Autumn's Touch (Seasons of Fortitude Series Book 3)

by Elizabeth Rose

  Enar was on the ladder, but it looked as if Torkel and little Rab were going to be caught.

  “Quick! In here,” whispered Nairnie, holding open the lid of the trunk. The boys ran and dove in with Nairnie closing the lid right behind them. Autumn had just shut the hatch when the door to the tower room swung open.

  She jumped upright, expecting to see Sir Oxley. Instead, Benedict stood there with Nelek at his side.

  “Lady Autumn,” said Benedict, standing in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room. “You look as if I’ve caught you using the chamber pot.”

  She had thought, at first, he’d seen her closing the trap door. But, thankfully, he hadn’t. If he had, he surely would have said something.

  “Benedict, yer hives are gone,” said Nairnie, going over to inspect his arms.

  “Aye, Lady Autumn healed Lord Ravenscar yesterday,” said Nelek. He yawned and stretched, looking as if he’d just crawled out of bed. Autumn glanced over to see Torkel opening the lid on the trunk and peeking out. She quickly stepped in front of the trunk pretending to be fixing her gown, holding it out to hide the boys behind her.

  “I do seem to be healed, as promised,” said Benedict. “I must also say, I’m impressed with your skills, Lady Autumn. Therefore, I am here to keep my end of the bargain. Nairnie, you are free to go.”

  “I am no’ leavin’ without Lady Autumn,” said Nairnie, putting her hands on her hips and clamping her jaw tight. Autumn knew the old woman would never go without her, but she wouldn’t leave Nairnie here alone with the beast either.

  “What about my guard, Lester?” asked Autumn. “Can he go free, instead?”

  “I’m not sure what kind of fool you take me for,” said Benedict, walking across the room toward Autumn. Once again, she felt like the prey being stalked by her captor. “If I let your guard go free, I’ve no doubt he’ll be trying to slit my throat as I sleep.”

  “Nay, he wouldn’t do that,” she tried to convince him, although she knew it was probably true.

  “All right,” said Benedict pacing the floor. “Suppose he doesn’t try to kill me. Once he leaves Ravenscar Castle, he’s sure to go straight to your bastard triplet brothers. We all know they wouldn’t hesitate to come back with their swords held high to protect you. So, as you can see, neither of the choices is sufficient.”

  Autumn’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “How do you know about my brothers?”

  Benedict grinned, liking that he had one up on the wench who thought she was being so clever by hiding the children in the room. He knew the orphans were there. He saw them as soon as he opened the door. This told him what he needed to know. He couldn’t trust Autumn or the old woman.

  He’d also heard that the Demon Thief – that is, her bastard brothers of the crown, had sisters. Autumn and her sisters who were all named after the seasons were cousins to the triplets. It wasn’t usual at all to name children after seasons, so he took the gamble by guessing she was related.

  “I told you before, Lady Autumn – I am Ravenscar. I know all.”

  “Hah!” spat Nairnie, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ye are no’ Ravenscar and ye are far from all-knowin’, even if ye think ye’ve got everythin’ figured out.”

  “Always the wise woman, aren’t you, Nairnie?” he asked. “Well, this is one time you are wrong. Yes, Ravenscar has died, but he left everything to me on his deathbed. Even his title.”

  “What did he die from?” asked Autumn. Benedict hesitated to answer because he didn’t want anyone to know the truth.

  “Lord Ravenscar died from the plague,” said Nelek, yawning and stretching again. Then he went over and sat atop the trunk. Benedict didn’t miss the worried expressions from Autumn and Nairnie since he knew the boys were hiding inside.

  “There is no plague here,” protested Autumn.

  “Lord Ravenscar saw it with his very own eyes,” said Nelek, lounging back on the trunk and putting his feet up now. “He made sure to burn the man’s body out in the back field.”

  “He did, did he?” Nairnie gave him that look that she’d often given him when she’d taken the place as his surrogate mother for four years of his life. She always seemed to know when he was lying. He couldn’t look her in the eye right now or she would see right through him.

  “That reminds me, Squire. Now that I am feeling better, we need to burn everything in the solar.”

  “Burn everything?” gasped Autumn. “Is that necessary? Even if the man had something contagious, just burning his bedding should be sufficient.”

  “Nay,” said Benedict heading for the door. “Everything in Ravenscar’s solar will be burned and the rushes will be changed. The walls will be washed down and a new coating of whitewash is required. Only then will I be sure that whatever illness I had will not return.”

  “I told you he was a man of extremes,” said Nelek, still lounging on the trunk.

  “Nelek, we have work to do,” said Benedict. “Stop being so lazy and round up a good dozen servants for me. Send them to the master solar to help remove and burn everything in the room. And get the woodward to start up a bonfire right away.”

  “Aye, my lord.” Nelek hopped off the trunk and headed for the door.

  “Nairnie, if you insist on staying, then so be it,” said Benedict. “But I’ll not have you here as my guest. You will no longer be under lock and key, but your services will be required.”

  “How so?” she asked, squinting one eye.

  “I’ll need you in not only matters of healing the sick, but also to work in the kitchen. Mayhap, you can teach the servants how to make haggis since their attempts have tasted like something they’ve dredged up from the moat.”

  “I find it amusin’ that ye want my haggis although ye claim to hate everythin’ about the Scots, Benedict.”

  Nairnie didn’t need to point this out. Benedict did hate the Scots since they took the lives of his parents. But then again, when Nairnie raised him, she had made some of the best food he’d ever had in his life. He missed that about her. Now that she was back, he longed for her cooking, once again.

  “You don’t know everything, old woman, so stop acting like you do.”

  “I ken enough about ye to ken that ye’re hidin’ somethin’. Now, what is it?”

  “I’m the one hiding something?” His eyes shot over to the trunk. “Don’t accuse me of something unless your own slate is clean.” He stormed to the door.

  “What does that mean?” asked Autumn.

  Benedict stopped at the door without turning around and gave his answer. “You can come out now, boys. Stop playing games and get to work. Next time you might not be so lucky. With the way Nelek was lounging this morning, you could have suffocated.”

  “Me?” Nelek slapped a hand against his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Squire,” he growled. “We have work to do.”

  Nairnie shuffled over and closed the door, while Autumn hurried to the trunk and lifted the lid. “Rab, Torkel, are you all right?” She had been thinking the same thing that they could have suffocated in the trunk.

  “Aye, we are fine,” answered the youngest boy as they climbed out of the trunk.

  The trap door opened and Enar stuck his head out of the hole. “We heard everythin’,” said the boy. “Ravenscar kent we were here.”

  “Yes, he did,” said Autumn, realizing Benedict had seen them when he opened the door after all.

  “He’ll probably put me in the stocks again,” said Torkel, rubbing his throat.

  “Nay, I won’t let him.” Autumn reached out to put her hand on Torkel’s shoulder, but he backed away. It hurt her that the boy didn’t trust anyone. Especially her. But then again, she couldn’t blame him.

  “Ye lads and lassies better get to yer stations before ye get in trouble,” said Nairnie.

  The children all disappeared through the tunnel. Once they were gone, Autumn closed the trap door and looked over to Nairnie.

  “He knew,” she sai
d. “He knew the children were in here and yet he didn’t punish them. I wonder why.”

  “I dinna ken,” said Nairnie heading to the door. “I will go help in the kitchen like Benedict commanded because I want to question the servants.”

  “About what?” asked Autumn.

  “Benedict is hidin’ somethin’ from me, and I intend on findin’ out exactly what it is.” Nairnie left the room.

  Autumn picked up her basket of healing herbs and potions and made her way to Ravenscar’s solar, following after Benedict. He was already in the room when she got there. The door was ajar and she walked right in.

  “Mayhap it’s not wise for you to be in here,” she said, entering the room. He was standing by the bed, using his foot to search through the rushes. His head snapped up. He looked alarmed, as if she’d startled him.

  “Why not?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Because you might contract the illness again. We don’t know what caused your fever and hives. I think you should let your servants take care of the task for you.”

  “Is that coming from concern for my health?” He walked over to the door, resting his hand on it. “Or are you here because you think I’m hiding something, just like Nairnie?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  He pushed the door closed, standing very close to her. “Nay, I suppose you didn’t. A girl like you would say exactly what she meant without holding back. I see that now.” He turned and headed back to the bed. She placed her basket on a chair and followed him across the room.

  “You knew the children were in the tower, didn’t you?”

  “Of course, I did.” He started to rummage through some things on the bedside table as if he were looking for something.

  “Then, you saw them when you came into the room.”

  “Aye,” he said without looking up. “But even if I hadn’t, I knew they were sleeping in the tower room each night.”

  “How did you know?” She stopped right behind him. He turned slowly to face her.

  “Who do you think told them about the trap door in the tower leading up from the undercroft in the first place?”

  “You?”

  “Not directly, but I made sure to leave clues so they would find it. I used it as a child all the time. Ravenscar only told my father about it but no one else. It was a secret. I happened to overhear their conversation one day or I wouldn’t have known about it either.”

  “I don’t understand. Weren’t you the one to put them in the undercroft in the first place?”

  “That was all Ravenscar’s idea. I had no choice.” He turned and started to search through the bed linens next.

  “I suppose you also had no choice about killing their parents, too.”

  His hand stilled and a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw. “I’m not the beast you think I am, Autumn,” he said, not bothering to use her title. It was a bold move and seemed deliberate on his part. Mayhap, he was trying to frighten her by addressing her so casually but, instead, she liked it. “For your information, those children were orphans before Ravenscar ever gave the order to attack their village. It’s because of me alone that they are even alive.”

  “It is?” She swallowed forcefully, feeling apprehensive to be in the room with him with the door closed. Especially since, if she angered him, there was no telling what could happen.

  “Ravenscar gave the order to kill women and children alike.”

  “That’s horrible!”

  “It is. And while I followed all of his orders, that is one I never saw through. I want you to know I have never killed a woman or a child in my life and never will.”

  “Really. So, that threat to kill Nairnie was just a bluff then?”

  He let out a puff of air from his mouth and stood up straight, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “Of course, it was. I only said it because I was desperate. You have no idea what I was going through with that illness. The itching was driving me out of my mind.”

  “So, you thought if you threatened me I would heal you?”

  “It worked, didn’t it?” He walked over and pulled back the tapestry on the window, letting in the morning light.

  “I don’t like the things you do.”

  “We can’t always like what we do. But we must do what is expected of us.”

  That sounded as if he were talking about himself and she wanted to find out why he’d said it. Benedict intrigued her. It especially interested her that he’d been raised for four years by Nairnie. She decided to wait to ask more about that. Right now, her concern was with the orphaned children.

  “Why did you go against Ravenscar’s orders and save the orphans?”

  He hesitated and she didn’t think he was going to answer. But then he spoke. “I was an orphan, too.” It looked as if his thoughts were far away as he stared out the window. “I knew I had to do something to help them. They didn’t deserve to die. That’s why I convinced Ravenscar we needed them as servants at the castle. Thankfully, he fell for it.”

  “Couldn’t you do anything to make sure they had better living conditions?” She walked up next to him at the window. “Their clothes are threadbare, they are filthy, have no blankets, and the little one doesn’t even have a pair of shoes!”

  When he turned to look at her, the sun lit up his face. She had thought he had black eyes but now she could see they were gray. He tried to keep his face void of emotion, but she could see the sadness hiding behind his steel orbs. Something told her that he honestly cared about these orphaned children, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

  “There was only so much I could do before Ravenscar became suspicious and ordered their deaths. After all, they are Scots!”

  “My father is a Scot,” she said, regretting the words as they left her mouth. Hadn’t Nairnie said he hated Scots? She needed to change the conversation quickly. “Let me make sure your fever is gone.” Gently reaching up, she touched his forehead. He looked so handsome, now that his hives were gone and his skin was smooth and no longer red. However, he still looked tired. A dark shadow of stubble covered his cheeks and chin. As she rested her palm against his forehead, she saw him close his eyes slightly at her touch.

  “Yes, your fever is gone and it looks like your hives are, too. I’d say you are healed, my lord.” Then she couldn’t help herself. She gently traced with her fingers the scar that went from behind his ear, down his cheek, stopping under his chin. “How did you get this scar?” she asked, wanting him to talk about it.

  His eyes opened and his hand shot out, trapping her hand against his cheek.

  “Tell me something,” he said in a near whisper. “Did you use your healing touch yesterday to cure me after you said you wouldn’t?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She tried to pull away but he took her hand in his, bringing her closer to him.

  “It matters to me. I know you must have, because I healed so quickly. Just a day ago, I was sure I was going to die.”

  Her body heated, not only at his words but also because he was holding her hand. She wasn’t accustomed to this. Neither was she used to standing so close to a man when she spoke to him. It was all too intimate when they should be acting the proper way expected of a noble. She immediately regretted her mistake of entering the room since he was the only one present.

  “You’re not going to die,” she told him, looking down at their hands instead of up into his eyes. His actions scared her and excited her all at the same time. The vision of him lying naked on the bed as she rubbed healing balm over his body flashed through her mind. It must have been on his mind, too, because he reached out and gently lifted her chin with two fingers.

  “It’s because of you that I live. For that, I am thankful.”

  As her eyes interlocked with his, her heart sped up a beat. Then his attention traveled downward to her mouth. She knew what he was going to do and should have pulled away - but she didn’t. He leaned toward her, bringing his mouth closer to hers. Eagerly anti
cipating what was to come, she found herself closing her eyes and raising her chin in submission. The feel of his lips against hers was invigorating. His lips melded with hers, feeling softer than she could have ever imagined. He tasted like ale. The scent of comfrey from the balm he still wore filled her senses. It caused a shiver of delight to course through her. Surprisingly, his kiss was very tender, when she thought the kiss of the beast would be harsh and forceful and hard.

  Then he slowly dropped his hands, releasing her and backing away. Her eyes popped open as desire to taste his lips, once again, filled her thoughts. She might have been able to get him to continue, hadn’t a noise from the courtyard taken his attention. His head jerked around and he peered out the window, narrowing his eyes slightly.

  “Nay!” he called out to someone in the courtyard. “Not there! I want the bonfire outside the castle, not in the courtyard.”

  She glanced over to see Nelek directing the woodward and a few male servants as they stacked wood for a bonfire in the center courtyard. Nelek looked up and put a hand to his ear.

  “Outside the castle walls, you fool!” He pointed, but Nelek looked over his shoulder, then back up to the window and shrugged.

  “God’s eyes, what is he doing? I need to stop him.” In several long strides, Benedict was across the room and out the door.

  Autumn stood there feeling abandoned, not able to believe Benedict had just left her there. They’d been in the midst of a sensual kiss one second and, the next second, Benedict was across the room and out the door. Hadn’t it meant anything to him at all? It had to her. It had been her first real kiss and was an experience she would never forget. Her insides still quivered from his touch, but her heart ached that he’d kissed her and left her as if it meant nothing to him at all.

  She was about to leave the room when the sunlight reflected off something pushed under the bed and hidden in the rushes. Curious as to what would be shimmering from the floor, she walked over and brushed away the rushes with her foot to find a weapon.

  She reached down and picked up the hilt of an ornate dagger. It was of the finest quality and had to belong to a nobleman. Perhaps it was Ravenscar’s. As she brushed the rushes away, she gasped. Dried blood covered the blade. What was this doing here in Ravenscar’s solar?