He smiled. “I knew what I wanted, and my family was supportive. Being a guard paid better than being a merchant, as my father was, so here I am.”
“Your family?” she asked. “They are still around?”
“Yes,” he grinned. “Mother, father, and five sisters.”
“Five!”
“That’s why I settle for five languages. One to insult each of them in,” he laughed and she shook her head.
No wonder he seemed so different than other men, so much gentler. Growing up with five sisters must do something different to the normal brute that most men turned out to be in life.
They rode in silence for a little while, and Nora felt the steady rhythm of the horse lulling her to sleep. She had never been on horseback for an extended period of time, and it was exhausting. Ricardo’s broad back was as comfortable as any pillow, and she found that she actually slipped into a half sleep.
When she opened her eyes, she could see the town they must have been talking about. The fires were burning and it smelled like civilization. They had only been riding for one day and she missed the bustling city life. She wasn’t sure how she was going to handle many weeks on the road.
“How long are we stopping?” she asked as they dismounted just outside the city limits.
Ricardo swung down first and then helped her down, his hands firm on her waist. Even through her corset, she felt his thumbs and they sent shivers down her spine. He smiled at her, and she didn’t realize that her high collar, covering the scars, had slipped in her sleep. His eyes never left her face though.
“Long enough to stuff our faces,” he replied. “And for Alexander to stock up on enough liquor to kill a horse. It’s the last town between here and our destination that is really viable. We should also send a message to Sutton, detailing the attack, so he can get other men to deal with it. There’s nothing we can do from here, and we weren’t followed.”
“Shall we…” she paused. “The bookstore?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” he smiled again, taking the reins of the horse.
“Nora,” Alexander’s voice was quick and sharp and she turned to him. “Remove your jewels. People can see for miles that you are noble and we want to remain undercover.”
“I…” she replied, but decided it was best not to argue. She unclasped her necklace and slipped off her rings and earrings, placing them in the saddlebags as well. Her dress was fancy, but there was nothing she could do about that. “Do you think I am in danger here?”
“Better safe than sorry,” he grunted, and they headed into a town bustling with people that paid them no attention at all.
She had never been anonymous in her whole life. Someone was always watching her, always paying attention to her. To be anonymous and yet feel safe was, she quickly realized, the best feeling in the world. She must remove her jewels and travel with guards more often; especially Ricardo.
6
CHAPTER SIX
It was late at night. The fire was crackling and Peter and Nora were fast asleep by it. For a marchioness who had never spent a day outside of a proper bed, she was doing surprisingly well at it. They had been on the road for a week, and they had settled into a routine. Then again, riding was exhausting and everyone was up with the sun. Once it rose, it was impossible to sleep. Darkness only increased the fatigue that they drained them all day.
Ricardo was propped against a rock, reading the book that he had purchased for Nora the week before. It was the tale of King Arthur, the only book in the whole store that had been published in French. He had not actually done much French reading, learning the language from conversation as opposed to text. It was slightly more difficult than English, but that just meant he was more engaged.
A branch crackled, but he didn’t jump. When one spends so long on the road, they learn to interpret each branch crackle. This one was Alexander, stumbling slightly as he returned from the river nearby.
Alexander was never one to stay with the group. When they were at home at the barracks, he never sat around with them for more than an hour or two at a time. He would go out with them to pubs, but usually ended up sitting by himself. On missions, it wasn’t uncommon for him to wander off on his own, often for hours, if he wasn’t taking the night watch. His thoughts were deep and revolving in his head, and they only spun more with each bottle he finished.
Tonight, he returned to the fire with the last of the alcohol that they carried. For the next week or two, they would have to rely solely on sources of fresh water. For normal guards, that wasn’t a problem. For Alexander, Ricardo knew it was the start of hell.
“Hi,” Ricardo whispered, watching his friend make his way, slightly clumsily, to sit beside him. He didn’t close the book because he wasn’t sure that Alexander wanted to talk. Sometimes they sat in silence for hours on end during the night, and for that, Ricardo needed his own form of amusement. He had long since learned when to speak and when to let nature do the talking. Alexander sometimes reminded him of a startled deer; not in strength, but in attitude. Some nights, when they went to the pubs, he would sit at his own table all night, drowning bottle after bottle until he could hardly walk. Even then, he would accept no help to stumble home. He couldn’t be spoken to, couldn’t be touched, and couldn’t stand in one place long enough during those days for Ricardo even to get two words in edgewise. It was like he was trying to avoid anything that involved contact with the human race. Nevertheless, it was often after nights like this that he would subtly refuse to be alone. In the days that followed, he would silently stand by Ricardo’s side. He would reluctantly agree to take a meal with him, stand half a step away in the parade square, and pretend like it was a great inconvenience that he accompanied Ricardo everywhere on the day’s errands. His patterns were predictable in length, but seemingly without prompt. On the worst of these days, he wouldn’t stay with Peter either, not finding his brash attitude a comfort. The trio was tight, but it was only Ricardo who seemed to be able to crack the exterior.
Ricardo had always thought it was like Alexander just couldn’t face the world during certain weeks; whatever ate at his soul was too much to handle.
The elder held out the bottle, offering to share the last few mouthfuls, and Ricardo took a sip, wincing at its strength. “Anything interesting by the river?”
“Deer tracks,” Alexander replied a bit thickly. “Venison will probably be on the menu if one of us gets up at dawn.”
Ricardo closed his book, shifting to sit up more comfortably. “I could eat a whole deer about now,” he grinned. “So I’ll see if Peter and I can catch two.”
Alexander nodded, closing his eyes, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He was fighting the dizziness that came with drink, and regretting that he’d finished the last of it. “Nora alright?” he managed, to distract Ricardo from looking concerned.
“She’s fine,” Ricardo replied, watching him. “She owns such vast property, there are many lands that border hers.”
“Mmm,” Alexander wasn’t really listening. He very rarely let himself slip into blackness unless he was alone, but he was comfortable here.
“Only one piece that remains empty though,” he continued. “And it’s odd that she hasn’t taken it over, because from what I understand, it’s been empty for about five years, the lord vanished.”
“Ricardo,” Alexander growled, almost warning him.
However, Ricardo felt they had traveled too long under secrecy to let this go now. “Are you the Marques du Battenberg?” Ricardo asked, and Alexander sucked in a deep breath as if he had been punched. From the look he shot Ricardo, the question was answered. Nora had told him as much, but Ricardo needed to hear it for himself.
He had a thousand more questions, such as what had happened to the marchioness, his wife, who he had heard to be very beautiful. If there was a beautiful noble lady within three weeks’ ride, Ricardo was sure to know about it. She had become noble when she’d married Alexander, having been from a
merchant family such as his. It had been a great love match, a controversial love match, but a great one. They had spoken of her beauty whenever she was referenced, dark hair, dark eyes and pale dusty skin. He had heard, as the rest of the world had, that this great beauty had sickened and died, but that was the last he’d heard out of Battenberg. It didn’t seem likely, with her energy and youth. He could have asked, but instead, he chose a slightly different route. “She told me she’s been taking care of those lands for a while now. The rents are collected, the grass cut and the manor cleaned. There is a lovely home waiting for you, with a big pile of money.”
“A home that I will never return to,” Alexander replied sharply. “And you cannot tell anyone else about this. You know, and I can live with that, as you are my greatest friend in the world. But this comes with responsibility, Ricardo. Knowing these secrets is not a road that a good soul would travel.”
“I am sorry for the loss of your wife,” Ricardo replied quietly.”I was in the guards when it was reported. We were supposed to escort the king to her funeral, but that never happened.”
Alexander grunted and Ricardo knew it was only because he was dead drunk that he continued speaking. “There was no funeral,” he said simply, and his voice broke. He tipped the bottle upward toward his mouth, but it was empty. “There was no grave, so your journey would have been in vain.”
“Alexander?” Ricardo felt his blood run cold, and he turned to Alexander, to catch an expression he had never seen on his friend’s face before. It was half demonic and half heartbroken.
“She had lied to me about who she was,” Alexander replied. “She was not a merchant’s daughter, but the daughter of a whore, born in a brothel, with a charge for murder on her head. The guards came looking for her the very day she left, so she must have known they were coming and fled. I remember, after they searched the house, listening to them talk, watching them ride off after gathering clues….I remember thinking that they had a better chance of finding her than anyone else in the world. They were the best, well trained, intelligent, unlimitedly funded and able to travel without question. If anyone could bring her back, it was the guards.”
Suddenly, everything made sense to Ricardo. “And so here you are,” he said softly. “Looking for her.”
Alexander turned toward him, his eyes ablaze. “Five years, learning to live in this world without her, and looking for her around every corner. And yet…I have no idea what to do if I find her. I cannot take her back, we cannot return to the way we were. That is the burden nobles bear, Ricardo, to live their lives for the sake of others. Even if she was found and pardoned, she could not be my wife no matter what…what my heart says.”
“I’m sorry,” Ricardo said, after a time. So much about Alexander made sense now, rushing toward him after five years together. His solemn mindset, his habit of drowning his sorrows, his lack of emotion. His very soul was broken, dead, without love, and he had never brought himself to even glance at another woman. Ricardo knew that it was something deeply scarring, but he wouldn’t have believed that it was this bad. “Nora must bring up some terrible memories for you then.”
“Yes,” Alexander was truthful about that. “Sutton knew who I was, and he chose to assign me to her anyway. I had to tell him, on order of the king. Nobles, it seems, must ask permission for the king for everything, even being a guard. On one hand, I am grateful. I would not want her under anyone else’s care. She reminds me of a time when we were all happy. But on the other, it breaks me more every day for I am reminded that this happiness I picture is no more. And the travesty that was done to her…perhaps could have been prevented if I had been at home. The riders that burned her and killed her mother came through my lands to do so. I have never let that leave my soul.”
“I don’t think you can blame yourself for it,” Ricardo replied. “You weren’t there.”
“I am here now though,” Alexander replied, glancing at him. “What are the two of you up to?”
“You take offense?” Ricardo asked, dropping his guard. Alexander probably wouldn’t remember a word of this conversation in the morning. “If I have an interest in the Lady?”
Alexander let out a long breath, again staring off into the fire. “No. I think Nora could do with a little love in her life. She won’t find it in a noble marriage, that’s for sure.”
Ricardo was surprised at this answer, and wondered if it would be different in the morning. “You should know that she already knows everything about me,” Ricardo said. “Out of respect for you, I did tell her my past. Love comes easily, and it leaves easily, about that I was honest. But I was also honest in telling her that I felt like this was something…different. She is not the usual noble lady that catches my eye.” He paused, thinking. “There's a girl in town she should meet. Do you know Nathan Rambles? His intended, Loyalty, was born with marks on her face. She has learned to live happily, and unaware. I know that these are issues Nora is struggling with that you haven't addressed yet. I'd be happy to make the introduction.”
“Alright,” Alexander agreed. “You told her everything and she hasn’t run screaming for the hills?” He managed a chuckle. “Perhaps she is not the same ward I left. That girl believed in eternal love, like a fairy tale.”
“Life changes people,” Ricardo replied. “I will not break her heart, Alexander, because I will not take it from her. She will always be in possession of it, hers to give as she chooses.”
“Mmm,” Alexander replied, closing his eyes. “One tear caused by you and I’ll kick your teeth in. Nora is grown now, and she can do as she chooses. If it’s with the likes of you, I suspect it won’t be for long.”
“We are taking her to be married,” Ricardo grinned as the fire crackled. “Go to bed, or you’ll feel like dung in the morning.”
“That,” Alexander groaned as he pushed himself up. “Is unavoidable. But you’ll take the watch anyway?”
“Aye, I want to finish this book,” Ricardo held it up. “I’ve got one question for you, before you go,” he opened it to the page he was at. “This word here. Think you can get your rum-soaked brain to explain it?”
“Serment,” Alexander replied, as easily as if he were back in Calais. “Oath. Arthur swore an oath that the Knights of the Round Table would always have his friendship. It could also be a vow.”
“Vow,” Ricardo smiled. “I like that. A vow of friendship.”
“You would,” Alexander grunted at him, far less sentimental as he headed to bed down by the fire. However, he felt oddly comforted by their conversation, despite the fact that it had dragged up horrible memories. Nora was lonely in this world, and he felt partially to blame. She knew her duty better than him, and she would not forsake a noble marriage. Nevertheless, she clearly enjoyed Ricardo’s company, so if he could give her a little happiness in the meantime, why not? Happiness was so bereft in Alexander’s world, and he trusted Ricardo to do his duty as much as Nora. Once they found her a husband, it would be the end of this. If he saw her smile in the meantime, there was no harm that came of it.
He lay down by her, on the other side of the crackling fire, shoving his coat under his head. Unexpectedly, she rolled over.
“Hi,” she said softly as the crickets chirped.
“Hi.” He was surprised to find that his eyes didn’t focus properly on her face. “Go to sleep.”
“Is it true?” she asked, and his brow furrowed.
“What?”
“About Mary.”
He exhaled, finally focusing to see the sadness on her face. Mary had been her surrogate mother, her heroine and her best friend all at once. The two of them, separated by twenty years, would spend hours together in the bright afternoon sun, talking, laughing, drinking tea and being together. They would have adventures by the pond, and have twin dresses made. He had forgotten, until this very moment, how close they had been. “Nora…” he trailed off, the words not reaching his mouth. “Does it matter? She is gone, and it is best that you maintain the
memory you have of her.” Then he remembered something, and tried to use it to distract her. “Your English is improving if you understand that conversation,” he said, and she scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder. The ground was cold, and there were rocks underneath them that cut into her flesh.
“I didn’t need to understand,” she replied. “I could see it on your face. I thought that you two were so perfect together, that one day I would have a noble marriage like that, and I would be so happy. But now I see that there is no way it can be as it was.”
“Noble marriages are made by man, not by the heart,” he mumbled, already falling asleep. “But yours will be better than mine, Lady, I promise you.”
“If it happens at all,” she closed her eyes again, the crickets lulling her. “Ricardo told you he talked to me.”
“Yes,” he muttered. “There’s nothing wrong with having your fun before a noble marriage anyway.”
“Did you?” she asked and he snorted.
“A gentleman never tells.”
“I thought that you weren’t a gentleman anymore,” she pointed out, a bit bitterly.
He sighed, his eyes still closed. His head spun and he was losing his grip on this world. However, her voice anchored him. “You bring out the gentleman in me again,” he replied, the last words he managed before he slipped under the darkness that threatened the corners of his brain.
She lay awake for a while longer, fighting her own feelings regarding this turn of events. Had Mary really done those awful things to him? Had she really run away?
The story Nora knew was the same as the rest of the world; that Mary had sickened and died, and she had chosen to be cremated like the heathen gods of old. Her mother had told her, she had cried and by the time she went to see Alexander, it was too late.
She knew that he said she had done terrible things, but what she couldn’t get past was the fact that Mary was probably still alive. With both her parents gone and Alexander only a shadow of the man she once knew, she was left with memories of Mary. There was hope, still, to find the last parental figure in her life, somewhere drifting in this world.
Revealing A Marchioness's Heart (The Chronicles of Loyalty) Page 12
