“This one is different, my Grace. There is something secretive about her, and she does not work for the coins she freely spends, not from what we can tell. We think she might be a rebel spy.” Brett rushed out their concern and rightfully so because Quintus rose from his seat before he was fully done.
“You dare tell me I have allowed rebel spies into my lands?” he demanded and Brett shook his head although that was exactly what he had just accused Quintus of doing. “Be gone with you, and stop your spreading of lies. These missing men have nothing to do with the rebellion. Any who survived the war flocked to the south and cling to the scraps of their Kingdom.” He sneered.
Without further direction Brett and the villagers fled the throne room, unsure if King Quintus would still make good his promise for a task force now that they had managed to anger him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Evangeline stood at the doorway to her old room and felt her heart flutter at the sight of Glais standing within her chambers. It all seemed so long ago now, as she considered the lace work he held in his hands. She had thought far too hard about the gift and treasured it for far too long to lose all sentiment for it now as Glais ran his hand tenderly over it.
“Where did you find that?” Evangeline asked, closing the bedroom door behind her. The butterflies in her stomach grew wild at the realisation they were locked together within her sleeping quarters. Long before meeting him, Evangeline’s imagination would run wild with the secretive things they could do in her personal room. Those old thoughts returned, but they did not stay long.
Glais waited before answering, tracing the pattern in a delicate way he had never done as a child. “It was a gift given in haste, but it was never simply a gift,” Glais said, and Evangeline felt unsteady on her feet as he turned his eyes towards her. “It was on your bed. I did not believe it could be the same lace I had sent to you.” He smiled, ignoring the blankness of her face and instead turned back to the fabric.
“We need to talk Glais,” Evangeline said.
Glais nodded. “How is your mother?” he asked.
It was not the topic she had in mind, but Evangeline followed his lead. “The note is correct. She will not last much longer. I was barely sure she was alive when I walked into the room.” Her voice broke, and Glais did not think of their unspoken rules on intimacy. He went to her, caught Evangeline before gravity could find her and held her pressed against his shirt.
Evangeline was trapped, her hands crushed between her bust and his chest, covering her mouth as she attempted to hold back tears. She did not fight him, and in the comfort of her own home Evangeline allowed herself to simply be with Glais. Her hands hid the sound, but the tears slid free from her eyes, travelling down her cheeks and soaking into the Braykith Black of his shirt. She did not know how long she stood in his embrace, but Glais said nothing. It seemed he would never tire.
There was nothing for him to say, no condolences could ever replace her mother or the fact that her death was coming. Glais simply held Evangeline gentle and gave her a safe place to release everything she had been holding in. He didn’t move, not even to stroke her hair. His arms around her was enough. She cried until she thought she was asleep in those arms.
“Evangeline?” he whispered her name, so quietly she assumed that she had imagined it. She looked up, still curled against him and Glais only then moved to wipe her cheek dry. She closed her eyes and drew away from him. “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
Evangeline shook her head. “No. Father has done all that can be done.” She cleared her throat gently. “I fear what will become of my Father should my mother pass in this manner.”
“What do you mean?” Glais asked.
Evangeline pressed her lips together, looking back to the door but knew from her youth that the doors were quite secure against sound. “He is not himself.” She told him, and she was relieved when Glais did not question it. However, she did wonder why. “Are you not going to tell me it is expected?” she asked.
Glais shrugged. “I am sure some of it is, but I trust you, Evangeline, if you say that Barret is indeed acting out of character then I believe you. I have met the man a handful of times in my life. He is your father.” He pointed out the obvious.
Evangeline nodded. “I tried speaking with Darius, but he thinks I am seeing signs that could not possibly exist.” She paused, watching Glais with the same critical eye she had watched her brother. He did not seem to be teasing her but generally open to her interpretation of her fathers’ attitude. “He is speaking of revenge from the rebellion.” She started.
Glais nodded. “There is similar talk from Benedict. We spoke while you were with your mother.” Glais explained, and she nodded for him to continue. “He feels that there is a link between this illness and a poison your father used years ago against his enemies.”
Evangeline sighed. “Her symptoms are unlike anything seen before Glais. I am faster to believe my father that this is retaliation rather than a random occurrence.” She paused, stopped herself, but Glais did not interrupt her, and so she spoke. “I would rather my mother die for a cause than by accident.” She felt the tears return, but this time, she forced them back by taking a few deep breaths. “But to lose my mother will send my father mad. He will not be reasoned with and already speaks of butchering all unknown faces he sees within the castle.”
Glais felt a chill from her innocent replaying of the threat. “How serious do you suppose he could be?”
“I am sure he will not kill you,” Evangeline said automatically. “My father made it very clear at the wedding that my place now was with Braykith, and with you. He does not want me here.”
Glais shook his head. “I am sure you father will know my face. But the men who accompanied us here Evangeline will appear like strangers to him.” He warned her.
Evangeline paused, considering and feeling the pressure of such a decision on where her trust belonged. “They will be all right.” She said, and while she sensed that Glais was still tense there was nothing she could do. She needed to trust her Father to control Crimah. The province needed to remain intact and functional for her family’s sake and the people that lived in their realm.
“You seem tired,” Glais said. “I was just going to prepare a place for myself on the floor by the fire.” And suddenly they were back to that place he hated. The tension and the knowledge that she did not trust and Glais was at a loss on how to fix her perceptions. There was no day he did not hate himself for the way he had first greeted her to Braykith. She had been right that the distance would be the end of them, but he had never imagined for it to hurt him so much.
She nodded and Glais grabbed the first layer of her bedding for himself. She stopped him with a simple touch of his hand. “That is what I wished to speak to you about,” Evangeline said.
“Evangeline, I cannot sleep in a different room,” Glais said, instantly prepared to fight for his right to remain in the chamber with her. “Not only will it cause gossip but with tensions as high as they are, I will never sleep without knowing you are safe.”
Evangeline shook her head. “No, Glais, I agree with you. You must stay here with me for the duration of our stay.” Glais was shocked to silence, and she took advantage of that to continue. “You will stay here, with me, in my bed.”
Glais had been stunned before, and now his hearing and vision seemed to dim as her words consumed him. He had been preparing for the fight he had been sure would occur, and Glais stammered in an effort to regain some composure at this sudden turn in her attitude. “Are you certain?” he asked.
“No.” she admitted. “However, come morning a maid will arrive to clean the rooms, and I cannot be sure they will be as discreet as Wick is.” Evangeline took her hand back from him ceasing contact. “They will also not be as observant as the Braykith staff who are looking for signs of us being intimate.” She blushed, and Glais took the opportunity to smile, only for a fraction of a second before his face was solemn again. H
e feared to ruin whatever magic had created this opportunity.
“Would you mind if I left you to check on my men, warn them of spontaneous attacks?” Glais asked her.
Evangeline recognised immediately what he was doing. Glais was giving her privacy to ready for bed. She appreciated the gesture, but it did not help her much in trying to remain calm. The decision to stay in the same bed as her husband seemed less threatening when it was just a thought and nothing more. “Say nothing of my Father and his erratic mood swings.”
Glais bowed to her. “Of course. I shall return soon.” He faulted in his escape, but before she could lose her courage Glais was gone, striding down the hall and finally free to show his pleasure without fear of repercussion.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Glais was slow to make his rounds. He casually walked the paths of the Crimah Manor and tried his best to ensure that Evangeline would have time to move through her bedtime ritual. However, this manor was small when compared to the castle he was raised in, and so Glais quickly found his men attending the horses far earlier than he wished to.
Upon his entry into the stables, they stood in unison, bowing their heads as an echo of “Your Grace” reached Glais from where he stood. James stepped out of formation to approach their Prince.
“James, have you been given a place to sleep?” Glais asked.
James nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He replied. “Be aware of yourselves tonight, and for as long as we stay in Crimah.” He paused, and while curiosity crossed James’ face, Glais debated on giving him further instruction than that. “We are being cautious on exposing when we will leave. Clearly, the rebellion is alive and well in the South and Benedict personally has warned me of their activity.” He knew that James and his men would not need his reasons, but Glais did not like giving them orders without some understanding.
Hopefully, the threat of Barret would never have to be explained further than to be cautious. James nodded to Glais, speaking on behalf of all the Braykith soldiers. Glais would need to be satisfied with this. “Do not stay out here all night. The horses will be all right.” The men laughed, knowing the natural fear most animals held for the Braykith horses, and more than once the Crimah horses had attempted to flee the Braykith horses during the night.
“How far can they truly get?” James asked with a smirk.
Glais shook his head, dismissing himself from the Braykith soldiers. He waved as he turned on his heel and started walking back towards Evangeline’s room. The men’s chatter died down behind him, and Glais had to admit that he was nervous about what he would find. He took the most direct route, but his feet did drag on the steps. He secretly hoped to see a face, but it seemed that all within the manor had retired for the evening.
The door to the bedroom was closed. Glais felt the familiar resignation to stay away from his wife and allow her to sleep. That would never happen here. Within Braykith they could fool those who tried to spy upon their marriage. Crimah would hold no secrets. Should there appear to be a crack in their union, the gossip would spread far, and bring to question aspects of their life that Glais would not be free to discuss.
His hand hovered above the handle, Glais feeling childish and demoralised in ways he had never experienced before Evangeline. He had always been shy and a man of little words, but he had never felt emasculated and tormented by a woman. Evangeline bore under his skin and had Glais second guessing all he knew in this world in an effort to please her.
He added pressure to the door and let himself in. Glais had not been sure what to expect, but the stillness of the room was a surprise. He supposed Evangeline would be waiting for him, to lay down rules for this arrangement. He saw her form in the bed, dense fabrics hiding her from him but his body jolted at the sight. Never had he seen her more beautiful. The fire was lit, but the flames were barely burning. The room was cast in a comforting orange glow, and Glais was in love.
Staring at her hidden form on the bed, he realised she was watching him. A disguise of tousled hair and cloth gave the illusion of sleep, but her eyes were reflecting the light, and making Glais suddenly remember where he had seen this before. In her chambers in Braykith, when she had fled after she had caught him with Luella. He had come upon her with her face buried under a pillow and they had spoken truth to each other for perhaps the first time since meeting.
Glais watched her and wondered if Evangeline had done this on purpose or had he jumped to a memory that she did not re-examine, even fleetingly in times like this? Glais did not ask. Clearing his throat gently he reached for his belt, the sound of the buckle and leather obscenely loud as his fingers fumbled. Glais was watching Evangeline as he slowly went through the process of undressing.
He waited for her to shy away, avert her eyes and retain some modesty between them. Yet she did not move and barely seemed to breathe as Glais loosened his clothes. Tugging the ties loose from around his neck, he balanced on one foot to remove his boots and amazingly stayed standing while taking off the other. Boots, jacket, and finally the shirt was peeled from his body. Illuminated only by the embers of the fire, he stayed like this as he gathered his night clothes from the trunk.
Evangeline’s lips were dry, but she was transfixed upon watching his body. She was not sure what had kept her eyes open. It was hard to remember that Glais was the monster he was when they were here in Crimah. Far too often in her youth, Glais had been the focus of her dreams and ambitions. More than once she had dreamt of him in her chambers like this. Of course, in her own imagination she had been a more eager participant, but this felt more intimate than any union she had played in her own mind.
She knew he was watching her, his eyes reflecting back the light like an animal, but she didn’t feel her body rebel against the idea of him beside her. The strip tease was methodical, and far too late she realised the order in which he had removed his clothing had been for her benefit. It was suddenly too evident that he would walk around the room collecting his garments dressed in his pants but probably enjoyed brief nudity during the process when left alone.
Glais was protecting her, giving her the opportunity to hide her eyes from him or to break the spell that had been cast between them but Evangeline stayed frozen in the bed. Glais paused. His hands on either end of his belt, and finally he reached for the long shirt he would wear to sleep. He pulled it over his head, not sure if the sigh of relief from Evangeline was imagined or genuine. Glais did not ask. He only lost his pants when the bed clothes hid his manhood from her eyes.
He climbed into her bed, taking the space Evangeline had left for him.
“Are the men taken care of?” Evangeline whispered from her place under her own hair and blankets.
Glais nodded. He pushed her hair back from her face, and finally they acknowledged the obvious tension between them. She wanted to be kissed. Glais knew the look, the pout of her lip and her eyes watching his mouth was a look he had seen on many faces over the years but never on hers. Instead, he caught her hand and pressed his lips firmly to her knuckles. “We shall stay for as long as you need us to.” He whispered against her skin. “The men are prepared for all things.” He tried to assure her.
Evangeline was not sure if she was disappointed when he kissed her knuckles and not her mouth. However as soon as the moment came to pass, she realised it was the right thing. Evangeline may forget the reality of their life here in Crimah, but the truth would be known to Glais. She was not ready for anything more intimate than this. He had taken her against her will once. He would not do it again.
***
Glais rose to the sound of shouts that seemed to be coming through the window. Somehow during their sleep, Glais had found himself curled against Evangeline’s back with his arm casually over her hip. Any enjoyment he might have had at the moment was lost immediately to the sounds that came to him now.
“What is going on?” Evangeline asked, but Glais was already getting dressed. “Glais?” she asked, but he had no answers.
“I smell fire.” He paused mid-dress as curiosity got the better of him. Wearing only his trousers and nothing else, Glais went to the window and looked out to the lands. He frowned at the scene below. “It appears that the crops have been lit,” he reported to Evangeline. “What typically lays out this window?”
Evangeline struggled to remember. “I believe it is not crops. There is a meadow where I would visit when I was a child but from what I know there is very little of use beyond recreational fun.” Evangeline rose from the bed, but Glais was quick to put a stop to any idea she had of investigating the matter further.
“You must stay here where you will be protected,” Glais said, putting his hands firmly on her shoulder.
She looked up at him. “And where are you going?”
“To see if I can help.” Clearly, she had to see that those were his intentions, for what else could he mean to do? He released her quickly, realising his had held her for longer than he intended. But Evangeline did not object.
“Return to me with a report first?” Evangeline looked to the window but no longer approached it. She had spent many hours looking out of these windows. She would not be allowed to linger on the idea that so much had changed in her short time gone, but Evangeline could not be sure that such a place was just as she had left it.
Glais nodded. “You are aware that you father had used similar tactics against the people who lived on the edges of Zorelian?” he asked her. “His men lit spot fires, and upon investigation, they were ambushed and slaughtered. Men, women, and children.”
Evangeline nodded and crossed her arms under her bust. She did not want to think about it or what implications it may have now in their current time.
Glais dressed and rushed from the room, his sword secured to his side. Out in the corridor, he saw no movement. It seemed that he had been one of the last to wake to the problems that had arisen just moments after the sun had come into the sky to indicate the beginning of yet another day. Not thinking much of it, Glais followed his intuition. Locating Evangeline’s window from the outside of the manor, he easily found the right direction to walk in.
Delusions of Loyalty (The Braykith Series Book 2) Page 8
