Margo Maguire

by The Virtuous Knight

  In despair, she cried out.

  She could feel herself trembling, knew she was weeping, but was powerless to stop. A cold chill took hold of her body, making her teeth chatter uncontrollably. Then a sudden warmth enveloped her, soothing her. The shivering and chattering stopped and she began to breathe easily. The awful dream receded.

  And she slept.

  Alex pulled Lucy into the curve of his body, pressing her back against his chest, bending his knees to lend her as much warmth as possible.

  She was having a nightmare. He’d called her name and tried to awaken her, but she was too deeply asleep to respond to him. Not knowing what else to do, he’d moved across the soft pine-needle bed under the tree and pulled her against him.

  The ploy had worked. She was quieter now, her body relaxing into his.

  A light rain fell all around them. They were sheltered beneath the boughs of a huge old pine, along with the added protection of a wide length of oiled leather that he had hung in the branches to shield them from the dampness.

  There was no place for Alex to put his hands. He crooked the elbow of one arm and rested his head upon it, but the other hand seemed naturally drawn toward Lucy’s waist. He couldn’t keep himself from draping his arm across her, holding her tightly against him, even though he knew he should not. He should never have attempted to soothe away her bad dream. He had no business being this close.

  “Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,” he whispered as her delicate fragrance drifted through his senses. Her hair tickled his nose.

  His body reacted in a way that would have been predictable three years before, but was foreign to him now. He could not push her away, not when he’d found her so cold and trembling, but he could control his base urges.

  He would control them.

  Lucy whimpered and stirred against him. “Hush,” he whispered. “’Tis all right now. You’re safe.”

  He only wished he could give himself the same assurance.

  Lucy burrowed deeply into the warmth, and sighed contentedly. Birds chirped nearby, and the sound of trees rustling in the breeze was soothing. Even the weight across her hip and the soft caress of crisp hair against her cheek felt good. She opened her eyes.

  Sir Alexander’s chest was less than a hair’s breadth from her face, his arm draped across her hip. His chest moved with deep, regular breaths, and Lucy knew he was asleep.

  She did not move.

  This was the first time Sir Alexander had touched her without drawing back with distaste. Nay, he held her as a lover might, completely relaxed and at peace, the way Elsbeth had described one of her many sinful encounters. She said she always felt “boneless” and serene after a night in her lover’s arms.

  Lucy would give anything to feel what Elsbeth had felt. Not that she wanted to take lovers…but she wouldn’t mind one. A husband. Just one man who would care for her and—

  The knight’s big hand pressed against Lucy’s bottom, pulling her so that her body was flush against his. He began to move his legs, insinuating one of them between hers, then pushing up. Lucy held her breath as he moved against her, unconsciously caressing her.

  She did not want him to stop.

  Lucy had never felt anything so grand in her life. There was a quickening inside her, a deep sensation low in her body that made her nerves hum. Even more astonishing was the pleasure in the simple physical contact he made. She felt as if she’d been starving, and was suddenly served a feast.

  Heat radiated from the knight. His size dwarfed her, and his body felt solid against her. Lucy rubbed her cheek against his chest, savoring the moment. For this one short span of time, she could tell herself that she was not utterly alone in the world. She could pretend that the knight’s embrace meant that she was precious to him.

  Soon he would awaken and treat her with the same disdain as before.

  Alex made a deep sound that seemed to come from the back of his throat, and moved against her. His hand slid down to cup her bottom, urging her closer. Lucy complied willingly. Unfamiliar sensations cascaded through her and her eyes widened as the feeling of comfort expanded into something more.

  The knight’s eyes opened and he gazed at her from under heavy lids. His head moved, his lips on a sure path toward hers, and Lucy tingled with anticipation. There was naught in the world that would make her happier than to receive Sir Alex’s kiss. His eyes remained trained upon hers, and Lucy allowed herself to believe she heard her name upon his breath.

  Her eyes drifted closed. An instant later, a blanket of cold air covered her, and she was suddenly alone. She looked up and saw that Sir Alex had rolled away from her. He sprang to his feet as she watched, picked up his sword and skulked away.

  Lucy rubbed her face with one hand and sat up. Pulling the blanket over her shoulders, she winced at the pain that stabbed through her injured shoulder blade.

  She bit her lip. She’d been alone before. She’d been essentially alone most of her life. She would not allow Alexander Breton’s abrupt departure to hurt. Her imaginings this morn had been foolish, and she’d known it even then. The man had been asleep when he’d made his advances, she told herself, rising awkwardly to her feet. Though it had felt more than wondrous to her, he hadn’t even known ’twas she whom he had pulled into his arms.

  A shaky sigh escaped her. She was the same awkward cripple she’d been the day before, still colorless and unattractive. Naught had changed in Sir Alex overnight, either. He was still destined to become a monk, dedicated to the Rule of his Order. The only thing that had changed since the attack on her party was that Lucy was now free. And she had the abbess’s coin to help her make her way.

  Unfortunately, she reminded herself, ’twas not her own money. Lucy could not, in good conscience, use the abbess’s coin to make her way. She would always feel guilty about stealing from the abbey. She had no choice but to travel to Holywake, to pay the workmen who’d been hired to complete the work needed on the building and to buy the supplies the nuns would need when they arrived.

  Momentarily at a loss for what to do next, she glanced ’round, but the woods were so thick, she could not see far. Sir Alex had been gone for quite some time, and since there was no sign of him or his horse, Lucy had to assume that he’d left her. He hadn’t disguised his dislike for her, and Lucy knew he’d been anxious to get rid of her.

  What better time to do it than now?

  He’d almost kissed her.

  By the saints, he’d nearly broken the vow he had all but officially made, Alex thought as he scooped water from a tiny stream into his hands to wash his face. Mayhap Roger Kendal’s intimations had been correct, and Alex was not well suited to the Order. If he did not exert better control over his urges, even in sleep, then there could be no doubt that Roger had been correct.

  Alex wanted to believe he’d been thinking of Isabella when he’d taken Lucy into his arms, but ’twould only be a lie. He’d lain close to Lucy all night long, inhaled her scent, dreamed of her flaxen hair. He’d soothed her whenever her bad dreams overtook her, and welcomed the soft pressure of her body lying with his.

  But when he’d spoken her name… He prayed she had not heard him. ’Twas lunacy, coming so close to kissing her. There would be only one woman in his life—a raven-haired, brown-eyed beauty—and she was gone. Even though he was only thirty, he would have no other, and would soon take the vows of the Benedictine Order to ensure it. Alex had control over his base urges, and there was no woman alive who could sway him from his blessed purpose.

  Rising to his feet, Alex took Rusa’s reins and removed the leather hobble from her legs. His packs were on the mare’s back, and none of his supplies were missing, except for his blanket and the oiled leather sheet. Both of these were easily replaced after he completed his task at Eryngton.

  He would leave from this spot by the stream. There was no reason to go back—in fact, he had every reason not to return to
the place where Lucy sat alone, most certainly confused by his behavior.

  Leaning his forehead against the mare’s flank, Alex felt ashamed. Skelton’s men were likely still about, and Lucy would be at their mercy if she fell into their hands. With her lameness, she would never manage to elude them and walk all the way out of the woods to safety.

  Alex’s first responsibility was to get the scabbard with the artifact to Eryngton. But he could no longer deny that he also felt responsible for Lucy of Craghaven.

  He turned Rusa and led her back toward the place where they’d spent the night, wondering if Lucy had changed her mind about leaving her Order. Now that she’d been on her own for a day and night, mayhap she was reconsidering her decision.

  ’Twas likely that after the restless night she’d spent, she’d be anxious to return to the security of the nunnery. No woman in her right mind—especially a lame one—would want to strike out on her own, far from everything familiar.

  As he approached the stand of trees where they’d spent the night, Alex considered his choices. He could take Lucy to the city of York and find her an escort to take her to Holywake. Or he could take her to the new abbey himself.

  Upon further thought, the second idea was not a bad one. ’Twould get him off the road for a time, and out of Skelton’s way.

  Even if the black knights lost track of him on the road, they would probably lie in wait around Eryngton to ambush him there. No doubt Skelton had concluded that Alex’s task was to take the artifact to Roger’s brother at Eryngton.

  By all accounts, Eryngton was only a few days’ ride north of York. But with Skelton’s men so close, Alex knew he would either have to bide a few days time in the forest, or lose himself in the city of York. A few days at Holywake might give him the time he needed. If he didn’t arrive at the estate of John Kendal soon, Skelton’s knights would be forced to conclude they were wrong about his destination. They would hunt elsewhere.

  Alex stopped in his tracks when he saw his blanket neatly folded under the tree.

  Lucy of Craghaven was nowhere in sight.

  Alex told himself she must have just wandered off for a few moments of privacy before returning to the place where they’d slept. But after several minutes waiting for her, he realized she’d gone off without him.

  Her foolishness angered him. What did she know of taking care of herself after her years behind nunnery walls? That kind of life was no preparation for survival outside.

  Alex looked down at the damp grass and easily determined which way she’d gone. The little fool! Skelton’s men were likely to be somewhere nearby, and Lucy could easily become prey to them. Quickly, he gathered up his belongings, and shoved them in his saddle packs. Picking up his horse’s reins again, he followed the bent grass made by the woman’s feet as she left the site.

  After walking a good distance, Alex wondered if he’d interpreted the tracks correctly. Lucy was nowhere in sight, and he doubted she could have gotten much farther than this, considering her lameness. But where was she? Had Skelton’s men already taken her?

  Alex quickened his pace as his heart began to race. His eyes bored through the spaces between the trunks and branches of every tree in the forest. Berating himself for leaving her alone for so long, he realized that there were no longer any tracks to follow. By heaven, she was lost.

  Alex ran one hand across his mouth and beard and forced out a harsh, irate breath.

  He was a fool for allowing her to divert him from his purpose. The danger from Skelton’s men was immense. They would kill him and steal Sir Roger’s sacred relic without thinking twice, all while he was preoccupied with Lucy’s whereabouts, her safety.

  If he had any sense at all, he would sneak back toward the road and see if the black knights were still lurking about. Their location would determine the direction he would take with Lucy—when he found her.

  The forest was quiet, and Alex could not imagine which way the woman had gone. Annoyed with her for causing this delay… He caught a flash of color out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see Lucy emerging from behind a stand of thick pines.

  She began walking toward him and he suddenly realized she’d been hiding!

  Though her gait was slightly awkward, she did not seem ungainly or ungraceful. She just moved across the forest floor in her own way, while he stood still, utterly confounded by her. He wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her for her foolishness, but he would not. He would keep his distance, as the Rule dictated.

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous—”

  She silenced him with her hand over his mouth.

  “The black knights are just below that ridge,” she whispered, gesturing toward the landscape from which she’d come. “’Twould be best not to let them know we are here, would it not?”

  Frowning, he reached up and pulled her hand away. “Come on,” he said quietly. Irritated beyond reason, he lifted her up and placed her on Rusa’s back, then jumped up behind her. They rode in silence toward the place where they’d spent the night, then continued on in the same direction.

  “Where are we going?” Lucy asked, still keeping her voice down.

  “To the road,” Alex replied tightly, “though I don’t intend to reach it until we’re quite north of here.”

  His anger simmered. This woman, who should have no worldly experience at all, had managed to locate the enemy and warn him away before he had a chance to step directly into their camp. She had not relied upon him for her survival, only coming along with him when he’d hauled her away from the black knights.

  Didn’t she realize he’d saved her skin more than once? Was she too dense to understand the danger posed by the black knights?

  “Why did you leave?” he demanded, leaning slightly back in order to have as little physical contact with her as possible.

  She turned her head slightly, and he saw that there was a blush of color upon her fair cheeks. Refusing to dwell on her comely charms, Alex watched as she bit her lower lip. “You wanted to be rid of me, and so I left,” she said and turned away from him.

  Alex felt pressure in his jaws where his back teeth were clenched tightly. He deliberately loosened them. “Where did you think you would go?” he asked harshly. She was too forward, much too blunt. And she had no business anticipating his actions. “You were on foot. You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going.”

  She whipped her head around and gave him a scathing look. “I most certainly do, Sir Knight,” she said. “I intend to go to Holywake and leave Sister Avice’s coin there.”

  “And how did you expect to find Holywake?”

  She hesitated, and he took great satisfaction in knowing that she could not answer him. She was lost, and totally dependent upon him.

  “The road is that way,” she finally said, pointing left, exactly the direction of the road. “I will circle ’round—to avoid the black knights—and follow it north until I reach a lane marked by a shrine to Saint Agatha. Holywake Abbey is down that lane. So if you’ll—”

  “How far will that be?” he asked, with more ire than necessary. He bent slightly at the waist and leaned toward her and felt some odd satisfaction that she did not back away.

  “I do not know,” she said.

  “But you thought you’d walk all the way?”

  “Of course not,” she shot back at him. “There will be other travelers—”

  “Aye, there will be! Wearing black tunics and carrying swords!”

  He should not be so upset. If she wanted to be thickheaded about it, ’twas not his concern. He could leave her here and go on to Eryngton himself. The safety of Lucy of Craghaven would be in God’s hands.

  She frowned slightly. “I—I’m sure I can avoid them,” she said.

  Alex laughed sharply. “You were lucky this morn. You are no match for Skelton’s ruthless men.”

  “I never planned to engage them in battle,” she said, caustically. “Only to see where they were, and then find my way around
them.”

  Alex shook his head at her naiveté. Only an inexperienced, overly sheltered woman would use that kind of harebrained strategy. Not even the hapless women he and Roger had encountered on pilgrimage were so witless. Lucy of Craghaven should consider herself lucky that she had him to look after her for the time being. Without his expertise at survival, she would be lost.

  “You never saw me,” she said, breaking into his reverie, “until I wished to be seen, is that not true?”

  Chapter Five

  Lucy gathered her hair in her hands and pulled it over one shoulder, then settled herself more comfortably in the saddle. Sir Alex gave her plenty of room, leaning away as if he could not bear to touch her. She did not understand what made him so determined to keep his distance, but he never relaxed his posture, and they rarely came into physical contact with one another.

  They stayed off the road, keeping to the trees just east of it, to stay out of sight of anyone traveling north. Lucy was glad of the ride, for it was proving to be a long way to the path that would take her to Holywake.

  “What kind of preparations were you to make when you reached the abbey?” he asked.

  Lucy was surprised that he bothered to speak to her after an hour of silence. “I’m not quite sure,” she replied. “Sister Avice was in charge. I was only told that the new abbey had not been used in years…that there was cleaning to do, some repairs that would have to be made.”

  “Surely you were not expected to make repairs.”

  “I suppose that’s why Sister Avice carried so much money—to pay carpenters or laborers to do whatever was necessary.”