“I will send word the moment I find out anything. Do not be surprised by the method of delivery. It will be effective if inconspicuous.”
“Good. Time is of the essence here. I feel it.”
“Yea. Keep my Beauty safe, Dragon.”
“I will protect her with all I have.”
They clasped hands and Draco turned to walk back to his mount, his brother at his heels. Apparently Cynric had finally slaked his male lust in the time it had taken Jabulani to show himself. He had appeared quickly enough when the sounds of a skirmish had disrupted the morning peacefulness of the encampment. But Draco was unconcerned about whether his brother had enjoyed himself or not, now it was imperative to return to Castle Neige. Bianca would be the most protected woman in all of the Provinces if he had to put every man in his guard to stand watch over her every move. And when they were not guarding the young Beauty de Neige, he would be. Draco would not leave her side between dusk and dawn. No one would be allowed near her without his approval.
Chapter Nineteen
Bianca did not find Lord Draco when she descended to the Great Hall. The hall was filled with many other guests who were breaking their fast but he was nowhere to be found. She let Modesta lead her to the high table where Lord Charles waited for them.
“I waited in the hope that you would join me for the morning meal, dear ladies. I had begun to despair that you would not.” His gaze slid over both woman but settled on the blushing Modesta as he took her hand and led her to the table and helped her into her chair. He then assisted Bianca into her chair before turning his attention on his future bride, treating her with gentle manners.
“Have you seen Lord Draco this morning, my lord?” Her words had a strange effect on him, causing him to pause. She glanced up and found that he would not meet her eyes.
“Ah, yes, I recall now. He and his brother went for a morning ride.” With that, he moved to Modesta’s side and taking her hand brought it to his lips, taking his time kissing her. A sigh of pleasure escaped Modesta as she gazed tenderly at the handsome nobleman who had captured her heart.
Bianca hid a smile of amusement behind her hand as she watched the by-play between the two. She was so happy for her cousin’s good fortune. She would see to it that her father settled a large dowry on Modesta. She would speak to him as soon as he was feeling better. His latest bout of illness had not dissipated as she had expected. In fact, his health had deteriorated at an alarming degree.
Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, a servant arrived with a message requesting her presence in her father’s chambers as soon as possible. For a moment, she stared at the missive and then she quickly made her excuses to her cousin and the baron.
Bianca arrived at her father’s chambers to find Galen waiting for her. “What is wrong? Is my father worse?”
“Her Grace requested that I examine the duke because he was unable to rise from his bed this morn. I find it a bit strange that he has become so ill in such a short time. I spoke with him only last night, his stomach was bothering him a little but he had no other complaints. Come, my dear, let us not keep your father waiting.” When they entered the room, they found Heloise bending over her husband, speaking softly to him.
“The healer is here, my dear. I am sure he will know what to do.” Heloise walked forward to meet Bianca and Galen, a look of deep concern on her plump face. She was the picture of a distraught, loving wife.
“Galen, thank God you came so quickly. I fear the duke is much worse. I am at my wit’s end as to what to do for him. My potions do not seem to be working to ease his discomfort.”
At the mention that she had been doctoring her husband, Galen raised a questioning brow. “What malady have you been doctoring him for, Your Grace? I was not aware that he had more than a slight case of indigestion. The diet I prescribed should have cured that.”
At his spoken censure, a dark flush of anger heated Heloise’s face. With a great effort she managed to hold her tongue. Heloise did not appreciate being criticized no matter that the one doing the criticizing was a highly reputed healer.
“Heloise.” The weak voice coming from the bed drew all their attention and the Duchess turned back to attend her husband.
“Rest, dear. Do not overtax yourself. Sir Galen is here as well as your daughter.”
Her gaze swung to Bianca whose attention was focused solely on the haggard man lying in the bed. Heloise’s gaze narrowed as she took in the Beauty de Neige. The older woman was jealous that her stepdaughter managed to look so lovely even in her distress. The boil of hate that had been festering deep within her soul was near to bursting. And when it did, the poison would be far-reaching. It would not be long, she promised herself.
Soon, my little beauty, soon.
An ominous chill swept over Bianca as her violet gaze met the icy blue one so filled with hate. The abhorrence shocked her. Never had she faced such malevolence. She moved closer to her father, bending down to kiss his gaunt cheek.
“I love you, Father. Do not die.” Her whispered plea was for her father’s ears alone.
He raised his hand to capture hers, squeezing it in a weak gesture.
“Do not cry, my little Bianca. I am not about to die before you are wed.” A fleeting smile touched his lips before his eyes closed and he slept. Tears filled her eyes at the show of affection Bianca had missed so dearly. She touched her father’s cheek lovingly before turning to the old healer.
“Can you help him, Galen?”
“I will do what I can. Wait by the door, Bianca.”
Bianca nodded her head, but she did not move for a long moment as she gazed down at her father’s face, lost in memories of her childhood with her father being her only parent. They had been happy days, those days that now seemed so long ago.
“Bianca.”
Her head jerked up at the sound of her name. She met Galen’s eyes, warm with understanding and affection. “Go sit by the door until I am finished here.” His tone was commanding but gentle. She obeyed him unquestioningly.
After a thorough examination, which lasted for some time, it was apparent that Galen was perplexed by what he found. He drew Heloise aside and spoke quietly.
“What have you been giving him for his indigestion?”
“Only small doses of calamine and whort root. Willow bark simmered in hot tea for his stomach pain. Nothing you would not have recommended.” Her answers seemed honest and the remedies common but there was something wrong here. Galen studied Heloise’s face as he asked, “Are you sure that you have not given him anything that might make his malady worse?”
“Of course not!” But as Galen continued to look at her, Heloise lost some of her usual composure. “What are you suggesting, sir? I would never harm my husband!”
A gasp from behind her brought Heloise’s attention to Bianca who had been waiting patiently for a diagnosis from the healer. In an attempt to get Galen’s focus off her, Heloise raised an accusing finger and jabbed it at Bianca.
“Too many apples, I am sure of it!” The words held an outrageous accusation.
Bianca was horrified by her stepmother’s words. For some reason Heloise wanted the blame for her husband’s illness to be placed on her stepdaughter. She wanted Bianca to think that the fresh fruit she had picked for her father had somehow made him grievously ill.
Bianca stared at her stepmother, watching as the woman stood there making veiled insinuations, refusing to believe that any one could be so ignoble, so evil. For a poisonous barb, it was the sharpest Heloise had hurled at her so far and this one hurt her deeply, as she was sure her stepmother intended.
As Galen watched her, Bianca crossed the room and stood next to the bed. Resolutely, she refused to acknowledge the vicious suggestion that her stepmother had just made. He glanced back at the haggard nobleman who lay beneath the red velvet portiere of the enormous canopy bed as pale as the lacy white linen he lay between. He retired from the room.
A short while later, Bianca fou
nd Galen breaking his fast in the Great Hall. She questioned him about her father’s condition, but he had no answers for her. She knew he had suspicions about the potions Heloise had been giving her father. But like her, he was in no position to make accusations. There was no proof Heloise had done anything to injure the duke. Galen finished his meal and together they made their way up to his chambers were he looked in on his youngest patient, Theron.
Bianca was relieved to find that that the young page was recovering and would most likely be out of bed in another few days, to be spoiled by several of the maidservants who had taken quite a liking to the young orphan boy. Bianca spent a short while talking to him and reassuring him that he was safe. Whatever had happened to him had wounded not only his body but his mind as well. He had been so afraid to be left alone that Galen had sat with him most of night after Theron had regained consciousness. He would recover from his physical injuries. Galen had told her so. She would have to be satisfied with that for now.
Bianca spent the rest of the morning looking for Draco to tell him the good news, but he had not returned since he had left early this morning. She had asked several knights if they had seen him but no one had. It was afternoon before she began to panic.
She began to believe that he had mounted his great black steed and ridden out of her life forever, never to return. But before the thought could take hold, she calmed down enough to do some checking around the stables and found out that Lord Draco and his younger brother had let it be known before they left that they had gone hunting, just as Lord Charles had told her. She was relieved to have this reaffirmed. Her confidence in their personal relationship was shaky to say the least.
After having an amazingly difficult day, Bianca did not think that she could take any more bad tidings. All she desired was to feel the strength and warmth of Draco’s arms wrapped around her and the taste of his sweet kiss upon her lips. But since she was in need of something to occupy her mind until he returned, she decided to take her palfrey out for a ride. It was not the usual time of the day that she like to ride, but it was something to do and she needed the time to herself to clear her mind and think.
She found Leia preparing her wardrobe for the evening meal when she returned to her chamber and, with her help changed into an old gown.
“I will be back in time to dress for supper. Do not tell my stepmother where I have gone. I have had enough of the woman for one day.”
“Do not concern yourself about the duchess, my lady. I know how to keep out of her way.” At her maid’s reassuring words, Bianca picked up a pair of well-worn leather gloves and stole out of the castle. She made her way to the stables managing to avoid anyone who would slow her down.
Glace, her little white palfrey, nickered noisily when she saw Bianca. It had been with much joy that Bianca discovered her little mount had made her way home safely after she had been ripped from her saddle by the outlaws in the forest. Now Glace met her with impatience, stamping her forefoot as she waited for her mistress to retrieve her bridle and saddle. It had been several days since she had had the courage to ride out of the safety of the castle walls and across the verdant green valley.
“Easy, ma petite. We will run soon enough and we will run long and hard.” Her horse nudged her affectionately as she entered her stall to saddle her. “Yea, it will be delicious to ride free with the wind once again.”
It was not hard to get out of the stables and through the castle gate. In her old worn clothing and with her hair covered with a kerchief, she was through the gate with no questions asked. Even if anyone did recognize her, they merely waved at her as she rode by. Her people loved her well and would do anything she asked. This was the case when she waved to Sir Gregory who happened to be on guard duty at the portcullis this day. He smiled broadly at her and waved her through.
“Do not go too far, my lady.” She nodded to let him know she heard him.
With heart soaring and hoofs thundering along the well-worn road, Bianca rode her horse hard and fast until they were across the lush green valley and then she turned west toward the river Garonne. The afternoon sun shone warm down on the rider and mount as they moved over hill and dale reaching breakneck speed when they arrived at the flat, cultivated fields beyond.
Bianca turned her mount north and made for higher ground toward the bluffs that overlooked the Garonne. From there she could view the river far below as it twisted through the valley, a sapphire ribbon between emerald fields.
As she urged Glace up along the cliff edge, Bianca unexpectedly discovered that she was not alone. She had just reached a small grove of ash when a large gray stallion came out of nowhere straight for her. Before she could guide Glace out of the way, the wild-eyed beast crashed into them. Her palfrey and the gray went down in screams of terror and pain as Bianca was thrown clear landing in a heap of tangled legs and skirt.
As she lay there fighting for breath, she watched as the gray gained his feet and ran off with a wild-eyed, terrified Glace following close at his heels. Bianca stared after the two mounts in consternation and then she collapsed onto her back in the deep grass and cursed at the ill fortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Damn you, Glace, how could you just run off and leave me like this?”
The only answer she got was the sound of thundering hooves receding into the distance leaving her with only the soft breeze rustling through the grass and the leaves of the nearby trees. Grumbling a few choice curses she had overheard a stable boy using, Bianca slowly gained her feet moving carefully to make sure that she had not broken any bones. But it seemed that the only thing to be truly hurt was her pride. She had always considered herself as an excellent horsewoman and now she was left to find her way home afoot with a bruised backside and scrapes and scratches on her arms and legs.
“Damn, damn, damn!” Her exclamation broke the silence around her and then a thought came to her. She glanced behind her in the direction from whence the wild gray had appeared. Had the horse been spooked and thrown his rider? Without thought to the consequences of her actions, Bianca rushed up the trail, intending to give aid.
But it was a powerful black stallion standing in the middle of the path that stopped her in her tracks as she came around a particularly thick bit of foliage. Bianca recognized Inferno instantly. As she drew closer, the stallion began to dance away nervously, snorting and stamping the ground in a threatening manner. She knew better than to approach the agitated horse, so she kept her distance. Bianca glanced around for Draco, certain that he must be near. A movement near the edge of the bluff caught her attention and she moved closer. Lying on the ground with his upper body hanging dangerously over the edge of the bluff was Draco. His precarious position had her hurrying to his side. What in the world was he doing?
“Hold on, Cynric!”
Draco had never been more terrified in his life as he watched his brother fall from the back of his half-broken mount when it shied from a darting hare and disappeared over the side of the bluff. The scream of terror that broke from his brother’s throat pierced the air and echoed across the valley before abruptly ending.
Leaping from his saddle, Draco threw himself to the edge of the precipice bellowing his brother’s name, his heart in his throat nearly strangling him. His heavy body slid to a halt just short of sliding over the edge. But at that point, he had no thought for his own safety. His gaze searched the rocks below expecting to see the broken, smashed body of his young brother. But to his astonishment, Draco found that a narrow rock ledge jutting out a short ways below the top of the bluff had interrupted Cynric’s descent. The sight brought tears of joy to his eyes and Draco had to pause a moment to wipe his face over his sleeve to clear his vision.
“Cynric.” The word came out a little more than a croak as Draco’s throat had gone dry in his horror. In his relief, Draco had to admit that the white frightened face of his younger brother was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. For a few moments he could do
no more than take in the sight before his brain began to function properly.
“Are you hurt, little brother? Can you move?”
There was a slight pause before Cynric answered. He moved slowly, cautiously to a sitting position and then carefully rose to his feet. “No, I believe that I am unharmed, at least as far as I can tell.” He kept his gaze on the rock surface above him refusing to look below. Cynric reached up as high as he could without overbalancing himself from his precarious perch. But he could find no handholds to help him climb up.
“It looks like you will have to do the rescuing here, big brother. There is no way I can climb back up.” Cynric was unable to keep the slight quiver of apprehension from his voice. Draco knew that his brother was more than a little shaken by the fall but he was attempting to hide it. He reached his long arms as far down as he could but he knew even without asking that Cynric was unable to reach him.
“I will have to find something to reach down to you, Cynric. Do not worry I will have you up in no time.” But when he would have pulled back from the edge, his brother stopped him.
“Do not leave me, Draco. Not yet. I am…a little scared. Stay…a bit and t-talk to me. Draco?” The half-sob brought a lump to Draco’s throat.
“I am here, little brother. I will not leave you until you say.” As he reassured Cynric, Draco’s mind worked on a solution to the dangerous situation. He had not come prepared for an emergency such as this and as he mentally went over the few items he carried on his saddle, a rope was not among them.
Kiss of the Dragon Page 33
