by Alexa Aston
“I came to tell you that Jasper, your falconer, has passed on, my lord. I brought his body to the chapel and Father Leo has claimed possession of it. He said he will assign men to dig Jasper’s grave. I wanted to tell you this in person.”
The nobleman stood, his hands locked behind him, and began nervously pacing. He mumbled to himself, words Elinor could not catch. Worry shot through her but she kept silent.
Finally, he came to a halt in front of her. “Jasper was my only falconer?”
Elinor knew she needed to make a stand so she boldly said, “Nay. I am your other falconer.”
“Only you are left?”
She nodded coolly.
“My steward tells me that you have never led any of the hunts. That you were kept from Uncle’s sight.”
“’Tis true that the baron did not wish to see me. Do not worry yourself about that, my lord,” she said reassuringly. “Jasper raised me to be a falconer. I have trained raptors for ten and six years now and have two new eyases that I am working with. Both are intelligent females and are learning quickly. Though I have never led a hunt with others, have no doubt that I am most capable and trustworthy.” She threw back her shoulders, her chin edging up a notch. “I will not disappoint you, my lord.”
Anxiety flickered in his eyes. “I have no doubt you can do as you say but my wife might not be comfortable with you in this particular role.”
Elinor stood her ground. Her future depended upon what this man would decide. She must convince him of her value.
“Then what would you have me do? Bring in another falconer to work with me? He could lead the hunts if you wish but even Jasper would tell you that my skills surpassed his as far as falconry was concerned.”
Nigel ran a hand through his fair hair. “I don’t know what to do,” he said, his anguish obvious. “Let me think on it. We will speak again after Jasper’s burial.”
“As you wish, my lord.” She lowered her eyes a moment and then turned, forcing herself to walk at an even pace and not flee the great hall as she wished.
She left the keep and the castle grounds, her pace brisk, and only slowed when she reached the meadow. It would all come down to Lady Rohesia. Elinor was certain the noblewoman would have the last word regarding Elinor’s fate. She was powerless.
That frightened her more than Hal leaving for his home.
Approaching the woods, she scanned them without spotting him.
He had deserted her.
Though she didn’t think she had been gone long, he hadn’t waited as he promised he would. She had always looked at Hal as someone truthful. A man who, like a knight of the realm, would keep his word. Bitter disappointment filled her. It shouldn’t bother her that he had returned to the cottage yet it did.
Elinor took a few steps into the forest.
“How did your talk with the baron go?”
She wheeled around, relief flooding her. Hal stood there, tall and incredibly handsome, concern written on his brow.
“I will tell you about it on the way home,” she said stiffly, willing herself not to cry.
Wordlessly, he took her hand. Elinor drew strength and comfort from the gesture.
*
The mass resembled the previous one from when the baron had died. Elinor stood in the back, silently watching as Father Leo intoned the Latin words. When it came time to receive the host, she joined the long line that formed, relieved that she knew what to do this time. The priest placed the bread on her tongue. Elinor made the sign of the cross, imitating those who had gone before her. She almost burst into laughter as an audible sigh sounded across the chapel.
Father Leo gave the benediction. With the mass now concluded, the first to leave the chapel were Lord Nigel and Lady Rohesia. Elinor watched the couple until they grew closer and then deliberately dropped her eyes to the floor. She did not want to attract any undue attention and give the baroness an excuse to get rid of her.
Once the noble pair exited the chapel, others followed. Elinor stepped toward the door when someone tugged on her sleeve.
Turning, she saw a rotund man of two score next to her. He gave her a tentative smile.
“I am most sorry for your loss. Jasper was a good man.”
Elinor nodded, uncertain how to reply.
Then others streamed forward, each offering her a few kind words and remarking on Jasper’s good character. A glow warmed her, knowing how many people thought well of him.
She finally left the chapel and found Father Leo at her elbow.
“Thank you for coming, Elinor,” the priest said. “I hope you see that Jasper was loved by many. He will be missed by all but most by you. May God’s rich love bless you and keep you in this time of sorrow.”
Once again, he placed a strong hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.
“You are to go to the keep,” he said, his voice low. “I will see to Jasper’s burial. I hope for a pleasant outcome for you.”
“Thank you.”
Elinor walked slowly to the keep, dreading what the baron might say—or what words his wife might whisper in his ear to sway him. She climbed the steps and followed two women inside. Once again, she found Eunice waiting for her.
“I am to take you to the solar.”
She followed the longtime servant upstairs. Memories flooded her as she passed the bedroom she had shared with her mother. Thoughts of peeking inside and seeing her mother shortly before her death caused a hitch in Elinor’s breathing. She placed a hand over her pounding heart and told herself to remain calm.
They arrived at the solar and Eunice knocked at the door. A voice called out for them to enter. Eunice opened the door and motioned for Elinor to go inside. She stepped through the doorway.
Nothing about it looked familiar. If the furniture was the same, she didn’t remember it. The solar had been her father’s domain. She realized she might never have set foot in this place during her childhood.
The baron and baroness sat in chairs adjacent to the fireplace. The nobleman gestured for her to join them. No chair was near them, so Elinor understood that she was to stand throughout their meeting. She approached them and then locked her knees, hoping she wouldn’t sway.
“I am sorry for your loss,” Lord Nigel began, his knuckles white as he clutched the arms of his chair. “I know that it must be difficult—”
“Oh, get on with it,” Lady Rohesia interrupted. When her husband fell silent, she glared up at Elinor, disdain written across her features.
“It simply won’t do for you to be Whitley’s only falconer,” she began.
Elinor quelled the defiance rising within her. “If you feel the need to bring another falconer to the estate, I would be happy to work with him, my lady. Training raptors involves long hours and is a difficult task. I already work with a grown pair, Cleo and Horus. Cleo recently gave birth to two eyases.”
“Male or female?” asked Lady Rohesia. “I hear females are more valuable.”
“They are both females, my lady,” Elinor agreed, keeping her voice pleasant. “Female peregrines grow to a much larger size and become fiercer hunters than males. Bess and Tris, the new eyases, already show great potential.”
“How old are the first two?” Lady Rohesia demanded.
“Cleo is ten and three. Horus is ten and five.”
“How much longer will they be able to birth new falcons?”
“A year or two. If that. As far as hunting goes, Horus has slowed down a bit but Cleo is still in fine shape and will happily lead hunters this upcoming season.”
The noblewoman shook her head dismissively. “They are too old. My father’s falcons didn’t live as long. We would do well to sell them while we can and get a decent price then purchase a male to mate with the new, young females.”
Elinor felt as if a heavy blow had landed to her gut. Sell Cleo and Horus?
“But they are as family to me, my lady. They could still be viable for more years to come,” she pleaded. “At their age
, they would never adapt to a new falconer after all their years with Jasper and me. Besides, the eyases need much more training before they can hunt, much less breed. It takes time and patience.”
Lady Rohesia sniffed. “If we cannot get a fair price for the old birds, then I suppose we’ll have to keep them. The king’s laws are overly strict where falcons are concerned.”
Elinor tamped down the anger surging through her. Just as a man could be legally blinded for poaching a falcon from the wild, she wished to poke out both of Lady Rohesia’s eyes and throw them against the wall. She hated everything about this woman and her condescending manner.
“Still, I am not comfortable with you leading any hunts. ’Tis work for a man, not a woman,” she mused. “In fact, I think we should only have a man as our falconer, my lord. Don’t you agree?”
The noblewoman glanced casually at her husband before slyly meeting Elinor’s eyes. “We will bring a new falconer to Whitley, one who has a son he can train to work with him. At that time, your services will no longer be required.”
Elinor’s anger dissolved in an instant as she felt deflated. Only now did she realize this had been the point of the conversation all along. That Lady Rohesia had previously determined to rid herself of Elinor once and for all and had steered the discussion to suit her purpose.
Still, she wouldn’t give up without a fight.
“The raptors . . . they are mine. They are my family. I have trained them for years.”
Lady Rohesia waved a hand about dismissively. “You yourself said these eyases are young. That will make it easier for someone else to step in since the birds are not yet so set in their ways.” She looked pointedly at Elinor. “And remember that these raptors belong to the Baron of Whitley. Not you.” Her victorious smile was the final blow.
Elinor reeled with this news. She had lost Jasper. She would soon lose Hal. And now this woman banished her from her beloved raptors.
Her head grew light. “Where I am to go?” she asked.
“The baron and I will decide your future. We will let you know once we have found a new falconer. In the meantime, carry on with your duties.”
The noblewoman reached for a glass of wine and sipped it. Her husband sat mutely, staring into his own goblet.
Elinor began to rock and feared she might faint. Without a word, she fled the room.
Chapter 12
Elinor rushed down the corridor, her hand pressed against her mouth to hold in the scream that threatened to erupt.
She loathed that woman.
The former baron had robbed her of her childhood and birthright but Lady Rohesia now stole Elinor’s very family and livelihood away. How could she live without her raptors? Where would she go once the new falconer arrived?
She was utterly alone.
Elinor reached the top of the stairs. For a brief moment, she thought about flinging herself down them and ending her life. Lady Rohesia would not be able to ignore Elinor’s broken body. But that would mean the noblewoman would be the winner in the game they played. Elinor refused to allow that to happen.
At the foot of the stairs, Eunice awaited her. Deep lines had been etched into the servant’s face over the years. Elinor hurried down and joined the older woman.
“Did she rid herself of you?”
Elinor sighed. “Soon. She plans to bring in a new falconer. At that time, she will inform me what she and the baron have decided is to come of me.”
Eunice spat on the ground. “She is a wicked one. And he is as weak as they come. She should have been the man and he the woman.” Her face softened as she studied Elinor. “No one at Whitley likes what’s been done to you, my lady. No one. But not a one of us has ever been in a position to stand up for you. For what is right.”
Tears welled in Elinor’s eyes. “Thank you for telling me that.”
Eunice gave her a swift hug and stepped away. “You look so much like your mother.” She choked and turned away—but not before Elinor saw the guilt in her eyes.
Elinor walked back to the cottage, deliberately keeping her mind a blank. Thinking about her circumstances wouldn’t change anything. She had no control over her situation. Neither did the baron, it seemed. His wife ruled Whitley with an iron fist.
Unless Elinor left on her own.
She wasn’t a serf tied to the land. Despite being exiled by her father, the fact remained that Elinor Swan was a member of the nobility. They couldn’t hold her here as if she were some low-born soul.
And that gave her a sliver of hope.
She continued across Whitley lands, through the meadow and into the forest. Spending as much time as she could with her raptors would be her chief concern, especially since she had no idea how long she would be allowed around them. Then there was Hal. Her feelings had grown for him as rapidly as the eyases had developed. Soon, he would be gone, as well. She must cherish each day in his company before he departed and returned to his former life.
Arriving at the clearing, she paused when she spied Hal sitting on a stump, Tris perched on his gloved fist. Bess stood on the block perch alongside Cleo and Horus. The falcons preened their feathers as Hal conversed with Tris, his back to Elinor.
“You are my best girl, Tris. You are beautiful and smart and eager to please me.” He looked up. “And you are also my sweet one, Bess. I have come to admire you both. I will miss you once I leave Whitley but I must return to my family. I have been away far too long and know they are worried about me.”
Hal stood and encouraged Tris to hop onto the block perch. She joined her sister and began grooming her feathers with her bill as the others did. Hal stripped off his gauntlet and rested it on the stoop.
Elinor’s heart rent in grief and despair, knowing she was about to lose him and how eager he sounded about leaving. Yet, as a mother bird knew when the time had come to push her babes from the nest, she must do the same with Hal and free him to return to his people. He had stayed with her far too long out of some sense of obligation for her helping him recover from his injuries. She needed to insist that he leave because she wouldn’t be able to bear it if he had to witness her cast out from Whitley. Knowing Hal, he would feel a responsibility for her and offer to take her with him. Elinor couldn’t allow that to happen. He had a life of his own, away from her.
With determination, Elinor stepped into the clearing, ready to insist that he leave in the morning. It wouldn’t be easy to see him depart but the longer he stayed, the more it would hurt her to see him go. Better now in order to give her time to deal with that heartbreak before she faced being turned away from Whitley and her raptors.
Hal must have sensed her presence. He swung around and as he caught sight of her, he broke out into the most brilliant smile.
Elinor promptly burst into tears.
He closed the distance between them in seconds, encircling her in his arms, drawing her to his chest. Her fingers clutched his soft tunic as she buried her face in it and wept a river of tears. Elinor cried for the mother she barely remembered and the life she’d been forced to give up because of her father’s selfish whim. Tears fell for the hole in her heart with Jasper dead and buried. Her body shook as she sobbed in misery because her time with her beloved raptors soon would come to an end. Everything she had known was being wrenched from her. She stood alone against the world and didn’t know if she even wanted to continue living in it.
The longer she cried, the more Hal stroked her back with firm but gentle hands, murmuring comforting words that she didn’t bother to listen to. Immense warmth radiated from him, bringing her a sense of solace. His hand touched her head, wrapping around it, his thumb moving back and forth, soothing her scalp.
Though everything was wrong in her life, his embrace eased her suffering—and felt so right. She gazed up at him with watery eyes only to find his a brilliant blue and stormy. They scared her, depths to them she’d never seen. Hal had been so quiet in the beginning. Through time together, he had opened up to her, but this was a new sid
e to him that she’d never witnessed before.
It frightened her. It thrilled her.
She knew when he came to a decision—and knew what that decision was even as he lowered his mouth to hers. Softly, he brushed his lips against hers. The tingling she’d experienced when she’d touched him began in full force. His lips grew more insistent. The tingling spread through her limbs.
Elinor needed him. She’d never needed anyone or hadn’t thought she did. Until this man. Sudden desire for things she didn’t understand burned within her. Her hands slipped up his rock-hard chest to his neck. Her fingers danced along it and pushed up into his hair.
A deep groan rumbled within him. Hal clutched her as his tongue gained entrance into her mouth. It possessed her, dominating her, causing her bones to melt. Elinor clung to Hal as if a tempest swirled about them and they would only survive it if they held on to one another. He was her anchor amidst this storm. She determined never to let go.
His hands roamed down her back and cupped her buttocks. She felt something stiff pressing against her belly, something between them, and realized his manhood hardened.
He wanted her.
Exhilaration filled her. He wanted her. No one other than Jasper had laid claim to her and even then, Jasper had left her on her own much of the time. But Hal desired her as a woman. He didn’t know she was an outcast from the nobility. He only knew her as a falconer. He wanted Elinor for her true self.
The kiss deepened as he kneaded her buttocks with strong fingers. Elinor returned his kiss with everything she had, wanting to remember the taste of him in the years to come.
He began to pull away but she was having none of that. Her fingers tightened in his thick hair, forcing his lips back to hers. Elinor kissed him as he had kissed her, with a longing and passion that rocked her to her core.
Hal tried to break the kiss again but Elinor refused to cooperate. Her hands locked behind his neck and she hoisted her legs up, wrapping them about his waist. A deep growl came from him. His lips traveled down her throat, nipping her with little love bites that sent a frisson of pleasure through her. He began walking as she tossed her head back, giving him better access to her neck. They crashed against something and Elinor held on securely. She heard a noise and felt warmth before a door slammed. Opening her eyes, she saw they were now inside the cottage.
