The sooner the lady was cared for, the sooner he could discover the facts. Gesturing toward a small corridor, he indicated the couple to follow.
“You may have my room for the night, Bose,” he said, grasping a torch as they entered the dim, confining hall. “I’ll have food sent to your wife. You and I can partake of the meal in the dining room, as I should like to know what has become of you over the past four years.”
Bose had to duck his head as they passed into the corridor; he was far too tall to stand his full height. “I shall eat with my wife, Dag. We must retire early so that we will be on the road to Ravendark before the sun rises. You and I can catch up on times past at a later date.”
Summer sneezed violently into her kerchief, the loud sound echoing off the walls. “N-Nonsense, Bose. Your cousin hasn’t seen you in four years. I insist that you spare the man some time; after all, he’s just married us without question or payment. ’Twould be polite to tell him what he has gotten himself into.”
Bose shook his head. “But you are ill, love. I must make sure you eat and rest.”
She gazed at him with as much steadfastness as she could muster within her exhausted body. “I am n-not an invalid. I can eat and rest without your overbearing presence.”
His eyebrows rose at her snippy reply. “Is that so? God’s Beard, when did you become so petulant?”
Dag came to a sudden halt. Bose, still focused on his wife, failed to note his cousin’s abrupt stop and plowed into the back of him. Dag grunted with the force of the blow, eyeing his cousin with a good deal of feigned hazard. “Clumsy oaf. And I agree with your wife; you are overbearing.”
The priest opened a small, well-scrubbed door as Bose pretended to be hurt by their slander. “I sense that I am an unwelcome burden to you both. I suppose I should simply be along my way and leave the two of you in peace if that is your general consensus of my nature.”
Summer’s laughter was abruptly cleaved by a resounding sneeze. Sniffling and moaning miserably where she had been smiling not a moment before, Dag peered at the young woman with genuine concern.
“My lady, your health is in serious question. Curse my damnable cousin for forcing you to travel in your condition.”
Summer smiled weakly. “I was f-fine until a few hours ago, truly.”
“You are most certainly not fine now,” Bose pushed into the dim room beyond the open door, hardly able to stand his full height as he scanned the meager surroundings. “So this is your chamber, Dag? I can see that your sect strictly adheres to their vow of poverty.”
Dag grunted in agreement. “Indeed. But it is warm and dry and I am sure your wife will find it more comfortable than the back of a charger,” turning to Summer as she blew her nose loudly, his black eyes raked her intently for the simple fact that he had never before seen such an incredibly beautiful woman.
The curiosity that had been growing steadily suddenly grew wings and took flight; he found himself quite determined to know the lady’s history where it pertained to his cousin and was eager to begin the interrogation. “My lady, I shall have food sent to you immediately. And water to wash with, if you so desire. I am sorry we do not employ women servants that would assist you in this task.”
Summer wiped her nose, trying very much to be gracious in spite of her throbbing head and aching body. “F-Food shall be sufficient, Father. I doubt I would have the strength to wash, even with assistance.”
Dag smiled faintly in a gesture reminiscent of his cousin. Bose, however, was still reluctant to leave his wife alone, even for a single moment. “Are you sure, love? Would not you like me to stay and help?”
“Help with what? Eating or bathing?” when Dag snorted humorously, Summer merely smiled at her concerned husband. “I’ll be fine, my darling. I fear I will not be much company this night and I b-beg you to sup with your cousin. The man is desperate to know about me.”
Bose emitted a weary sigh, knowing it would be of no use to argue with her; if he had realized one particular characteristic of a woman over the course of his first marriage, it was the fact that argument, in any form, was futile. A lady usually received her heart’s desire and Bose could easily see that this relationship was to be no different. Worse, in fact.
“Very well,” he grumbled, displeased with her request. “Eat and retire, then, and I shall join you as soon as my cousin has finished raking me for information.”
Summer nodded, kissing his cheek quickly and narrowly avoiding sneezing on him. “There is no hurry,” she said, moving to shirk the heavy brown cloak that had seen rain, tournament, dungeons and marriage this day.
Bose removed the garment from her shoulders, laying it across a small table and noting for the first time the lovely amber-colored garment she wore. It molded to her body perfectly and he suddenly felt the unmistakable flames of passion lick at him; after all, ’twas the eve of their wedding and it was his legal right to claim her as his wife, body as well as soul. But Summer sneezed again and Bose was forced to realize that his new wife might not be in the best frame of body and mind to receive his husbandly attentions.
Still, more than an overwhelming need to discover all of the ripe passion her sweet body had to offer, the fact remained that he must brand her as his wife for the simple reason that it was necessary in order to fully consummate the marriage.
Summer sneezed yet again, jolting him from his train of thought. Swinging into action, Bose propped his cousin’s thin pillow against the wall and gently pushed Summer down against it. Wrapping the clean but worn woolen blanket about her legs, he smiled at her pale, pathetic face.
“I shan’t be long,” he promised again. “Eat what you are given before retiring, please. If I have returned and your food is untouched, I shall wake you and feed you every bite.”
She pursed her lips at him, a cantankerous reply cut short by yet another sneeze. Kissing her on the forehead, he followed his cousin from the room.
The cramped corridor reopened into the large room that served as a sanctuary for the priests, the very same room where Bose and Summer had been married not moments before. Directly to the left was a smaller room, used for dining, and Dag led his massive cousin into the smoke-tinged room. Indicating for the weary man to sit, he served him bread and cheese personally.
“Tell me of your new wife, Bose,” Dag could hardly contain himself as he poured his cousin a hefty draught of sour wine. “From where does she come?”
“Dorset,” Bose took a long, healthy swallow of the foul wine before tearing into a hunk of the coarse brown bread.
Dag scratched at his shaved head before following his cousin’s dining actions. “How did you come to meet her?”
“At her brother’s tournament.”
“And when was that?”
“Three days ago.”
Dag stopped eating. “Three days ago?” he swallowed the lump of bread in his throat. “God’s Blood, Bose, three days ago? What… what of her family? Do they know..?”
Bose put up a silencing hand as his loud cousin worked himself into a fit of disbelief. “Calm yourself, Dag,” his tone was quiet yet firm. “I apologize that I did not explain myself clearly when I first arrived, but it was imperative that the lady and I be married immediately. When you hear my explanation, you will agree with my reasoning.”
“God’s Blood!” Dag hissed, throwing his mauled bread to the plate. “You stole her! Or… Christ, even worse, you’ve bedded her already and must make amends to her enraged father!”
Bose shook his head in a quieting gesture. “Hush yourself, man. You are exactly as Uncle Rickard used to be, quick to the temper and emotion before you’ve been dealt the gist of the information.”
“My father was a wise, controlled man and I’ll not hear you say otherwise. Simply because your father, Uncle Garret, was as cold as a new snow, you have no right to accuse my father of erupting emotions like a foolish woman.”
Bose emitted a weary, grumbling sigh. “My father wasn’t cold; he simply c
ontrolled his emotions better than most men. And I did not come here to argue with you over our fathers’ distinctive personality traits. I have come for your help and counsel, Dag. You more than anyone have understood my feelings and emotions over the years and I need your wisdom now more than ever.”
Dag cooled with amazing speed, his expression a mixture of uncertainty and sympathy. After a moment, he sighed heavily. “I have not always understood you, though I have tried,” even his tone was considerably softer. “Very well, cousin. Tell me what you’ve done and I shall remain calm. At least, I’ll try.”
“Promise me.”
“A tentative pledge is the best I can do.”
Bose took a mouthful of bread, chewing thoughtfully as he spoke. “When I first saw the Lady Summer du Bonne, I thought her to be the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. And in my attraction to her, I felt extremely guilty in that I believed myself to have somehow betrayed my feelings for Lora. But as time passed, I came to realize that I needed to live life for the present, not allow myself to exist in the grief and remorse that had consumed me for four long years. Therefore, with a great deal of thought, I pursued the lovely young lady and eventually, her father verbally sanctioned my plea for her hand.”
Dag had resumed his meal as well, listening intently. “Then why did you come to Salisbury in the dead of night, demanding I wed you and your lady immediately?”
“Because a young knight, an unscrupulous warrior who has been a nemesis upon the tournament circuit, also had his attention drawn to my lady. Somehow, he managed to convince her father that the rumors regarding my murderous reputation were true, which turned the tides of marriage in his favor. Summer’s father broke his word to me and officially betrothed her to my competition.”
Dag swallowed the bite in his mouth, setting his chunk of bread to his coarse wooden plate. His movements were slow, pensive. “The rumors Margot spread? The hearsay meant to ruin you?”
“The same.”
“So you decided to force the father to his honor his vow,” again, Dag sighed heavily with confusion and wonder. “Bose, I have never known you to act foolishly or rashly. Why must you start now with the abduction of a woman who does not belong to you?”
Bose’s onyx-black eyes glittered in the weak torchlight. “Because I love her. And because I need her.”
Dag realized he had lost his appetite and pushed his plate away, meeting his cousin’s gaze. “Enough to risk potentially severe repercussions for your actions?”
“All that and more.”
After a moment, Dag looked away, shaking his head slowly. Bose leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows on the scrubbed top and resting his chin on his folded hands.
“You do not agree with me?”
“I did not say that,” Dag’s voice was soft. Scratching his shaved head yet again, he met his cousin’s searching expression. “I remember at Lora’s funeral, how you spent hours kneeling beside her crypt while your mother-in-law hurled curses at you the likes of which I have never heard before,” again, he shook his head out of pure bafflement. “What of the old woman, Bose? Does she still live with you? Will she continue to live with you and your new wife, providing of course that her legal betrothed does not have you executed for stealing his woman?”
Bose shrugged faintly. “Margot will not live with us. Out of respect for Lora, I will purchase her mother a manse in London where she can live peaceably. Had I not loved her daughter so, I would just as soon see the woman cast to the streets.”
“And what of your wife’s betrothed?”
For the first time, Bose’s expression hardened. “After tonight, there is nothing he can do. The church will not annul our marriage no matter if Breck Kerry is Summer’s legal betrothed or not. Once the union is sealed, they cannot interfere.”
“Breck Kerry? God’s Bones, Asa Kerry’s son?”
“The same. He’s nothing like his father, God rest his soul. A more vicious, petty lad you will never meet. Which is why it was imperative Summer and I be married immediately, before Breck could legally wrangle her from me.”
Dag sighed slowly, a fatigued gesture. “So you took advantage of my position. You used me to sustain your improperly acquired ends.”
“I needed you.”
The priest did not reply for a moment, eyeing his cousin with disapproval. “Had I known this information upon your arrival, I would never have married you. You cannot use the church as a weapon against those who will not obey your bidding, or as a safe haven in which to hide from those intent to prosecute you. Have you for one moment considered what affect this will have upon your wife? You have forced her into facing a great danger all because of your reckless action.”
“There will be no danger once we reach Ravendark.”
“And what do you plan to do? Barricade yourselves within your fortress for the rest of your lives? A foolish plan.”
Bose’s composure was slowly weakening. Dag had always been exceedingly wise and forthright, and he suddenly found himself wondering if his cousin wasn’t correct. Had he acted impulsively? Of course he had. But for Summer’s sake, the action was necessary.
“I would rather live isolated at Ravendark with my wife than pursue a life of freedom with only my guilt and loneliness to keep me company,” he leaned forward, fixing his uneasy cousin in the eye. “Being celibate, I do not expect you to understand my motives where it pertains to a woman. But know this; I love Summer with everything that I am and I will continue to love her until the end of time. There is not a man or god in Heaven and Earth that will separate us, her father and Breck Kerry included. Do you understand my words?”
Slowly, Dag nodded. “I do.”
“Then know that I have never been more serious about anything in my life,” Bose sat back, moving to stand. His appetite was vanished as well and he felt a tremendous need to hold Summer in his arms. “You have done me a great service this night, cousin, and I shall be ever grateful. If you will prepare the necessary documentation, I should like to take it with me when I depart. Good eve to you.”
“Bose,” Dag stood up quickly as his cousin sought to vacate the small, smoky room. “Please… I did not mean to sound condescending. If you are truly happy, then I suppose that is the only matter of import. But you must agree that the circumstances surrounding this happenstance are a bit… shocking.”
Bose paused, the shadows from the dank room enveloping his massive form and creating an even more imposing aura about him. Piercing black eyes met with those of the same obsidian shade.
“Nonetheless, what I have presented to you is the path I have chosen to take. Whatever has occurred and whatever is yet to be, there is no stopping the chain of events I have created. Your support in the matter is welcome. Your cynicism is not.”
“I did not mean to be cynical. Incredulous is a more apt term.”
Bose continued to linger in the shadowy doorway, the sanctuary beyond dark and foreboding. Beyond the chapel lay the narrow corridor, and within that corridor resided his wife. After a moment, he scratched his dark head and looked away from his cousin’s inquisitive, concerned expression.
“Be incredulous if you must. Be awed still. But do not fault me my emotions, Dag. That which I thought I had lost was returned to me by the beautiful woman you saw standing beside me this eve and I swear to you that I will die before relinquishing her.”
Dag moved toward his massive cousin, knowing the man well enough to know that he did not profess his emotions easily. With a heavy sigh, he lay a meaty hand upon the knight’s armored shoulder.
“Then I am pleased you have found love again,” he said softly. “Pray forgive the unthinking words of a man who has never before known the pleasure. It was not my intention to be judgmental, Bose. Merely unbiased.”
“I realize that,” Bose replied, his hard stance softening. “But to hear your reasoning merely confirmed the knowledge I had so attempted to ignore. I have little doubt that Edward du Bonne and Breck Kerry
will come for me, and I have little doubt that I will know minimal peace from this day forward.”
“What of Henry?” Dag asked softly. “He is extremely fond of you. Surely he can intervene somehow.”
“Mayhap,” Bose shrugged, his thoughts once again drifting to his ill wife. “I should not like to burden him with my self-invited troubles.”
“He will be angry if you do not.”
Again, Bose shrugged weakly. If only for Summer’s sake, he had indeed considered the possibility of contacting the king purely for the fact that the man could force Baron Lulworth and Breck Kerry to cease their pursuit of the stolen couple. If, indeed, the two slighted men chose to harass the newlyweds, and Bose had no reason to believe that they would not. Still, until such a time approached that royal intervention might be necessary, Bose was determined to handle the situation himself. For certain, he would endeavor to try.
“Mayhap,” he repeated belatedly. “In any case, my wife awaits me. Thank you again, Dag, for your services and support this eve. I knew I could depend on you to aid me.”
A measure of Dag’s normal overbearing character returned and he snorted loudly. “Aid you in what? Ruining that beautiful girl’s life? Out of my sight, Bose, before my superiors discover what I have done. After I am defrocked, I shall be forced to come and live with you and your beautiful bride and that shall be your punishment for your impetuousness.”
Bose scratched his chin, grinning. “Summer’s eldest brother made the very same threat as he covered our escape from Chaldon Castle. ’Twould seem my fortress is to become a haven for disgraced relatives.”
“It is your own fault,” Dag gave him a shove into the dim chapel beyond. “Go to your wife, Bose. Go to her and pray that she never comes to resent you for forcing her to marry you.”
Bose’s smile faded as he took his cousin’s advice seriously. “I already have.”
Dag watched his mighty cousin as the man approached the mouth of the narrowed corridor. Before the knight could disappear completely, he called softly to him.
Medieval Romantic Legends Page 27
