“Softly, good mother,” he murmured as his fingers continued their necessary search. He felt her stiffen as his hand hovered over her thigh. “I will be gentle. You will feel better anon, I promise.”
The old lady’s eyelids fluttered open. “I am in torment!” she groaned. Then she got a good look at him, and her mouth dropped open. “Sweet Saint Michael! Am I in paradise already?”
Guy sighed softly to himself. “Nay, good lady, unless you call a foul mud hole heaven.”
The woman surprised him by giving a weak chuckle. “Would that I were twenty years younger and not so sore in body. I’d make a heaven of any spot on earth, if you were there to share it with me.”
The lady of the violet eyes gasped. “Hush, Aunt! You are speaking to a priest. Pay her no mind, Father. I fear my aunt’s tongue runs faster than her wits. It is the pain that makes her prattle, n’est-ce pas?”
Reluctantly Guy allowed his gaze to light upon the speaker. A mistake of the first order! He felt as if a dart from a crossbow had shot through him, rendering him speechless.
“A priest! Quel dommage! Such a pity, eh, Lissa? Did the maidens tie black ribbons in their hair when you professed your vows, handsome Father?” The aunt’s eyes twinkled with faint merriment before they closed against another wave of pain.
Despite being the subject of this uncomfortable conversation, Guy allowed a faint grin to touch his lips. “As to that, I know not, my lady, though my mother cried and wondered what she had done wrong in my upbringing.”
“I daresay she did right well,” murmured the aunt before lapsing into a faint.
“Oh, please, don’t let her die,” the younger woman begged, her purple irises shimmering in the raindrops.
“She’ll not die—not this day, at least.” As he spoke, Guy removed the rope from around his waist and used it to lash the aunt’s lower extremities together. “She has merely fainted, which is a blessing. The trip back to the monastery would be an agony, were she awake.” Averting his eyes from the young lady, Guy called in English to one of his fellow novices.
“Brother Thomas! Your strong arm is needed here. The old woman has broken a bone or two and must be gently carried.”
“Aye!” The younger monk, little more than a boy and robust in nature, slipped through the mud at Guy’s command.
The girl rose and made a space for Thomas, who barely gave her a second glance. Guy wondered how the boy could be so immune to the bewitching spell of her dark, loose hair and the purple fire in her eyes. Then he chided himself. Of course Thomas saw nothing rare in her. The lad was far saintlier than Guy could ever hope to be. No doubt Thomas had never tasted the sinful pleasures of the flesh. Angry at his own weakness, Guy vowed to spend that night in humble prostration before the altar, on the freezing stones of the chapel floor. He knew from experience that such a penance would cool the ardor of even Great Harry himself.
“Slip your arms under the lady and grasp my wrists,” Guy instructed, hoping his voice would not betray the turmoil of the emotions seething inside him. “Good. Now, on my word, lift her gently, holding her as level as possible.”
“Aye, Bother Guy,” Thomas answered. “I am ready.”
“On the count of three.” Guy gripped Thomas’ wrists. “One... two...”
“Be careful. She is most dear to me,” the girl at Guy’s elbow whispered in French.
Despite the chill of the rain, Guy’s blood warmed as if turned to liquid fire; his heart raced. He gritted his teeth. “Three!” Acting as one, Thomas and Guy lifted the injured lady from the ditch and carried her quickly to the monastery’s cart. Brother Cuthbert, a brother skilled in the healing arts, lifted the makeshift canvas covering, allowing Guy and Thomas to place the lady on a bed of dry straw.
“Did you say she suffers a broken bone?” Cuthbert asked Guy in a quiet, professional manner.
“Aye, her left leg for sure, and perhaps her hip, as well.”
Cuthbert nodded. “’Tis a blessing she is unconscious.”
“Amen to that, I say.” Guy stepped back as Cuthbert sprang into the driver’s seat and slapped the reins against the patient horse’s rump. As the cart rolled away, something tugged the loose sleeve of Guy’s robe. Turning, he nearly stumbled over the enchantress of the raven locks.
“Pardon, good Father,” she began, each syllable falling like drops of heady French wine. “But I do not understand English very well. What did you say about my aunt?” Her eyes, if anything, appeared to grow larger, burning deeper into his soul.
“Broken leg,” Guy muttered brusquely, trying to avoid her stare. Why did she have to look at him as if he were the fabled unicorn? “Best that you mount up and ride quickly to the priory. You do ride, do you not, my lady? You will catch a chill and fever if you stand here. You are wet through.”
Before he realized what he was doing, his gaze slid down from her face to her slender white throat, and from to her soaked bodice. The wet burgundy velvet molded her high breasts, boldly outlining the delicious promise that lay scarcely hidden there. Another fiery bolt impaled him. He nearly groaned with the painful pleasure. A mere night on the chapel floor would not suffice. He vowed a full day of penance, as well.
“I thank you for your concern, Father,” she murmured in a low, slightly husky voice that reminded Guy of hickory smoke—and hot passion between fresh sheets.
God forgive him for the unholy thoughts that whirled about his fevered brain. He would wear a hair shirt when he did his self-imposed vigil in the chapel.
An impish smile curled the corners of her full cherry mouth. “And I do ride quite well — like the wind. Not very ladylike, they tell me.” As she turned toward the horses, the back of her hand brushed against his. He jumped as if he had been caressed by a burning brand.
“Oh!” Turning her wide eyes upon him once more, she lifted her hand to her mouth, as if she, too, had felt the fire.
Their glances locked for an eternal instant. Guy felt himself plummeting into an abyss. Her gaze spoke unvoiced poetry to his heart. He could not tear himself from her power until she blinked; then he turned quickly away.
A hair shirt, and twenty-four hours on the hard flagstones—and fasting. Yes, he must fast, as well, Guy decided as he watched the grizzled old retainer lift the girl into the saddle of her palfrey. Hitching up the trailing hem of his oversize robe, Guy followed after her down the road. Tonight, he would pray that she would ride out of his safely ordered life as quickty as possible.
As he watched her back sway rhythmically in the saddle, his mind wandered from his holy intent. “Lissa,” the aunt had called her. What sort of name was that?
Chapter Two
“’T is not often we have the opportunity to entertain such charming company as yourself, Lady Celeste.” Father Jocelyn Pollock, prior of Saint Hugh’s, wiped his fingers free of chicken grease on his rough linen napkin. Nor was it often that he dined so richly, and he wondered if his digestion would pay the price for this indulgence in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the opportunity to exercise his French. Brother Giles, acting as servitor, poured more wine into a simple pottery cup, which he offered to the lady.
“Merci, ” she murmured, her long, dark lashes fluttering like a butterfly on a midsummer’s day.
Father Jocelyn noted how the lady’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and he made a mental note to keep his novices and younger monks out of her sight. On second thought, he should keep most of his charges within the confines of the cloister, lest they be beguiled by this extraordinary creature. Already, in the space of an hour at supper, Lady Celeste had transformed solemn Brother Giles into a blushing, stammering schoolboy. Praise be to the entire heavenly host that the young woman had no idea of the power of her charms. Father Jocelyn sighed into his napkin. She would learn soon enough.
“’Tis most unfortunate that your aunt has suffered a fractured hip, as well as a broken leg,” Father Jocelyn continued. His unexpected guests presented him with a number of
problems, the least of which was Lady Marguerite’s injuries.
“But she will recover, oui?” Placing her eating knife across her trencher, Lady Celeste raised her eyes in supplication.
The prior nodded. “Aye, my lady. She will be made whole again under the care of our gifted Brother Cuthbert.” Frowning slightly, he swirled the dregs of the wine in his cup. “However, ’tis out of the question for her to travel anywhere before Christmastide. At which time, it would be advisable for her to return to your home in France, where the weather is kinder to knitting bones.”
For a moment, Lady Celeste did not speak. Then she sighed. “I suspected as much, good Father. Indeed, I am hardly surprised. ’Tis merely one more misadventure we have suffered since... we left L’Étoile.”
Father Jocelyn crumbled the crust of his trencher between his thumb and forefinger. “There have been other accidents, my child?”
“Accidents?” Her dark brows arched to a point. Her lips curled into a half smile. “This entire journey has been one long accident, Father.”
The prior snapped his fingers to attract the attention of Brother Giles, who looked as if he had been kicked in the head by Daisy, the monastery’s infamous donkey. Coloring, the brother began to clear the board. Yes, Father Jocelyn decided, watching Brother Giles trip over the hem of his robe, he definitely must send the Lady Celeste on her way as soon as possible.
The prior cleared his throat. “Traveling is always difficult. I am surprised to find you accompanied by so few retainers, and so late in the year.”
The lady dabbed the corners of her lips with her napkin before answering. “It was not so in the beginning. We left my home in late August. My father provided me with my aunt as chaperon. I also had good Gaston, a dozen men-at-arms, my maid, Suzette...” Here, she faltered and bowed her head for a moment. Father Jocelyn had the distinct impression that the lady’s tale was not a pleasant one.
“There were also two wagons, and the drivers,” she continued in a soft throaty voice.
Father Jocelyn cocked one eyebrow. “Two wagons? Pray, go on, my lady.”
“All went well—in France.”
“Ah, ’twas the crossing of the Channel?” The prior had done that once himself, when he visited Italy in his youth. He had vowed if God would let him live through the experience, he would never leave England again.
“Oui!” Her eyes flashed. “We were all sick, even the poor horses. In truth, good Father, I prayed for death over and over as our ship pitched and dived among the waves. Is that not wicked of me?”
Father Jocelyn shook his head. “Understandable, given the circumstances.”
“It was over a week before we landed safely in a place called Bristol. I must confess that I fell to my knees and kissed the ground.”
“Also understandable.” Father Jocelyn had done the same thing upon his return to England.
“Pah! Had I known what was in store for us here, I would have turned right around and ordered that miserable boat back to France!”
Brother Giles tittered. The prior flashed him a scorching look. Father Jocelyn wished he could send the younger man back to the kitchen; however, the lady’s reputation, as well as the prior’s, required that a third party be present at all times. Who would have expected that sober-minded Giles would be reduced to a quivering mass of suet pudding by a smoky voice and a pair of violet eyes?
“Once our stomachs returned to their rightful places, we set out, going north toward Chester, I believe. I fear I am not acquainted with the English countryside.”
“No one would expect you to be,” interjected Brother Giles with feeling. Father Jocelyn glared at him.
“Oui! You have grasped the very kernel of the truth. Our party wandered over hill and dale, because it amused the common folk to misguide us—even when we paid them for their directions. I am sure we looked a fool’s progress as we turned in circles at their whim. Indeed, at one point we discovered we were headed in the opposite direction, when we found a milepost pointing back toward Bristol!”
“Surely there must have been some honest folk you met on your way?”
Lady Celeste shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Oui, though it took us nearly a month to find one. When at last we were headed north again, the skies turned against us, and it rained for days on end.”
“I fear our weather is one of the crosses we must bear,” the prior remarked gently.
“It rained so much that all the little brooks became rushing rivers. We lost a wagon while fording one. If it were not for Pierre’s quick thinking, we would have lost the horses, as well. He leapt on the back of the lead mare as she thrashed in the water. At peril of his own life, he cut the traces. Our Pierre is only sixteen, but he is very brave, no?” Her eyes sparkled as she recounted the harrowing incident.
He’s probably suffering the loss of his wits. The prior kept that observation to himself. The girl warmed to her tale, despite its gravity. Father Jocelyn found himself wondering if she secretly relished the adventure. How unsuitable for a young lady of gentle breeding!
“We were able to save some of the furnishings my mother sent with me for my new home, but the wagon? Fah! Firewood! ” She sipped her wine. “Gaston sent the first driver and his team back to Bristol.” She sighed. “They are most likely at home by now.”
Father Jocelyn suspected the young lady wished she was back in L’Étoile, as well. He couldn’t blame her. When he saw a small frown knot itself between her delicate eyebrows, he asked, “There is more?”
Lady Celeste sighed again. “Oui, though I wish there were not. I believe we ate some poorly cooked food in an inn outside of...” She struggled to think of the name. “Outside of Hereford. Many of my men came down with stomach cramps. It was most piteous to hear them moan. At one point, I feared for their lives. My dear little maid, Suzette—she was so very sick. We stayed in that miserable town for almost two weeks. At last, everyone recovered, but they were very weak. Suzette lost so much weight, I could not bear the thought of making her continue the journey. She is only fourteen, Father. When she was well enough, I sent her back to Bristol with three of the men.”
The prior shook his head. The lady sitting opposite him didn’t look much older than her maid, yet she seemed to have been made stronger by the series of setbacks. “And now your aunt. It seems God has sorely tested your mettle, ma petite.”
Her eyes flashed with an inner fire. “You have spoken truly, Father, yet I must go on. My father gave his word that I would wed Walter Ormond, and the word of the chevalier of Fauconbourg is golden. Even if I arrive at Snape Castle in only my shift, I must go on. The honor of my family is at stake.”
The bridegroom’s name jangled a faint bell within Father Jocelyn’s memory. He had heard something about a branch of the Ormond family that was not altogether savory. “Walter Ormond? Would his father be Sir Roger Ormond?”
For the first time that evening, she truly smiled. The effect nearly shattered Brother’s Giles’s fragile composure. “Oui, the very same!” She clapped her hands with delight. “Do you know him, good Father?”
The prior wet his lips before answering. He had half a mind to tell her to flee back to France immediately, but he suspected she would face death before disgracing the family name. “The Ormonds live on the northern outskirts of civilization. I fear they are a rough and uncultured lot. Tell me, my child. How is it such a well-bred lady as yourself happened to become betrothed to the heir of such a far-flung estate?”
Lady Celeste swallowed at his words, though her gaze never wavered. “My father came to know Sir Roger and his son eight years ago, when your King Henry met with our king, Francois, at a beautiful city of tents outside of Calais, which people now call the Field of Cloth of Gold.” Her violet eyes gleamed as she recalled that near-legendary event.
“My father was a member of Francois’s court, and he entertained Sir Roger often during that fortnight. Oh, Father Jocelyn! I was there for a few days with my mother and sisters. It was trul
y the most magnificent sight!”
The old prior nodded. He had heard of the sumptuous feasts, the splendid tournaments and the brilliance of the two glittering courts, each vain monarch trying to outshine the other. He could well imagine how such a magnificent sight would have impressed the imagination of a young girl. “How many sisters have you, ma petite?”
“I have the honor of being the fifth and youngest daughter of Roland de Montcalm.” Her chin tilted up a notch.
“Five daughters! And brothers?”
“Only one survived. Philippe is the baby of the family.” She looked wistful as she spoke of her little brother. “We spoil him terribly.”
“Are your sisters married?” Father Jocelyn wondered if they were as striking as the lady opposite him.
“Oui, that is why my father allowed all of us to come to the Field of Cloth of Gold—to find good husbands. I am the last—and the only one who was betrothed to an Englishman.” She sighed softly, then flushed and glanced at the prior. “Pardon my manners, Father. It is not that I do not like the English, it’s just...” She groped for the right words.
“It’s just that you would have rather stayed in France, near your family?” he suggested in a gentle voice.
Lady Celeste rewarded him with a smile that lit up the small, Spartan guest room. Brother Giles hiccuped with suppressed pleasure.
“You are very wise, Father, to know my mind.” She cocked her head to one side. “Perhaps you can tell me what I am to do now that my aunt is sore injured and my only wagon is broken. I am most needful of good counsel. I must go on. I cannot return to L’Étoile. It would disgrace my father’s name, and...and...” She bit her lip.
“Yes, ma petite?” Father Jocelyn resisted the urge to lay his hand on her bowed head.
“It is my only offer of marriage, Father,” she confessed in a near whisper. “After settling dowries on my four older sisters, there was very little left for me. Sir Roger is kind enough to accept me when I bring his son so little to the marriage settlement.” She gave her slim shoulders a shake, then stared into the candle’s flame. “But I will bring him my honor, my virtue, and... and I will try to love him, as well.”
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