Gisele giggled and shook her head. “A blithe and interesting explanation, but what prompts you to boast so?"
"I have planned a wee surprise for you, lass, and I may be vain but I do think ye will like it."
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Eight
Gisele almost moaned aloud with pleasure as she eased her body into the hot water. Nigel had led her into the inn, talked to the innkeeper, and presented her with a room containing a soft bed and a tub that was soon brimming with hot, rose-scented water. She knew his surprise had been conceived even as they had walked out of the alley, but she was not inclined to argue that.
As the innkeeper's wife and daughters had filled the tub with hot water, Gisele had been so eager to climb in that she had barely waited for the door to close behind Nigel before she had begun to shed her clothes. Only briefly did she worry that by revealing she was not a page she was revealing some deep secret. The lack of surprise on the women's faces told her they had already guessed her sex.
"I really need to find out what I am doing wrong,” she murmured as she began to wash her hair. “It would be most disappointing to think I cut all of my hair off for no real gain."
She poured water over her hair to rinse away the soap, then groped for the drying cloth the women had left on a stool next to the tub. After she wiped her face she rubbed her hair dry and looked around the room. This had to be costing Nigel a goodly number of his hard-earned coin. It cost to have a room all to one's self, most inns having only one or two. A tub filled with hot water and rose scent was not a luxury many could afford, either. Or rose-scented soap, she mused as she sniffed the bar of soap and then began to wash.
The more she considered the matter, the more it troubled her. She realized she had not once given any thought to how they would pay for anything. Since he had been wounded and nearly senseless when they had left him, Gisele doubted that Guy had given Nigel any money, and she had not given him any, either. She did not have any to give. That meant that Nigel was not only risking his life to protect her, but was paying for the privilege.
She looked at her amulet, which she had carefully laid on the stool. She could probably get some money for that. Then she shook her head. She could not bring herself to sell it. Even the thought of it made her shiver. It was all she had left of her grandmother, of the woman who had been more of a mother to her than her own. She would have to find some other way to make recompense to Nigel. Now that her family appeared to have accepted her back into the fold, it should not be too hard to get some money.
Sinking into the water to savor the last of its warmth, she smiled at her own foolishness. It was not just that the amulet was an heirloom that made her so reluctant to part with it. Her grandmother had said that it brought good luck, and Gisele ruefully admitted to herself that she had begun to believe that. She had a feeling that her grandmother was having a fine chuckle over that.
Closing her eyes, she idly wondered what her grandmother would have thought of Nigel, then laughed softly. She felt sure that her grandmother and Nigel would have become fast friends. Her Nana would probably have delighted in the man's odd sense of humor.
A trickle of concern disturbed Gisele's comfort. They had only just escaped capture, spent the whole previous day working to elude the DeVeaux. It did not seem wise to stop so soon for such luxuries as a soft bed and a hot bath. She cursed and forced the thought from her mind. Nigel had done his job well so far. She would trust him to know what was safe and what was not. She just wished she did not have to keep reminding herself to do that. It seemed disloyal to question his every move. Until she cured herself of the distrust learned over the past year she would just have to make sure that Nigel never saw her doubts. Gisele returned to thoroughly enjoying her bath, telling herself firmly not to worry, that Nigel was keeping a close watch for any trouble.
Nigel cursed and hastily rubbed himself dry. Only briefly did he resent the fact that he was bathing in a cold stream while Gisele was sprawled in a tub of hot water. She deserved the treat he had arranged for her, and needed it more than he did. It had been a hasty decision to stop over at the inn, and an expensive one, but he did not really regret it. There had been such sadness in her eyes after her cousin had walked away that he had felt compelled to do something to lift her spirits.
He shook his head as he put on clean clothes. Uncertainty still plagued him. At one moment he felt that he was right to keep her with him, that it was better for everyone, and then he questioned his reasons. Nigel suspected that would puzzle him for a very long time.
He knelt by the stream and scrubbed out his dirty clothes, praying they would dry overnight. Just as he finished wringing them out, he tensed. Too late he heard the soft footfall behind him. As he slowly rose to his feet he wondered if his gift had finally deserted him, or was trying to teach him another lesson. When he turned around and saw David standing there, he cursed even as he felt relieved. He had not felt any sense of danger because there was none. David might not trust or like him, but he felt sure the man would not hurt him.
"I had thought ye had hied away home,” he said as he sat down to lace up his boots.
"I do not leave until the morrow. My horse is being reshod,” David replied.
"Ah, so ye are the reason Gisele and I have to wait for the same to be done to our mounts. And so ye thought to take a wee stroll along the water?"
David glared at him. “You leave one thinking that you do not take him seriously as a threat."
"Do I?” Nigel watched him closely as he stood up again. “And are ye a threat, Sir Lucette?"
"I should be—a deadly one, too. I do not believe that you are as safe a haven as my cousin does. She can be most naive from time to time."
"She is a widow, nay a virgin who has no knowledge of men."
"And so you feel she is ripe for the plucking?"
"When ye finally decide to concern yourself about the lass's weel-being, ye get verra heated, dinnae ye?"
David cursed, and paced back and forth on the soft grass for a moment before facing Nigel again. “I only accept such insults because I have the wit to know I deserve them, but ‘ware, Sir Nigel, I have never been known to be a patient man. I may deserve the bite of shame, but I will not endure it long. Oui, I have failed that girl, as has most of the rest of our family. That is something that must be settled between us and her, not you. It also does not mean that my concern about you is not heartfelt."
"There is no need to be concerned over me."
"Non? Are you about to tell me that you do not lust for the girl?"
Nigel smiled. “Nay. I am nay that big a liar."
He almost laughed when David cursed again. The younger man was easy to torment, and Nigel knew he ought to stop. There might come a time when he needed the good favor of Gisele's kinsmen. On the other hand, he felt David and the others who had turned their backs on Gisele did not deserve much consideration. He did not think he would be as quick to forgive them as Gisele would be, even though he was not sure why it should anger him so.
"Honesty must be praised, I suppose. If you are such a truthful man, then mayhap you will tell me exactly what you plan for my little cousin."
"I dinnae believe it is any of your business, but I plan to get her safely to my keep in Scotland. There she can abide until the injustice she suffers from here has been ended.” He pointedly looked David over, then asked, “Do ye think ye can clear her name, and get these DeVeaux carrion off her trail?"
"I have said I would."
"I heard ye. I just wonder why ye think ye can do it now when no one has accomplished the task in nearly a year.” He frowned when David blushed. “No one has really tried, have they? They decided on her guilt or innocence, and went no further. What is it about that wee lass that makes ye think she would do that to a mon with no cause?"
David's eyes widened. “You think she did it."
"I am nay sure what I believe about that. I ken only what I have been told and, since I fi
rst heard the tale I havenae had the time to seek out the whole truth for myself."
"But why would you work so hard to protect a woman you think killed her husband?"
"Because the bastard deserved all he got and more,” Nigel answered coldly.
"Well, he was unkind. We have learned that much."
Nigel laughed harshly. “Unkind? Ye have learned nothing at all."
As succinctly as he could he told the youth all Gisele had told him. He also told David what he had guessed at simply by watching the way Gisele acted at times. It pleased him to see the youth grow pale with horror and fury. David sank down onto the grass and covered his face with his hands. Nigel quietly sat down facing him, patiently waiting for the man to control himself.
"We should have seen it,” David finally whispered.
"Someone should have kenned what was going on,” Nigel agreed. “Gisele might not have been too clear in her explanations or too exact in her complaints, but the scars are there if one but bothers to look. I saw them, and I dinnae e'en ken the lass, not as her family should have."
Non, not as her family should have. She did not speak to me.” David grimaced. “And now I but reach for a way to excuse my own blindness. I cannot be sure I would have heeded her or seen things more clearly than the ones she did turn to. I cannot even be sure that how she was treated would have made much difference, even if we all knew it. Oui, some would have cried out, and she and her husband might have been more closely watched, but I do not feel certain that anyone would have tried to take her home again. Bastard though he was, he was her husband. Those are bonds that are not easy to break. In truth, killing him was one of the few ways to do that, and you see what trouble that has wrought."
"Better this than what she was enduring."
"Mayhap. If all of his cruelty had been known, it certainly would not have made us believe in her innocence any more than we did, mayhap even less."
"I fear I will probably ne'er understand how so many of ye could believe it at all. Aye, the lass has a sharp tongue and speaks her mind more than some would find comfortable in a woman, but a killer? Nay, I would ne'er have thought her one. I only doubt now because I ken what she went through. Weel, some of it. I am nay sure she will e'er tell anyone all of it. When a mon treats a woman like that she will either grow weak and terrified and be lost to it all or she will o'ercome that fear and run. And, if there is nowhere to run to I believe she will kill, and I cannae fault her for that."
"Non, I do not think I can, either. It will be easier to stop the DeVeaux from trying to kill her if she is truly innocent, however,” David drawled, and he smiled briefly, then grew solemn again. “These are not men who will see her killing of that beast as justified, will not see what he did to her as wrong. They are all of the same ilk. We just had not listened, or not believed how evil that ilk was. It will be best if we can find another who did the killing."
"I am nay sure they should suffer, either, but better them than Gisele, if she truly is innocent. She wouldnae stomach ye setting someone on the scaffold in her place unless they deserved to be there.” He smiled faintly, rose to his feet, and gave David a hand up. “So ye had better put that thought from your mind. Dinnae rush into some foolish solution. The lass is safe with me."
"Is she? Even if I ignore the fact that you will probably try to seduce the girl."
"Probably?” Nigel murmured.
David ignored him and went on. “There are few places she can hide from the DeVeaux or the ones seeking the huge bounty they have set on her head. I think even some of your countrymen may be tempted by it. And do not think that your plan to take her to Scotland will not be guessed at. It is already known that she rides with a Scotsman."
"It is?” That was not good news. Nigel had hoped that secret would not get out for a little while yet.
"It is. So, if they cannot find her in France they will look elsewhere. They will follow you, or send others after you. The coin offered for her head will only make this hunt grow fiercer each day."
"The bounty is that tempting?"
"Oui, and it may continue to grow. The DeVeaux have more coin than the king."
"Then ye had best get to work, laddie, and prove her innocence. I am returning to the inn. It is nay a good idea to leave her alone for verra long."
"You intend to share that room with her?"
Nigel just smiled at David's outrage. “Aye."
"A gentleman would sleep elsewhere."
"Nay, he wouldnae, unless he had no choice. And, Sir Lucette, ‘twill be verra hard to protect her as I must if me and my sword arenae e'en close at hand.” He patted the younger man on the shoulder, then started back toward the village. “And I dinnae think I need to tell ye that Gisele has the wit and the strength to cry me a nay if she chooses to. Sleep weel, lad."
Gisele barely had the strength to open one eye when Nigel entered the room. She had waited for him, but soon after her bath she had swiftly grown too tired and had crawled into bed. A light meal had been delivered just before she had fallen completely asleep, and she had roused herself enough to have some food but then hurried back into the soft, warm bed.
"You were gone a very long time,” she murmured, watching him as he spread his damp clothing out to dry then sat on the edge of the bed and helped himself to some food.
"Weel, I felt a need to bathe and then met with your cousin again."
"You did not fight, did you?"
"Nay, lass, although I think the lad wished to strike at me a time or two."
"You taunted him."
"A wee bit. He confesses that it is deserved. They should have been there at your side from the start, lass."
She sighed. “I know, and their desertion cut deeply, but I can also understand why they were not. The DeVeaux are nearly as powerful as the king, at least in this province. They are feared by everyone. To stand with me was to stand against them, and few have the stomach or the strength to do that. And one must not forget that the DeVeaux are very close to the king, so if one stands against them one also runs the chance of being seen as standing against the king, too. That is a dangerous place to be."
Nigel nodded, set the tray of food aside, and began to take off his boots. He had not discussed the sleeping arrangements with Gisele, and watched her closely as he prepared for bed. When she did not immediately question him, just closed her eyes, he decided he was safe. In deference to her sense of modesty, he kept his braies on. When he slid into bed beside her he felt her tense slightly, and inwardly grimaced. He was not going to win on every count.
"I willnae hurt ye, lass,” he whispered, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms.
"I know. It is not you who make me stiffen with fear. There has only been one other man who has shared my bed, and he was not welcome. It has been a long time since he touched me, but I begin to think the fear he bred in me will live longer than I do."
"Nay. ‘Tis just that ye havenae done anything to banish it yet."
She looked at him and frowned. He was right, but she could not help but wonder why he should concern himself so much with her fears, their cause, or their strength. Gisele hoped he was not going to try to seduce her by saying he could cure her. Instinct told her that he just might be able to, but she realized she wanted him to desire her for herself, not because it would stroke his vanity to repair what another man had tried so hard to destroy.
"Lass, ye really must cease to think ill of me so quickly,” he murmured. “Ye are sorely bruising my vanity."
Although she smiled at his nonsense, it made her a little uncomfortable that he could so easily guess her thoughts. “I was just hoping that you were not going to claim you could cure me."
"Ah, it would disappoint you if I tried to seduce ye with that tale, would it?"
"I think it might. You would show yourself to be not as clever as I think you are."
Nigel grinned. “Oh, aye, I am clever. Have I nay got ye alone in a room and in a soft bed?"
"And now
you try to make me suspicious. It may be odd, but I assumed from the start that you meant to share this bed. It cost you dearly, of that I am sure, and I felt it only fair and reasonable that you would wish to share in its comfort. And that recalls me to a matter I wish to discuss with you."
"Ye are about to say something that will annoy me."
"You are a big, strong knight. I suspect you can bear that burden.” She met his narrow-eyed glance with a brief, too sweet smile. “You are paying for my rescue out of your own purse, are you not?"
"I am not a poor mon,” he said.
"It would matter naught to me if you were. I simply do not think it right that you risk your life and empty your purse. I am not poor, either. Sadly, I cannot get my hands on any of my fortune. I will pay you back, however, as soon as I can."
"That is not necessary."
"It is,” she said firmly. “Mayhap it is just pride. In truth, I believe that is exactly what it is. It pains me a little that I am unable to settle this matter by myself, that I must depend upon the strength of others to keep myself alive."
He tentatively reached out and smoothed his hand over her shoulder. “Ye are just a wee lass. There is only so much ye can do on your own. Ye have done weel so far. There is no shame in recognizing that the time has come to get some help."
She nodded. “I understand that, but pride can sometimes refuse to heed reason. Allow me this weak salve. I will pay you back all you have needed to spend to get me to Scotland."
"As ye wish."
Nigel decided that now was not the time to argue about that. He also understood how she felt. It had to be difficult to be so completely at the mercy of someone else's good favor, especially when one had survived so long on one's own. It carried the same bitter taste as defeat.
"Why do I have the feeling that you have not really agreed?” Gisele murmured as she closed her eyes.
"Ye worry on things too much, sweeting.” He lightly brushed a few stray curls from her forehead. “Rest. That is what ye need. Savor this moment of peace and comfort, and cease looking for troubles and conflicts."
Highland Honor [Murray Brothers Book 2] Page 9
