She was asleep again when he reached the room she had been assigned. They had been fools to allow her to push herself so hard. For two days straight she had ridden as hard as any of the men, and had refused to eat the limited rations they had brought. He had been relieved when she had accepted the food Helfrich had given her. He knew it had been the first substantial thing she had eaten in days.
He admired her strength and the loyalty she had shown to her cousin, but she was wracking herself with guilt. It was an emotion he was well acquainted with, and he knew the destruction it could cause on one's soul.
Laying her down on the hard mattress, he removed her shoes, and placed a blanket over her.
Moonlight lit the room, spilling over her delicate features.
She had crushed him the night of the dedication. The kindness she had showed him had almost broken his resolve, and he knew he needed to distance himself emotionally from her if he was going to be able to accomplish his goals.
Damn if he was able to though. She was a paradox. Fierce and gentle. Fragile, and yet as strong in spirit as any Dalglieshan warrior.
He had been awed by her bravery as she stood unflinching before the Queen. She had earned his respect in that moment. If she didn't represent everything he hated about the southern provinces and the monarchy, he thought that he could learn to care for her.
Don't be fool, Tahdaon.
It was dangerous to even think about the possibility. She was his enemy. The enemy of Dalgliesh. He couldn't allow emotions to get involved.
He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. She had risked a great deal to save her cousin, and he wondered what she would be willing to sacrifice to save herself.
Change was coming and those who refused to adjust would fall.
He would honor the vows he had made to her, and no matter what befell Elbia, he would keep her safe, but that was all he was able to offer her.
She stirred under the covers and he left the room before she woke and found him watching her.
Helfrich was waiting for him in the hall.
The man was as obsessed with her as Finn.
“I didn't touch her,” Tahdaon growled, not knowing why he felt the need to explain himself. “She fell asleep and I brought her to her room.”
Helfrich leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Despite what you believe, I'm not your enemy and neither is she.”
Tahdaon gave a disbelieving snort and pushed past him. Anyone who fought against the independence of Dalgliesh was his enemy.
Chapter 7
Cara awoke with a start.
She bolted upright in bed and looked around the unfamiliar room. Sunlight poured in from the window, and she blinked trying to adjust her eyes to the harsh light.
The room was small and humbly adorned, and the tub Helfrich had arranged for her bath sat in the center of the room unused. She had been so exhausted the night before that the last thing she remembered was the taste of stew and the warmth of the fire before she closed her eyes.
Sighing, she pinched her cheeks and did her best to use her fingers to brush through the tangles in her hair.
“Come in,” she called out at the knock on her door.
Helfrich poked his head in. His bright orange hair had been was brushed neatly, and his face was freshly washed. She glared at him, and tried to straighten her hopelessly wrinkled dress.
Cara looked back at the tub longingly. It didn't matter that the water was cold; she would give anything to strip off her dirty clothes and clean the filth off her body.
“Good, to see you're awake,” he said opening the door and coming into the room. “You missed breakfast, but the cook left a plate for you.”
She smiled back half-heartedly and motioned to the tub. “I didn't have a chance to enjoy your bath, but thank you anyways.”
He grinned, his vivid green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. His face and exposed forearms were covered with a faint dusting of freckles that she hadn't noticed before. He wasn't handsome in the traditional sense, but his features were friendly and kind, which made him pleasing to look at.
“I was so tired last night I don't remember coming upstairs.”
“You fell asleep by the fire and Tahdaon brought you up to your room,” Helfrich said, still grinning as if pleased with himself.
“Tahdaon?” She frowned as she faintly recalled him carrying her. “That seems out of character for him.”
Helfrich raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Perhaps the lion can be tamed.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “But can the man?”
That succeeded in making him laugh.
There was a commotion below her window. “What's going on out there?”
“The reason I came to fetch you.” Running a hand along his freshly shaven jaw, he looked down at his feet. “Cush's father received a message informing him of the manner in which we left the palace. He's had scouts watching for our arrival ever since. They found us this morning.”
Cara froze. “What?”
“Cush is with his father now.”
“Why didn't you tell me?” Pushing past him, she started towards the door. “Did he tell him about Maeve?”
He kept up with her pace as she scrambled down the back stairs. “No, and he won't unless he has your permission.”
She should never have listened to Finn. Cursing under her breath for her foolishness, she reprimanded Helfrich, “You should have woken me as soon as he arrived. We have to figure out what to do. Has anyone informed Reyn?”
“Finn went to him first thing. They're prepared to move if there's a threat.” He grabbed her arm and made her stop to look at him. “I met the man when he arrived, Lord Tomias, he seems like an honest man. He appeared genuinely grieved about what the Queen had done to Maeve. I think you should talk to him before you make a decision. I think we can trust him.”
She searched his face, and she could tell he believed what he said.
“Eventually we are going to have to trust someone. She will recover faster if we can get her out of that carriage and take her somewhere comfortable and clean.”
She considered his words and remembered Finn saying something similar.
Trust had never come easy to her, and considering the events over the past month, she was finding it even more difficult. But Helfrich was right, they needed help. Cara prayed that he was right about the man's character.
“Take me to him.”
* * *
Cara recognized the Viceroy of Lydd the moment she saw him outside of the inn's stables. He had attended the dedication ceremony and left before Cara was introduced, but he shared so many of the same attributes as Cush that by standing side by side it was easy to tell they were father and son. Lord Tomias had the same boyish smile and laughing eyes that had endeared Cara to his son, and at a glance it was easy to understand why Helfrich had trusted him so easily.
Without hesitating, Lord Tomias crushed her to his broad chest in a fatherly embrace when Cush introduced her, and his eyes filled with genuine tears as he expressed his grief over the travesties that Maeve had suffered.
“She was a beautiful girl. So timid and shy, but there was a goodness in her that reminded me of my own daughter. It pains me to know she was treated so brutally at the hands of the person who should have protected her.”
Cara nodded. There was no missing the sincerity of his words, and the tears that she had repressed spilled over her cheeks at his acknowledgement.
“Come,” he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulder. “Our summer house is only a few hours journey from here. You will rest, eat, and have a nice long bath,” he said good-humoredly. “My wife and children will be joining us in a week's time for the festival of the wheat harvest. Until then you will rest and recover from your journey.”
“Thank you, Lord Tomias, but I have a more serious matter that I need to bring to your attention.” She stopped and he released her. Struggling with her decision, she looked into his e
yes, and hoped she was making the right choice confiding in him. “First, I need to know if I can trust you.”
His brows knit in a frown as he studied her for a long moment. Finally he answered, “Yes, Cara. I promise on my life and the lives of my children that you can trust me.”
She let out a long shaky breath and nodded. “Good. I need you to leave your men behind and come with me.”
They mounted two of his horses and rode alone in silence to the location where Reyn and Finn had waited.
Finn was leaning against the carriage as they approached, and moved to help them dismount. They hadn't spoken since their disagreement the day before, and she saw the hesitation in his eyes as he took the reins from her.
“Lord Tomias,” Finn said, bowing his head in respect to the Viceroy.
“Ah the strapping young Finn of Crantock. I know your father well. How is the old man doing?”
“As well as ever,” Finn said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
A cry of anguish vibrated around them, and Cara saw the Viceroy jump in alarm.
“What in the name of Annul was that?”
Cara searched the Viceroy's face. “I have your word you will keep our secret?”
Another pained cry echoed from the carriage.
“You have my word child, now tell me what is going on.”
Reyn opened the carriage door and stepped out. His face looked haggard and full of misery, and she could tell that he barely registered their presence as he walked towards them. His once white tunic was covered in Maeve's blood, and his bloodshot eyes were evidence of his endless vigil over her.
“Reyn, this is Lord Tomias, Cush's father.”
Reyn nodded in acknowledgment and looked down at his feet. A muscle worked in his jaw as if fighting back tears or anger.
“How is she today?” Cara asked.
Reyn shook his head.
“One of the wounds opened up during the ride yesterday. The physician cleaned and redressed it, but it's causing her a lot of pain.” He looked up, his dark eyes haunted. “She didn't sleep last night.”
Which meant Reyn hadn't slept either. Guilt washed over her, knowing she had slept in a warm bed while Reyn and Maeve had been out here suffering. She should have stayed with them. Her throat tightened as the familiar pang of remorse choked her.
“It can't be——” Tomias stated, his face aghast as he looked between each of them to confirm his suspicions. “She lives?”
Cara nodded solemnly. “You can understand why it's imperative we keep this quiet.”
The older man shook his head in disbelief. “Of course. By the grace of Annul how can this be? From the reports I heard there wasn't one inch of the girl's body that hadn't been brutalized.”
Cara cringed. It was too close to the truth.
It was Reyn that answered, his voice tight with emotion. “She has suffered unimaginable trauma and still suffers from the wounds, but the physician has assured us that she will survive.”
“That is good news.” Tears welled in the Viceroy's eyes, and he let them fall unabashed. “Very good news.”
Finn had secured the horses and returned. Joining their conversation, he looked at Tomias and stated plainly, “She needs a place to rest. Somewhere safe, where her identity can be hidden.”
“You said your summer estates aren't far from here,” Cara added.
“The house is empty at the moment. Only a few servants remain year round, and the rest will be travelling with my wife and children when they arrive next week. That will give us time to have her settled, and a quarantine placed on her chambers before the house is filled with people. I swear on the blood of Annul that you will have the privacy and protection you need.”
“Thank you. It's more than we could have hoped for.” Cara wanted to weep at his kindness. She turned to Reyn who looked like he was about to collapse at her feet. “Reyn, take Lord Tomias back to the inn. Tell the others we will leave at midday.”
“Send Finn. I'm staying here.”
“You're dead on your feet,” she said firmly. “Finn will stay and prepare the horses for the journey. I'll ride in the carriage with Maeve, and we will meet you on the east side of the town in a few hours.” She turned to the Viceroy, not giving Reyn the opportunity to protest further. He needed a reprieve from the sickbed and she knew he wouldn't leave Maeve unless she made him. “Lord Tomias inform your men that I have taken ill and will be riding in the carriage. It will lessen the suspicion should Maeve cry out during the trip.”
Reyn gave her a skeptical look, but it was evident he was too exhausted to fight her.
“Come boy,” Tobias said to Reyn, placing an arm around the taller man's shoulder and helping him mount Cara's horse.
Finn came to stand beside her as the two men rode off.
“He's in love with her,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck and frowning.
“I know.”
She had known for some time, and if she was correct, Maeve shared his feelings. The thought scared the hell out of her.
The Twelve had rules they lived their life by. The vows they had taken forbade them from ever marrying or taking another woman to bed. It was a sin punishable by death under the laws of Annul.
Cara shook her head at the unfairness of it all.
There was still so much she didn't understand, but many of things she did made her question if the entire system, the rules and the laws that guided them, should be dismantled completely. It was no wonder that many provinces were experiencing uprisings and revolts. So many of the citizens of Elbia were impoverished and starving, unable to provide bread for their families because of the heavy weight of the Queen's taxes. A queen that would torture and kill her own daughter. A monarchy that didn't care about the suffering of its people.
The country needed change, and the burden of it had fallen hard on her shoulders. She was too young and inexperienced to hold so much power. In less than two years she would be crowned queen, and what befell Elbia would be a reflection of her. It didn't matter that Birkita's reign had nearly crushed the country, or that the lowering sea levels had destroyed many of the peasants' livelihood, the country would look to her to repair the failing system.
Cara studied Finn. She would need him and the other men if she had any hope of saving Elbia.
Finn looked over and caught her gaze.
“Thank you,” she said simply.
He tilted his head and his brows knit in confusion. “For what?”
“You were right. I wasn't thinking clearly, and if you hadn't made the decision to stop, I don't know what would have happened.”
He pulled her into his arms and cupped his hand under her chin. His mouth found hers and she shuddered at the pleasure of his touch. Swallowing tightly at the need that engulfed her she pulled back.
“Finn——”
It was too much. The emotions he stirred were overwhelming, and she didn't have the mindset to deal with them now. She was dirty, hungry and emotionally taxed. His touch was pure pleasure, but it made her mind foggy, and she needed to stay alert.
He took her hand and brushed his lips along her fingers. His smile was gentle and reassuring. “I'll wait.”
He was so sure of himself, so full of male confidence and power. It was one of the things that drew her to him.
“I have to think about the others.” She had already noticed jealous glances and snide remarks whenever they were together.
He took her chin in his hand again and forced her to look at him. “I know the rules and the risks. I gave you my vows and I will give you my heart, whether it is returned or not. I only wish we were in Crantock and I could show you just how much you mean to me.”
She frowned at his comment, not understanding his meaning, but in that moment she wished that it was just them. No crown. No other men. She would give him all of herself if she could.
The door to the carriage opened and the small balding man the king had sent to care for Maeve stepped out. He was a
mouse of a man, constantly fidgeting and mumbling to himself, but he had been indispensable. Cara wasn't sure if Maeve would have survived had the king not sent the man with them.
Finn released her. “I should get the carriage ready. Go be with Maeve.”
She had almost forgotten about her cousin. That's what he did to her. Made her forget about everything but him.
“I've given her a large dose of opium,” the physician told her as she approached. “She's sleeping now.”
“We've made arrangements with the Viceroy of Lydd,” she informed him. “Go help Finn with the horses. We will have refuge by nightfall.”
A look of relief flooded his face as he scurried off towards Finn.
Cara entered the stuffy carriage. In her drug induced sleep, Maeve's face was serene and showed no signs of the misery that wracked her body. She sat down on the carriage floor beside the couch where Maeve lay, and placed her hand next to her cousin's bandaged arm so she would know Cara was there if she woke. Laying her head on the edge of the couch, she closed her eyes and thought about Finn.
The carriage jolted as it hit a bump in the road, and Cara's eyes flew open.
* * *
Stretching her stiff neck, she tried to steady herself against the rocking of the carriage. It was hard to do from her position on the floor, and she banged her head hard against the corner of the secured table beside her.
“Bloody hell,” she cursed, rubbing the small lump that was already forming.
“Cara,” Maeve mumbled.
“I'm here.” Kneeling beside the couch, she positioned herself so Maeve could see her.
Maeve winced as the carriage hit another rut in the road.
“We'll be stopping soon.” Cara smiled reassuringly and stroked Maeve's brow. “Lord Tomias has offered us sanctuary at his summer house, and we are going to stay there as long as you need. We'll be safe there.”
“I always liked Tomias,” Maeve murmured, her words slurred from the opiates the physician had given her.
“He seems like an honest man,” Cara agreed. “How is your pain? Do you need anything?”
Maeve surprised Cara by smiling. Her eyes were glazed over from the drugs and she looked at Cara with a euphoric expression. “I feel like I'm floating. On a cloud. Floating on a cloud. Isn't it lovely to live on a cloud?”
Cara's Twelve Page 7
