Darius spent much of his time asleep, but he seemed brighter whenever he woke. He took his meals with her at the small table in his room and chattered constantly through them. Gregory came twice a day to administer medication, remaining formal and bringing a cookie as a reward for taking the bitter pill each time. But he had to hide the treats within his jacket pocket from Reginald who had forbid them from the baron because he considered all sweets to be an unhealthy indulgence for children.
On the third morning, Gregory arrived with Amelia. Although the woman was nice enough, depression still slunk over Raven like a dark cloud. She did her best to shake herself from it.
“Are the chickens well?” Darius asked, bouncing on his bed. He was happy to see the woman he’d spent so much time with at the farm.
Amelia tucked an amber tendril behind her ear and smiled sweetly. Her cream-colored skin wrinkled a bit at the corners of her green eyes. “Of course. They are much quieter now that Nikki isn’t there to intimidate them.”
Darius smiled even wider, his hopeful eyes shooting toward Gregory. “I miss Nikki so much Do you think I’m well enough to see her? Can I go out to the kennel today?”
Gregory bit his bottom lip, his eyes toward the ceiling in thought. “Well, your fever has receded and your lungs sound clearer. I suppose a short trip outside wouldn’t do any harm. But wait until after lunch and allow the day to warm a bit.”
Sensible. Practical. Things Gregory had always been and Raven had never. The reasons she’d always loved him.
“I could take you if you’d like?” Amelia offered.
“No!” Raven said overloud. She blinked hard, not having meant to be so forceful. “I mean…don’t trouble yourself. I’m more than happy to go for a walk with the boy, as his personal guard of course.”
Amelia’s face brightened. “Of course. You likely want to be out of this room as much as the young baron does. Of course you should take him.”
Beautiful. Understanding. More traits Raven had never possessed. No wonder Gregory loved Amelia. Raven’s chest ached and unshed tears stung the backs of her eyes.
Jack shivered in the shade of the main house and eyed the guards-in-training while Rupert guided them through sword forms. The grassy yard afforded the young combatants to spar or practice their forms with plenty of room to prevent injury. Over twenty pledged recruits worked in the field. Their eager young faces beaded with sweat in the afternoon sun. That was the sort of day it was. Cool in the shade, but hot in the sun.
Across the field, a black feminine form caught his eye. Raven Steele walked hand in hand with the young baron. From this distance, her graceful, catlike, movements enraptured him. She continued to scan the area on high alert. If she were a cat, he was certain her hackles would be raised. Did the woman ever relax?
They moved in the direction of the kennel and the stables. Jack nodded toward Rupert and pushed off into the afternoon sun. Rupert nodded in return, too focused in his task to have noticed the two visitors. Jack started off in the direction the two had gone, coming at the kennel from a different angle so as to meet them there at about the same time.
His plan worked perfectly, and he arrived just as the two reached the kennel where Nikki resided. He smiled at how Raven’s eyes were already watching for his approach before he’d even turned the corner. Was her hearing really so keen?
“Hello, young Baron Darius. It’s good to see you out and about.” Jack smiled in greeting.
The young boy beamed in return.
The woman stiffened, her eyes shifting behind Jack as though waiting for someone else. It forced him to look behind himself as well. When no one came, he returned his attention to the couple, but her eyes had already returned to the boy and his dog.
Young Darius cooed to his Great Dane in unintelligible tones. He opened the kennel gate and released the dog. Her whole body wiggled with her tail as she bounded around the child, keeping her head near the boy and her tongue in constant use. The sight brought a rarely seen smile to Raven’s lips.
She had backed up into the shade of the tree and allowed the moment of revelry to be between the boy and his dog alone. Jack slid up next to her and watched the boy as well. “How long will you be staying with us?”
Her brows furrowed. “When I am certain the young boy is safe, I’ll go.”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t mean to say that your company is unwelcome. I just didn’t know if you’d be leaving now that Darius is well.”
She shrugged. “I am no doctor. Although it is good to see his health improve, it is not a danger I could protect him from.”
“That’s true. But there are guardsmen about the Duke’s Court. Surely his safety isn’t threatened as much here as you imply.”
Her spine straightened as she tensed. “The guardsmen are the duke’s to command and control. The safety of this child is of less concern than following his orders.”
Jack flushed. This argument again? He stood in silence, feeling the electricity between the two of them trying to push him away. But he refused to yield to it. A breeze stirred the air about them and Jack shivered again.
Raven took that opportunity to step out of the shade and back into the sun of the small kennel yard. The boy sat in the gravel, the dog lying with her head upon his lap. Darius had changed so much. He’d become less baron and more boy in Raven’s care. Without Reginald to scold him for getting his clothing dirty or behaving in a common manner, Darius behaved as any boy would with his dog. He seemed happier with her here. That fact made the dull ache at the thought of her departure multiply.
He caught himself in a sigh and turned it into a cough. Raven eyed him suspiciously, and then her eyes darted back through the alley which he had come.
A page turned the corner, jogging and out of breath. When he arrived, his cheeks were flushed from the exertion. “His Highness, the Duke of New Haven, is pleased to hear of his younger son’s recovery and requests his audience at supper tonight with his attendant in accompaniment.”
The young baron hastened to his feet and dusted his trousers. His spine stiffened once more, and his chin rose. “Of course. We shall be in attendance.”
“Right.” The page nodded and trotted back down the alleyway.
Raven’s eye quirked. “I suppose I am your attendant?”
The young baron nodded and smirked. “Yes. You and Reginald, and whoever else I choose to invite.” His eyes darted toward Jack. “Would you like to come, Captain?”
A smirk rose on Jack’s lips as well, and he gave a short bow. “I believe I’ll already be in attendance as your father’s guard, young baron. But thank you for the invitation.”
Raven shook her head but couldn’t hide the smile that revealed itself on her lips. “Does a guard customarily sit at the table to dine, or stand behind his…or her…charge?”
Jack’s forehead scrunched. “I usually stand.”
Raven nodded and the mirth left her expression. “Then I shall do the same.”
“That sort of situation does not seem fitting. The barons do not need a guard against their father.”
“Then why does the duke need a guard against his sons?”
How did this woman always twist things around? “Out of formal courtesy, the guard captain stands with the duke when he sees guests at supper, no matter who they are.”
She set her shoulders and stepped closer. “A recent threat has been made against my charge’s life and I refuse to sit at a table in a dress and with limited armament. If it should arise that the baron needs protection—”
“Then I will be there in the capacity I was—”
“The limited capacity that you can provide against an attack alone would hardly—”
“It would be more than enough in the duke’s dining room. There are guards outside and within at all times during—”
“Not enough! My charge’s enemy in the past has been his closest family. Should the need arise—”
“It. Will. Not. Arise.”
&nb
sp; “You cannot guarantee it.” Her head shook, but the fierce look she had before was lost. Her eyes became sad, pleading. “I cannot trust you. At his command you would kill us both no matter if you feel it’s wrong or right.”
Never in his life had he wanted so much to pull a woman into his arms as he did her at this moment. She left him breathless. A wordless, thrilling moment passed between them.
Then Darius took her hand in his and whispered quietly. “Come on, Raven. Let’s go. I’m tired.”
It broke the spell the moment had cast upon them both. She blinked hard, but her eyes still had that pleading appeal. Then she looked away. Darius had already returned the dog to the kennel while they had argued. Jack’s concentration had been so completely on the woman that he hadn’t noticed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and watched the twosome as they rounded the corner and left the kennel area through the stables. His heart thumped in his chest, and he continued to pant as though he’d run a mile. Raven was infuriating. That woman’s passion was like a storm, and he could either cower from the lightning, or be brave and stand in the rain.
Remain calm. Fret only over the things one can change and never anything else.
THE DUKE WAS a striking man with a commanding presence in spite of his hunched shoulders and a bald head. His mechanical arms were overlarge for his body and made his head smaller still. His stubby legs brought him into the room, and Raven surveyed him, trying to discover why this man deserved any respect at all.
Behind him, Captain Grant wore his blue suit freshly pressed with exaggerated creases, and the brown coat he’d normally worn had been left behind. He had pinned the red band that usually went over his bicep to the front of his suit, over edge of his pocket. His square chin had been shaven clean, even since the afternoon they’d met in the courtyard.
Reginald had come into the nursery and fussed over the attire of both Darius and herself. She had refused to change at all. Her black reaper garb had been clean, and she declined to wear anything else. Well, except for her purple cropped jacket, since Reginald’s complaint was a lack of color. She stood over Darius at a respectful distance, and at his right shoulder, a mirror image of how Jack stood over the duke. Gregory sat at the table on the other side of Baron Solomon and kept eyeing Raven suspiciously.
The duke’s cold grey eyes swept over Raven the moment he walked in. She suspected he appraised her in her capacity as a warrior and as a woman. He licked his lips as he judged her body but met her glare with a mild flinch. Yes, she’d passed both his assessments.
He cleared his throat and turned his attention toward his guest. “So, Doctor Gregory Patrick. What have you accomplished concerning my two sons? Are they both well?”
Gregory nervously shot a glance toward both boys and sat up straighter. “Baron Darius is well on the mend. I believe that after a few more days of antibiotics, he’ll be back to running around like any boy his age.”
The duke scoffed. “The baron is not like any boy his age and does not run around.”
Darius paled. And Gregory returned his attention to the food on his plate. Of course the doctor had seen the younger baron run around plenty at his farm, but would not argue with the duke.
“And my heir, my Solomon?”
“Father, I—” Solomon started.
The duke sneered at his son. “I didn’t ask you. I asked the doctor.”
Gregory blinked hard and shifted his eyes about the room. He straightened his tie. Raven knew he wasn’t terribly used to wearing one, and he never did around the farm.
The tension in the room elevated.
“Well, sir, I’m doing my best to alleviate Baron Solomon’s pain.”
The duke slammed a brass fist against the table, making Darius jump in his seat. “Not enough. I want to hear about a cure, not mere pain alleviation.”
Raven set a hand on the boy’s shoulder. His body shook. Raven seethed and did her best not to grip Darius's shoulder any more than lightly. Her gaze darted toward Captain Grant, whose worried eyes had widened but remained on the duke. When she returned her gaze to her charge, she realized suddenly that he shook from more than fear. His eyes rolled back in his head and foam had begun to form at the corner of his mouth.
The duke’s chair slammed against the hardwood floor as he backed away. Fear gripped his features. A whirring noise had begun in his mechanical arms. “No…not now. Kill him! Kill Darius now!”
Raven didn’t hesitate. She scooped up Darius and darted away with him. She didn’t even want to see Grant’s reaction to his order. Part of her hoped that maybe if she could create enough distance between the young baron and his father, it might keep the inevitable from occurring. Chairs scraped the floor in the dining room behind her and a worried murmur erupted. Followed by an explosion.
Steam burned against her back and flung her farther into the hallway. She rolled to keep the boy from hitting the floor and from crushing him. The first moment she was able, she leapt to her feet and continued her escape. She kicked open the front door but stopped herself.
Wait. Marietta. Maybe she would know what to do about the baron’s seizure. Second floor, west wing. She rushed up the grand staircase steps and jogged down that hallway.
Gregory. Captain Grant. Solomon. Would any of them survive the explosion? She shook the thoughts from her head. She couldn’t fixate on this now. She needed to concentrate on what she had control over and nothing else. And she had no control over that.
When she entered the hallway, she remembered it from her first arrival at the palace. Which room would they put Marietta in? No idea occurred to her, but she rushed to the door of the guest room she had occupied upon her first visit and took a gamble the woman might be there. Raven kicked the door open with a boot and rushed in. The gaslight lamps were lit in the room, and Marietta shot up naked from her bath.
“Sorry.” Raven averted her eyes and rushed toward the bed to set the young baron down. “He’s in the midst of one of his fits. Is there anything you can do for him? And hurry?”
When she spun around, she saw that Marietta had donned a luscious pink robe. “How long has he been like this and how long does one normally last?”
“I don’t know. I’ve lost track of time, but it’s only been a few moments. And the couple of times I’ve witnessed this occurrence, it only lasted five…maybe ten minutes?”
“Do you know the trigger?”
“Fear? Stress?”
Booted feet stomped down the hallway. Did they know where she’d gone? She withdrew the red corded sword from the magnets on her back and pressed a finger to her lips. Marietta never looked in her direction. She rustled through the carpet bag on the nightstand. “Chamomile oil. That should do the trick. What we need to do is calm him.”
Raven rolled her eyes and left the baron in the herb woman’s capable hands. She leaned against the wall next to the doorway, gripping the sword in her fists. Two deep breaths. The boots drew closer. She spun around the doorway and held her sword level with Captain Grant’s neck. He froze. His eyes were wide, and the side of his face red from steam burn. But he was alive. Fear and relief collided in her chest.
He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not here to harm you or the baron. I’m on your side.”
Her breath hitched. “How can I know you’re not lying?”
He shook his head. “You’ll have to trust me. I’m not lying.”
Her heart thundered in her chest as she studied his eyes and expression. Brown pools of swirling muddy water, but everything in her being told her that she could trust him. He’d never lied to her before.
With a nod, she lowered her weapon, but still held it ready. “What happened?”
“The duke’s right arm exploded, shooting steam in all directions, but Solomon took the brunt of the explosion. I had already started after you…but turned back to see what I could do to help. The duke and the elder baron are both dead. The doctor was doing what he could to revive them, but…” He shook his head.
/> “Good Lord!” Her sword slipped in her grip, but she tightened it again. Gregory was alive. And the Duke, dead. What would be the purpose in the captain following the duke’s last order if he was gone? Was Darius the duke now?
But there was something else…something Grant hadn’t said yet. His expression told her he was holding something back.
“So what now?” she asked.
“There is a problem and I need to see Marietta.” He swallowed and shook his head. “You remember those prototype mechanical men we found in Ipswich?”
She shrugged one shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him.
“The butler is one.” He ran a hand through his brown hair. “I…he…that butler’s been here as long as I have been and I had no idea. But the side of his face has been burned in the steam blast. It melted and revealed the metal underneath.”
Raven shuddered. “What difference does that make?”
Jack looked up again, his eyes filled with worry. “He took my sword and started out the front door in search of Darius. To fulfill his owner—the duke’s final command.”
“How do you know?”
“As a man I’ve known the butler to be silent constantly. But he continued to…to play a recording of the duke’s final words. ‘Kill him. Kill Darius now.’”
The building swam around Raven and panic threatened to consume her. But she gripped her sword tighter and straightened her spine. Not now. She needed to think. After she shook herself, she met Grant’s eyes. “So you didn’t come this way because you knew Darius was here. You came because you needed to see Marietta?”
He nodded. “That’s right. I assumed, much as the butler had, that you’d gone out the front door. It was standing wide open…”
“Right, then.” Marietta came into the doorway, still in her pink robe and pulled it tighter about herself when she spied the captain. “The baron has been calmed. Whether the chamomile did its trick or enough time has passed, I’m uncertain, but I believe we can work to keep him calm from this moment forward.”
Creeden, Pauline - [Chronicles of Steele - Raven] - Episode 4 Page 3
