Creeden, Pauline - [Chronicles of Steele - Raven] - Episode 4

by Pauline Creeden

  Raven eyed the young baron. He stood stiffly, hand still on Nikki’s head. But his pallor had grown paler, and beads of sweat had formed upon his brow. The dog whined. Reginald turned toward the dog and commanded her to sit—his scolding attention had found another victim. Darius wavered, his knees buckling. Raven dashed forward, her shoulder knocking into Grant, but she caught the young baron before his head hit the paver stones. She lowered him gently onto her lap. Was this an episode?

  A sharp intake of breath caught above her head and an accusatory finger prodded her face. “How dare you touch the baron? Commoner. Criminal.” The tutor’s voice grew higher in pitch, a crescendo of nasal whining. “Arrest this woman. At once!”

  Raven’s heart sunk. This again?

  Two men stepped between her and the tutor, forcing the man to retreat. The nearest to her was Monroe, his cane set on the ground in the midst of his wide, defensive stance. Closest to the tutor stood Grant. The captain bore down on Reginald and his voice seethed. “This woman is neither a criminal nor a commoner. By order of Baron Solomon, she is Baron Darius’s personal guard and caretaker.”

  Reginald’s eyes grew wide and his lips flapped like a fish’s when pulled from the water. “But…but…”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Raven’s lip. Grant had stood up for her this time. Maybe she had him pegged wrong? Time would tell.

  Jack sat astride a chestnut gelding and watched the carriage before him. All the guardsmen sat upon flesh horses nearest the carriage, and a few steam-powered ones broke out front, blazing the trail before retinue and announcing their approach at the gate. Colton rode beside Marietta, nodding his head at her constant chatter. Monroe followed on foot with Nikki on a leash, the two of them bringing up the rear. The carriage not only held the baron and his tutor, but Raven as well.

  That woman. The last trip they made of this sort, she’d been in his arms, soaking wet. Jack shivered at the memory, and his heart ached slightly. Why? Why did he feel empty now?

  Zeppelins bobbed in the sky overhead the court—many more than he’d remembered when he left. They circled about the edge of the perimeter like buzzards over a carcass. Where had such a strange metaphor come from? That woman had too much influence over his thoughts. She’d made him doubt his liege’s commands, and it was something he’d taken an oath to prevent. His stomach twisted when they reached the gates of the court.

  Once inside, Jack leapt from his horse and handed it to a groom. He rushed to the side of the page who set a step at the carriage and held open the door for the occupants. Reginald disembarked first. His shoulders were slumped and his face pale and clammy. It would almost seem as though he’d caught the boy’s fever. The tutor withdrew a kerchief from his waistcoat and wiped at his brow.

  His pale eyes met Jack’s. The man’s eyebrows rose, and his eyes lost the worried look they’d had. Instead they pleaded. “That woman’s name is quite appropriate. She refused to answer any of my questions, and her effect on the boy…he’s never been so cold. Black steel. That’s what they were.”

  A smile rose Jack’s lip and he knew it was a smirk. Black steel? That described the woman almost perfectly. He wondered if her father had known she’d become that way and so named her Raven?

  When a feminine boot appeared in the coach door, Jack rushed forward to take her hand as she dismounted the carriage. But her hands were full again. She carried the baron. Instead, Jack settled on her elbow. Static electricity shot from her bare skin to his fingertips. Gooseflesh rose on her arm.

  The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood on end. He swallowed. This was more than just the static of the carriage ride. Much more. Ladies of the court wore gloves. Likely for the purpose of avoiding exactly this sort of reaction from the men they touched. But Raven’s hands had always been bare. Though he’d touched them several times, the bare skin had never had this reaction before. What had changed?

  She pulled the elbow from his grasp as her feet hit the cobblestones of the courtyard. Her eyes met his with an eyebrow raised. He loved that he could tell her mood like he could tell the weather. Her expressions were as telling as the clouds in the sky. She was not angry, but her face twisted in confusion. It made Jack smile wider and his heart thumped in his chest. It had to have been more than just a static discharge to her as well.

  Reginald cleared his throat. “Darius, your brother has asked to see you immediately upon arrival. Will you let the staff take care of the…guests?”

  The boy shook his head against Raven’s shoulder, refusing to release his grip on her. “No, Raven will come with me.”

  She had turned her face from Jack, so he could not gauge her expression. But if he knew her at all, he was certain she’d be the one smirking this time.

  Reginald huffed and stomped over to Jack. “Fine. As the young baron wishes. But Captain, I expect you to take care of…the other ones.” He waved his hand in the direction of the ragged reaper and redheaded witch.

  “What would you have me do, sir?”

  A snarl took over Reginald’s twisted face. He leaned in and said in a harsh whisper, “If it were up to me, the prison house would be most suitable. But since it is not, find them quarters in the west wing.”

  The tutor shook his head and stomped off, Raven following behind him.

  Monroe stopped when he reached Jack’s side. The elder reaper’s eyes remained on the boy and the woman. He placed Nikki’s leather leash in Jack’s hand. A smile rose upon the old man’s face. “No need to put anyone out. If you have charge of the baron’s Great Dane again, I’ll take care of finding my own lodging in the stables.”

  Jack’s eyebrows scrunched together on his forehead. “That’s most irregular, sir. But if it is what you wish for accommodation, it can be arranged.”

  Monroe nodded and scratched his beard. Then he headed in the direction of the stables.

  Jack tilted his head to Rupert in silent command. The black skinned guardsman jogged to catch up with the old man. Colton’s eyes found his, and he nodded his direction as well. Marietta weaved her arm into Colton’s, and he guided her toward the house.

  Harry approached. “Would you like me to take care of Nikki, sir?”

  Jack’s eyes had returned to the front door of the main house and watched the periwinkle skirt disappear within.

  “No, Harry. I’ve got this.” He gripped the leather leash tighter and started for the house.

  The spicy smells of cinnamon and bay leaf intermingled throughout the first floor dining area. The butler had taken the same post he’d had when Raven first arrived. This time, however, she was too tired to be nervous. Darius’s chair had been pulled as close to hers as possible, and he rested his head against her shoulder.

  Her jaw clicked again as she’d tightened it. If it were not for her presence, they would likely have taken the young baron to his brother’s bedside instead of standing on the pretense of meeting here in a formal room of the house. Both brothers should be in bed. Neither was well enough for this meeting. Baron Solomon’s hair had gone white. A ghost of him sat before her, as though he’d already died, and this meeting was a witch’s doing.

  “Electromagnetic manipulation?” Solomon’s voice struggled through the phlegm in his throat. He coughed into the kerchief he held. “That’s the diagnosis of the witch you’d brought with you?”

  “Yes.” Raven’s answer was short. She wanted to speed this conversation along to allow both the two barons to go to bed. Why was she here at all except to keep Darius safe?

  Solomon nodded. “We’ll be sure to keep Marietta here until Darius has learned what he needs to know to control this…talent of his.”

  Solomon stood, his back bent like an old man’s, but she knew he was at least four years her younger. Although his smooth skin kept him from looking older than Monroe, his hair held more silver.

  “Is there anything I can do for you, Baron Solomon?” she asked.

  He shook his head and smiled sweetly. “Not for me.” Then a strai
n formed wrinkles around his eyes. “But for Darius. I don’t know what my father’s full intentions are anymore. Since I no longer make it to his cabinet meetings, he’s eliminated them. He’s assured me that Darius will be safe, and I want to believe him, but at times he hardly seems like the father I remember from my childhood. He’s changed.”

  Raven gulped. The baron had voiced all of her worst fears. She had wanted him to reassure her so that she could leave Darius in his family’s care. But now she felt as though she couldn’t possibly leave.

  Baron Solomon softened his expression and set a hand on his younger brother’s head. “There is a nanny’s quarters attached to Darius’s room. He had not moved yet from the nursery. Although he hasn’t had the need for a nanny for quite a while, he does need a personal guard.” His grey eyes met hers. “Would you remain here in that capacity? At least for a while?”

  The knot in her stomach unclenched, but her shoulders tensed. It was peculiar to feel both relief and tension at the same time, but that’s exactly what she felt. Relief that he had asked so she didn’t have to request it of him. But tension because it meant she’d need to be on guard. Always. She nodded.

  Like a shadow, the butler followed Baron Solomon, leaving her and Darius alone in the formal dining room. The younger baron smiled weakly up at her and took her by the hand. “I can show you where our rooms are if you’d like.”

  The boy’s strength seemed to rally now that he knew she wouldn’t be leaving him. As he led her by the hand up the grand staircase and down a darkened, windowless hallway, Raven memorized her route. She’d need to make a mental map of the place, and she’d need to know how many people resided under the roof and where their quarters were. Darius prattled to her as he led her, giving her some of the information she required as they went. But most of the time he talked about his room and all the things he had missed about it.

  When they finally arrived, the boy labored to breathe and had sweat upon his brow, but his eyes still had the bright, excited sparkle of life to them. Still, he’d need a nap.

  “I believe that your brother said he’d join us for dinner in a few hours. Why don’t we both rest—maybe nap until then.” She forced a yawn. “I know I’m tired.”

  At the suggestion, Darius yawned, too. “Okay. I’ll just show you my room expeditiously, okay?”

  She nodded and gave him a weary smile. Honestly, she was tired—exhausted in fact. But she knew in her heart she would get little sleep on guard duty. They entered the extravagant bedroom. It was much too large for a single nine-year-old child. A large bed, a fireplace, a picture window with a settee, and a work table for tinkering. Toys were neatly stacked upon the shelves and the room looked more like a museum display of a child’s bedroom rather than one lived in. But of course it had been over a month since the child had lived in it.

  “Isn’t it great? Come on. Your room is this way.” Darius tugged at her hand.

  Instead of a door between the child’s room and the nanny’s quarters, there was a curtain pulled across. She supposed that in caring for an infant, there would be no need for an actual door. A door would block out a crying child and negate the nanny’s purpose. Then it suddenly occurred to her that the duke would have a crying child as far from him as possible, wouldn’t he? “Does your father live in this wing?”

  Darius yawned again and shook his head as he covered his mouth. “No. This is the west wing. The entire third floor is mine. The second floor of this wing is for guests, and the first floor is where the servant’s quarters are.”

  “So your father is in the east wing?”

  He shook his head again and blinked tiredly. “No. The east wing is where the guard resides. Second and third floors anyway. The first floor is where the kitchens are.”

  “There’s a third wing then?”

  “Yes. The north wing is where the family stays. It only has two stories.”

  Raven’s heart sank at the thought. Didn’t Darius miss staying with the rest of his family? “Do you mind living alone?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not really alone. Reginald has always been here for me if I need him. And Mrs. Hyacinth was my nanny until I turned seven and didn’t need one anymore.”

  His blinking slowed until his tired lids closed for a full three seconds.

  With as cheery a voice as she could muster, she shuffled him back towards his bed. “All right. I’ve seen enough. Time for you to take that nap. And don’t fret. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

  He smiled and snuggled under the white down duvet. “I’m so glad you found me.”

  “I’m glad, too.” The words barely made it past her constricted throat.

  Never allow the routine of daily life to dull one's senses.

  A GENTLE KNOCK sounded against Darius’s door, waking Raven from her shallow sleep. She bolted upright on the bay window settee. Her eyes immediately darted toward the young baron, who still slept soundly in the same position he’d fallen asleep in.

  Her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the sword she’d retrieved from the luggage in her room. She pulled it from the magnets on her back. It felt good to be back in her normal reaper’s breeches. The high collars of her dresses stifled her, and the puffed sleeves constricted her movements. She darted toward the door on the balls of her feet and glanced at the timepiece over the mantle. She’d only dozed a quarter hour. She seethed through her clenched teeth. “Who is it?”

  “I’ve brought the doctor to see Baron Darius.” Reginald’s high-pitched whine rankled Raven’s nerves, but she replaced the sword to her back.

  She tugged the door open a bit and looked through the crack she’d made. Behind Reginald stood Gregory, his eyes as wide as hers felt. Her heart leapt. Words escaped her.

  The tutor’s frowning face suddenly blocked her view. “Will you allow us entry, or do you intend to leave us in the hall?”

  Raven shook her head to snap out of it and pushed the door open wide to allow the two men entry. Her heart thumped wildly. Gregory’s eyes remained on hers. Her doctor. No, he wasn’t hers. The pieces of her heart that had started to mend together again fell apart and sank deep into her stomach. His voice broke the silence. “Are you well, Raven?”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. Had her voice box frozen?

  He nodded and gave her a smile but tripped as he stepped over the threshold into the room. One of her arms darted out automatically to catch him. He gave her an awkward grin, and she released her grip on his bicep.

  Reginald cleared his throat, a confused sneer lighting upon his face. “Do you two know one another?”

  Heat rose to her cheeks and her gaze dropped to the floor momentarily.

  Gregory answered, “Yes, we do.”

  Raven couldn’t help but smirk at his short answer and raised her gaze to meet his. Gregory knew when to give answers and when to withhold information. Why did he have to be so perfect? His dimples made an appearance as he smiled at her and started for the bed. He knelt beside the young baron and pulled Darius’s hand into his. His voice was quiet but strong. “Baron Darius. Could you wake so I can examine you?”

  The young baron’s eyelids fluttered open and a look of surprise replaced his peaceful repose. “Dr. Gregory? What are you doing here?” Darius’s wide eyes darted toward Raven.

  She nodded to reassure him.

  “When your brother’s ailment grew worse, your father sent for every physician within and about New Haven, which included me. Once I arrived, I changed your brother’s medication and found that he’d been taking two drugs which reacted harshly with one another. Your father rewarded me by making me your family’s new physician.” The smile Gregory gave Darius looked strained, and he refused to meet Raven’s eyes.

  The country doctor working in the Duke’s Court? She knew he had no desire for such a position. The thought that he could be unhappy here in this form of prisonhood made her ache to free him.

  He sighed. “Well, my wife saw this as the opport
unity she’s always sought for me, so we accepted.”

  His wife. The two words gagged Raven. She’d forgotten the woman for a moment. Of course Amelia was happy. And that was what a husband should do, right? Make his wife happy. Shouldn’t that be his foremost concern?

  She swooned but caught herself and sat on the window settee unnoticed. From this perch she watched the boy and Gregory laugh and joke with one another while the doctor’s long, slender fingers probed over Darius’s body. Gregory listened to his chest and then took his temperature. After a few more jokes which left the boy giggling, the doctor finally stood.

  He nodded in Raven’s direction and she leapt to her feet, following him and the tutor toward the door. He leaned in toward both of them conspiratorially. “The boy has pneumonia. It’s not too serious, but I’ll need to start him on antibiotics immediately. In the meantime, can we keep the boy on liquids and lots of them? He’s a wee bit dehydrated and it has elevated his fever.”

  Raven gulped. She should have been more aware of Darius’s lack of fluids. His intake of sustenance, whether food or drink, had been greatly reduced since they’d reacquired him from the Wood Witch. He’d had no appetite at all.

  “Dr. Gregory?” Darius asked shyly. “Could you by chance bring me some of those cookies the next time you come?”

  Gregory’s eyes met hers and they both laughed.

  “What does he mean…cookies?” Reginald asked.

  Of course this only made it harder for either of their laughter to stop.

  Instead of meeting Solomon in the dining room for a formal meal, Raven and Darius took supper in Darius’s room. He had a small table at which they dined together on soups, stews, and fruit juices. The maid brought a pitcher to the room at regular intervals so that the glass beside his bed remained full at all times. Raven mothered him a bit by making sure he drank often. The young baron had her read to him to pass the time. By the next morning, Raven grew restless and stifled in the room. She didn’t quite feel imprisoned, but she would have enjoyed a walk in the fresh air. Because time had not afforded her the luxury as yet, she spent most of her time peering out the picture window to the courtyard.