by Sherry Ewing
“I can’t get her to leave, Aiden,” Brianna answered, clearly exasperated with her efforts that had failed. “Even Gavin had no luck.”
Katherine sighed, knowing Aiden would be determined to take care of her, since she had been put under his protection. For someone younger than her by two years, he tended to be pretty bossy. In the last week, she barely had the energy to fight with him anymore.
She began to move at his gentle urging as he lightly steadied her arm at her elbow. Her legs wobbled, and if not for Aiden’s arm snaking around her waist, she would have fallen.
“Easy now, Katherine. I have you,” he said quietly. “Do you even have the slightest inkling in that pretty little head of yours that he shall have mine served on a platter if any harm befalls you?”
“Who?” she asked softly, still trying to get her footing as the blood rushed down her tingling legs. She gritted her teeth, not wanting to disturb the sanctuary of the chapel by stomping her sleeping feet as the pin pricks pierced each one with every step she took.
“Your husband, that is who, my lady. When he put you in my care, I am sure ’twas not for you to spend all of your days praying for his soul. I must admit, however, that I respect your dedication on his behalf. If only I could be so lucky as to have someone who loved me just as deeply.”
She looked up into his violet eyes with tears shimmering in her own. “I only mean to do all I can to keep him safe, Aiden,” she barely managed to say.
“I know we do not know each other well, Katherine, but I must needs ask. Where is the woman who stood up to Riorden at Berwyck not that long ago? She was a feisty wench, and I admired her spirit. I am just as sure your husband did, as well.”
She shook her head sadly and sat down next to Brianna on the bench. Aiden came and sat on the other side of her. “I don’t know who she is anymore. I’m so afraid...” Her voice trailed off, since she wasn’t sure she should worry anyone, especially Brianna, with what Lord Everard had told her.
She watched as Aiden and Brie exchanged silent glances with one another before Aiden made a gesture that Brianna seemingly interpreted as asking her to leave. She rose, gave Katherine a brief kiss on the cheek and left the chapel.
“I will watch her now, Caldwell,” Aiden insisted. “You have my word no harm shall befall your mistress.”
“If you insist,” Caldwell replied, clearly not sure he should be leaving her side. He seemed to be everywhere she went, and to be honest, Katherine wouldn’t mind a little privacy for a change.
“I do,” Aiden answered as he watched Caldwell take his leave.
Katherine took a deep breath. “Thank you for that.”
“Now...we are alone, so tell me what has you so frightened that you act like a meek little mouse instead of the lioness I know you can be?” He reached for her hand, giving it a small pat until she gave him the briefest of smiles.
“Me? A lioness? I hardly think so Aiden, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”
He gave a brief laugh. “Oh, I think she is still there. We must needs bring her back is all,” he said. “So tell me your fears and hold nothing back, for I cannot in good conscious protect you fully unless I know what I may come up against.”
Katherine gave a heavy sigh before she began telling him everything that had occurred. Once she started, she found it hard to stop as she unburdened her soul, not only from her distress of seeing Marguerite ride off with Riorden, but also for all the past hurt she had endured in her younger years. He listened compassionately until she began spilling the beans about what Lord Everard had said, and then Aiden’s temper erupted.
He began to pace frantically in front of her. Katherine could only assume he forgot he was in a church, since she could have sworn she heard a curse word or two thrown in with all the Gaelic that came spewing forth from his mouth. He must have suddenly realized what he was doing, for he gave a brief bow to the altar, made the sign of the cross, and took her elbow again, steering her away from the chapel. Not until they were in the open afternoon air did he at last speak to her.
“Let us away, lassie. There is much to do afore Riorden returns, and I must needs have speech with him,” Aiden declared, still ushering her across the baily.
“But he refuses to hear anything about his father. I don’t think you should test his temper,” she warned. “It wasn’t a pretty sight, I assure you.”
“I should think he had better start listening, especially if it means the wellbeing of his wife!”
He continued dragging her along until she tugged on his arm to slow his frantic pace. “Where are we going?” she asked, trying to catch her breath.
“’Tis obvious, is it not?” He waited for Katherine to answer, but she only stared at him dumbfounded. “If you are going to stay here, then ’tis time you learn to ride. At least I will know that if the need arises, you will be able to get yourself to a horse to flee the grounds.”
“But, Aiden, I−”
He held up his hand to stop her and then got the strangest look upon his face. “Katherine...how do I say this without being...well...we just do not speak of such things to ladies we are not wed to.”
She gave a bubbly laugh for the first time in a long while then hid her smile behind her hand. “Are you talking about my pregnancy, Aiden?” She laughed again as she saw him blush as red as the roots of his hair.
“’Tis unseemly to discuss the subject, I know, but I feel the matter must needs be addressed,” he muttered in embarrassment.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m a modern kind of gal, since it’s no big deal to speak of such things where I come from,” she said. “Would you like to feel the bump I’ve got growing here?”
“Eee gads, no! Riorden would have my head for sure if I dared such a liberty!” Aiden bellowed.
Katherine’s laughter rang out again. “No? Well, I won’t pressure you, but I assure you it’s perfectly fine in the twenty-first century.”
“’Tis a good thing I have no intention of going anywhere near your future world if the women are as bold as you. I do not think my chivalry would last very long with all the temptation.”
“You don’t know the half of it, Aiden, but what was your point of this whole conversation?”
“Just that you be careful. I would not wish to be the cause of you losing Riorden’s heir.”
“I will be,” Katherine promised.
Heading into the stables, Aiden made to grab a side saddle, and Katherine reached out her hand to halt his progress.
“No way, Aiden. If you’re going to teach me to ride, I want a normal saddle, if you please.”
“But, Katherine, ’tis not seemly that you should ride thusly.” Aiden stared at her as if she had lost all sense in her head. She folded her arms in front of her and gave him a look her mother would have been proud of.
“If you want me to be careful, then get a regular saddle. No woman should swing her leg over such a device and perch herself only half way on with the constant fear of falling off.”
She listened as Aiden began cursing again, voicing his objections, but she ignored his grumblings. Surely, it had to have been a man who invented such a stupid convention that women must adhere to. But she would ride as she saw fit and be damned of how anyone thought of her. The only opinion that mattered anyway was her husband’s.
Katherine felt somewhat lighthearted for the first time in over a week since Riorden left. With Aiden’s help, they began her lessons on how to ride. She soon realized she wasn’t about to become an expert horsewoman overnight, but at least she put everything into what Aiden was attempting to teach her. Her only thoughts were to prove to Riorden that he could be proud of her. She could already imagine the look on his face when he saw she had attempted to learn to ride in his absence. With that thought in mind, she smiled, knowing he would soon be coming back home...to her.
Chapter 16
Beads of sweat rolled down Riorden’s face. Wiping his brow with the back of his arm, he again took ax in hand a
nd swung it over his head in a downward plunge. There was an instant satisfaction, feeling the tool slice through the brittle wood with a loud smack. He performed the task again with the same results. Picking up the split pieces, he tossed them into the growing pile of logs that would heat the hearths come the winter. Just as quickly as he added to the mound, an ever diligent serf would take them away to neatly stack the logs by the rear door to the manor.
’Twas a busy, mindless job, but work that must needs be done, and who better than he to hack away at what once was a tree of some considerable size. Besides...it took his mind off more troubling matters that he did not wish to think on. Smack went the ax again, only this time wood splinters went flying, narrowly missing his head.
“Mayhap you should take a break, if you wish to keep your eyesight, mon ami.”
Riorden looked up and noticed Nathaniel, lounging against a nearby tree. He had been so focused on cleaving the wood, he could only wonder how long Nathaniel had stood there. He propped his boot on the solid trunk he had been using as a chopping block and gazed at his friend. “There is another ax, if you would care to dirty your hands with some exercise and join me.”
Nathaniel only chuckled. “I am not sure I would want to disturb you, since you appear to be taking out your aggravation on what still needs be cut. Am I intruding? Do you wish to be alone?”
“Nay, I would not mind a brief respite from this tedious chore.”
Riorden put the ax down and retrieved his tunic where he had left it on the near-dead grass. He pulled it over his head afore Nathaniel at last spoke.
“You should not give the lady the satisfaction of being able to ogle you,” Nathaniel counseled. “She watches your every move, but you knew that, did you not?”
“Aye, I knew...not that I can do much to stop her gawking.”
The silence stretched between them, almost awkwardly, despite the years they had traveled and warred together. One did not ride as part of the Devil’s Dragon of Blackmore’s personal guard and not feel a certain kinship with someone who closely guarded one’s back.
“Why did you not bring her with you?” prodded Nathaniel for an answer.
“You mean Katherine?”
“Who else would I mean?”
Riorden looked up to the manor and saw the drapery flutter in one of the upper windows. ’Twas obvious Marguerite was once again spying on him. It seemed as if every time he turned around that woman was close at hand. “I did not want to subject my wife to the bitterness that consumes Marguerite’s life of late.”
“And you think leaving your wife behind to mull over what the wench does with you in her absence will bring her peace of mind?”
“Katherine knows how I feel about her. She has nothing to be jealous of,” Riorden muttered, taking a swig of water from a flask his friend handed him.
“Ha! You know nothing of women, Riorden, if you think Lady Katherine is not feeling the full effects of your absence.” Nathaniel replied. “I cannot say as I would blame her. There is something about your father’s widow that is not quite right. She seems tetched in the head, if you take my meaning.” Nathaniel’s gesture of pointing a crooked finger at his own temple and contorting one side of his face illustrated his meaning.
Riorden ran his fingers through his hair. “She claims my father’s ghost haunts her.”
“Truly?” At Riorden’s nod, Nathaniel continued. “That is interesting. I wonder what she did to deserve that, do you suppose.”
“I do not try to guess anything where my sire is concerned, be he dead or when he was of this earth,” grumbled Riorden.
“Mayhap, you should.”
“Why?”
“Oh, I do not know... Mayhap, because your ex-lover is going mad from his haunting could be a good enough reason. I would think that if your wife, and even your brother, has had speech with your father, ’twould be my guess he has something of import to tell you that was left unsaid whilst he was alive. That alone should be of concern to you,” Nathaniel surmised. “Take your pick of which you feel is the most critical aspect to explore.”
“’Tis a moot point, since I have not seen his ghostly apparition come afore me,” Riorden snarled.
“You should make the effort, Riorden. I have the notion that to continue to ignore your past, will cost you what you hold most dear in your future.”
Riorden pondered his words with a heavy sigh. “I cannot lose Katherine. She is all to me.”
Nathaniel gave him a hardy pat on the back. “Then make sure she is aware of this, Riorden. You have been extremely blessed to have a woman such as your Katherine brought into your life to bring you comfort. I know of no other to be as fortunate as you, mon ami, especially considering exactly how far she has come to find you.
“You know from whence she hails?” Riorden asked in surprise. He had not realized that they had not guarded their secret better.
“Do you not mean to say when?” Nathaniel chuckled.
“’Tis not a matter that should be jested about, for it could cost Katherine and Lady Brianna their lives if the wrong person learned of such knowledge.” Riorden gave a brief glance upward again to see that Marguerite was still gone and not eavesdropping on their conversation. He returned his attention to Nathaniel and studied his friend for several minutes. “How did you know?”
“I learned of it whilst still at Berwyck, but have no fear. The mystery of your lovely lady’s origin is safe with me. Nonetheless, I would keep Lady Katherine close, if I were you.”
Riorden stared at his friend, as if Nathaniel had imparted such words of wisdom that would never have crossed his mind. “You think Katherine is in danger? Marguerite is mean spirited, but I hardly consider her to have such evil intent.”
“Then open your eyes, Riorden, afore ’tis too late! Do not be so blinded by your anger with your father and your past that you refuse to listen to those who warn you of what they themselves can see behind your back. You should watch yours, by the way, especially where Marguerite in concerned. ’Tis plane to see she wants you, but only she knows for sure how far she’s willing to go afore she stakes her claim.”
Riorden watched Nathaniel leave him, wondering if his comrade had voiced what even he himself had been holding back for the past se’nnight. His heart skipped a beat with thoughts of Katherine being in some kind of unknown danger, and he quickly felt the need to return to Warkworth...and his wife.
* * *
Marguerite carefully balanced the bottle and cup she held on a tray and wrapped lightly on the door afore her. With the call to enter, she turned the handle and came to a sudden halt at what her eyes beheld.
“You are leaving?” she asked in disbelief. She had thought she would have more time with him.
“Aye.” Riorden gave her a simple answer and went back to his task of throwing his garments into a bag. From the looks of things, he appeared to be in a hurry and would leave afore the morn’s end.
“But, I thought we were to stay here at least another se’nnight. There is still much to do, unless I misunderstood you.”
He looked at her with a sideways glance, as if noticing her for the first time. He turned away from her, continuing on with his task without a care that she was upset with his parting. “You mistook nothing, Marguerite.”
“I brought you something to drink,” she offered in the hopes she could get him to sample the heady red wine.
“Set it there,” he said with a noncommittal nod of his head in the direction of his desk.
She crossed the room, lingering slightly as she passed him. It had been so very long since she had the opportunity to be alone with him. He was so close. All she wanted to do was reach out her hand to touch and feel the strength of his broad shoulders. And yet, she would be a fool to do so and needed to exercise some patience. She poured the wine into a chalice and offered it to him. If only he would but take one sip. ’Twould be the start of her plans coming to fruition.
“I am not in need of sustenance, Margueri
te. As you can see, I am in a hurry,” Riorden said briskly.
“But, what about me? Dunhaven Manor is far from ready to move in completely, and most of my things are still at Warkworth and in need of arranging for transport,” she complained.
Riorden stopped his busy packing long enough to look at her again.
If only she would see some small measure of love in those glorious eyes as he had given her all those years ago. But there was nothing showing within them except contempt and loathing, making her all the more determined to keep him as close to her as possible.
“Come if you wish, but if you do so, then you must needs hurry. I leave within the hour, with or without you.” Riorden picked up his satchel and strode to the door, leaving her to forlornly observe his retreating backside ’til the door slammed shut behind him.
Coming back to her senses after flinching from the loud sound that ricocheted in her head, she hurriedly made her way to her own chamber to throw a few things into a satchel for the ride back to Warkworth. Inwardly, she cursed, knowing upon her return Everard would torment her now more than ever for leaving the grounds. With the small glass vial tucked in the folds of her gown, she made her way below, more determined than ever to have Riorden in her bed. She already envisioned their return to Warkworth and a start of their new life together.
Chapter 17
“Would you just look at it, Brie? I mean really look at it!” Katherine exclaimed with sheer excitement, her eyes practically glowed as her gaze rested on the castle off in the distance.
Brianna reached over and patted her hand. “Yes, dear, I see it, just as I saw it the last twelve times you’ve commented on it,” she said with a laugh.
Katherine gave her a sly smirk. “Well, I just can’t help myself from wanting to jump up and down, knowing I’m living in a castle. It’s rather spectacular, don’t you think?”
