“Now you are blushing, Ramón. I would give much to know your thoughts.”
He frowned at her. “I was thinking of Princess Alecia.”
“So, that is the reason you are holding me so close that I can feel your arousal.”
Ramón sprang back and Benae laughed out loud. All eyes were upon them.
“I will escort you back to your place, lady.”
Ramón excused himself and left the dining room, his mind and body flooded with frustration and disgust. Instead of returning to his room, he fled the castle, exiting the grounds via the park gate. He craved release from his inner turmoil, needed to run off the frustration of the last few weeks when his job had changed to minding four women who would sell themselves to the prince; needed to forget for a moment his aching desire to have Alecia in his arms; needed to banish his body of the angry impotence that Vard Anton had placed there. He broke into a jog and was soon running into the forest.
Chapter 2
That was a magical night, Benae thought. The dinner with Jiseve and the princesses had ended well and the prince seemed reluctant to leave her side when he had been called to attend to another matter. She had left straight after; although Avalin was still at the table, drink in hand. Well, that was what the horse-faced trollop got for trying to spoil Benae’s efforts to impress Jiseve. It had backfired on her, thank the Goddess.
As Benae reached for her doorknob, a low moaning drew her attention. The sound came again, drifting over to her from the east wing. Though it was none of her business, Benae could not ignore suffering. She followed the noise until she stood before a door. Yes, the poor soul was within this room.
Benae opened the door silently and entered, closing it behind her. As she crossed the sitting room and peered into the bedchamber, the stench of rotting tissue hit her like a physical blow.
Ramón bent over a skeletal form in the bed, bathing the face of the victim while he murmured words Benae could not hear. The patient moved his head from side to side and the covers over the man’s abdomen were stained with blood.
Stomach roiling, Benae joined Ramón at the bedside. “Let me tend him.”
“What the hell are you doing here, lady?”
She met his anxious gaze. “I could ask you the same. Who is he and why is he here?”
“It is none of your concern.”
“Who is he?”
“Lord Giornan Finus, Princess Alecia’s betrothed and Prince Zialni’s advisor. He tried to stop Vard Anton from taking Princess Alecia from this castle. This wound is the result. He has lain here this last month, dying.”
Benae placed her right hand on the man’s forehead and closed her eyes. There was almost nothing left of him. She sank through the layers, delving deep into his body and spirit, questing for the hurts and the hope. She found none of the latter. The delving left her chilled and she shuddered.
“His wound is taken over with foul humors. It will not be long before he leaves this world and continues his journey.” Benae closed her eyes again and wove a net of peace then let it fall. Finus settled and seemed to sleep.
“Another of Anton’s legacies,” Ramón said, “though I never had much time for Lord Finus. At least he is calm now.”
Benae withdrew her hand but the foulness had seeped into her very soul. She turned from the patient to find Ramón’s intense gaze upon her.
“Are you well, lady?”
“I can never abide suffering and death and there has been so much lately.” She turned away and rested her forehead on the bedpost. The wood was cool against her skin. Several deep breaths had her emotions back under control.
There was a sound from Lord Finus and his breathing became a gasping struggle. As they both beheld the skeletal form on the bed, the lord gave one last tortured breath and lay still. Benae’s chest tightened and a sob rose to her throat.
Ramón grasped her hand. “His passing has upset you.”
Benae struggled to meet his gaze. What is happening to me? Why couldn’t she conduct herself with her usual aplomb? “I lost my brother recently and before that, my parents. Death always reminds me of them and of how they suffered.” And I could do nothing.
“You are on your own in the world?”
“I am.”
“That is the reason you entertain this ‘arrangement’ with the prince?”
Again she felt that Ramón was disapproving of her quest for marriage. Well, he could keep his opinions to himself. “That is none of your business.” Had her voice ever sounded so cold?
She turned to Lord Finus’s corpse. “We must take steps to prepare him for burial.”“Return to your suite, Lady Branasar. I will summon a woman who will wash the body and dress the lord in his ceremonial robes. Tomorrow he will begin the journey back to his family estate where he will be buried.”
Benae stared at Ramón. He could be so commanding when he desired. There was a wealth of authority hidden deep within this man and when that power broke free, it would be like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. She nodded at Ramón, took one last look at Lord Finus and swept from the room.
Ramón left the body of Lord Finus with the woman who would wash and dress it and returned to his chambers. Benae Branasar was not his concern and neither were her motivations. Why should he care if she offered herself to the prince? To Ramón’s mind she was little better than the prostitutes who sold their wares on the street. He had thought that loneliness was her motivator, but, judging by her reaction, she was embarrassed about the situation. Did she feel that her reasons would not stand up to his scrutiny? Did she even care what he thought of her?
Of course she doesn’t care. What was wrong with him anyway? He would seek his rest and to hell with Lord Finus and the Lady Benae Branasar. It had been the longest day with the arrival of more guests, his sword practice, forest run and then the bedside vigil. He did not regret it though and hoped that someone would sit with him when it came time for him to pass to the other life.
Princess Avenger - Brightcastle Saga Book 1 Page 22
