mother’s had been the rose. But Claire had yet to pick a bloom, for she loved all flowers equally. So Anna hugged her sister, not caring if the lavender was crushed.
“Now, I have a favor to ask of all of you,” Anna stated, and held out her hands to the three women in the great hall. “Can you come with me to my chamber when you finish here?” After securing their promises to join her in an hour, Anna raced to her chamber to bathe.
• • •
Anna paced as Claire, Grainne, and Doreen gathered in her chamber. They took seats near her hearth, and she poured them each a little wine. She took a deep breath, then a sip from her cup, and began.
“You may have heard that Lark has returned.” When they nodded excitedly, she continued. “Well, I need your help with a few things.” Their eyes twinkled in expectation.
“Claire, you alone know how to tame this hair of mine. Can you help?”
“Is that all?” Claire exclaimed, a little disappointed.
“Not quite,” Anna said, looking at the older women. “I need to know how to seduce a man.” Grainne and Doreen regarded each other and winked. “What?” Anna cried to her amused friends.
“It’s about time!” Doreen shouted, slapping Anna’s knee. “That man has been doing the leading far too long. It’s high time that you took the reins, m’lady.”
“And I have just the gown for you to do it in,” Grainne exclaimed, leaping from her seat and running to fetch the garment from behind the partition in Anna’s chamber. She returned, beaming. “I’ve been working on it for weeks now, ever since you told me about having the festival. I found it in a trunk in the north chamber.” She held up the gown.
“Oh, Anna,” Claire said. “Mother had that made for you!”
“I made a few alterations so that it would fit you properly,” Grainne explained. “I hope that was all right.”
Anna stood to admire the dress. “It’s perfect, Grainne, Thank you.” The gown was the same deep, rich color of golden wheat at harvest. Sewn from the simple homespun linen of a common woman’s dress, the cut was far from the usual. Beautiful embroidery in a warm russet brown trailed down the bodice. The stitching was not just for decoration; it served as the stays of the dress. Grainne’s amendments included tiny embroidered lavender buds at the hem, around the cuffs, and along the neckline.
Anna lifted her arms as the gown was pulled over her head. Holding her breath, she waited while Grainne tugged the lacing that held the garment in place. Then she glanced down. Grainne had made another, quite unmistakable modification to the dress. The bodice was so tight that her bosom swelled up and over the edge.
“Grainne, I’m sure to fall out,” she gasped. “I want to look seductive, not wanton.”
“Don’t you worry ’bout that, m’lady. You won’t fall out,” Grainne promised. “Move around. Lift your arms high, you’ll see. You’re quite secure in there.” Anna swayed, lifted her arms, waved, and spun. She was so tightly packaged that there was no chance of escape.
“You’re a genius, Grainne!” Lady Elnoura proclaimed, clapping from the doorway. “You’ll have to show my maid how you managed that trick with the needle.”
But before Grainne could answer, Claire stepped forward. “We have to finish your hair. Hurry, Anna, sit down.” Anna settled back as Claire pulled a little here and tugged a little there. Working quickly, Claire made a few final touches and announced that she was done.
“But, Claire, my hair is still loose,” Anna exclaimed with worry.
“And you look be
autiful, Anna. Let’s see what everyone else thinks before you panic.”
Anna stood and turned to face her friends. Almost as one, they announced that her hair was perfect. Turning to the tall looking glass, Anna studied her reflection.
Her hair had been pulled back from her face and secured about an inch from her hairline with a fine wire band, and her cascading curls fell back, framing her face instead of falling in her eyes. Ribbons, the same color as the dress, and lavender sprigs were woven into the headband.
“Do you like it, Anna?” her sister asked her a little hesitantly.
“I love it, Claire. Thank you.”
“My turn,” Doreen stated. “You’d best sit, m’lady.”
“What’s this all about, Anna?” Lady Elnoura demanded good-naturedly.
“She’s going to seduce Lark tonight!” Claire blurted out.
“Well, it’s about time!” Lady Elnoura announced. “What can I do to help?”
Anna explained that she was at a loss on how to initiate the seduction. Elnoura smiled. “Leave everything to me, my dear,” she said conspiratorially. “Only, be sure to wear your most comfortable dancing shoes.”
Chapter Sixty-Four—The Dance
Lark paced in the shadows of the large oak in the courtyard. He surveyed the area near the archway where the guests were arriving for the fête. He scanned the crowd. Most of Anna’s inner circle had arrived. Only Cellach was noticeably absent.
The musicians, their instruments tuned, commenced playing. This party was the perfect way to celebrate the harvest, Lark thought. Grainne was at the buffet table. Lady Elnoura was there too, helping to rearrange the chargers holding the food. Tradition dictated that the line between noble and commoner be dissolved during the Harvest Festival.
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