A Knight's Duty (The Knights of Honor Trilogy, Book 2)

by Dana D'Angelo

  As soon as John appeared, she beckoned him over to the far end of the high table, away from the earshot of her mother. Without a word, she handed him the parchment to read. The garrison commander quickly scanned the contents and gave her back the sheepskin.

  “I need you to find my father, Sir John,” she said, her tone brisk. She straightened her spine and looked down at him from the platform, bracing herself for a negative response. Of all people, she was aware that John viewed her as a child, and disapproved of her authority over the castle inhabitants. But she also knew that he couldn’t help himself, for at his heart, John was a loyal knight to Stanbury. If ever her life was threatened, he wouldn’t hesitate to come to her aid. But for now, whether he disapproved of her decisions or not, he had to take command from her.

  “I don’t think that ‘tis necessary, my lady,” John said, a guarded expression falling upon his broad face. He didn’t meet her gaze. “Lord Stanbury is likely delayed, and when he returns, everything will be all right.”

  Amelie looked incredulously at the garrison commander. “Did you not read the missive?” she demanded, waving the parchment in the air. Her mother looked up from her conversation with Clarisse and glanced curiously at their direction. Amelie lowered her voice. “The Lord High Steward has accused my father of high treason, and the king does not take these allegations lightly…”

  John eyed her grimly. “I don’t believe one word of this allegation.”

  “Nor do I, but ‘tis a serious accusation that we are dealing with, sire. Do you not understand the implications that this charge will have on the people of Stanbury?” She looked meaningfully at the knight, but when he didn’t reply, she sighed and said tiredly, “’Tis unlikely to resolve itself even if my father returns to Stanbury Castle. But at least if he was here, he could defend himself against the charges laid upon him.”

  The commander sucked in a breath of air and responded in careful tones, “I know Lord Stanbury far too well to believe this falsehood,” he gestured to the parchment in her hand, “I would advise you to have patience and wait, my lady. He will show up soon, you’ll see.”

  Well, she tried to have patience, and then the days stretched onwards and her father still hadn’t come home. She finally convinced John to organize a search for Lord Stanbury. Except whatever clues that were present had long turned cold. And by that time, the entire castle knew that something was amiss. A subdued air seemed to settle in the great hall and was especially apparent during meals. The people at the lower tables sent her and her mother sidelong glances that were either speculative or sympathetic. It got to the point where Lady Edeline couldn’t bear the looks cast her way, and she declined to take her meals at the high table, choosing instead to eat in the solar, and away from prying eyes.

  And now that the king’s men had arrived, the rumors of high treason spread feverishly like wildfire.

  She should give up, a small voice inside her said. Maybe everyone was right about her father, and he really was involved with the criminal plot. Her search for him had yielded nothing. If Lord Stanbury was a traitor, he had no redeeming noble qualities. And all the things she grew up knowing about her father were false.

  Shaking her head, she tried to push the disturbing thoughts aside. She had to forge ahead, and learn the truth, whether it was to her liking or not.

  Amelie stared unseeing at the shadowy rooftops beyond the small window. It was virtually impossible for her to learn the truth with Derrik trailing behind her. How was it that he found her so quickly? Dropping her hand down onto the window sill, she dug her fingernails into the wooden board. She had made sure that she covered every minute detail, every possible scenario, but things still went awry, and Derrik discovered her identity.

  There was no point in dwelling on the past, she thought finally. After all, she was the one who requested that he escorted her back to the castle after she finished speaking with the inn keeper. And besides, neither she nor Derrik enjoyed the prospect of being caught in the heavy storm. At least inside the inn, she was warm and dry. But still, that piece of knowledge only gave her a small bit of comfort. Derrik could be the most honorable knight in the kingdom, yet Margery didn’t need to tell her that no respectable young maiden would ever find herself in a situation like this. If word got out that Amelie was with a man, she would be ostracized, and her reputation would be ruined beyond repair.

  She could just imagine Margery’s horrified expression if she ever found out about Amelie’s sleeping arrangements. Her nursemaid wasn’t one to keep secrets, or hold her opinions to herself. She would berate her loudly and thoroughly, and Lady Edeline would certainly hear about the indiscretion.

  Heaving a deep sigh, she realized that she needed to stop the flow of her thoughts, otherwise she would fall into a miserable state. And in the throes of despondency, she wouldn’t be able to think of a plan to claw out of this mess.

  Amelie turned her focus to the ladies that remained at the castle. She was at least assured that they would cover up her disappearance, and no one would wonder about her whereabouts.

  Raising her eyes heavenward, she resolved to pray more fervently in hopes that Providence would intervene and assist her in escaping from Derrik’s watchful eye. With that last thought, she reached to grab the shutter handles and pulled it shut. There wasn’t much she could do until she learned more from the inn keeper.

  Amelie quickly turned around, intending to peek out the door to see if the fat inn keeper was coming. But she unexpectedly crashed into a solid chest.

  “Oh,” she said as she lost her footing. “I did not know that you were behind me.”

  Involuntarily, Derrik reached for her waist, steadying her. “I came over to see what you were looking at,” he said, giving her a sheepish grin. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  He was close, maybe too close, and she felt her breathing becoming labored. A strange look appeared in his eyes, a look that she was unable to decipher but seemed to cause the now familiar heat to rise within her body — a heat that only he seemed to be able to evoke. And even though their bodies weren’t pressed together, she could feel her breasts straining underneath her gown, desiring a closer contact.

  With that wanton awareness, Amelie felt the flush on her face rise even more, and she was only too glad that he couldn’t read her mind. Still, the more rational side of her knew that once again, she treaded on something that was beyond her comprehension. If she was wise, she needed to retreat. And quickly. But Derrik was in no hurry to release her, and she was in no rush to move away from him either.

  The same magnetic pull she felt when she first set eyes on him vibrated throughout her system. Unconsciously her hand raised, her intention was to push him away. But once her open palm lay on his hard chest, her tingling fingers marveled at the taut muscles underneath. Immediately, her mind flashed back to the incident at the Healer’s cottage, remembering all too well how his muscular frame had covered her body.

  “Is your arm all right, my lady?” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

  “My arm?” Amelie repeated in a daze, still staring at her hand on his broad chest, a hand that seemed to belong to some other woman. Slowly her eyes moved up his wide chest, and when she met his blue eyes, she was startled at their vibrancy. It wasn’t a dull, muddied blue but the color of the clear sky on a bright, sunny day. Why hadn’t she noticed this before?

  “Aye, from your fall earlier.”

  Through her haze, she watched as he raised her arm and gently pushed up her sleeve.

  “Oh,” she said faintly. Unable to help it, her eyes followed the trail of his callused finger as he traced the faint bluish spot on her arm. Gooseflesh appeared on her skin, and she shivered slightly at his touch. “The fall…”

  “Your arm is bruised,” he said, making a soft sympathetic noise in his mouth.

  She raised her eyes and saw something flicker in his depths, his pupils dilated, darkened. “I — the pain is gone…”

  Her eyebr
ows pinched together, and her tongue felt like it had tied itself into a knot. Her thoughts were jumbled and incoherent, and all she could do was to stare helplessly at his sculpted face. She had refused to think it, but she could no longer deny to herself that Derrik was a very handsome man. Also as there was no denying that he was well aware of his attractiveness.

  He stared back at her, although she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His slightly wavy straw-colored hair brushed just above his powerful shoulders. His face was chiseled with a straight nose and strong cheekbones, and his masculine lips always seemed ready to slip into that easy smile. Although he wasn’t smiling now.

  She could hear a tiny part of her brain cautioning her against the danger of being so close to Derrik, yet another part of her was unafraid and wanted to press closer to him.

  Amelie tore her gaze from his, uncomfortable with the wanton thoughts that swirled in her mind. But as she glanced away from his scrutiny, she realized her mistake, because from there her eyes naturally drifted down to the small scar at the side of his mouth. It then continued onward to settle on his sensual, firm lips. Unconsciously she licked her own lips.

  His eyes dropped to her mouth, watching her soft tongue dart across her lips. The corners of his mouth curved upward as if he knew which direction her thoughts had gone, that she wanted nothing more but to feel his lips brush erotically against hers.

  She had seen the servants kiss one another before, but she had never been kissed herself, even though suitors had tried. Indeed, she had never been interested. Until now.

  This has to stop, she thought fiercely. Yet even as she considered this, she was helpless to do so. The heat was becoming almost unbearable now, the fluttering in her heart was wild with excitement and aye, she would admit it to herself, fear — a fear that her command of the situation was slipping away fast. It was madness, she knew. She had tight control of her actions. In fact she had spent a lifetime successfully controlling every aspect of her life. Yet this man, with only one melting look, could strip away her barrier, her one protection, and leave her feeling naked, vulnerable, and wanting something that only he could deliver.

  Derrik’s hand slipped around her nape, gently cupping the back of her head. His other hand trailed down and lightly clasped her jaw. He then tilted her head ever so slightly to the side.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, watching him breathlessly, the blood humming through her veins.

  Her gaze settled on his mouth as she became mesmerized by his lips which were inching closer and closer.

  With his lips just above hers, his eyes locked onto her brown ones, he murmured, “You entice me too much, my lady.”

  And she was very enticing. He had kissed a number of women; he had even stolen a kiss from the object of his affection when he was young, but he had never felt this all-consuming desire to savor the sweetness from one woman’s lips. His brain told him to stop. He knew that one kiss wouldn’t satisfy the raw hunger that ignited the moment he saw Amelie standing at the foot of the castle steps. But even as his mind told him this, his body continued to act on its own accord.

  His eyes followed his long fingers as they traced her jaw line, caressing her smooth, silky skin. They trailed along her throat, feeling the fluttering pulse there. His mouth stretched into a smile to discover that she was not wholly unaffected by his touch. Her breathing was erratic, coming out in short, rapid spurts, as if she was underwater, struggling for air.

  But the smile that touched upon his lips faded as his own breath quickened. And as his lips hovered over hers, as their breaths intermingled, the roar of his racing heart drowned out all other sounds. His eyes fastened to her mouth once again, and all his thoughts, all his desires zeroed in on her plump, lush lips.

  Like a loaded cart set in motion along a hill, there was no way to turn back; he could only move forward, could only go where temptation beckoned.

  And when their lips finally touched, the electricity as powerful as a lightning bolt ripped through his body, awakening, charging it, causing that part of him, which had been asleep, to become fully aroused, fully alert.

  One hand buried itself in her hair while his other hand slid up and down the small of her back, crushing her closer, tighter to him. He wanted to desperately press his erection against her, to bury that part of him deep inside her.

  “I apologize, my lady,” he said as a knock at the door finally penetrated his brain. His one hand stilled on her slender hip while he leaned his forehead against hers. “I got a little carried away.” He slowly released her, his breathing heavy and shuddering.

  “You should not have kissed me,” Amelie said in a voice that wavered slightly. Taking a cautious step back, she placed both palms on her face as if to hide her inflamed cheeks.

  Derrik let out a long breath, thus allowing himself a moment to cool his ardor, and give him time to remember his assignment. The king didn’t send him here so he could become entangled with a beautiful woman.

  “You’re right,” he said, smiling ruefully at himself. He raked his hand through the back of his head, ruffling his hair. But then his eyes fell to the bed at the corner of the room, and he couldn’t help himself, adding with a small quiver at the corner of his mouth, “If we didn’t have such a rude interruption, perhaps we could have done more.”

  “That would be a disastrous mistake,” she said, taking two large steps back. She looked at the bed as if it contained a tangle of snakes.

  Derrik laughed as he walked toward the door, knowing that her assessment was absolutely correct. Another, more insistent pounding sounded at the door before he opened it. But the amusement quickly left him when he found the inn keeper’s wife standing at the other side of the threshold. The woman lifted the candle holder and peered at Derrik with the same dour expression that first greeted them downstairs.

  “It took you long enough to open the door,” she complained.

  “Where’s the inn keeper?” Derrik asked, glancing past her and seeing that she was alone.

  “I’m to tell you that James is too busy to see you tonight,” she said, sniffing loudly.

  “What? But we paid him to come speak with us,” Amelie protested, coming to stand next to Derrik.

  The woman adjusted her linen head covering, refusing to look at them. “We have paying customers downstairs in addition to a wedding party,” she said, frowning when a wisp of hair fell out from under the head covering. She shoved the stray hair in place. Then in a voice still full of temper, she added, “As I said, the house is full, and I need James downstairs. I can’t spend all night here explaining things to you. All you need to know is that James won’t be speaking to you until next morning.” With her message delivered, the woman turned and left them at the door.

  “Are we not paying customers as well?” Amelie yelled at her retreating back. But the inn keeper’s wife was already at the end of the darkened hallway and descending the stairs.

  “Now what?” Amelie asked, her lips jutting out in a slight pout. She grunted in frustration, and closed the door with much more force than was necessary. “I feel that we are wasting valuable time here.”

  “We probably can do one of two things,” Derrik said. “We can wait here until morning, or we can go downstairs and have a bite to eat. I don’t know about you, but I think I prefer to fill my empty belly.”

  “Aye, you go and find something to eat. I shall wait here,” she frowned. “This entire affair has made me lose my appetite.”

  He shrugged. “If that is your wish,” he said and reached to open the door.

  “Wait,” Amelie said suddenly, putting out a hand to stop him. “I changed my mind, and have decided to go down with you after all. The inn is the largest establishment in the village, and it acts both as a lodging house for weary travelers and a local tavern.” She paused and looked at him triumphantly.

  “And?” Derrik asked, raising one thick eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

  “And,” she stressed, “since we can
not speak immediately to the inn keeper, we may stand a good chance to encounter someone else who witnessed the events of that day.”

  Chapter 16

  A handful of people looked in their direction when Amelie and Derrik entered the smoke-filled common room. Everyone else was busy getting drunk or adding to the rising sounds of merrymaking.

  The room had filled up considerably since their first arrival. Two young hounds playfully chased each other across the floorboards, while a small boy ran into the fray, trying to pull at a wagging tail. Meanwhile some older children were playing at a game of knights and outlaws. The squealing children and barking hounds added to the growing noise. Off to the corner was the young bride who sat on her husband’s lap, her happy laughter ringing above the clatter of the friends and family that surrounded them.

  Amelie scanned the room and saw two people getting up from their seats.

  “Let us sit over there,” she said, gesturing toward the two newly vacated seats near one of the windows.

  They made their way through the crowded room and sat down on the stools. The inn keeper’s wife spotted them with her eagle eyes and rushed over.

  “Is that rabbit pie over there,” Derrik asked the woman, nodding to the table next to them.

  “Aye, but, we’re all out of that,” the inn keeper’s wife said, shaking her head. “We do have a bit of rabbit stew left though. If you want pies, I have some made with narrois.”

  “A pie made with cod’s liver and hashed fish?” Derrik wrinkled his nose and twisted his mouth in distaste. “Just talking about that dish turns my stomach.”

  The woman compressed her lips into a thin line. “My narrois pies are the best in the kingdom.”

  “Then we will take two orders,” Amelie said, placing two copper coins onto the table. Derrik narrowed his eyes at her, but she ignored his stare. Instead, she sent the inn keeper’s wife a pleasant smile and continued, “I have never tasted excellent narrois pie before.”